1) Iowa is a major producer of hogs in the United States, with over 20 million hogs according to 2014 USDA estimates, more than 6 times the state's human population of 3 million. 2) Different cuts of meat can be derived from pigs, including bacon, and hogs have been bred over time for different purposes such as meat production (lard-type) or bacon production (bacon-type). 3) Small meat lockers and processors throughout southern Iowa continue to traditionally cure and smoke bacon using older recipes and methods.