(Radio Iowa) – October is recognized as “Pork Month” and Iowa Pork Producers Association executive director Pat McGonegle points to the economic study they commissioned to show the impact of the pork industry on the state. “We do it with a third party so it kind of pulls some of the bias out of it…one of the key things that we found in it is the Iowa pork industry — both direct and indirect impact — equates to about 140-thousand jobs in the state of Iowa,” McGonegle says.

McGonegle says the direct and indirect economic impact is estimated at six BILLION dollars. And he says the pork industry provides a market for Iowa grain. “We’ll consume about 24 percent of the corn that’s produced in the state and about 22 or 23 percent of the soybeans that are produced are consumed on pig farms,” he says. Consumption of pork products has steadily increased during the past few decades, and according to McGonegle, one bright spot lies with the export of U-S pork products. He says Iowa exports about 26 percent of the hogs produced to 100 countries. “And it’s everything from pork chops to pig’s feet and everything in-between. And so, all of those things add value, not just to the producer — but to the entire network that it takes to bring pork products to consumers.”

McGonegle says whether the pork industry continues to expand within the state will depend on input costs, such as higher grain prices, and higher costs for building materials.