Because of pork production\u27s increasing importance to the U.S. and world economies, questions concerning the relationship among environmental regulations, manure management practices, and production costs have arisen. The goal of this report is to discern whether competitive advantages exist in particular U.S. regions or countries. The current levels other rapidly changing environmental regulations in five key hog producing states are discussed in addition to possible geophysical and legal considerations producers have when selecting a site and deciding on a manure management practice. Existing data on production costs and manure management practices, along with a regions regulatory environment, are used to determine whether a region has a competitive advantage. The data indicates that he historical advantage of the North in hog production has diminished in recent years
