Robert Yaman

The Optimist's Barn Podcast

Technology EN ↓ 24 episodes

A techno-optimist's lens on farm animal welfare. optimistsbarn.substack.com

Author

Robert Yaman

Episodes

Jevons Paradox Doesn't Apply to Chickens 07.06.2026 13:31

More on the relationship between efficiency and welfare. To read the full newsletter, visit optimistsbarn.substack.com. Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

How to Make Precision Livestock Farming Useful for Poultry 14.05.2026 9:44

Information is only as good as the actions it enables. To read the full newsletter, visit optimistsbarn.substack.com Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

Ozempic for Chickens 09.04.2026 11:45

The weight-loss drugs reshaping human health might make broiler breeders happier and more productive To read the full newsletter, go to optimistsbarn.substack.com Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

How We're Using AI to Scale Tech Discovery 08.03.2026 7:44

In which we become Claude Code pilled. To read the full newsletter, visit optimistsbarn.substack.com Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

DARPA for Chickens 09.11.2025 13:20

How Innovate Animal Ag accelerates breakthrough innovation in animal agriculture. For the full newsletter, visit optimistsbarn.substack.com Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

No, Bird Flu Isn't Over 17.10.2025 5:29

Cases are about to spike again. To read the full newsletter, visit optimistsbarn.substack.com. Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

Contra Grunwald on Industrial Farming 14.10.2025 7:20

The vibe shift towards realism in future-of-food is good, but don’t forget about the animals Read the full newsletter at optimistsbarn.substack.com. Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

The Gene-Editing Platform that Will Change How We Raise Chickens 21.09.2025 8:26

A spotlight on NextHen's Layers Laying Broilers technology To read the full newsletter, go to optimistsbarns.substack.com Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

The Challenge and Promise of High-Expansion Nitrogen Foam 31.08.2025 12:59

Portable humane killing might be an important capability, but the best use case is not yet clear. Read the full newsletter at optimistsbarn.substack.com Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

The Climate Cost of Pre-Slaughter Mortality 20.08.2025 10:59

Let’s at least eat the livestock that we raise Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

You Can Now Buy Eggs From In-Ovo Sexed Hens! 17.07.2025 9:25

This is an audio version of The Optimist's Barn. Read the full newsletter at optimistsbarn.substack.com . Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

Don't Demonize Efficiency in Animal Agriculture 01.07.2025 12:05

A review of We Are Eating the Earth, by Michael Grunwald. To read the full newsletter, visit optimistsbarn.substack.com. Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

3 Research Questions in Animal Welfare Technology 11.06.2025 6:04

Can someone please tackle these questions? To read the full newsletter, visit optimistsbarn.substack.com. Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

Individuation is a Key Challenge in Animal Welfare Technology 25.05.2025 10:49

A single animal needs husbandry, a million animals need technology. To read the full newsletter, visit optimistsbarn.substack.com. Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

Progress Studies and Animal Welfare 04.05.2025 9:54

We have the intellectual tools needed to make progress on animal welfare To read the full newsletter, visit optimistsbarn.substack.com Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

Imagining the Chicken Farm of the Future, Part 2: Automate Everything 17.04.2025 9:05

Animal husbandry will be transformed by AI, just like everything else. To read the full newsletter, visit optimistsbarn.substack.com. Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

Why is the US Chicken Meat Industry Getting Less Efficient? 30.03.2025 11:16

One of the big mysteries in animal agriculture is yet unexplained. To read the full newsletter, visit optimistsbarns.substack.com Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

Imagining the Chicken Farm of the Future, Part 1: On-Farm Everything 16.03.2025 12:47

What could we build if economics were no issue? To read the full newsletter, visit optimistsbarns.substack.com Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

The Animal Welfare Premium is Not Captured by Certifiers, but AI Can Help 09.02.2025 12:40

A value-chain analysis. To read the full newsletter, go to optimistsbarns.substack.com. Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

Animals Need Us to Be Rich 19.01.2025 11:57

As we spend less of our income on food, improving agriculture becomes more affordable To read the full newsletter, visit optimistsbarns.substack.com. Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

Explaining the Vote-Buy Gap in Animal Welfare: Why Subsidies Make Better Policy 17.12.2024 12:12

Where is the Inflation Reduction Act for animal welfare? Read the full newsletter at optimistsbarn.substack.com. Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

Is Higher-Welfare Farming Scalable? 02.12.2024 14:36

Could be more than you think. Read the full newsletter at optimistsbarn.substack.com . Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

Why Innovating in Animal Agriculture is Hard 22.10.2024 11:57

Structural barriers to innovation in animal agriculture mean change will happen too slowly, and it won’t always be pointed in the right direction. This is an audio version of The Optimist's Barn. Read the full newsletter at optimistsbarn.substack.com Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

How to Be a Techno-Optimist for Animals 15.10.2024 10:33

This is an audio version of The Optimist's Barn. Read the full newsletter at optimistsbarn.substack.com . Get full access to The Optimist's Barn at optimistsbarn.substack.com/subscribe