Beef 101
Pacific Northwest Beginning Rancher Development Program
University of Idaho beginning rancher development program is designed to provide beginning ranchers with useful knowledge and resources to increase success in their operation.
Upcoming workshop
Beef 301 — June 8-10
Moscow
- Cost is free (30 spots available)
- This workshop is open to everyone, including those who have participated in our prior Beef 101 and 201 workshops.
- Funds are available for participants needing support for travel/lodging.
Contact Phil Bass at pbass@uidaho.edu for more information.
Topics to be covered — subject to change
- Beef evaluation — bull, heifer, steer
- Transition planning
- Beef harvest
- Pasture management and soil/feed sampling
- Herd management — keep or ship; how to make money; program cattle
- Breeding — logistics, estrus sync and AI
- Calf management — calf necropsy and health
- Carcass assessment/grading
- Story branding by Sara Scott
In today’s competitive cattle market, simply having good cattle isn’t always enough. Buyers need to clearly understand what makes your operation different and why that difference matters.
Sara Scott has spent more than 20 years working across the beef industry, from raising cattle to helping move beef through the supply chain to restaurants, retailers and consumers. She served in senior leadership at Certified Angus Beef, working closely with partners across the industry and gaining firsthand insight into consumer demand and the challenges facing the beef business from pasture to plate.
Whether producers are selling seedstock, commercial calves or a niche beef program, clearly communicating value has become increasingly important in today’s market.
In this workshop, Sara will walk producers through a simple framework to help them clearly explain:
- What makes their cattle or program different
- Why that difference matters to buyers
- How to communicate their value in a competitive market
Producers will leave with practical tools to clearly communicate the value behind their cattle, helping them stand out in a competitive market and capture the margins their operation deserves.
Future workshop topics
Beef quality assurance and animal health
- Low stress animal handling techniques
- Different equipment requirements and facility designs for proper animal husbandry
- Conduct cattle health examination
- Vaccination protocols — symptoms and treatment options for sick cattle
- Assist in difficulties during calving
Bonus (offered for returning participants) — Advanced animal health workshop (reproductive anatomy and breeding protocols). A low stress sorting tool for participants.
Nutrition and resource management
- Basics of ruminant digestive system
- Nutritional requirements of cattle in the Pacific Northwest
- Basic ration formulation
- Knowledge on rotational grazing, proper stocking density for environmental sustainability
- Producing feed with your current facility (such as hay production) to control costs
- Tour of grazing and haying operations
Bonus — Free feed sample analysis for participants. A “grazing stick” to determine grass growth and stocking densities at home.
Cattle evaluation and beef fabrication
- Evaluate cattle based on muscle, fat/finish, structure, balance/eye appeal and volume
- Breeding selection and genetic selection information (expected progeny differences)
- Cattle body condition scoring
- Cattle harvest and fabrication demonstration; sensory evaluation of various beef cuts
- Tour a commercial, USDA–inspected beef packing plant in central Washington or southern Idaho
Bonus — Free genetic testing for three herd bulls or cows for participants.
Finance and marketing
- Different market strategies to improve overall sales
- Improve prices at livestock market auction
- Record keeping (QuickBooks, Excel)
- Generate statements such as profit and loss, cost of production per animal and on farm inventory
- Risk management (market dynamics, balancing assets with debt)
- Funding assistance (Farm Service Agency, AgWest, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Bonus — Examples of enterprise budgets will be provided to build your own throughout the workshop. Resources on grant writing and requests for financial assistance.
Transitional planning workshop
- Information to guide a family succession plan
- Skills to communicate across generations and for conflict resolution
Bonus — Participants will be provided with resources to determine fair market values of operations in preparation for estate planning with senior generations.
Leadership and advocacy workshop
- Develop skills to communicate and promote the cattle industry
- Increase involvement with associations and leadership opportunities
- Share industry updates, policy changes and current issues
Bonus — Opportunities to practice advocacy via social media, in-person conversation and other platforms.
Networking and mentorship
- Beginning ranchers will meet experienced ranchers to find industry mentors (10+ years of ranching experience in the same region)
- Participants can shadow their mentor to see other facilities and learn other cattle management techniques
- Mentors will be a resource for participants to answer questions, making contacts