Northern Ag Network's Lane Nordlund spoke with MSU College of Agriculture Steer-A-Year Program Manager Hannah Del Curto about this year's program and how the donated livestock benefit the students as well as the ranchers. Hayley Richards, a member of the MSU livestock judging team also spoke about how the hands on experience enhancing their classroom learning.
More Information about the Steer-A-Year Program:
Montana ranchers who would like to donate a steer to benefit students in MSU’s College of Agriculture should contact College of Agriculture Steer-A-Year Program Manager Hannah Del Curto. Steers will be accepted between Oct. 30 and Nov. 13. They will be housed and fed to finish at the Bozeman Agriculture Research and Teaching Farm west of Bozeman. Performance data will be taken and sent out to donors as collected. Awards will also be presented to the best initial feeder steer, the steer with the top rate of gain and best carcass.
Donated steers make a direct impact on students, particularly those participating in the livestock judging team, Del Curto said.
“The funds allow judging team members to compete and represent MSU at a national level,” she said. “The steer contributions are also important because they enhance the educational experience for students in the College of Agriculture.”
The steers are used to allow for “hands-on” learning experiences in courses such as beef cattle management, livestock management-beef cattle, meat science and livestock evaluation. Del Curto said the newly created “steer-a-year” class allows students to be involved in all aspects of managing the steers.
For more information about the Steer-A-Year program or how to donate a steer, contact Del Curto at (406) 994-3752 or Hannah.delcurto@montana.edu.
Source: MSU News Service
