Archive - The Optimist's Barn

Jevons Paradox Doesn't Apply to Chickens

More on the relationship between efficiency and welfare

Jun 7 • Robert Yaman

May 2026

How to Make Precision Livestock Farming Useful for Poultry

Information is only as good as the actions it enables

May 14 • Robert Yaman

April 2026

Ozempic for Chickens

The weight-loss drugs reshaping human health might make broiler breeders happier and more productive

Apr 9 • Robert Yaman

March 2026

How We're Using AI to Scale Tech Discovery

In which we become Claude Code pilled.

Mar 8 • Robert Yaman

November 2025

DARPA for Chickens

How Innovate Animal Ag accelerates breakthrough technologies in animal agriculture

Nov 9, 2025 • Robert Yaman

October 2025

No, Bird Flu Isn't Over

Cases are about to spike again

Oct 17, 2025 • Robert Yaman

A Year of The Optimist's Barn

Some reflections on writing on Substack

Oct 15, 2025 • Robert Yaman

September 2025

The Gene-Editing Platform that Will Change How We Raise Chickens

A spotlight on NextHen's Layers Laying Broilers technology

Sep 21, 2025 • Robert Yaman

August 2025

The Climate Cost of Pre-Slaughter Mortality

Let’s at least eat the livestock that we raise

Aug 20, 2025 • Robert Yaman

July 2025

You Can Now Buy Eggs From In-Ovo Sexed Hens!

Consumers now can vote with their wallets to support this new tech.

Jul 17, 2025 • Robert Yaman

Don't Demonize Efficiency in Animal Agriculture

A review of We Are Eating the Earth, by Michael Grunwald

Jul 1, 2025 • Robert Yaman

June 2025

3 Research Questions in Animal Welfare Technology

Can someone please tackle these questions?

Jun 11, 2025 • Robert Yaman