Although Iowa is most notably known for its picturesque cornfields made famous by the well-loved movie Field of Dreams, Iowa is more than just a corn state. Iowa leads the nation in corn production and is also far and above the top producer of eggs, neck and neck with Illinois as the top producer of soybeans, and a hegemon when it comes to pork production. In fact, there is a very sound argument to be made that pork may be Iowa’s biggest agricultural asset, not corn.

According to the latest statistics available, Iowa produces nearly three times as much pork as the No. 2 state, Illinois.

Nonetheless, Iowa’s achievement of being the top pork producer comes with a caveat. Pork production annually benefits the state with billions of dollars in economic activity; however, the process of producing pork can be a dirty and smelly one that leaves a mark on more than just a farmer’s ledger.

Over time, the process of producing pork has become a large-scale operation. Take a drive down any Iowa road, and you’re bound to drive past quite a few pork-producing facilities. To the average Iowan, they are simply called hog buildings, but legally, the large shed-looking buildings that keep popping up across the state are defined as confined animal feeding operation facilities. As of 2015, there were 6,300 such operations in Iowa, and those numbers have only gone up as farmers increasingly turn to hog production to make up for the fourth-consecutive year of declining income from corn and soybean production. Not to be remiss, each new operation also brings employment prospects to rural areas of Iowa.

However, they have negative consequences as well. People who live near confinement facilities have a host of issues with the recent increase in hog farming. Ranging from a few hundred pigs to colossal 7,500-head facilities, the operations are frequently criticized for their effect on air and water quality in addition to their unsightliness and less than desirable aroma.

For those who live near a confinement facility, not only do they have to cope with the foul smell of manure when the wind is blowing in the wrong direction and the piercing squeals of thousands of pigs no matter the wind direction, they are also confronted with the risk of contaminants leeching into the water, both on the surface and groundwater.

Particularly back in my hometown of Elma, the water contamination is a pervasive problem. This area is dominated by karst topography, a landscape characterized by sinkholes and soluble limestone that makes it easy for contaminants to leech into groundwater. What is more, a recent report by the Iowa Environmental Council shows that northeast Iowa has the highest levels of contamination. Hence, many locals who get their water from a well wish the state would implement tougher regulations on confinement facilities. And it’s not just the locals who are upset. Nine counties have also petitioned the state to revamp regulations on such facilities.

Currently, state-issued permits are required to build a 2,500-head or larger facility. These permits include manure-management plans and stipulate that the facility must be located 1,875 feet from private buildings and 2,500 feet from public-use areas, and it is subject to an environmental-impact analysis that appraises how manure and chemicals will affect waterways and groundwater. Nevertheless, many locals feel that the state issues the permits with little regard for the actual impact that they have.