South Dakota beef workshop set for January

Christina Bakker, assistant professor and SDSU Extension Meat Science Specialist will lead the programs to be held in the Animal Science Complex on the campus of South Dakota State University.

“This is a hands-on educational program for any beef industry stakeholder,” Bakker said. “We hope producer participants will learn more about how cattle management at the farm or ranch as well as in the feedyard impacts beef quality and carcass yield—and of course the eating characteristics of the final product.”

Bakker said an understanding of how a beef animal performs on the packing plant rail is critical to how it’s managed pre-harvest. For the program, she will first video live cattle prior to harvest. Then the participant groups can “bid” on those animals those cattle before seeing the carcasses hanging in the cooler.

“As we implement more and more farm-to-consumer beef marketing programs it’s especially important producers know how carcass grading works and its relevance to the end user,” added Bakker. “We try to make the program fun and interactive for the 30 or so participants.”

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Bakker said the 2025 program will be the 28th of its kind offered at SDSU.

“We try to keep up with changes and innovations in the industry while keeping in mind that there are always new entrants into the industry who want to learn the basics of what happens after an animal is sold for harvest,” Bakker concluded.

The workshop cost is $250 which includes program materials, two suppers, a lunch, and refreshments. Registration deadline is Dec 20, 2024. For more information, contact Christina Bakker at [email protected] .