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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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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.