The Iowa Food System Coalition launched a 12-month study of pasture-based livestock farming, funded with $40,000 from the ASPCA, to measure its economic and community benefits and create a statewide map of operations.
The Iowa Food System Coalition launched a 12-month project to study pasture-based livestock systems in Iowa and analyze their community and economic benefits. The coalition received a $40,000 grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) as part of the organization's initiative to end "factory farming" practices.
Tommy Hexter, executive director of the Iowa Food System Coalition, said the practice of pasture-based livestock operations "presents opportunities" for land stewardship, animal welfare and rural economic development. "But we have limited information about the scope of this industry in Iowa," Hexter said in a news release.
Pasture-based livestock systems allow animals to graze freely, unlike confinement feeding systems. For beef cattle, this can mean grass-fed or grass-finished systems, and for chickens, free-range operations. Hexter said part of the research will be to determine what Iowa producers consider pasture-based.
"We're casting a really wide net to start to allow people to self-identify pasture-based livestock farming, and then we'll get a holistic picture of what people in the state view as pasture-based livestock farming," Hexter explained. The coalition is working with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Practical Farmers of Iowa to distribute a survey among Iowa livestock farmers in order to gather information about their operations, size, livestock types, equipment, land, staffing, budgets and profits.
The project also plans to develop a statewide map of these operations, which according to Hexter would help build consumer awareness of pasture-based livestock farms. The 2026 Food & Farm Index from Iowa Farm Bureau showed that a growing number of Iowans are interested in buying protein directly from farmers: 84% of Iowa grocery shoppers had purchased directly from farmers, meat lockers or farmer networks, and nearly 80% of respondents said they review labels for information about how products were raised or processed.
Hexter noted that while the Iowa Farm Bureau survey does not translate directly into a consumer desire for more pasture-raised protein, it does indicate growing awareness of the "health benefits and the ecological benefits of pasture-based farming." "We want to make a specific opportunity for people to locate those pasture-based farmers, so they can support them," he added.
Hexter said the map would also help identify gaps in local processing facilities across the state. In addition to the interactive map and the economic analysis, the study will present case studies of farmers running pasture-based livestock operations. The Iowa Food System Coalition was one of five projects across the country to receive ASPCA funding through the Fund to End Factory Farming grants program. Hexter said farmers who participate in the survey will be eligible for a stipend for their time.
