Avian Influenza And Small-Flock Poultry

Sep 15, 2015

Avian influenza is a contagious viral disease that affects many bird species, including domestic poultry and wild birds. However, some birds can carry the disease without showing any sign of it. During the migration of wild water birds, the risks for small-flock poultry increases because there’s a greater chance the flock could come into contact with wild birds. Dr. Colleen Christianson is a veterinary pathologist with Alberta Agriculture, and she joins us on the line to talk more about avian influenza and how to protect flocks.

Interview with Colleen Christianson (2:56 minutes) (1.34 Mb)

Source : Agriculture and Forestry

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.