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Thirteen years on, beef basics still providing key informationNebraska Thirteen years after the Beef Basics program began, one of its originators is amazed at just how far it's come. The program had modest beginnings among a group of University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension educators brainstorming a way to get basic research-based information into the hands of people in the beef cattle industry without requiring them to attend a meeting. "There was an expressed need by the clientele for some type of learning materials, an educational experience that they could access and utilize outside of always going to a meeting," said Bud Stolzenburg, extension educator in Cherry County. "That stimulated some free-wheeling discussion among a group of educators. Our thought was 'why can't we come up with an old-fashioned correspondence course, or a home study course?'" More than 5,000 participants later and a total economic impact of about $9 million, it's clear the educators were on to something. Extension recently reissued the first lesson, BeefCow Basics Plus, with five new chapters, as it continues to refine the curriculum. It's still the most popular of the six lessons. Other lessons are titled Nutrition, Health and Management of Growing Calves; Reproduction, Genetics and Selection (now out of print); Beef as a Business; Nutritional Strategies for the Beef Cow Herd; and Optimizing Beef Cattle Production on Rangelands. One key to the program's success is right in its name: The information is basic. "They didn't want advanced, in-depth material that was graduate-study work," Stolzenburg said. "What they wanted was beef basics, or production basics, or economic basics." Justin Dixon of Lakeside agrees. He works for Rex Ranch, which had him complete BeefCow Basics Plus. Dixon has a degree in animal science from Utah State University. "This was a really good review for me. It's kind of what I wish college had been more like. It was the basics, what I really need to know to work. "It was really applicable and practical information that a guy could use," Dixon added. Each course includes lessons and quizzes to assess progress, with a certificate for successful completion. "As that initial project started out, it seemed to grow by leaps and bounds. We were fortunate in getting some very good publicity in some nationwide farm publications," Stolzenburg recalled. "We started getting applications from Florida, Pennsylvania, Oregon, California and Texas." Forty states and several countries are represented on the list of participants. Extension educators in Oregon have adapted the curriculum for their use, as has a beef specialist in Maine. Iowa State University is using one of the lessons in its veterinary program, and other states have developed their home study program adapted from UNL's approach. "We kind of created a monster. I don't think any of us anticipated this kind of success," Stolzenburg said. In 2004-2005, 66 participants enrolled, 24 of them from Nebraska. So far in 2005-2006, 81 participants are taking courses, 46 of them from Nebraska. Since the program began in 1993, participants estimate savings of about $15 per head, for an estimated total economic benefit of about $9 million. The Beef Basics team is not resting on those laurels, however. Educators still work to make sure the curriculum is meeting clients' needs. "Right now, we're trying to figure out how do we deal with hot topics," Stolzenburg said. "That's one of the challenges of a home study course to stay current." Date: 5/25/06
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