100 Beef Cow Advantage Program
I’m Susan Allen . The 100 Beef Cow Advantage program helps young aspiring ranchers earn not only a degree but develop a business plan for building a cow herd on today’s Open Range, stay tuned. There are many young people (like my son) who have a passion for ranching but weren’t born into a ranching family. Until now the only option was to work your way up from a hired hand to ranch manager and because most ranchers pay modest wages many never realize their dream of owning their own cattle . In the words of Dr. Weldon Sleight Dean of the Nebraska Tech College of Agriculture’s 100 Beef Cow advantage program, “in other scenarios a college graduate returns home to the family operation and works for dad for the next 10-30 years without an ability to build equity.” But what if the graduate returned with 100 head of cattle? According to Sleight students leaving school with 100-cow assets are on their way to owning viable and sustainable beef operations. To began the journey towards becoming a cow-calf operator NCTA students earn a two year degree in beef cattle production combined with business courses with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. A graduation requirement is to develop a long range business plan that is submitted to the USDA”s Farm Service Agency with an application for a low interest loan to buy cattle with a goal to find land to lease to run their cattle that will enable them to build their herd over the next fifteen years . With so many young people opting to leave farm country the USDA is looking for ways to encourage those that want to return. The 100 cow program is one such incentive.
