How the end of hog farming can kill a way of life in rural Utah
Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
As Beaver County reels from Smithfield Foods' decision to end contracts with over two dozen local hog farms—upending the region’s largest employer and decades of economic stability—leaders are looking to diversify the rural economy. Amid the uncertainty, the Utah FORGE geothermal research project in Milford stands out as a beacon of hope. Positioned to demonstrate cutting-edge, clean energy solutions, FORGE could help fill the economic gap left by the pork industry’s collapse and bring long-term opportunity to central Utah.