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Wildfire hearings spark hope for Texas ranchers

By Farms.com

Amidst the backdrop of Texas's largest recorded wildfire, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association leaders stepped forward to highlight the plight of the ranching community. During a three-day legislative hearing, Directors James Henderson and Joe Leathers outlined the significant challenges and losses faced by ranchers and landowners.

The hearings, focusing on disaster preparedness, response mechanisms, and governmental coordination, served as a platform for discussing the broader implications of wildfires on the ranching industry. Leathers, representing both the ranching community and the 6666 Ranch, stressed that the recurrent wildfires are not mere natural disasters but are exacerbated by human oversight and infrastructural neglect.

The dialogue aimed at shedding light on the critical need for improved disaster response strategies and stronger infrastructure maintenance to prevent future calamities. With findings from the hearings due in a report, the ranching community remains hopeful for actionable insights that could lead to better protection against wildfires, ensuring the sustainability of Texas ranching.


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Validating Net Energy in Commercial Swine Systems - Gustavo Lima

Video: Validating Net Energy in Commercial Swine Systems - Gustavo Lima


In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Gustavo Lima, PhD candidate at Iowa State University, explains how soybean meal net energy is evaluated using growth assays and calorimetry. He discusses caloric efficiency, validation under commercial conditions, and differences between controlled and real-world environments. Gustavo also highlights practical implications for diet formulation and ingredient valuation. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Indirect calorimetry provides a precise estimation of ingredient energy, yet validation under production conditions remains essential for accurate application in real systems.”

Meet the guest: Gustavo Lima / gustavo-lima-a9867127 is a PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University, specializing in swine nutrition, ingredient evaluation, and energy metabolism. With over 15 years of experience across Latin America, his work focuses on soybean meal utilization, caloric efficiency, and applied research for commercial production systems.