Driving County Roads

An on line journal sharing my views. The content reflects my background as a rural person employed in agriculture and as a retired elected official of local government.

Monday, February 07, 2011

A Good Kind of Pork

Nicollet County ranks fourth in the state in the number of hogs marketed. We are behind Martin County (1), Blue Earth County (2), and Nobles County (3). Our hog farmers sold 667,000 market hogs in 2010.

The gross income generated in 2010 from the sale of Nicollet County hogs was $101.3 million dollars. This is the income received by farmers and - you know how farmers are - they spend money when they have it. It went for feed expense, hired labor, new equipment, seed, fertilizer, new pick ups and other farm equipment. Farmers also are quick to upgrade their farm buildings and to improve their land by adding adequate drainage. Any farm income goes right back into the community where it keeps turning and turning.

Nicollet County farmers also pay millions of dollars in property taxes which help keep our schools in the top notch category and help with county services such as safety, snow plowing, and ten ton farm to market roads.

Every dollar in gross farm income generates another $2.80 in economic activity.

Nicollet County hogs consumed 7 million bushels of corn in 2010 and were fed another 2.53 million bushels of soybeans.

A huge benefit of hogs and other livestock raised in our county is the nutrients derived from manure. Locally produced nutrients become win/win situations for everyone. They decrease hauling and resulting negatives generated and natural produced nutrients from manure mean less use of fossil fuels from the production and transportation of commercial fertilizers.

(Taken from information distributed by Nicollet County Pork Producers.)

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