Iowa Farm Sanctuary in Oxford, Iowa is a safe haven for animals. Their rescue gives a forever home to pigs, chickens, goats, sheep, and cows.
Last summer, David and I were driving to Minneapolis. On the highway past Des Moines, we came upon a large semi used for carrying animals to slaughter. Conversation stopped, and I held my breath.
I dread driving by those semi trucks, seeing snouts poke out from the holes, knowing what will happen next. Apprehension hit my stomach with a thud.
It’s ironic that in “hog country,” pigs are mostly hidden. They usually spend their short lives in confinement facilities.
(However, soybeans are an ever-present feature. A person driving across the state passes field after field of them, but the beans are generally used for feed, not tofu and soy milk.)
In 2012, Iowa farmers raised and killed 49 million hogs. To put that in perspective, there are 3 million people in the entire state.
Yet, despite their numbers, pigs are largely missing from the Iowa landscape. I don’t see them in farm fields as I drive along I-80 or I-35.
I only see their faces poking out from the metal holes in semi trucks…
But on this day, as David and I closed in on the truck, we both sighed. The truck was empty. No snouts or tails poking through the holes. No eyes looking back at us.
But before we could speak, the relief was over. On closer look, we saw that there were in fact animals inside. They were tiny piglets, their little bodies too small to reach those higher holes.
A lucky break
It was in a truck like that one that a piglet named Kayla got her lucky break.
She was traveling in a large semi with hundreds of other piglets, jetting across the interstate, when she escaped and fell to the road outside.
A driver witnessed the event and took Kayla to the Animal Rescue League. Her injuries were slight, just some road rash.
And eventually Kayla made her way to Iowa Farm Sanctuary, where she will live out the rest of her life – as an individual, not a commodity.
Iowa Farm Sanctuary
Jered & Shawn Camp – Co-founders of Iowa Farm Sanctuary
Iowa Farm Sanctuary opened to the public in October of 2016. The sanctuary was founded by Jered and Shawn Camp, who had the idea for opening a sanctuary after reading the book, My Gentle Barn.
IFS provides a safe haven for farmed animals. It’s a place where humans can meet the resident pigs, calf, sheep, chickens, geese, and goats and come to know them as beings with feelings, preferences, and personalities.
On their website they acknowledge that in the face of an enormous agricultural industry, saving a few lives may not make an impact to the animal industry at large. But it makes a very real and immediate impact on the individual animals whose lives are saved and the people who come to know them.
I had a chance to visit IFS for their first public event, Pigs ‘N’ Pumpkins. There were barn tours, raffles, veggie burgers & bean chili for the humans, and a pumpkin feast for the pigs of honor.
Live music was provided by Deb Tiemens. (If you listen closely, you can hear Deb singing in the background during part of the video above.)
In a state where vegan restaurants are rare and vegan mini malls require a plane ride, it was buoying to the spirit to see so many people eager to meet the animals who will live out their natural lives at the sanctuary.
(The first batch of 100 tickets to the event sold out in a couple of days. Shawn & Jered added 25 more tickets, and those were gone within minutes.)
David and I took a tour of the grounds and met the animals who reside there.
There was Carl, who had recently been saved from a veal auction.
There was Monkey and Marley, two pigs who were going to be killed as piglets because they were runts, and it was deemed that it would be too costly to get them to “slaughter weight.”
(In the confinement facility where they came from, 2000 runts are killed a week.)
And we met so many other furry friends – Bennie, Hope, Otis, Matty, and of course, Kayla…
To see more from the sanctuary, check out the video above that David and I shot while we were there. It includes interviews with Jered, Shawn, and social media coordinators, Ace Wilde, and Chelsea Clegg. You can learn more about the animals they’ve rescued and hear their remarkable stories.
Board members Kellie Osler, Ace Wilde & Chelsea Clegg
As we’re knee deep in the holiday season, consider making a donation to Iowa Farm Sanctuary instead of wrapping up a DVD or house slippers for your loved one. You can sponsor individual animals by the month or year.
Or if you’d like to have something to wrap, they also have t-shirts for sale. (David and I just got the ones we ordered in the mail!)
To set up a tour, volunteer, or learn more, visit their website or Facebook page.
A huge thank you to my husband, David Busch, for shooting and editing the video above and for taking all of the pictures in today’s post.
(The picture of Kayla in the video & the clip of Carl running are from Iowa Farm Sanctuary’s website and Facebook page. Thank you to them for letting us use those!)
Don
Great post and video. Thanks for sharing this important story. I’ll be sending a donation to the Sanctuary.
Cadry
I’m so glad to hear it, Don. Iowa Farm Sanctuary is a very worthy cause. They’re doing such good work!
