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

Season 6, Episode 5: Filtration Strategies for Barn Biosecurity

Video: Season 6, Episode 5: Filtration Strategies for Barn Biosecurity

How do pressure barn systems work, and is negative or positive pressure the right choice? In this episode, Dr. Brett Ramirez, associate professor at Iowa State University, breaks down the essentials of barn filtration and its role in biosecurity. He shares how the industry has evolved, practical ways barns can be modified to improve filtration without sacrificing efficiency and tips for troubleshooting common challenges. Dr. Ramirez also emphasizes the importance of building the right team when approaching filtration projects.