Iowa

Iowa has nearly 85,000 active farms spread across over 30 million acres of farmland. Of that 30 million acres, 1.8 million acres are allocated to permanent pasture and rangeland, accommodating 3.85 million head of cattle (1.17 million of those cattle being on feed). Iowa is the leading chicken producer in the country with a reported 60.133 million chickens in 2021 and was ranked the 7th largest cattle producer in America in 2022. Iowa also raises turkeys, goats, sheep, and hogs, with hogs and turkeys being among the highest livestock production in the state.

Most of the remaining 30 million acres are used for corn and soy mono-crops, with only 5.22 million acres being used for hay & haylage production, a critical component for proper livestock nutrition.

Responsibly sourcing livestock feed is just as important as responsibly sourcing human feed, and in regards to animal health and environmental impact, responsibly sourcing livestock is extremely important. Supporting local ranchers helps to ensure local livestock are able to feed and graze in their natural habitat, and allows farmers to continue to have enough land for nutritious feed production.