Discovering the World of Managing Cattle
and Producing Beef
Coming into the beef industry, there is a lot to learn. The complexities of calving, providing a consistent food supply, and maintaining herd health all rest on the shoulders of the farmers and ranchers. Understanding how it all comes together is central to building customer and colleague trust. Grounded in Ag has the courses to take you from day one in agriculture to a place of deep understanding and critical thinking in the details of beef production and use.
Learning from the Experts
One of the pieces that drives the impact of Grounded in Ag is that all of the courses and lessons include perspectives from people in the industry who live this day in and day out.
Each course provides decades of experience from people who live ag, and we ground it throughout the development and publishing process with team members who have recently joined agriculture to ensure the material is understandable and accessible. The full list of experts helping with Ag 101, Sustainability, and Focus on Livestock is on our website, and our beef experts include:
A Systems Approach to Building Knowledge
Our courses are designed to meet people where they are and begin developing the depth of knowledge, vocabulary, and understanding of agriculture that can be elusive to build without focused, structured efforts. For people seeking to understand beef, there is a four-course program.
Ag 101 and Sustainability Set the Foundation
The Ag 101 course provides multiple sources across the US to provide you with the basic building blocks you need to understand agriculture, but more than that, we give you the context you need to put that information to work right away. The video modules in this course are designed to help you understand:
- Farmers, the way they set up their businesses, the changes they see happening, and their communities
- The industry and business as it works in the real world, with topics including cash flow, mental health, equipment, and farming organizations
The Sustainability course will help you understand the intersection of agriculture and sustainability and what that means for people and planet.
- Sustainability from multiple perspectives discussing varying approaches to soil, water, carbon and climate, pollinators and wildlife, and people.
- Farm tours to show you how farmers apply sustainability concepts to their daily work and business decisions
(more than 6.5 hours running time)
Depth in Livestock Comes Via Focus
Once you have the foundational knowledge of agriculture, we begin layering in depth. This course covers raising livestock for food. Lessons come from farmers and experts who have spent years, many even decades, in their fields or fields of study.
The lessons in this course lay the groundwork for livestock and are geared around two major areas -- the day-to-day management and the broader approach to animal care and handling.
Farmer experts discuss their day-to-day work and decisions, including indoor/outdoor management, the role of feed, pasture management, genetics, and more. When it comes to animal care and handling, Dr. Temple Grandin talks about maintaining low-stress environments, and veterinarian Dr. Marybeth Feutz talks about health management.
(almost 2 hours running time)
Deep Dive into Beef
The Beef Course builds on all the materials from Ag 101, Sustainability, and Focus on Livestock, focusing on the details of beef production. We show various types of cattle operations and our experts discuss pieces that are difficult to see until you enter the beef industry.
This module includes video and printed materials to accompany lessons on:
- Beef Facts and Trivia
- Beef Production for a Year – A visual look at the various points of the season.
- An Overview of Beef – The various pieces of the industry and how they come together.
- A Look at Cow-Calf Production – The farms and ranches where beef usually starts, family-operated cow-calf operations.
- The Role of Feedlots – We visit a family’s feedlot, sharing lessons on feed, movement of cattle, etc.
- Connecting Farms to the Market – A look at the market going from farm to butcher and retail markets.
- Beef Organizations, Media, and Events to Know
(more than 2.5 hours running time)
Extend Learning About Crops and Livestock
Grounded in Ag has programming that includes the basics on livestock sectors and commodity crops. Each commodity course takes a similar approach, moving from basics to greater depth and insight, and the full package (more than 30 hours) comes at a reasonable rate. The full slate of courses includes:
Get the Scoop on Lessons in Our Beef Program
Want more information? We have a PDF that gives you the detail on lessons built into the Ag 101, Sustainability, Focus on Livestock and Beef Production courses. You can also find information on our blog and social media (LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook).
New to ag or taking on a new role in beef? This program can help you avoid mistakes!
Getting new talent into agriculture is important to help address food production needs and the challenges facing the planet. But without a background in ag, it is far too easy to walk straight into something that leaves a mark on you.
