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African Swine Fever to be Worse in 2020

With so much focus over the past couple of months on the impact of COVID 19 around the world, there's concern that a deadly hog disease is continuing to run rampant.
 
Some experts now say the African Swine Fever pandemic will be even worse this year than in 2019 as the disease, which only affects pigs, spreads to even more countries. Researchers say ASF is a much stronger virus than COVID 19 in that it can survive in the environment or in food products for weeks and even months. While it's been around for years, ASF arrived in China nearly 2 years ago, and in a short amount of time, killed off what is estimated to be about half of the pig population in China.
 
The numbers might actually be higher but those are the ones being given by China's communist government. The disease is also spreading across parts of Europe, mostly through wild boar which can also be infected. One positive side effect of the current pandemic is reduced international air travel. That's considered one of the prime vectors of introducing the disease to hog barns in North America, through tainted meat products brought from countries where the disease is present.
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Spring Planting Prep Just Got Serious… We NEED This!

Video: Spring Planting Prep Just Got Serious… We NEED This!

Getting closer to planting season means one thing… it’s time to get EVERYTHING ready.

Today didn’t go exactly as planned—we thought we’d be hauling potatoes again, but instead we spent the day digging equipment out of the cellar, hooking up the grain drill, and getting tractors ready to roll. With wheat planting just around the corner, every piece of equipment matters.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a normal day without a few problems… dead batteries, hydraulic issues, and a truck tire that absolutely refused to cooperate. We tried everything—jump packs, bead bazooka, ratchet straps… and eventually had to bring out the “big guns” just to get things moving again.

But that’s farm life—adapt, fix, and keep moving forward.

We’re getting close to go-time. Wheat seed is coming soon, and planting season is right around the corner