Colorado State University to Host ‘Beef University’ June 3-4

With a theme of “Beginning with the End in Mind,” Colorado State University’s Department of Animal Sciences will be offering Beef University, a hands-on workshop on June 3-4 at CSU’s Agricultural Research Development and Educational Center, 4482 E. County Road 56, Fort Collins.

This day-and-a-half workshop will educate cattle producers about topics including beef quality, cattle production and handling, consumer demand and methods to increase profitability. Beef University has become recognized as a key outreach program to help cattle producers improve production practices that influence the safety, wholesomeness and quality of the beef they produce.

The event will begin on the evening of Thursday, June 3, with keynote speakers, meal and interactive discussion with a consumer panel. World-renowned CSU faculty members Temple Grandin, animal handling and well-being expert, and Bernie Rollin, a philosopher who specializes in animal rights and animal consciousness, will be participating in the evening program.

On Friday, June 4, events will include four interactive workshops in which participants will be divided into smaller groups and rotated through stations. Workshops will include an animal handling demonstration, fabrication of actual carcasses, specific methods to add value to beef and consumer perceptions about animal well-being. Friday afternoon will include tours of two well known beef industry enterprises – the JBS beef packing plant in Greeley and the Five Rivers Kuner Feedyard in Kersey.

This one-of-a-kind workshop will enable attendees to interact directly with industry leaders. In addition to learning from CSU experts in the areas of meat science, beef-quality assurance and cattle production, additional featured speakers will include Tom Noffsinger, veterinarian and animal handling consultant; Tom Field, director of producer education for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association; LeAnn Saunders, president of IMI Global; and Dave Zino, executive director of NCBA’s Culinary Center.

Beef University will begin at 5 p.m. on June 3 and will include an evening program from 5:30-8:30 p.m., followed by events on June 4 from 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. A reduced pre-registration fee of $50 is available for producers who R.S.V.P. by May 24 to Dale Woerner at CSU at Dale.Woerner@colostate.edu or (970) 491-7615. The fee includes all meals and transportation for tours. A block of hotel rooms is available for $59 per night by contacting Days Inn in Wellington at (970) 568-0444 and mentioning CSU Beef University.

-30-