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.

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Video: ASF Control Lessons - Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith, Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria, shares what decades of work have revealed about ASF control. She explains why vaccine development remains difficult, how human activity and food waste drive disease spread, why resistant pig populations are an important research area, and how strict biosecurity with the right disinfectants can help to stop transmission. Listen now on all major platforms!

"It's really a very human-driven disease because people move pigs, decide how they're raised, how they're sold, and good biosecurity can do anything to ensure control."

Meet the guest: Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith / mary-louise-penrith-2b12bb42 is an Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. A veterinarian and internationally recognized researcher, she has dedicated decades to African swine fever epidemiology, control, and pig health, supporting FAO and WOAH initiatives while advancing research and education. Listen to Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith on the Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.