Their first product was a flooring and support framing system made from plastic and fibreglass, used in hog production.

The result of Mr. Haw's decisions is an operation that, in his words, represents "the state of the art" in hog production.

The Redesigned Pig Dramatic changes have already taken place in the last 15 years in hog production, primarily through breeding, nutrition and farm management techniques.

But Mr. Arnott said the debate over large-scale hog production in the American countryside was often driven by emotion and nostalgia.

(In 1993, total United States hog production was 50.7 million.)

The company has also vertically integrated hog production and processing.

In the late 1980s, there was not enough local hog production to meet the company's growing needs.

Dairy making continued in decline, while hog production was increasing.

There are no quotas in hog production and producers are free to ship as many hogs as they wish.

In hog production there are 14 large producers, with thousands of sows.