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Bringing Youth Back to the Farm in Rural America

Food Tank

Iowa is the number-one pork producer in the United States, but it has relatively few hog farms. Large factory farm facilities have replaced smaller family farms. The state lost nearly 90 percent of its hog farms from 1982 to 2017, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census data.

Ruralism 107
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Family Farmer Finds a Connection to Eaters Through Livestock

Food Tank

And getting into poultry got very, very expensive…because infrastructure [costs] really ramped up, says Hutton, who decided poultry farming was not the right fit for his family. In 2016, they began pig farming by joining Niman Ranch, a network of more than 600 small to mid-sized, independent U.S.

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The Cheapest Hay Is the Hay You Never Buy

UnderstandingAg

In the following discussion, I would like to share some thoughts on how to add net profit into a grazing operation, as well as share my own experiences reducing hay inputs with the grass-finished beef herd that roams across our northern Michigan family farm. The acreage lasted 65 cows for almost two months of grazing in the spring.

Pasture 95
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Regenerative Food Certification: Gold Standard or Greenwashing?

Modern Farmer

Nut farmer Benina Montes of Burroughs Family Farms in California says she chose to certify her almonds with ROC because of the environmental and economic benefits of ROC’s practices and brand. “By Her family farm has been organic certified since 2006, but it only adopted the ROC standards in June 2022.

Food 94
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Bringing Back Local Milk, Ice Cream, and Cheese

Civil Eats

Some regions have expanded their focus to include climate-smart ranching practices, including managed grazing and resilient cropping systems , which can mitigate the environmental and climate impacts of industrial livestock production. But that hasn’t been the PCC’s focus, Pheasant says. “As

Pasture 140
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‘An Insane Amount of Water’: What Climate Change Means For California’s Biggest Dairy District

Modern Farmer

For Joseph Goni, a fourth-generation dairy farmer in Tulare County, California, the region’s historic floods were part of family lore. But the epic flooding this past March was simply unprecedented, says the owner of Lerda-Goni Farms. Despite the resilience of family [farms], the mega-trend is undeniable,” says Raudabaugh.

Farming 81
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Animal Ag News 11/25

Agwired

America’s cattle producers need a Secretary of Agriculture who will protect family farms and ranches, roll back crushing regulations, and stand up for rural values—and we look forward to working with Secretary-Designate Rollins to make it happen.” 5 during CattleCon 2025 in San Antonio, Texas.