Pig to Order

A study by an Iowa-based farm group shows there’s a market for a co-op that raises pork for specialty products. Keith Dehaan, who conducted the study for the Iowa Farmers Union in Ames, says specialty products include several things, including natural pork, organic pork and specially produced pork cuts. Dehaan says specialty pork is different from the mass-produced and packaged pork you buy in stores. The Farmers Union asked Dehaan to explore the specialty pork market as an alternative for growers. He says there’s definitely a market for the products. He says there is competition for the specialty pork market, but he says that market is also growing. Dehaan says his study shows specialty pork would be sold in the same outlets as the traditional pork products, in retail outlets like stores, not so much in institutional markets like schools and hospitals. Dehaan will present the findings of his study at meetings that begin later this month. He says the next step of the process is probably the toughest, as they decide how to take advantage of the market potential. Dehaan’s study was financed with a grant from the U-S-D-A.