What do a data entry clerk, computer programmer and a customer service representative know about Iowa’s hog industry? Not much. That was the whole point of a class project at Upper Iowa University’s West Des Moines Center.

Seventeen adult learners in John Harlan’s micro economics course spent more than 2,000 hours conducting a study of the pork industry from the ground up in an effort to provide solutions to Iowa’s current hog crisis. The study was arranged through the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture’s office.

“Upper Iowa’s philosophy has always been to encourage ‘real life’ learning,” said Harlan. “Iowa’s hog crisis is as real as it gets. I believe the students’ objectivity served them well in this situation. They had nothing to gain from the solutions they sought— there were no hidden agendas here.”

The study focused on three key areas of the pork industry:

•supply and demand- understanding the flow of pork from birth to butcher

•the financial workings of the pork industry- importing and exporting, consumer consumption and price analysis

•the environment- the affects of hog lagoons on the environment and the impact of legislation on hog waste management.

“Prior to this project, my knowledge of hogs came from Mr. Ziffle’s pig, Arnold, on the TV show Green Acres,” said Rich Ford, information technician for Lennox International. “Now I’m questioning why the U.S. doesn’t export hogs to even one of the top five pork consuming countries.”

The students will present the findings of their study to Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge later this spring. The study can be found on the Web at http://www.netins.net/showcase/ satfix/hogreport.htm.