Aggies at home on the range

Aggies at home on the range

NCTA Dean’s Message by Larry Gossen, Ph.D.

In this year of limited rainfall and parched conditions among many areas of Nebraska, livestock owners and grasslands managers are keeping a watchful eye on pasture and range conditions.

Measures to consider include early weaning to stretch feed supplies and maintain cattle health. Input costs keep climbing, making every management decision more crucial.

Livestock Industry Management students at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture value hands-on learning and management skills. They gain these both in and out of the classroom and farm/ranch labs. Aggies learn through internships, work experience, and field trips. Industry mentoring and producer input is highly regarded.

August opportunities

Two University of Nebraska events this month provide a chance for our Aggie students and livestock producers to see, hear and discuss the latest news in the beef cattle industry.

August 9 is a pre-tour near Lexington, and then Aug. 10-11 brings producers, researchers, and educators together for the 21^st Annual Nebraska Grazing Conference in Kearney. The event is coordinated by the Center for Grassland Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

August 25 is the 2021 Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory Open House near Whitman. This 22^nd annual event is coordinated by Nebraska Extension, a division of UNL’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Through our University of Nebraska affiliation (NCTA is part of IANR) we value these sessions for livestock producers and all youth engaged in ranching and farming, including NCTA Aggies.

Nebraska Grazing Conference

The NGC has a stellar line up of speakers, resources, and producer input. Primary topics include Conservation, Grasslands Habitat, Wet Meadows, Grazing Systems and Risk Management.

Break-out sessions will include two of our NCTA stakeholder-partners:  Mike Kelly, North Platte, Conservation on Private Lands; and Roric Paulman, Sutherland, Grassland Carbon Markets: The Untold Story.  Both Kelly and Paulman are on advisory boards to NCTA academics.

NCTA begins the fall semester Aug. 23, but we’ll be present in Kearney at NGC. Doug Smith, associate professor of Animal Science, is a regular at NGC. This year, we look forward to a new session for current high school and college students interested in grazing management studies.

UNL degrees in Grassland Systems are either a Grazing Livestock Systems option or a Grassland Ecology and Management option. Students can earn their associate degree at NCTA in Livestock Industry Management with core courses in range management and livestock nutrition, and other requirements. Aggies can then go on to UNL in the 2+2 transfer program.  Dr. Smith is on UNL’s Advisory Committee for the Grazing Livestock Systems major.

GSL Range Day

Annually, NCTA Aggie students have opportunity for a full day at the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory located north of Whitman.  This year, we have two classes planning to attend the 22^nd Annual Open House on August 25. Dr. Smith’s Animal Breeding class and Alan Taylor’s Range Management classes plan to attend. Taylor, assistant professor and Coordinator of Agricultural Experiential Learning, will teach Introduction to Range Management and Livestock Nutrition this fall.

Along with the traditional GSL in-person events, a hybrid format this year includes a livestream webinar online for the morning sessions on sustainability. The GSL Open House is free of charge and includes complimentary refreshments and noon luncheon. Register by Aug. 18 at https://go.unl.edu/2021-gsl-openhouse.

Livestock Management

From campus, NCTA students have hands-on learning with calving, feeding, cattle processing, and more at the NCTA Farm Laboratory. Also, the college has expanded experiential opportunities in full-scale ranching at the Leu Ranch in Hayes County.  This includes a fall-calving cow herd in addition to our spring calvers. Twice-a-year calving rotation in their class duties broadens the skills and production experiences for our Aggies.

For information on the NCTA Livestock Industry Management programs, see https://ncta.unl.edu/livestock-industry-management. Contact Taylor or Smith at the NCTA Livestock Teaching Center office at (308) 367-5293.

Dual Credits

Dual credits for combined high school-college courses are available.  Livestock dual credit classes onlines through the Canvas platform are Nutrition, Feeds and Feeding, Animal Management, and Beef Production Systems. The classes begin Aug. 23.  See https://go.unl.edu/udom.

Congratulations!

NCTA was informed Monday that Dan Stehlik, Ag Mechanics lecturer, has been named one of six regional winners in the United States for Outstanding Postsecondary Agriculture Program by the National Association of Agricultural Educators. Dan will be recognized in early December at the 2021 NAAE Convention in New Orleans. Congratulations to Mr. Stehlik and NCTA for this significant accomplishment.

NCTA Events:

Aug. 3-Aug. 7:  Frontier County Fair, Stockville

Aug. 4-6: NCTA Recruiters at Stockville and Eustis Fairs

Aug. 1-8: Eustis Fair & Corn Show, Eustis

Aug. 6:  NCTA Summer Session ends

Aug. 9-11:  NCTA at Nebraska Grazing Conference, Kearney

Aug. 23:  NCTA Fall Semester starts

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and for the success of student teams in competitive activities including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year colleges in the nation.