Cattle Education Programs
Welcome to Open Range, I’m Susan Allen. Stay tuned because after the break I’ll check in with our field reporter, Greg Martin for the AgriBeef Minute.
I’m Greg Martin with the Open Range AgriBeef Minute. When it comes to cattle, ranchers go to great strides to protect/care for their herds. Jackie Owens is the Beef Quality Assurance Program Coordinator for University of Idaho Extension.
OWENS: We provide educational opportunities for ranchers, stockers, whoever to reinforce or maybe even learn new knowledge to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of beef and beef products.
Programs like Beef Quality Assurance and AgriBeef’s STAR program help keep cattle producers up-to-date with any issues that may arise and that can include seminars with people like Curt Pate.
OWENS: Last year one of our focuses was animal wellbeing and handling animals in a low stress manner and it was an opportunity for state programs to hire Curt and bring him to each individual state and have him do some seminars or workshops on reinforcing the ideas of why we handle the cattle the way we do or here’s a new approach to handling your cattle.
And what does this mean for the consumer buying that beef?
OWENS: We have a certification program. It’s completely voluntary. It allow producers to show that they’re proactive and they take the initiative to maintain and increase their own knowledge and to display their commitment to producing that safe and wholesome beef product.
I’m Greg Martin and that’s today’s AgriBeef Minute.
Thanks Greg. Don’t forget Greg will be back each Wednesday with the AgriBeef Minute. Agri Beef Co - Real Families, Great People, Exceptional Beef. I’m Susan Allen
