Illinois Beef Expo provides educational experiences for college students

As one of the biggest cattle events in the state, the Illinois Beef Expo not only offers competitive youth cattle shows, but also provides educational experiences for college students.  

Sophomore students enrolled in the Applied Science Program at Illinois Central College in East Peoria participate in a hands-on exercise that supplements the classroom lecture of the Ruminant Animal Production class taught by Grant Grebner. Real-world application to the course objectives is a valuable learning tool for students in this program.

“I wanted to develop a class project that fit my lecture about animal selection and genetic improvement through selection,” Grebner said. “The performance data collected on the bulls consigned to the Illinois Performance Tested (IPT) Bull Sale is the perfect model for what I’m trying to teach my students.”

Grebner breaks the class into pairs of students and each group is given a scenario outlining what they are looking for in their next herd bull. They are also given a budget that represents what the cattlemen buying bulls from the sale face with regards to bull buying limitations.

“We look at the expected progeny difference (EPDs) posted on the IPT Bull Sale website for a couple of weeks prior to the sale and the students are instructed to pick out their top five bulls based off of their scenarios,” Grebner said. “I reinforce to my class that although the genotype of the animal may be an indicator of their breeding ability, the animal still must be able to function. So, in order for them to make the best selection for their project scenarios, the students attend the IPT Bull Sale during the Illinois Beef Expo in Springfield to look over the bulls and make a mock purchase based off of the needs of their ‘herd’.”

At the conclusion of the project, the students write a report of what bull they selected and why. Grebner said sometimes the students aren’t able to afford a bull of their choice and go home with an empty trailer.

This learning experience benefits students by applying the knowledge they gained on the use of EPDs and requires critical thinking and decision making skills.

ICC students study the IPT Bull Sale program as they view live lots in the sale ring.

The IPT Bull Sale also provides agriculture students from John Wood Community College (JWCC) in Quincy the chance to help with the sale’s check-in process. Students are an integral part of the processing crew and help load out the bulls at the conclusion of the sale.

Travis Meteer, IPT Bull Sale manager said, “The students from JWCC are great help and the process gives them a different perspective of the beef industry. They get to interact with the some of the top performance bull breeders in the state and gain a better understanding of what it takes to raise and market cattle.”

JWCC students assist with IPT Bull Sale check-in.

The Illinois Beef Expo is host to educational contests that are organized by college agriculture programs.

Black Hawk College – East Campus (BHE) in Galva has coordinated the Illinois Beef Expo livestock judging contest for the past 25 years.

“Organizing the contest gives our BHE agriculture students the opportunity to work an event and experience the kind of responsibility it takes and the pressure that comes with being behind the scenes. It’s great experience for them to leave campus and have to coordinate travel and contest logistics, and learn to be prepared, but also flexible for the day of the event,” said Lee Denzer, BHE agriculture professor.

Carson Goff of Hopedale has participated in the Expo judging contest for the past three years and said she enjoys the competition and meeting other people with her similar interests throughout the state, while learning more about what the college has to offer.

The BHE students also help with show cattle check-in, help line-up cattle and work in the showring. Denzer said this is a valuable experience for the students because they learn to deal with a fast-paced and sometimes stressful situation and have to learn to adapt to the hustle and bustle of the Expo.

Illinois Beef Expo livestock judging contest

The Illinois Beef Expo quiz bowl is organized by Lake Land College in Mattoon. The purpose of this event is to promote youth development and personal growth through increased knowledge of the beef industry, and to encourage more young beef producers in agriculture while improving their decision-making abilities.

Olivia Claire of Watseka has participated in the contest for the past four years and won the senior division this year. She appreciates the Expo’s offering and LLC’s coordination of the contest because it improves her knowledge of the beef industry and gives her the opportunity to learn new information that she can apply to her family’s commercial cow herd.

Jon Althaus, LLC agriculture division chair said, “It’s important to give the students at Lakeland real-world experience and organizing a cattle industry event gives them several skills that will help them in the future. The quiz bowl not only teaches our students real-world lessons, but it also gives the participants a cattle producer’s perspective on decision making in terms of breeds, feed, equipment, and basic management.”