Is USDA still funding pig barn building?

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to offer loans to farmers to build big barns at the same time as it tries to cut the pig population, charges an anti-big pig barn organization.

The Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement is petitioning federal Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who happens to be from Iowa, to suspend all loans to specialized hog and poultry operations. “USDA is currently guaranteeing loans to new production facilities, which contribute to over-supply in an already saturated marketplace,” says an open letter to Vilsack published in early August.

Better Pork - October 2009