Wisconsin Agriculturist, WI
12-11-07
Beef Extravaganza to be Held December 15
The Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation will hold the 13th annual Beef Scholarship
Extravaganza at Kildee Hall on the Iowa State University campus Saturday,
December 15, 2007 in Ames.
High School teams of juniors and seniors, along with Junior College students
from throughout Iowa are invited to enter the challenging competition that will
award scholarship money. A total of 20 teams of three will be participating in the
ten-station contest. The competition tests students’ knowledge of beef
production. Each station covers a broad range of beef cattle management
practices that include:
• Beef quality and cattle health. Contestants are asked questions pertaining to
health related practices--proper vaccination procedures and equipment selection,
parasite control, castration procedures and processing and treatment protocol.
Contestants will also discuss the importance of implementing bio-security
measures on the farm.
• Nutrition. Contestants are asked to condition score five mature cows and
analyze appropriate nutritional responses for a beef cow herd, having access to a
computer ration balancing spreadsheet. Contestants must answer questions in
regard to strengths and weaknesses of their ration.
• Marketing. This station has a value-based marketing theme. Contestants grade
four or five live market animals for yield and quality and relate this to the most
profitable marketing scheme.
• Seedstock merchandising. Contestants role-play a private treaty sale by using
live cattle, production information and an operational scenario. Questions are
asked by a prospective buyer, including information relating to the sire summary
for the breed involved.
• Keep-cull replacement heifers. Contestants are asked to retain four heifers
based on the performance data and operational scenario provided. The team
fields questions asked by the official judges during the last 5 to 7 min. of this
station.
• Job interview. Three career fields are represented--one team member
interviewing at one of the following: cow-calf, feedlot and agribusiness.
• Beef management challenge. Team responds to management problems that
confront today’s progressive cow-calf and feedlot producers.
• Reproduction. Calving management addressing dystocia, and the equipment
involved, along with the team’s understanding of breeding management, artificial
insemination, embryo transfer, and other current technologies is evaluated.
• Credit and finance. The team presents a loan application to a bank loan officer
based on a hypothetical request to expand or establish a partnership cattle
enterprise. The team furnishes supporting materials such as mission statement,
goals, financial statement, budget and cash flow. Loan documents will be given
to the team prior to the competition.
• Issues, challenges and perceptions of the beef industry. A list of current
industry issues is given to the team prior to the event. Contestants select a topic
from the list and present their prepared position to a panel of judges. Judges ask
five to ten questions on the topic.
The top five high school and top two junior college teams get scholarships. The
money comes from industry supporters including Land O’Lakes Feed, Farm
Credit Services of America, Iowa Beef Breeds Council and Allflex US, Inc.
ISU College of Agriculture, Kirkwood Community College, Iowa Lakes
Community College, Muscatine Community College, DMACC and Hawkeye
Community College offer up to $4,500 matching dollars to those students who
attend their respective institutions. Team members receive the additional money
if they elect to attend one of these institutions. In the event a first place team
member does not attend these colleges, that winner’s share becomes available
to the second place team and to subsequent levels, if necessary.
For more information, contact Trent Wellman, membership communications
manager, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, 2055 Ironwood Ct., P.O. Box 1490,
Ames, IA 50014 Phone 515-296-2266 E-mail trent@iabeef.org. Information is
also available at www.iowacattlemensfoundation.org.