Change to student aid formula would hit Iowa farm families

Apr 27, 2023

Darcy and Eric Wemark and their family milk nearly 600 cows at their dairy operation in Ridgeway, near Decorah in northeast Iowa.

The family also has 450 heifers, a 2,500-head swine facility and farms about 1,500 acres of corn and soybeans on land it mostly rents.

The couple’s eldest son, Carson, is finishing his first year at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, where he’s studying agronomy. The 19-year-old plans to carry on in the family business, as does their eldest daughter, Addison. The high school senior plans to head to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville to study dairy science next fall.

Carson currently receives federal financial aid through a Pell Grant to help the family pay for the roughly $16,000 annual expense to send him to college, including tuition, fees, room and board, and other expenses.

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Video: The Next Pork Disease Outbreak? How Biosecurity Can Stop It Before It Starts!

The threat of disease outbreaks remains one of the biggest challenges facing pork producers across North America. At the World Pork Expo, I spoke with Rob Hannam, CEO of Farm Health Guardian, to discuss why biosecurity is more critical than ever and how innovative technology is helping producers reduce risk before disease reaches the farm.
In this interview, Rob explains how Farm Health Guardian's advanced biosecurity platform helps pork operations monitor and manage visitor access, track potential disease exposure pathways, and strengthen on-farm biosecurity protocols. With recent outbreaks of diseases such as ASF, PRRS, PED and others continuing to impact global pork production and ongoing concerns surrounding the spread of endemic diseases, proactive prevention measures have become essential for protecting herd health and business continuity.
Learn how digital biosecurity tools can help producers identify risks, improve compliance, and create stronger defenses against costly disease outbreaks. Discover why leading pork operations are adopting technology-driven biosecurity solutions to safeguard animals, employees, and the future of the industry.