(Atlantic, Iowa) – On Wednesday December 6th, members of the Atlantic FFA participated in the Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation Beef Extravaganza. Team members Lola Comes and McKenna Sonntag placed 6th overall, while team members Callee Pellett, Claire Pellett and Colton Becker placed 7th and finally Brock Henderson and Joaquin Wailes placed 11th. Atlantic FFA Advisor Eric Miller. The seven members of the Beef Extravaganza team would like to thank the following individuals for helping with the teams preparation. Dr Nathan Hansen at Anita Vet Clinic, TS Bank employees, Abby Becker and Dan Rosell, Jim Skardvdt, Mike Henderson and the Cass County Cattlemen for paying the entry fee for our contest.
Team member Claire Pellett said, “It was an incredible opportunity to learn more about the beef industry in an engaging and hands-on way. We were put into real life situations and were challenged to develop our skills in many different aspects. I was excited to compete in the contest again this year and was impressed by the growth we made.”
The Beef Scholarship Extravaganza is a unique contest open to high school juniors and seniors that focuses on the student’s knowledge and skills in ten different areas of the beef industry. Teams worked through ten 30-minute stations with 10-minute breaks between each station. Atlantic FFA member Lola Comes commented, “McKenna and I got the opportunity to compete in the Collegiate Cattlemen Beef Extravaganza. It was an extremely challenging contest, but I learned many valuable skills for my future. We dedicated a lot of our time, but I am very passionate about the beef industry. I am excited to compete again next year!
In station one, Health and Handling, Team members were tested on effective stockmanship for handling of cattle and proper health related practices included, but not limited to, proper vaccination procedures and protocols, dose administration and equipment selection, parasite control, castration procedures and other health related practices essential for the beef industry and animal welfare.
During station two, Nutrition, team members evaluated the body condition score of four cows and then assisted the station judge in balancing a feed ration for a real life scenario. To prepare, students learned about body condition scoring, cattle nutrient requirements, the nutrient values of feedstuffs, and how to use that information to determine what diet will be the best for the exercise.
Station three focused on Marketing. This station required contestants to calculate yield and quality grades for carcasses, determine the value of a carcass, and determine values for lots of cattle. Team members should know the degrees of marbling necessary to achieve a final quality grade, assuming that all marbling calls are derived from A maturity carcasses. Students must also be able to use adjusted fat thicknesses, ribeye areas (sq. in.), hot carcass weights, and KPH% (values provided) to calculate final yield grades.
Station four was the Seedstock Merchandising station. Team members demonstrated how to incorporate performance information, pedigrees, and phenotypes into a private treaty sales situation. Judges acted as buyers and team members had to identify the buyer’s needs, concerns, and goals in order to “sell” the bull or bulls.
Station five was the Keep-Cull Replacement Heifer station. During the first part of this station team members evaluated expected progeny differences (EPDs) and visually appraised live cattle in order to choose four out of eight heifers to keep that would best fit the production scenario given to contestants. The scenario addressed the objectives and marketing scheme of the operation along with other management information. In the second component teams answered questions about the set of heifers and their EPDs as well as their phenotypical features.
At station six, Job Interview, each student prepared a cover letter and resume and participated in a mock interview with an industry professional. By participating in this station, young people had the opportunity to explore career choices in the cattle industry.
Station seven, Beef Industry Issues and Advocacy, gave team members the opportunity to give a presentation shedding a positive light on an area of the beef industry. Subjects may have included Modern Beef Production, Animal Care, Beef Safety, Beef Nutrition, Environmental Stewardship, and The Beef Checkoff.
The Reproduction station is often considered the most difficult station of the contest. Students were tested on their knowledge of calving management practices such as pre-calving preparation, process of parturition, dystocia, equipment involved in reproductive practices, synchronization techniques, artificial insemination, embryo transfer and other technologies in this field.
In the Credit and Finance station team members were provided with the experience of organizing, preparing, and participating in a mock loan request. Teams met with financial officers and presented a description of a project along with completed financial data in support of the loan request. The project consisted of selecting one of three scenarios: purchasing 100 head of yearling steers to feed out, purchasing 20 bred cows to start a cow/calf business, or purchasing 100 head of heifer or steer calves.
The final station is the Beef Management Challenge. This station allowed students to tie information gained from the other stations of this competition together. This station was an informal discussion between team members and a judge, who assumed the role of a manager who needed advice about his or her cattle operation. The team members assumed a role of a hired consultant to provide advice for the fictitious beef enterprise.
Atlantic FFA Advisor Eric Miller said, “Overall I was extremely happy with how both teams performed. This contest is basically taking ten college sophomore level tests in a row. This contest is very demanding and took a lot of practice.”
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