Contests highlight youth beef stockmanship skills
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- While Mississippi high school students have history, English and algebra on their schedules, several are now adding advanced animal husbandry skills to their academic load.
Brandi Karisch, beef cattle specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said Extension began offering a youth stockmanship competition this year to improve young participants’ knowledge and skills in beef cattle handling.
“Learning real-world skills is an important part of what the beef Extension team tries to offer to both youth and adults through programs and projects,” Karisch said. “While many kids show cattle through 4-H or FFA and learn skills through that project or at home on the farm, not everyone has that opportunity.
“The Youth Stockmanship Contest was born of an idea to educate and test youth on skills related to best management practices for cattle handling in the real world,” she said.
Libby Durst, an MSU Extension associate who works with beef cattle and 4-H livestock, said Extension is offering this competition to young people in 4-H and FFA clubs.
“Students who participate in the competitions have completed a Beef Quality Assurance course either online from the National Beef Quality Assurance website or in person under the instruction of a Mississippi Beef Quality Assurance certified trainer,” Durst said.
These courses cover a range of topics that include nutrition, herd health management, behavior and handling, record keeping, biosecurity and worker safety.
Durst said the National Beef Quality Assurance program promotes consistency and quality of care for cattle across multiple sectors of the beef industry.
There are many specific skills that students must demonstrate proficiency in for the contest.
“Students use best management practices to determine how, where and with what size needle they will administer treatments to the cattle in the contest,” Durst said. “They must be familiar with reading and interpreting product labels and demonstrate this skill, and they must complete a processing plan that outlines what actions they will take when they handle cattle in the chute.”
After the written component of the contest, students demonstrate their cattle handling skills.
“Students should calmly and effectively interact with the cattle, keeping in mind practices from the Beef Quality Assurance program such as proper use of handling tools, handler movement patterns and the effects of cattle instincts on their behavior,” Durst said.
Once the animal is secure in the chute, the team must complete four assigned treatments which include procedures such as vaccinations, ear tagging, deworming, external parasite prevention or tissue sample collection.
Students participated as teams in this event and were also judged on their efficiency and abilities to work together and communicate with each other.
The three regional contests held this year were at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station branches: the Brown Loam Experiment Station in Raymond, the White Sand Unit in Poplarville and the Prairie Research Unit in Prairie. A state contest for qualifiers will be held May 19 at the MSU Beef Unit in Starkville.
“In all, 17 teams and 38 students participated and were tested on their ability to perform specific tasks following Beef Quality Assurance best practices,” Durst said.
Jenna Fullington, MSU Extension agent in Smith County, brought six students in two teams to the competition held in early April in Raymond.
“Growing up raising beef cattle, I’ve always had a strong passion for the industry,” Fullington said. “When I heard about the youth stockmanship program, I saw it as a great opportunity to connect that passion with students who share the same enthusiasm.”
She recruited a group of hardworking kids who were eager to learn and excited about being part of the beef industry. Some of the young people are at least second-generation beef industry participants, having gotten involved in beef competitions from as young as 8 years old. Others are new to the industry.
“There’s definitely a mix, as some come from multigenerational farm families, others are already working in the industry, and some are just now gaining hands-on experience through this program,” Fullington said. “But no matter their background, they all understand teamwork and the value of agriculture.”
By completing the training leading up to the youth stockmanship contest, students learned about safe and effective herd management, proper cattle handling and more. These skills will serve them well in the agriculture industry and beyond, she said.
For more information about the youth stockmanship program and educational opportunities for young people interested in the beef industry, visit the Facebook page Mississippi State University Extension Beef or .
