American Family Farmer

This week on The American Family Farmer, host and lifelong farmer Doug Stephan (www.eastleighfarm.com) shares critical updates impacting small farms across the country.Doug opens the show with a look at the ongoing immigration enforcement issues that are threatening family farms. The American Farm Bureau Federation has expressed serious concern over reports of renewed immigration crackdowns that are removing essential, hardworking laborers from small farm operations.Next, Doug dives into the challenges facing the beef cattle industry — including the reemergence of screwworm infestations coming up from Mexico, raising alarm for U.S. livestock. On top of that, an increase in tick activity is causing a surge in infestations across farms this season. Despite these concerns, there’s good news: the cattle market remains strong, with continued high demand.Turning to the honeybee crisis, Doug reports that bee colonies are down by two-thirds, due to a combination of migratory stress, parasitic threats, and erratic wea