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Farmers need to stop treating soil like dirt: Buffett

Buffett spoke during USDA outlook forum

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

During the United States Department of Agriculture’s annual outlook forum, Howard Buffett, son of billionaire Warren Buffett turned heads yesterday when he said farmers should practice crop diversification and be better environmental stewards to avoid more government intervention.

During a joint presentation with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Buffett said proof of care for resources needs to be shown.

“We have to show the world that we’re willing,” reports Bloomberg. “If we don’t we will be regulated into it.”

Soil

Buffett, who owns and manages a farm in central Illinois, said that how farmers treat their soil can be a major factor in the success of a farm and of a crop.

“How you take care of your soil makes a difference,” he said. “If you treat it like dirt, that’s what you’ll get.”

Buffett’s farm’s corn yield last year was about 227 bushels per acre.

One of the reason’s Buffett is so passionate about farming is that through the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, he helps improve agriculture in developing countries.

To date, his organization has provided nearly $775 million to fight hunger and teach farming techniques and provide access to clean water.

Buffett said he would like to spend more than $700 million over the next 10 years to continue battling global hunger.


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In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. David Rosero from Iowa State University explores the critical aspects of fat quality and oxidation in swine diets. He discusses how different types of lipids affect pig performance and provides actionable insights on managing lipid oxidation in feed mills. Don’t miss this episode—available on all major platforms.

Highlight quote: "Increasing levels of oxidized fats in swine diets reduced the efficiency of feed utilization, increased mortality, and led to more pigs being classified as culls, reducing the number of full-value pigs entering the finishing barns."

Meet the guest: Dr. David Rosero / davidrosero is an assistant professor of animal science at Iowa State University. His research program focuses on conducting applied research on swine nutrition and the practical application of smart farming. He previously served as the technical officer for The Hanor Company, overseeing nutrition, research, and innovation efforts.