Industry Youth Programs

By Matt Spangler

 

It has been a busy summer for the Nebraska Beef Industry Scholars (NBIS). Several in our inaugural class completed internships and also participated in our first industry study tour across Nebraska and Colorado Aug. 13-18. The tour was the product of many hours of planning and researching by the students.

 

Day 1: Our first stop was hosted by Premium Protein Products (PPP) in Hastings. Steve Sands gave an outstanding tour of their numerous branded products that included each step of the production process all the way to the point of harvest. Even more impressive was the time Sands took to describe the beginning of PPP and the direction he sees the company and industry going in the future. That afternoon, we visited with Dr. Patsy Houghton of Heartland Cattle Company, McCook.

Recognizing the extra attention replacement heifers need for proper development, Dr. Houghton tailored a system specific to beef females in which replacements are pre-conditioned and AI’d for producers in a drylot facility. She explained that customer service, in the form of genetic consulting and assisting with marketing bred females, has allowed her 18-year-old business to thrive.

Day 2: Our day began in Yuma, Colo., at Five Rivers’125,000-head capacity feedyard. Assistant manager Collin Hill gave us an all-inclusive tour of the yard, feed mill and processing facilities.

Producers who keep a close eye on the cattle market are likely wondering if they should run with the bulls or from the bears. NBIS students were able to ask the experts at Cattle-Fax this and similar questions related to the current status of the cattle market, future projections and lessons from the past during a three-hour question-and-answer session.

 

Day 3: The National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) provided the opportunity to learn about the organization’s history and structure and updated the students about current issues and policy in Washington, D.C., as well as NCBA efforts to educate consumers about the beef industry. Students also had a chance to learn about the numerous scholarship opportunities available through NCBA.

Later that afternoon, the North American Limousin Foundation educated students about the role breed associations play in breed promotion, producer education, marketing and genetic improvement. We then traveled to Platteville, Colo., to visit Magness Land & Cattle, a Limousin seedstock producer. Wendell Geeslin provided insight into marketing nearly 600 bulls annually, explaining that business goes beyond the sale of bulls by providing his customers marketing strategies for their calves.

 

Day 4: Our next stop was the Rex Ranch, located in the beautiful Sandhills of Nebraska near Ashby. Our tour guide, Chip Ramsey, challenged the students (and me) to provide answers to questions that face commercial cattlemen. Ramsey emphasized the importance of range management and the ability to fit genetic resources to production environments.

Andy Applegarth showed students the magnificent landscape of the Gudmundson Sandhills Laboratory (GSL) near Whitman while discussing cattle, numerous research projects and interjecting philosophy along the way. He emphasized how area producers were able to utilize research results from GSL to improve the profitability of their own operations. Later that cool Saturday evening, students participated in a little Sandhills fun by attending the local rodeo.

Day 5: A quick Sunday lunch at the local county fair and it was off the visit the Connealy family. The entire family provided us with a tour of the ranch and showed us an outstanding set of calves. Hard work, dedication, honesty and knowledge that come from years of experience have made this Sandhills seedstock operation one of the most influential sources for Angus genetics in the country.

A stay at the state 4-H camp in Halsey on Sunday provided time to reflect on the amazing stops on the trip and what our last day had in store. We reminisced about the students’ internships, which included Dana Christensen’s awesome experiences at Darr Feedlot in Cozad, Alex Wolf’s character building experiences at Cargill in Heartwell and the advertising and “people” skills Laura Maricle developed during her time at Central Valley Ag.

 

Day 6: At the Hamilton ranch near Thedford, Dave Hamilton educated us on the benefits of crossbreeding and the improvements that using composite sires has made in his own herd of commercial cows. Our last stop took us to Adams Land and Cattle Company outside Broken Bow. This feedyard utilizes technology in following the old adage, “Work smarter, not harder.” Both the unique system of trolley-car-like chutes that transport cattle after sorting and the mobile doctoring facilities that allow for treatment of cattle without moving them to a central facility were truly amazing to see.

As we neared the outskirts of Lincoln, reality of the rapidly approaching semester began to sink in, and the wish for one more day on the road was a unanimous thought among us. A sincere thank you to all those who made this trip possible. It was an opportunity for students to learn from the best in the beef industry and from each other. That’s what NBIS is all about. Y By Matt Spangler, UNL beef genetics specialist.