2025 Iowa Pork Congress Celebrates the Pig and the Producer

January 27, 2025

It was all about the pig and the producer during the 2025 Iowa Pork Producers Association’s (IPPA) Iowa Pork Congress at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines. Nearly 4,500 attendees, 250 exhibitors and numerous speakers shared their ideas and concerns about the current state of the pork industry.

Farmers from across Iowa gathered to talk about trade, demand, swine health and strategic hog margins while also trekking through a trade show highlighting new equipment and services available to producers.

Nick Langel, a pork producer and row crop farmer from Le Mars, says attending this year’s event was illuminating.

“This is my first time coming,” he says. “There is so much that you can learn here – lots of information and resources.”

Langel echoed the concerns of many pork producers who have been challenged by market numbers and policy demands impacting their farms the past several years.

“With the way the industry is going, I see it as being a tough road for a while,” he says. “But we always adapt and overcome. If you’re a farmer and you’re in this industry, you have to be passionate and do it because it’s what you love to do,” he says.

For Langel, events like the Iowa Pork Congress are a testament to what’s important.

“Knowledge is key when it comes right down to it,” he says. “We need to teach our kids where their food is coming from and promote our products. I hope they can retain that information and understand our dedication to taking care of the livestock. We raise a good product and I’m proud of that.”

New IPPA president

During the event, Carroll County farmer Aaron Juergens assumed the role as IPPA’s next president. He currently manages more than 100,000 nursery and finishing pig spaces for Sunburst Valley Farms near Carroll.

“It’s an incredible honor to lead this outstanding organization and work alongside such a dedicated board of directors,” Juergens said. “This group has always been a source of inspiration for me. I never imagined being elected to serve on the board, let alone as president. It’s truly overwhelming.”

Juergens previously served as IPPA’s president-elect in 2024. He succeeds Matt Gent, a Wellman pig farmer who now holds the position of past president on the IPPA Board of Directors. Juergens expressed his gratitude for Gent’s leadership, noting his ability to navigate the association through a challenging year. Both Juergens and Gent will serve one-year terms in their respective roles.

“Matt did an outstanding job guiding us through a tough year, and I hope to build on his success,” Juergens said. “2025 looks promising, and I’m optimistic about a great year ahead for Iowa pork producers.”

By the numbers

The IPPA highlighted numbers from a 2024 Iowa Pork Economic Contribution Study, citing the following facts:

  • In 2024, Iowa produced 25 million hogs.
  • There are 5,172 hog farms in the state.
  • More than 120,200 jobs (full- and part-time) were created by the pork industry including those in hog production, slaughter, processing and related activities.
  • $15.4 billion in value-added activity comes from pork production in Iowa.
  • $40.5 billion in pork production and processing sales are based in Iowa.
  • $8 billion in household income – total payroll related to hog production, slaughter, processing and other related activities. This includes employee wages, salaries and benefits, in addition to payments received by self-employed owners.
  • More than 1.5 million acres in soybean consumption is needed to feed pigs raised in Iowa.
  • More than 2.2 million acres in corn consumption is needed to feed pigs raised in Iowa.
  • The Iowa pork industry generates $915 million in state and local taxes.
  • The Iowa pork industry generates $1.8 billion in federal taxes.