Beef Senior Project Guide

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Overview

Georgia 4-H Project Achievement empowers young people with skills for a lifetime. Through a competitive process, students explore their interests, unleash their creativity, share their work, and celebrate their achievements! This guide provides 9th—12th graders with examples for getting started with their project exploration.

Overview of Project Achievement Process

1) Choose project
2) Develop skills in leadership and service
3) Prepare portfolio for work completed from January 1 – December 31
4) Prepare presentation
5) Practice
6) Compete
7) Reflect

Description of Beef Project

4-H’ers may explore the beef industry including establishing and managing beef cattle enterprises, by-products, and end-products. Through this project 4-H’ers may:

• Learn about and acquire skills for animal selection, breeding, feeding, care, production, management, ownership, exhibition, marketing, by-products, and end-products of beef cattle
• Discover the industry’s current and historic roles, scope, contributions of science, environmental and societal impacts, and economic significance
• Explore equipment and safety protocols of animal care and production
• Identify the degree of quality, the wholesale and retail cuts of beef and beef products, and understand their importance in human nutrition
• Demonstrate sound breeding, feeding, and management practices on the home farm and in the community
• Study bio-security of the beef cattle industry and food supply
• Understand the role of veterinary care of beef cattle
• Explore career opportunities related to the beef industry

Examples of Project Development Experiences

• Attend beef schools, animal specialty camps, livestock auctions, field days, livestock shows, etc.
• Tour supermarket meat departments, veterinary clinics, farms, feed stores, and/or animal barns
• Acquire and read books, trade magazines, pamphlets, and online media about the industry
Raise • and show a Market Steer or Breeding Heifer
• Participate in 4-H Livestock Judging, fitting contest team, and/or Market Steer or Breeding Heifer Record Books
• Interview a beef cattle producer and discuss industry matters
• Shadow a veterinarian, cattleman, and/or animal scientist and learn of job responsibilities

Project Sharing and Helping Examples

• Volunteer as a teen leader and assist with coaching a livestock judging team
• Hold a fitting demonstration for community members, schools, civic groups, etc.
• Host a show preparation seminar for interested youth
• Mentor a younger 4-H’er in showing an animal
• Hold a feeding and management demonstration for a market steer and/or a breeding heifer
• Start a livestock project club and lead meetings to share your knowledge with others
• Arrange for industry speakers to discuss agricultural issues for community members
• Demonstrate your work through presentations and exhibits at schools, civic clubs, senior homes, chambers of commerce, etc.
• Write news articles, blogs, or social media posts about your project and your accomplishments
• Set up beef product exhibits at fairs, libraries, or festivals
• Organize an agricultural tour or farm day for youth
• Mentor a younger 4-H’er in the Beef cattle project

Special Considerations

• Actual animal exhibiting is not a requirement of this project.
• This project can address any issue related to the production of beef cattle. Members may gain experience in a number of ways, such as assisting with the management of a herd, raising animals, or studying processing and marketing.
• Youth should practice internet safety. A best practice is to include a friend or parent in all communications and interactions.
• Be sure to gain landowner permission prior to entering someone else’s property.
• Exercise safety when handling tools, animals, and equipment.
• Live animals and weapons are not permitted in the presentation.

Recommended Resources

Project Achievement – Georgia 4-H

Animal Science Programs – Georgia 4-H

Beef | UGA Cooperative Extension

Livestock | Georgia Department of Agriculture

Georgia Department of Agriculture | Farmers, Food Safety & Licensing

Animal Reports and Data | USDA

At Competition

Beef cattle 4-H projects may use posters, artifacts, biofacts, and/or technology to support their presentation. The time limit for presentations is 12 minutes. Computers, projectors, screens, and other technological devices may be used

Prepared by: Jason Estep, Keri Hobbs, and Gabrielle Buono
Reviewed by: Heather Shultz and Claire Woodard