Iowa Select Farms in Iowa: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Iowa Select Farms is the largest pork producer in Iowa and, per published industry coverage, one of the biggest in the United States. Started by Jeff and Deb Hansen of Iowa Falls in 1992 with 10,000 sows, it now describes itself as a network of about 800 farms spread across Iowa counties. In the state that raises more hogs than any other, that scale makes it a clear pick for an elite operation.
| Location | Iowa Falls, Hardin County, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1992 as Iowa Select Farms; the Hansen family began raising pigs in 1976 |
| Sectors | Hog production; sow farms and finishing |
| Scale | About 800 farms in 55 Iowa counties and about 1,200 employees, per the company website |
| Why it is elite | Largest pork producer in Iowa and a world top-tier producer per industry coverage |
| Ownership | Privately owned by Jeff and Deb Hansen, per published coverage |
| Official website | Iowa Select Farms official site |
History of Iowa Select Farms
The story starts in the 1970s, when Jeff Hansen, a third-generation Iowa farmer, and his wife Deb began raising pigs near Iowa Falls in Hardin County. The company site dates the family's pig raising to 1976. Before the current company existed, the Hansens built Modern Hog Concepts, a business that supplied equipment to other hog farms, according to published histories.
In 1992 the family returned to running its own pigs and incorporated Iowa Select Farms, starting with 10,000 sows. Growth through the 1990s was fast, and the company stayed headquartered in Iowa Falls. It remains privately held by the founders, and the Hansens also created a family foundation in 2006 that supports cancer research, food banks and veterans programs.
What Iowa Select Farms Grows and Raises
Iowa Select Farms runs a system of sow farms and finishing sites across much of the state. The company website describes roughly 800 farms in 55 Iowa counties, with 1,200 employees plus about 650 contractors, and says it works with more than 1,700 Iowa companies in 320 cities and towns. Published coverage reports it raises more than 5 million pigs a year.
That footprint matters in context. The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 23.8 million hogs and pigs on Iowa farms and 67.6 million hogs sold in the state, so a single company with this reach moves local feed, trucking, construction and veterinary markets. The company's own materials stress locally sourced inputs and Iowa-based suppliers.
How Iowa Select Farms Makes Money
Hog sales through a coordinated system
The core revenue stream is selling market hogs raised in the company's own and contracted barns. The company publicly describes a system of farms managed under one organization, which lets it standardize genetics, feed and herd health across sites.
Contract and partner production
The company website notes about 650 contractors alongside its own employees. Contract growing lets a producer put capital into barns while a larger system supplies pigs, feed and technical support, a model many Midwestern hog farmers use.
Equipment and services heritage
Before 1992 the Hansens sold hog-housing equipment through Modern Hog Concepts, per published history. That background shows how a farm family turned practical barn knowledge into a second business before reinvesting in pigs.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Iowa Select Farms
Scale in livestock came from a system, not a single barn. Iowa Select Farms standardized practices across hundreds of sites, built local supplier relationships and kept ownership with the founding family. Smaller producers can copy the discipline of record keeping and herd-health protocols without copying the size.
The company also invests in its home counties through jobs, suppliers and a foundation. For any operator planning expansion, local relationships with neighbors, county officials and vendors are part of the business plan, not an afterthought.
Anyone who has driven Hardin County in July knows Iowa's pigs outnumber the people at the county fair, and Iowa Select Farms has been part of that story since 1992. If you need a break from sow-herd numbers, the folks at farm.FM turn out cheerful farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, and an Iowa pork family gives them plenty of Hawkeye State material to tease with respect. Keep the boots clean and the barn gate latched, and your sense of humor will travel fine.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
How to Contact Iowa Select Farms
Website: https://www.iowaselect.com/about/
Contact details as published on the operation's own website, November 2026. The About page links to a contact form; no street address or phone number was printed on the page reviewed. Confirm before traveling or sending anything.
Iowa Select Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Iowa Select Farms - About - Company history, farm count and employee figures
- Iowa Select Farms overview - Independent summary of history, ranking and ownership
- 2023 World Mega Producer coverage - Trade coverage of Iowa Select Farms in the world's top pork producers
- USDA NASS Iowa 2022 Census of Agriculture - State farm counts, hog inventory and sales
- Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship - State agriculture department programs for Iowa farm families
Iowa Select Farms FAQ
Where is Iowa Select Farms based?
Its headquarters is in Iowa Falls, Hardin County, Iowa.
When was Iowa Select Farms founded?
The company incorporated in 1992 with 10,000 sows. The founding family began raising pigs in 1976, per the company website.
Who owns Iowa Select Farms?
Published coverage describes it as privately owned by Jeff and Deb Hansen.
How big is Iowa Select Farms?
The company site describes about 800 farms in 55 Iowa counties with about 1,200 employees. Published coverage places it among the largest pork producers in the United States.
Iowa Select Farms shows how a family hog operation can grow into a statewide system while keeping local ties. For the numbers behind Iowa livestock, soils, programs and markets, read our full guide to Iowa farms and compare it with the other profiled operations.