YSA Tours Cattle Feeding, Dairy Industries

Sep 24, 2024

The 2024 KLA Young Stockmen’s Academy (YSA) met for its third session last week. Class members from across the state spent three days touring various segments of the beef and dairy industries. The YSA program is exclusively sponsored by Merck Animal Health.

El Dorado Livestock Auction hosted the group’s first stop, where they participated in Beef Quality Assurance training and heard from market co-owner Josh Mueller. Poland Angus Ranch near Isabel hosted the second stop. Richard Poland shared the story of his operation and walked the group through his heavy-bred first-calf heifers.

Adams Cattle Company LLC/XIT Ranch near Plains hosted the first stop on day two of the tour. John and Jack Adams spoke to the class about the history of the family ranch and how they operate today. The Adamses also touched on their successful Quarter Horse program. The second stop was High Plains Ponderosa Dairy, where managing partner Greg Bethard talked about the inner workings of the dairy, the expansion currently underway and how the operation utilizes its resources to remain efficient and sustainable.

Click here to see more...

Video: ASF Spread and Control Insights - Dr. Carles Vilalta

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Carles Vilalta, epidemiologist at IRTA CReSA in Spain, explains the current African swine fever situation, including origin, transmission, and control strategies. He highlights the role of human activity, wild boar dynamics, and biosecurity measures to protect commercial farms. Learn how surveillance and field actions shape disease containment. Listen now on all major platforms!

"ASF demonstrates slow animal to animal transmission despite high infectivity, making it a clumsy disease that depends heavily on human mediated spread."

Meet the guest: Dr. Carles Vilalta / carlesvilalta is an epidemiologist, swine veterinarian, and researcher at IRTA-CReSA in Spain. His work focuses on epidemiology, swine health, disease surveillance, and research support for government and industry programs. Learn more from Dr. Carles Vilalta on The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, available on all major platforms.