Midwest Welcomes Large Livestock Operations; Child Care Shortages Abound Across U.S.

Feb 10, 2023

Syria is still dealing with the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Turkey that affected the surrounding area. Doctors Without Borders, or Médecins Sans Frontières, are working on recovery efforts. Syrian officer Sherwan Qasem joins us.

Then, Missouri, Nebraska and other Midwest states are trying to attract more CAFOs — concentrated animal feeding operations. CAFOs produce a lot of waste, which some residents are against. Eva Tesfaye of Harvest Public Media reports.

And, working parents across the nation are struggling to find child care, some calling dozens of places before finding somewhere with an opening. Child Care Aware of America's Michelle McCready joins us. When California Democrat Jimmy Gomez wore his baby son in a carrier to the House floor last month, he got a lot of attention. He's using that spotlight to work toward addressing issues that affect working families.

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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.