Minnesota hog farmers continue to face challenges with temporary packing plant closures. While the pigs on the Olson Farm near Cottonwood are owner by their neighbor, Carolyn and her husband Jonathan own the buildings and feed the hogs until a finished weight of 275. Olson describes the disruptions as major. “The pigs going to market right now were born before we ever heard of COVID-19. This is how long it takes to get an animal from birth to market,” she explains. “When a group of pigs are ready for market there are already pigs scheduled to be in our barn, and usually there is a two-day window to completely clean the barn. This system works when the the supply chain is working really well. A major distruption like this creates a backlog.” The southwestern Minnesota hog farm is located about 100 miles from the Smithfield pork processing facility in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Olsons fortunately have relationships with other packers, too. Hear more of the conversation in this RRFN interview.