KLA Announces 20th YSA Class

Jan 21, 2026

This marks the 20^thyear for the KLA Young Stockmen’s Academy (YSA). Since it began in 2006, the program consistently has drawn young men and women from across the state who have a keen interest in the Kansas livestock industry. The 2026 class is no different.

Like the nearly 380 alumni who have gone before them, this year’s class will be exposed to the importance of KLA’s voice in the legislative process, producers’ responsibility as agricultural advocates, the need for progressive livestock operations and how other industry segments, including animal health suppliers and agribusinesses, fit into the food chain. They also will participate in KLA’s policy-making process.

Merck Animal Health again is sponsoring the program, which includes four sessions throughout the year. The first session for the 2026 YSA class will be February 16-17 in Topeka.

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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.