Mandy
Cadry, I’m crying happy tears! Loved this post so much!! ❤️ What a beautiful sanctuary. Always warms my heart to hear more rescue stories and reading that those tickets sold fast is wonderful! It’s comforting to know that so many people DO care about the animals and are making a difference. I’ll definitely be checking out their website!
Cadry
Aw, I’m so glad to hear that this post moved you! Iowa Farm Sanctuary is such a magical place. I totally agree that it was really refreshing to see that people here are craving opportunities to come out and support a sanctuary, meet the animals who live there, and connect with other like-minded individuals. I couldn’t believe how quickly they sold out!
Becky Striepe
I am so glad to hear that Iowa has its first Farm Sanctuary! It looks like a beautiful place.
Cadry
Yes, there is such a need here in Iowa! It’s very exciting to see what Jered & Shawn have created, and I can’t wait to watch it grow.
Dianne's Vegan Kitchen
This looks like such a wonderful place! Hearing about the pigs brought Dennis and to tears, but it’s good to know that some of them are safe.
Cadry
I agree, Dianne. Hearing their stories chokes me up too. The sheer numbers of animals killed day to day and week to week is sobering. All the more reason I’m glad that Iowa Farm Sanctuary is there to save some lives.
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition
Your video has me in tears! It’s amazing what these people have done to help farm animals. That little calf was gorgeous! I love your interviews and I know so many more people will see this new sanctuary and support it becasue of your interest in it. 🙂
I know exactly how you feel – I saw a chicken truck in NJ and I could barely drive anymore. I just starting crying. I know there wasn’t anything to do about it but it makes me more dedicated to helping other animals any way I can.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Cadry
Isn’t Carl sweet? I love seeing him galloping in his new forever home. He’s going to be so happy there.
I can totally understand why you started crying when you saw the truck full of chickens in New Jersey. On the highway near our house, there are regularly trucks going by full of turkeys. Even as you and I choose not to support that industry, it’s a very real reminder that it’s still happening in staggering numbers.
Thank you for your kind words, Mary Ellen, and thank you for being so dedicated to help animals in any way you can!
Susan
What a beautiful place! So glad that places and people like this exist. <3
Cadry
Yes, you and me both!
Jenn
This is beautiful! Such happy animals now. Love that Carl!!
Cadry
Isn’t he a sweetheart? I can’t wait to watch him grow up, and I’m so thankful that he can.
Mel | avirtualvegan.com
What a wonderful, wonderful place and what an awesome job you did on that video. I love everything about it. Such beautiful people and animals. I wish I was closer as I would love to visit!
Cadry
Thank you, Mel. That’s so nice of you to say. I wish you were close enough to visit too!
Shell
Cad, this is amazing. What neat people. Thank you for sharing this with all of your readers.
Cadry
It was truly my pleasure! 😀
Sarah
Baby Carl! Such a happy ending for him! Loved all of the amazing footage of these beautiful animals!
Cadry
Isn’t he too cute? Since I wrote this post, Iowa Farm Sanctuary has rescued another calf. So now Carl has a friend! 🙂
Melissa
This is such a wonderful story! Makes me sad, but happy at the same time. I wish all animals can live like Carl & Kayla. I hate those trucks, too – my heart always sinks, and puts me in an awful mood. I feel so helpless when they pass by, and I wish I could just stop the truck and save them all.
Cadry
I feel the same way, Melissa. It makes my heart hurt knowing that there’s no way I can save those specific animals. I’m glad that sanctuaries like Iowa Farm Sanctuary exist, and I’m glad to eat compassionately so that others may be saved from that fate.
Cadry
Thanks for letting me know, Denise.
VeganLinda
Great video and so glad to see an animal sanctuary in Iowa! My favorite place in the world is Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary in Maryland. I miss being close to a sanctuary, but we will definitely check this place out when we travel that way.
Cadry
It’s so good for the heart and soul to visit animal sanctuaries and see happy animals who are able to live out their lives in peace. I hope your travels will take you through Iowa sometime, and if they do, let me know! 🙂
Kelli
What a wonderful story! I have been living a whole food plant based lifestyle for about 2 yrs now. My dream life is to be a part of a farm animal sanctuary so this was such an inspiring story. You and I feel the same about seeing those horrible, cruelty filled semi’s on the roads!!! I was born, raised and currently live in Iowa which offers its challenges for someone who cares about mother earth and animal welfare as it is such an ag based state. Thank you for his wonderful article. I do hope to be able to visit Iowa Farm Sanctuary someday soon:)
Cadry
Thank you, Kelli! I hope you’re able to visit Iowa Farm Sanctuary someday too. Once it’s warm again, you should head out for one of their open barn days or special events.