A new facility on the Iowa State Fairgrounds this year is teaching Iowans all about the animal birthing process.
Several animals are being born this week at the Paul R. Knapp Animal Learning Center during the Iowa State Fair.
Nathan Hansen is an intern with the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association, which is helping care for the young animals. Hansen says 10 sows are farrowing, 12 head of cows are calving, and chickens are hatching throughout the fair. In addition, a goat was born.
The project is designed, in part, to help consumers understand how the livestock industry operates. "People need to know that they don’t just buy the stuff from the grocery store," Hansen says. "They should understand where their milk is coming from, and where the pork and beef is coming from."
The building was made possible from a $750,000 donation from Iowa businessman William Knapp.