Iowa Farm Sanctuary

Iowa Farm Sanctuary Iowa Farm Sanctuary provides a safe haven to rescued farm animals in need of love and compassion.
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06/01/2026

🚨Emergency Rescue🚨

Meet Gail. 3 weeks old. Fell off a moving semi on the interstate. Broken snout, a shattered femur, severe sunburn, and she hasn’t eaten or drunk anything — her tiny body shutting down.

And the state of Iowa won’t allow the only large animal hospital in the state to help her.

Why? Because Iowa law classifies a 21-day-old piglet who fell off a truck as a feral animal. Under Iowa Code § 163.33, “feral swine” is defined as any swine “running at large.” That’s it. No exceptions. No context. A 21-day-old piglet who fell off a semi, by Iowa law, is feral — and under Iowa Admin. Code Rule 21-64.155, that triggers a mandatory 30-day quarantine, making emergency vet care inside state lines impossible.

Iowa didn’t just fail Gail. Iowa wrote the law that failed her.

🌽 Iowa, the nation’s largest producer of pigs, has decided that when their industry creates an animal in distress, that animal is on her own. No vet care. No emergency treatment.

The industry created these animals, put them on the truck, and when one falls off and breaks her body on the interstate, Iowa law says she’s feral. Untouchable. Not their problem.

But she became our problem. So we drove her out of state, hours, with her broken little body — because that’s apparently what it takes to give a three-week-old piglet the right to not suffer in this state.

Iowa values bacon over beings. 🥓

Gail is now facing over $5,000 in vet bills and a precarious medical situation. Possible punctured lung. Shattered leg. She had to be sedated today — risky given her condition — because she simply could not wait another day for supportive care.

She has been through more than words can hold. And she didn’t choose any of it.

This was not a rescue we were pardoning for, but when our vets call asking us to get a piglet vet care they desperately need, we cannot turn away. Will YOU step up to help us help Gail? 💚🙏

Drop a 🤯 below if you had no idea this was happening in Iowa — because most people don’t. And that’s exactly the problem.

It’s Sanctuary Stroll Sunday!Come on out and experience IFS—Enjoy our beautiful sanctuary and connect with our rescued r...
05/31/2026

It’s Sanctuary Stroll Sunday!

Come on out and experience IFS—Enjoy our beautiful sanctuary and connect with our rescued residents, like Jane and Sal! 🐮

Please take a moment to read a few important notes before the event:

🌷Our gates will open at exactly 1:00PM; we know you’re excited (yay), but please don’t arrive early!
🐑We know how much you love them, but please leave your furry (non-human) family members at home.
🌱Vegan drinks and snacks are welcome; out of respect for our rescued residents, please leave any non-vegan food and drinks at home.
🐮When you arrive, please visit our little store to get checked in; if you bought your ticket(s) in advance, please be ready to tell us the name they were purchased under!
🌼If you’ll be making your admissions donation at the door, we ask $15 for adults and $6 for kiddos! Treats to offer our rescued residents are available for purchase as well!
🐷Please wear comfortable shoes that you don’t mind getting a little dirty!
🌈For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, please visit https://www.iowafarmsanctuary.org/events.

See you soon, y’all! 🐮

**Thank you so much to Cross Park Rd Hy-Vee for generously donating produce for our rescued residents to enjoy during the event! 🌱**

05/29/2026

25 humans changed everything for Napoleon in just 24 hours.

Over $2,000 in donations came in. And here’s the part that gave us chills: HALF of that is now recurring.

That means 12 incredible individuals are sponsoring Napoleon for the entire year. $3 a day. Every single month. Sustained, committed care for our guy here at IFS.

This is what grassroots looks like. This is what people who show up look like.

To the 25 of you: our hearts are so full. You proved that a small group of thoughtful, committed people really can change the world, and Napoleon’s world especially.

Want to join them? Even $3 a day makes you part of this.

https://www.iowafarmsanctuary.org/yearlysponsor

05/28/2026

We are shocked to share that Napoleon — a bull who survived months on the run, sub-zero temperatures, freezing food and water sources, and brutal winds with absolutely no shelter — did not receive a single sponsor after our last post. Not one😢.

Despite our incredible community of over 100k followers on Instagram and nearly 200k on Facebook, we are struggling to find a single person to support this sweet soul. Having a strong social media presence has always been a double edge sword- our reach is larger, but so many are left to assume “someone else will do it”. And in Napoleons case, there hasn’t been a someone else.

Our sponsorship program is not just important — it is our lifeblood. Having sponsors for all of our rescued residents is how we are able to say yes to the next animal in need. It is a heartbreaking reality for a grassroots organization that relies solely on your generosity.

If you have ever thought about supporting our work on a monthly basis, we urgently ask you to please consider becoming Napoleon’s sponsor — or a sponsor for any of our residents who are still waiting. Your support is not just helpful; it is essential for Napoleon’s future and the future of every animal in our care.

We desperately want to turn this around for Napoleon but we cannot do it without you.

