A window on caring for livestock

If you want to see how Iowa farmers care for their animals, make it a point to attend a livestock show at your local county fair, at the Iowa State Fair, or at another event around the state. The exhibitors, like those pictured here at the recent Iowa Beef Expo, fret over their animals, making sure all are comfortable, calm and well cared for.

Yes, these are pampered show animals. But they provide an excellent window on how farmers care for all of their livestock on a daily basis. Farmers keep their animals well-fed and comfortable because it’s the right thing to do as they produce safe and nutritious food for consumers.

If you have a question about how Iowa farmers care for their animals, visit www.iowafarmanimalcare.org.

Photos by Gary Fandel.

Caring for livestock on a snowy day

Much of Iowa was slowed down or shut down Wednesday after a blizzard blew through the state. Schools were closed, community events were postponed and many business parking lots were nearly empty.

But livestock farmers were out there, busy caring for their animals. They kept their cattle, pigs and sheep fed and watered. And they checked for sick ones that needed to be nursed back to health.

It’s all in a day’s work for livestock farmers. It doesn’t matter if snow is blowing and temperatures are diving, there’s no snow days when it comes to caring for livestock.

Written by Gary Fandel
Gary is the photographer for Iowa Farm Bureau.