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Change to student aid formula would hit Iowa farm families

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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A Day in the Life of a Swine Veterinarian

Video: A Day in the Life of a Swine Veterinarian


Meet Svetlana: A Swine Veterinarian Making a Difference in Manitoba.

Join us as we follow a day in the life of Svetlana, a dedicated swine veterinarian working in Manitoba’s hog sector . In her Career Month feature, she shares her journey, the daily care and passion behind working with pigs, and what it takes to help an entire industry thrive.

Why the Pork Industry Matters:
The hog sector provides over 22,000 jobs across Manitoba. It contributes more than $2.3 billion annually to Manitoba’s GDP.
It accounts for over 55% of all agriculture & agri-food manufacturing jobs in the province.

Want a career like Svetlana’s?
Head over to www.manitobapork.com/careers to explore the many paths available in the pork industry — from veterinary services to production, logistics, human resources and more.