Dairy Podcast Switches To Biweekly Schedule

May 14, 2015

By Darrin Pack

"Purdue Dairy Digest," Purdue Extension's long-running dairy podcast, has switched from a weekly to a biweekly schedule, with new episodes presented on the first and third Wednesday of each month.

The next new episode is set to run May 20.

Listeners to the podcast should continue to expect timely, informative and entertaining commentary on a wide variety of topics related to the dairy industry, said Mike Schutz, professor of animal sciences and one of the podcast creators.

"Our goal is to be a resource not only for dairy farmers and others in the industry, but for the general public as well," Schutz said.

The podcast series began in 2010. The primary contributors have been Tamilee Nennich, a former Extension dairy specialist now working as a dairy nutrition specialist with Famo Feeds in Freeport, Minnesota, along with Phil Reid, distance education coordinator, and Schutz.

"We're very excited that Tamilee will remain part of the team," Schutz said.

A number of other faculty and staff members from the College of Agriculture have also appeared on the podcast.

"We continue to cover a wide range of subjects, from animal health and nutrition to agricultural economics and consumer issues," Schutz said. "We try to stay current with whatever is happening in the industry and the marketplace."

The podcast is free and available at http://www.ansc.purdue.edu/dd/, with an archive of all 245 past episodes. Listeners can also get the podcast on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/purdue-dary-digest/id379631180?mt=2.

Source: purdue.edu

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.