1) Iowa is a major producer of hogs in the United States, with over 20 million hogs in the state as of 2014, more than 6 times the state's human population of 3 million.
2) Hog farming and bacon production have a long history in Iowa, with the number of hogs in the state growing from under 350,000 in 1850 to over 30 million in 1890.
3) There are still many small meat lockers and processors across southern Iowa that traditionally cure and smoke bacon using traditional recipes and methods.