The purpose of this paper is to suggest some probable changes in the production sector of Minnesota's red meat industry during the eighties. To do this, it first reviews the past trends in hog production and cattle feeding and then considers how these trends might be influenced by some of the major economic and political factors that are evident at this time. Trends and future changes will be discussed with respect to three important industry characteristics--structure (size and number of firms), profitability and locational shifts.