Iowa’s missing manure mystery: 110 billion pounds of hog waste goes untracked

Iowa’s massive hog farming industry produces an astounding 110 billion pounds of manure annually from approximately 23 million pigs, yet state officials have no comprehensive tracking system to monitor where all this waste ends up. This regulatory blind spot has created a significant environmental oversight gap in one of America’s largest agricultural states.

The majority of manure from Iowa’s concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) is spread across farmland as fertilizer, which can be beneficial when properly managed. However, without adequate tracking and oversight, improperly handled manure poses serious risks to water quality, air pollution, and public health. Excess nutrients from manure runoff can contaminate groundwater and surface water, contributing to algae blooms and dead zones in waterways.

The sheer volume is staggering—110 billion pounds equals roughly 55 million tons of waste material generated each year. To put this in perspective, that’s equivalent to the weight of about 550 Empire State Buildings worth of manure being produced annually in Iowa alone. Environmental advocates argue that this massive waste stream requires better monitoring and regulation to prevent contamination of drinking water sources and protect neighboring communities.

Managing editor Jamie Smith Hopkins and reporter Anika Jane Beamer investigated this regulatory gap, highlighting how the absence of comprehensive manure tracking creates challenges for environmental protection and public health oversight. Their reporting underscores the need for improved accountability in industrial agriculture waste management.