👉 Please click the link here or in our IG bio to sponsor Napoleon today. Your kindness can make all the difference, and we cannot express how grateful we would be for your support. Napoleon and our residents need you. 💚

https://www.iowafarmsanctuary.org/yearlysponsor/napoleon

05/28/2026

Napoleon didn’t come to us easily — and honestly, we respect him for it. 🐄❤️

After animal control called about a bull on the run for months, dangerously close to the interstate, we knew we had to act. What Napoleon had already survived was remarkable: months alone, freezing temperatures, brutal wind, no shelter, no one in his corner. He made it through all of that on sheer will.

When he arrived at the sanctuary, he was scared — and he let us know it. Fear-based aggression isn’t a character flaw. It’s what happens when an animal has had no reason to trust. So we did what we always do: we showed up every single day, with patience and no agenda other than earning his trust.

It worked. 🥹

These days, Napoleon lives for a good head scratch. And he takes his role as leader of our big cow herd very seriously — with full confidence, despite being one of the smallest cows on the property. The irony is not lost on us. We love him for it.

Napoleon fought hard for his freedom. We’re honored to be the ones who get to give it to him. Now he needs you in his corner.

Napoleon is currently in need of a sponsor. By sponsoring him for a year, you help cover his daily care — from routine vet visits to feedings — and you’ll receive:
🐄 Quarterly updates & exclusive photos by email
🐄 Your name listed on his page on our website
🐄 A free pass to ALL Sanctuary Strolls during your sponsorship

05/26/2026

We recently told you that we had experienced two losses here within moments of one another. We shared last week that after being the strongest steer on three legs, Buddy’s fight came to an end. And today we come to tell you about the other heartbreaking loss.

While letting everyone out to start their day, we found sweet Suzy down on her side and immediately rushed her to Iowa State’s Large Animal Hospital. When she arrived, her blood glucose was severely low, she was hypothermic, and her sodium levels had crashed. She was struggling to stand and even to hold her head up.

The team at Iowa State worked urgently to figure out what was happening. At first she seemed to hold her own and was eating well, but her glucose kept falling and her sodium would not stabilize. Within a day she lost the ability to eat, and the vets started her on IV dextrose and NG nutrition. Then she lost the ability to stand and ultimately she became unresponsive. They searched tirelessly for the cause, but she crashed faster than answers could come, and she passed before they could turn things around.

Their best understanding is that the congenital condition that affected the development of her brain was likely the cause. They believe her pituitary gland was too small and underdeveloped to regulate the things her growing body needed it to, including her temperature, her sodium, and her glucose. As she grew, her body simply outpaced what it could do for her.

Suzy was sweet and gentle, and she was deeply loved here. We are grateful to the team at Iowa State who tried everything to bring her home, and we are heartbroken that she could not have more time in our lives. Rest easy sweet Snooze. 💔

05/23/2026

So many great sanctuaries here at the .intl please tag your orgs if you’re here!

05/22/2026

🌊 Turn the sound on 🔊 — this is pure peace.

Around here, pools open this weekend… but at Iowa Farm Sanctuary, our water buffaloes have been living their best aquatic life for weeks already! 🐃💦

Watch Jane and Sal wallow in their pond and chew their cud — two souls who are safe, loved, and thriving exactly as they should be.

We hold Phill close in our hearts every single day. His legendary act of bravery — escaping, evading, surviving — didn’t just save his own life. It saved Jane and Sal too, bringing all three of them here to live out their days with love and peace. His legacy lives on in every splash.

🔇➡️🔊 Don’t forget to turn up the volume for the most soothing sounds of a spring afternoon. Nature’s ASMR at its finest.

05/21/2026

Who remembers sweet Tommy? 🐑💚

We haven’t posted this little fighter in a while — but after this past Sunday, when Tommy was crowned the undisputed favorite of Sanctuary Strolls, we decided it was time to reintroduce y’all!

Tommy came to us bearing the marks of deep suffering. Born into brutal neglect during a bitter Midwest winter, his hind legs and ears were ravaged by frostbite, and his front legs became severely contracted as his tiny body tried to compensate for the pain. When he was no longer deemed “worth the trouble,” he was cast onto the auction floor — where his entire life sold for just fifteen dollars.

But even in that bleak moment, compassion found a way in. A kind stranger, unable to walk away, stepped in — not to own Tommy, but to make him a promise: that he would never suffer like that again. That stranger reached out to us, and when we saw this fragile lamb standing against all odds with a flicker of hope in his eyes, we knew he belonged here. 🌱

Look at our king now. 👑

Tommy greets each new day with quiet courage, learning that gentle hands and soft voices mean love, not harm. He is no longer just surviving — he is beginning to feel what it means to truly live.

And YOU can meet him! 🎉 Sanctuary Strolls are back every Sunday through October 11th, from 1–4pm. This Sunday, May 24th, we’d love to see you at the farm. Tickets are $15 for adults and $6 for kids 10 and under — grab yours at the link in our bio!

Come let Tommy work his magic on you. He’s very good at it. 🪄

Address

1696 250th Street NW
Oxford, IA
52322

Opening Hours

1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+13193290205

Website

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