KEARNEY — From pasture to plate, a new University of Nebraska program gives students a true taste of the state’s No. 1 industry. The University of Nebraska at Kearney, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture and University of Nebraska-Lincoln are partnering to launch University Beef, an innovative initiative that combines hands-on learning with high-quality dining.
“Farm-to-table is a big movement across the country right now. People want to know where their food comes from, so there’s a lot of interest in eating locally raised meat,” said Larry Gossen, dean of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA). “We’re taking that trend to a whole new level by engaging students in the entire process.
” The University Beef program starts in southwest Nebraska, where NCTA students raise and manage about 60 head of cattle at the Curtis campus and a 2,100-acre ranch located west of town. Those animals are cared for at an NCTA livestock working facility and finished at a small feedlot on campus. “We want students to see the beef industry from the beginning to the end,” Gossen explained.
“They’re involved every step of the way, from breeding and calving to grazing and feeding the cattle.” The final product was the only missing piece. Previously, NCTA sold its cattle to a large company such as Tyson when it was time for them to be processed.
UNL students process meat at the Department of Animal Science’s Loeffel Meat Lab, a U.S. Department of Agricultu.