Landon and Andy Slattery of rural Winthrop were proud to show off their shiny, new 2,400-head swine finishing site to county supervisors and state politicians from the area as part of the “Evening on a Pig Farm” open house event on June 22.

The newly constructed site served as the final stop of the evening tour of hog sites in Buchanan County to educate the public officials about hog production.

The Slatterys will raise hogs on contract for neighbors Aaron and Trish Cook and they are anxious to get started.

“I’m absolutely looking forward to it,” said Landon. “It’s been a great opportunity for my brother and I. We worked with a local contractor and Aaron Cook, who have been very helpful and answered a lot of our questions. Both being young and new to this sort of thing, they have both been great to work with.”

Farming and pork production is nothing new for the brothers as both grew up on a nearby family farm and still help their parents, Jerry and Annette, on the farm. They raised hogs through 4-H growing up and showed pigs at the Buchanan County Fair.

The brothers will receive their first pigs in early July, but plan to keep their day jobs for the time being. Landon and Andy both work full-time as design and manufacturing engineers for area companies and will be raising hogs and continuing to help their father farm on a part-time basis to start.

Andy went to Iowa State University and earned a degree in ag business. Landon attended UNI and has a degree in technology management.

The brothers plan to become certified in the pork industry’s Pork Quality Assurance Plus® and Transport Quality Assurance® programs.

Landon and Andy tapped into the free resources of the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers to ensure they did everything properly and had no opposition to their new barn during the application and construction phases.

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