This limestone barn south of Decorah at 2091 Middle Ossian Road in Winneshiek County is home for Yorkshire hogs on the basement level and storage for straw and hay on the upper level. These hogs can’t appreciate the great barn that is their home but they know it’s a shelter and a place where they can get food any time of day.
Built in the mid-1860s, it was originally a dairy barn but has been used for hogs since Wayne and Roxanne Huinker bought the farm in 1980. There are about 150 sows and around 1000 pigs in this complex. Adjacent buildings, not shown here, are also used for housing.
They have breeding stock, feeder pigs, and more, and sell to buyers in many states. When about 90 pigs weigh 50 pounds each he personally transports them to California each January to a high school Ag chapter where students raise them to show at their county fair in May. The new owners hope for prize-winners.
Many limestone barns still exist in Iowa, many in the northeast quarter. The walls in this barn are three feet thick at the base, narrowing to eighteen inches at the top. Several arched windows and doors are also visible. It’s Iowa’s hog heaven.