Beef Cattle Animal Health and Nutrition Podcast

Background

Podcast listening continues to show incremental growth in North America with nearly 11 million Canadian adults (37% of the adult population) having listened to podcasts in the past year and 45% have listened at some point (Canadian Podcast Listener 2020 Report). Podcast listeners tend to be younger with a higher proportion of listeners in the 18-24 age category, however there is a wide spectrum of ages within current podcast listeners.

There are several beef cattle management podcasts available in the United States, including “BCI Cattle Chat” produced by the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University, however there are no podcasts currently produced that focus exclusively on beef cattle management in Canada. Many of the topics discussed around beef cattle management and economics would have different points of emphasis in the Canadian context.

Objectives

The objective of this project is to evaluate the potential of audio podcasts as a form of knowledge extension and translation to cow/calf producers across Canada. A trial series of audio podcasts focused on beef cattle animal health and nutrition will be developed. The podcasts will largely be based on interviews with veterinarians, nutritionists, leading edge producers, and researchers from across Canada on topics related to animal health and management with a target audience of primarily cow-calf producer.

What they will do

A series of approximately 50 podcasts will be developed and produced and released on a weekly basis. Dr. John Campbell will serve as the podcast host and each episode will focus on a particular topic related to beef cattle health, nutrition, and management.

Podcast episodes will focus on conversations with one or more producers, veterinarians, nutritionists, or researchers on a wide variety of topics and will be approximately 20-30 minutes in length. Each episode will include a short segment reserved to respond to selected listener questions and ideas for future podcast topics. These questions may be related to the current topic or previous episodes and will be answered by the host or other industry experts.

A podcast website will include show notes and links to further information on related topics including BCRC webinars and other resource materials.

Podcasts will be publicized through social media, print advertising and industry websites including Beefresearch.ca and will be available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

Implications

Podcasts can be a very accessible form of knowledge extension and translation that can be made available on a wide variety of platforms. One of the major advantages of the audio podcast is that subscribers can access from any mobile device or computer and can receive information while driving or doing other jobs on the farm or ranch. This becomes a very time efficient and portable form of communication for producers to access.

Even though podcasts are a somewhat one-sided form of information delivery, there is evidence that they can build relationships and personalize material for individuals. They can also serve as a platform for directing producers to other sources of information, including websites and other extension resources, where they can obtain further information regarding beef cattle management. The planned podcast content will aim to introduce listeners to the advantages of various management tools and strategies and encourage them to seek our further information about practices and innovations. The goal is to equip producers with information provided by industry experts and their peers to make informed management decisions. Whenever possible, economic data and practical information on implementation will be provided.