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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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Assessing Pregnant Ewes: Key Signs, Problems, and Why We Wait to Breed Ewe Lambs

Video: Assessing Pregnant Ewes: Key Signs, Problems, and Why We Wait to Breed Ewe Lambs

Assessing pregnant ewes for the key signs that things are progressing normally and that lambs are imminent and on track, plus signs that things may not be going well is the focus on our sheep farm this morning. Lambing season is just one week away, and the anticipation is building at Ewetopia Farms! In today’s vlog, we focus on our pregnant ewes as their bodies prepare for lambing. Learn how to spot key signs of labor, including udder development and changes in the ewe's appearance, and discover what potential complications to watch out for, like abortions and metabolic issues.

We also share our philosophy on breeding practices, explaining why we wait to breed replacement ewe lambs until they are fully mature.