Pigs come from wild boars, dogs come from wolves, horses come from wild horses, but what is the wild ancestor of cattle? On this episode of Talk of Iowa, professor of animal science Max Rothschild gives us a crash course on the genetics, domestication and breeding of cattle. Then Audrey Wagner, the owner of Wagner Belties in Tipton, joins the show to share her work with the "Oreo cookie" breed of cow, the Belted Galloway.
Later in the hour, we hear from Beth Hoffman, a farmer and journalist who is now the host of a new podcast called At the Iowa Farm Table. The podcast focuses on sustainable agriculture, local food production and consumption, land and water conservation and some of the many challenges facing Iowa right now.
Portions of this episode originally aired on July 11, 2023.
Guests:
- Max Rothschild, professor emeritus of animal science, Iowa State University
- Audrey Wagner, owner, Wagner Belties
- Beth Hoffman, author of Bet the Farm: The Dollars and Sense of Growing Food in America, host, At the Iowa Farm Table
