Hoop Group

Purpose

This research initiative, supported by the Leopold Center from 1997-2002,  compared hoop structures to conventional facilities for swine production, beef cattle production and other livestock. Mark Honeyman and James Kliebenstein from Iowa State University led the group. Research continues with additional funds for special projects from the Leopold Center and other sources.

As low-cost hoop structures became an increasingly popular alternative to large-scale intensive hog confinement, the group began to compare the efficiencies of the two production methods. The Center provided $150,000 for the first two years of the initiative, which was used to construct a side-by-side comparision of a confinement system and a hoop house at the ISU Rhodes Research and Demonstration Farm. In 2004 the Hoop Group II turned its attention to beef cattle production, building a pilot hoop barn with a competitive grant from the Leopold Center at the ISU Armstrong Research and Demonstration Farm.

The goals of the Hoop Group:

• To research and quantify the benefits and drawbacks of hoop housing compared to traditional facilities
• To disseminate research on hoop housing to producers

Research team resources

• Bedded Hoop Barns for Beef Cattle fact sheet [PDF]
• Iowa Hoop Structures Used for Confined Beef Cattle Feeding: A Survey [PDF]
• Hoop Barn Swine Production fact sheet [PDF]
• Hoops: The Iowa-Ukraine Connection

Related grant projects

• Demonstrating farrowing alternatives for small farms: Insulated tents for sows and pigs (XP2012-04)

Archived information, publications and details about the research team can be found on the Hoop Group website.