Farmers Press Lawmakers on Farm Bill

With less than 20 days left on the legislative calendar, farmers and ranchers are anxious for lawmakers to finalize the farm bill before the start of the new year—and a new Congress. If the bill doesn’t get done, Congress, including a House with new leadership, will have to start from scratch.

 

“The leadership of both the House and Senate Agriculture committees have worked overtime this year to deliver a new farm bill, and now it’s time to get it across the finish line before the clock runs out. Farmers and ranchers cannot afford that kind of delay, especially with so many struggling to hang on and unable to make plans for the next season with a massive cloud of uncertainty hovering overhead,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said in his recent Zipline column.

Video: Season 6, Episode 12: Veterinarians’ Perspectives on Managing Swine Herd Health Across All Phases

Identifying challenges in swine production and turning them into solutions through research and team development is the focus of this episode. Dr. Christine Mainquist-Whigham of Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics shares insights on herd health, biosecurity and trial work to improve pig performance. She also discusses her team’s research philosophy, how they evaluate rate of investment and how they gather feedback from employees to address challenges and maintain herd health across all phases of production. Dr. Carlos Roudergue of Country View Family Farms discusses the growing complexity of swine production, especially as technology increases and employee interaction decreases. He also shares how their workforce is shifting toward more specialized roles to support herd health and efficiency.