BeefSD program boosts beef management skills

By Scout Nelson

The beefSD program aims to enhance beef enterprise management skills, providing new producers with comprehensive knowledge of the beef industry and essential business management skills. Open to all producers, it requires a strong desire to manage a beef enterprise.

Up to 20 operations will be chosen through an application and webinar interview process, with applicants including husbands, wives, siblings, or direct family members.

Participants must commit for two years and actively participate in all components. If accepted, both must attend all meetings and activities, with children not allowed.

Workshops and activities for beefSD will be held across the state. Participants must provide their own transportation, but beefSD will cover expenses like motels and meals. The total program cost is about $8,200 per person, funded by grants, gifts, and registration fees.

Accepted participants must pay a $1,500 registration fee, with installment options available. Sponsorships from local businesses or organizations are encouraged.

The beefSD program includes four main components:

Face-to-Face Workshops and Interactive Webinars: These two-day workshops include classroom instruction on livestock production, natural resource management, business management, marketing, communication skills, financial strategies, and legal tools.

Successful beef producers will host tours and discussions on ranch management. Participants will also engage in webinars and must have a computer with high-speed internet access.

Ranch-to-Rail Program: The ranch-to-rail component shows the journey of a calf from weaning to slaughter. Participants can place calves into the program, allowing them to receive and assess feedlot performance and carcass data for each calf.

Networking and Mentoring: Participants will build relationships with peers, case study ranchers, SDSU faculty, and partners from state, federal, and NGO organizations. Management teams will be formed and utilized.

Out-of-State Learning Experiences: Two trips will explore the U.S. beef cattle industry, with the first focusing on post-weaning production in Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado, and the second on beef marketing and merchandising in a major urban city, including stops at grocery stores, meat wholesalers, farmer's markets, and meetings with global trade experts.

To find the application form, Click Here.

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