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Beef
What is it all about?
The 4-H Beef Project allows you to learn about breeds, selection, grooming, production, management, showmanship, marketing and careers through a breeding or market animal.
Grow in Your Project
Beginner
- Identify different beef breeds
- Learn proper feeding of cattle
- Prepare a project animal for show by leading it and setting up its feet
- Learn how to groom a beef animal
- Identify common beef cuts of meat
- Identify how a healthy calf looks and acts
Intermediate
- Learn the appropriate handling techniques and housing for beef cattle
- Explore the difference between yield grade and quality grade
- Learn the various methods of cooking different beef cuts
- Explore a ruminant digestive system
Advanced
- Balance a beef ration
- Learn how to manage a cow and newborn calf
- Learn about Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs)
- Explore the technological impacts to beef breeding and reproduction
- Properly identify and learn to treat common cattle diseases
Member Resources
Beef Project Curriculum
3 levels (grades 3-12)
Exploring Beef Health & Husbandry Curriculum
1 level (grades 6-8)
At the Interface between Livestock and Predators Curriculum
1 level (grades 3-12)
Free Downloads
Project Leader Resources
Beef Project Helper’s Guide
3 levels (grades 3-12)
PYD Media Collection
Many educational resources, including several skillathons and learning lab kit.
Free Downloads
Statewide Events and Opportunities
4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl & Skillathon
Livestock Bowl is a quiz competition where all the questions are about beef, sheep, swine, and meat goat topics and students use a buzzer in order to answer the questions. Teams compete in a double elimination format by giving oral answers to questions posed by a moderator. Each match has both an individual and toss-up question round. The winning 4-H senior team will represent Wisconsin at the National 4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl competition.
Audience: Grades 3-13
Area Animal Science Days
Area Animal Science Days is a series of day-long events held around the state in June where youth in the beef, dairy, horse, sheep, and swine projects increase their decision-making skills and knowledge of animals through judging and grading experiences. Events include dairy cattle evaluation; livestock (beef, sheep, swine, & meat goats) evaluation; oral reasons contests for senior members; and dairy showmanship contests . In addition, each site may offer a variety of workshops like poster and photography contests or horse judging activities.
Audience: Grades 3-13
Meats Judging Contest
This contest tests the knowledge of youth in the placement of carcass and retail cut classes, carcass grading, and retail cut identification. Top teams earn the opportunity to compete at regional and national competitions.
Audience: Grades 3-13
State Livestock Judging
Teams that placed well at Area Animal Science Days are invited to the state contest. This contest usually occurs at the end of July and is the contest that selects our State winners for National Competition. The top senior teams have an opportunity to represent WI 4-H and compete at national level 4-H contests.
Audience: Age 14-18
Take Your Project Further!
- Tour a beef ranch or visit a livestock auction
- Interview a livestock fence supplier to find out more about animal care and safety
- Learn about different brands in Wisconsin
- Visit a local feed mill and see how feed ingredients are mixed, weighed and blended to make a complete ration
- Visit a local meat locker or local grocery meat case to observe preparation and packaging
- Job shadow with a local beef producer or veterinarian to learn about animal management and health
- Attend a cattle show to listen to a judge give oral reasons and witness the differences in judging cattle
- Participate in a livestock judging workshop or be on your county 4-H Livestock Judging Team at the Wisconsin State Fair
- Discover different uses for beef products and by-products
- Exhibit or attend local, regional or national beef shows and conferences
Applying Project Skills to Life
Enhance Your Communication Skills
- Teach someone the important traits in selecting a breeding heifer
- Design a poster demonstrating how to prepare beef cuts
- Participate in a judging contest giving oral reasons
- Share a presentation on the importance of following drug labels.
Get Involved in Citizenship and Service
- Complete a beef promotion presentation during May, Beef Month
- Provide beef taste testing at a grocery store to promote local food
- Lead other 4-H members in participating in local beef producer events
- Start a beef livestock judging team with the help of an adult volunteer
- Prior to the county fair, lead a beef grooming and showmanship clinic
- Volunteer to do beef promotion presentations during May Beef Month Provide beef taste testing at a grocery store to promote local food Volunteer to help at the county fair weigh-in
Learn about Leadership
- Lead other 4-H members in participating in local beef producer events
- Arrange a tour of your farm your farm in your area
- Start a livestock judging, meat judging, or livestock skill-a-thon team with help of an adult volunteer
- Lead a beef grooming and showmanship clinic for other 4-H members
Showing What You’ve Learned
- Participate in the 4-H beef show at county fair or the Wisconsin State Fair
- Consider an exhibit, notebook or display on what you’ve learned in a beef-related topic
- Nutritive value of beef
- Beef meat cuts and proper preparation
- Feeding rations
- Preventative vaccinations
- Photos of different beef breeds
- Daily routine in caring for animals
- Grooming techniques
- Developing a foundation beef herd
- Best care techniques for newborns
- Beef by-products
- Impact of local foods on local economy
- Display of feeds or ration contents or analysis
- How to Tattoo or Research how beef check-off dollars are used
- Video on fitting a steer and/or heifer
Adapted with permission from Wyoming State 4-H, Project Information Sheet, Beef. Retrieved from: https://www.uwyo.edu/4-h/projects/animal-science/beef.html.
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