The Upper Midwest Organic Hog Conference held in Waterloo, IA on March 8-9, 2019, convened 121 organic hog farmers, researchers, and service providers from Iowa and nine other states to identify production challenges and research priorities. Farmers and livestock professionals gave talks on starting an organic pork operation, hog nutrition and health, pros and cons of pastured systems and small grains as feed, advanced hog production methods, marketing, and organic certification.

Post-conference reviews revealed that new organic farmers are looking for practical production tips, while experienced farmers seek access to breeding stock, expanded marketing venues, and the latest research. Building local capacity for organic pork processing for small to midsize operations emerged as a top priority to meet a pandemic-driven surge in demand for local organic meat.

The Iowa Organic Association (IOA) continued to build the organic pork community of practice and resource-sharing network during 2019-2021. When the pandemic disrupted plans for a 2020 conference, IOA held a series of nine webinars that reached over 900 participants. In 2021, a virtual conference offered sessions on production, parasite management, hazelnuts as hog feed, processing, and economics.