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MINNESOTA PORK PRODUCTION

Nationally, Minnesota ranks third

in pork production

Minnesota pork production ranks third nationally, behind Iowa (first) and North Carolina (second). Each year, Minnesota pork producers will market over 15.8 million hogs. In addition to providing food, pigs also provide fiber, pharmaceuticals, and high value soil fertilizer.

Feeder pigs in a confinement barn with slate floors

Minnesota pork production generates

$8 BILLION each year

Minnesota pork producers earned $2.1 billion in on-farm, gross income from marketing their pigs in 2006 and generated another $5.8 billion in economic activity for the state.

In Minnesota, there are 22,550 residents who directly depend on pork producers for their employment. This includes suppliers of feed, equipment, construction materials, pork processing, vets, truck drivers and many other main street businesses.

Sustainable agriculture requires livestock manure

Swine manure is much more than crop fertilizer — it enhances soil properties and improves corn yields when compared to conventional fertilizer. University of Minnesota research shows that swine manure reduces soil erosion and increases crops’ ability to utilize nutrients. Both liquid and solid livestock manure reduce soil erosion over 25% when compared to soils not receiving manure applications.

Another U of M study shows that corn fertilized with swine manure has a yield advantage of 8 bushels an acre when compared to commercial, synthetic fertilizer.

The nutrients in swine manure is used as a crop fertilizer.

Swine production is a

zero discharge industry

Properly managed manure management systems do not contaminate surface water resources or groundwater. The pork industry prides itself on having zero discharge standards and stringent Minnesota environmental regulations.

Professional engineers design manure storage to contain the nutrients until they are applied to cropland. And before applying manure to cropland, pork producers avoid over application by testing the soil and manure to assure the nutrients in the manure meet crop needs.

Livestock production

adds value to crops

Minnesota pork producers add value to Minnesota grown crops by feeding their pigs a diet rich in corn and soybeans. This year, Minnesota pigs will consume 60 million bushels of Minnesota soybeans and 169 million bushels of Minnesota corn.

More than 60 percent of the U.S. corn crop and 80 percent of the U.S. soybean meal is fed to livestock each year. Pork producers and crop farmers — a value added combination.