Iowa Food System Coalition studies economic impact of raising livestock on pasture
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The Iowa Food System Coalition is embarking on a 12-month project studying pasture-based livestock systems in Iowa to examine the community and economic benefits of the practices.
The coalition received a $40,000 grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, to support the study as part of the animal welfare group's initiative to end "factory farming" practices.
Tommy Hexter, Iowa Food System Coalition's executive director, 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 -- as opposed to being fed in a confined system. For beef operations, that might mean a grass fed or grass finished system, or a free-range operation for chickens. 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 kind of get a holistic picture of what people in the state view as pasture-based livestock farming," Hexter said.
The coalition is working with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Practical Farmers of Iowa to disseminate a survey to Iowa livestock farmers 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 Hexter said would help build consumer awareness of pasture-based livestock farms.
The 2026 Food & Farm Index survey from Iowa Farm Bureau found that a growing number of Iowans are interested in buying protein directly from farmers. According to the index, 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 said that while the Iowa Farm Bureau survey doesn't translate directly to a consumer desire for more pasture-raised protein, it indicates a growing consumer 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," Hexter said.
Hexter said the map would also help to identify gaps in local processing facilities across the state.
In addition to the interactive map and economic analysis, the study will also present case studies from farmers running pasture-based livestock operations.
Iowa Food System Coalition was one of five projects across the country awarded ASPCA funding through the organization's Fund to End Factory Farming grants program.
Hexter said farmers who participate in the survey will be eligible for a stipend for their time.