Published Tuesday October 6, 2009

Bullets add to hog farmers' worries

By Elizabeth Ahlin
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

A bad year for western Iowa hog farmers just got worse.

After months of consistent economic losses because of dropping hog prices and lower demand for pork, they can now add "shooting target" to their list of woes.

Several liquid propane tanks on hog farms have been hit by bullets from a high-caliber rifle, Calhoun County Sheriff Bill Davis said Monday.

The shooter or shooters appear to target hog farms in Sac and Calhoun Counties. All of the propane tanks that were fired upon were near modern, indoor hog barns, Davis said.

To date, no one has been injured, but the practice is extremely dangerous, said Aaron Putze, executive director of the Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers.

Close to a dozen tanks have been fired on since late summer, said Putze.

In most cases, the tank was punctured. However, in one instance, a bullet ricocheted off the tank and hit a nearby office used by farm workers.

Ron Birkenholz, spokesman for the Iowa Pork Producers Association, urged hog farmers not to keep propane tanks too close to hog barns or other livestock facilities.

"So far, nothing has exploded. If it did, it could easily catch the barn on fire and kill thousands of pigs," said Birkenholz.

Speculation abounds as to what is behind the shootings. Are they some sort of prank? The action of ecoterrorists? Or something different entirely? Authorities have not named a motive or a suspect.

The Animal Liberation Front claimed responsibility for vandalism to an animal laboratory at the University of Iowa in 2004 and for the release of minks from an Iowa farm in 2002 and 2000. A spokeswoman for the group does not believe ALF is involved in the shootings.

A reward of $8,000 is being offered for information on the shootings. People can call the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office at (712) 297-7583 or the Sac County Sheriff's Office at (712) 662-7127.

Contact the writer: 444-1310, elizabeth.ahlin@owh.com