Farms.com Home   News

Agriculture This Week: Farming always evolving

When you have grown up on a farm in the 1960s and ‘70s it is almost beyond belief the changes in farming we see today. 

It was a mixed farm for me, and that meant pigs and grain. 

In my youth I hauled a lot of ground grain to feed the pigs using cleaned five-gallon pails that originally were filled with some weed spray, or another. 

Looking back over some 40-years it seems like it was such a crazy thing, but repurposing the pails was pretty standard. I’m pretty sure potatoes came from the garden to the cellar bin in similar pails. 

Of course I clearly recall Dad taking plugged nozzles off the sprayer, his gloves getting soaked in the process, and then simply blowing out the nozzle with his breath. 

Knowing what we do now it’s a wonder what health problems were caused in a time we didn’t know better, or were reluctant to change. Dad lived to a considerable age, his heart giving out one day, but one wonders. 


Trending Video

3 Years Into Prop 12: From Concern to Record Performance

Video: 3 Years Into Prop 12: From Concern to Record Performance

What actually happens when you operate under Prop 12 for three years?

Brent Hershey shares real-world results from his operation—moving beyond uncertainty to measurable performance gains.

•Record piglet production

•98.3% conception rates

•Mortality under 10%

•No additional labor required

•Heat stress effectively eliminated

This isn’t theory—it’s operational reality.

As the industry continues to adapt, this conversation challenges the narrative around Prop 12 and highlights what’s possible when systems, management, and execution align.