Do You Know The Worldwide Trend Of Goat Numbers?

 

 

 

Although known as The Poor Man’s Cow, the worldwide number of goats has more than doubled (+109%) during the last 30 years, attesting to the importance of that livestock species to the livelihood of million of families. Conversely, during that same period the number of sheep and cattle only increased by 20 and 4%, respectively.

 

 

 

 

Thus, due to the increased importance of goats worldwide, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries, recently requested the International Goat Association (IGA) to undertake a study  to sensitize policy- and decision-makers about the impact of small ruminants in development, using rigorous case studies and economic analysis.

 

 

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.