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Agriculture This Week: Farming always evolving

When you have grown up on a farm in the 1960s and ‘70s it is almost beyond belief the changes in farming we see today. 

It was a mixed farm for me, and that meant pigs and grain. 

In my youth I hauled a lot of ground grain to feed the pigs using cleaned five-gallon pails that originally were filled with some weed spray, or another. 

Looking back over some 40-years it seems like it was such a crazy thing, but repurposing the pails was pretty standard. I’m pretty sure potatoes came from the garden to the cellar bin in similar pails. 

Of course I clearly recall Dad taking plugged nozzles off the sprayer, his gloves getting soaked in the process, and then simply blowing out the nozzle with his breath. 

Knowing what we do now it’s a wonder what health problems were caused in a time we didn’t know better, or were reluctant to change. Dad lived to a considerable age, his heart giving out one day, but one wonders. 


Trending Video

Causal Impact Of PRRS Dosing - Dr. Edison Magalhaes

Video: Causal Impact Of PRRS Dosing - Dr. Edison Magalhaes


In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Edison Magalhaes from Iowa State University presents findings from a large-scale retrospective cohort study evaluating the causal impact of full-dose PRRS immunization on nursery mortality. Using production data and advanced analytical methods, he explains how confounding factors changed the interpretation of results and highlights practical lessons for veterinarians and producers making data-driven decisions. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...

"Raw production data can mislead immunization decisions when confounding factors hide the real value of full-dose PRRS protocols."

Meet the guest: Dr. Edison Magalhaes / edison-magalhaes-9b37b812a is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University and holds degrees in Veterinary Medicine, Business Administration, and advanced training through MSc and PhD programs. His research applies data science and epidemiological methods to large scale swine production systems, helping transform production records into practical decisions for health and performance. Listen to The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast featuring Dr. Edison Magalhaes on all major platforms.