The Next Generation Stockman event will bring middle and high school students together on September 26 in Perkins, Oklahoma at Sandridge Land and Cattle, for a day focused on cattle management, nutrition, reproduction and herd selection. Asher Mace, assistant ranch manager at Sandridge, said in a recent conversation with associate farm reporter Carli Davenport that the event was developed to give young people a deeper understanding of what goes into raising cattle beyond the show ring.
“We like to get people to the ranch, and we like to be able to give back to the kids,” Mace said. “We’re big supporters of the youth, the next generation. That’s where this title has come from.” The Next Generation Stockman event is being supported through partnerships with Cimarron Valley Co-op, Umbarger Feeds, Premium Beef Genetics, Sullivan Supply and the Red Angus Association.
Looking Beyond the Show Ring
Mace said while show cattle are an important part of the industry, the goal of the event is to show students the many responsibilities that come before an animal steps in the ring. “We don’t want to focus directly on show cattle because, you know, show cattle is a fun thing that we like to do,” Mace said. “But there’s more than just the show ring to us.”
He said cattle ultimately have to become productive cows, and making proper management decisions is an important part of their development. “Calves got to go out and be cows,” Mace said. “And there’s a lot more behind the scenes of daily care than it is just walking them into the show ring.”
The event will give students an opportunity to learn more about nutrition, daily care, herd selection and reproduction. “We want to give an overview,” Mace said. “A lot of the kids we kind of expect may have a general ag background, but we will go deeper into nutrition, deeper into daily care, deeper into selection for the herd and deeper into the reproductive side, getting those heifers bred and getting them back in production.”
Cattle Nutrition and Reproduction
Nutrition will be one of the topics covered during the event. An Umbarger Feeds representative will provide an overview of show feeds and some of the company’s products while also discussing general cattle nutrition.
Mace said students will learn about the importance of several components of a cattle nutrition program. “We’ll talk about some of their products, but then also just general cow nutrition,” he said. “The importance of energy, importance of protein, importance of roughages.”
Reproduction will also be a major part of the program. Mike Marlow with Premium Beef Genetics will provide an overview of artificial insemination, bull selection and semen handling. “Mike Marlow from Premium Beef Genetics will be here to give us a reproductive overview of A.I., selection of bulls, thawing of semen, and all that,” Mace said.
Marlow has also donated an AI breeding kit that will be given away to one of the youth attendees.
Teaching Students How to Select Future Cows
Another portion of the event will focus on cattle selection. Mace said students will have the opportunity to look at sale heifers while learning to evaluate them from a perspective that goes beyond the show ring. “We will be looking at our sale heifers, but not in a way of the show ring,” Mace said. “We want to teach the kids what to look for to make cows in the future.”
That focus is intended to help young cattlemen and women think about how animals can contribute to a herd over the long term.
He said the event is designed for young people who may eventually purchase heifers and put them back into their own herds. “The people that will be coming up, they’re going to take those heifers that they buy this spring, not from us, but from all breeders, and put them back into their herd,” Mace said.
An Opportunity to Learn From Industry Professionals
Mace said the first-year event is intended to provide students with an opportunity to learn from professionals while also meeting other young people who share an interest in cattle. “It’ll be a really good event,” Mace said. “It’s the first year for it, so we’re kind of flying by the seat of our pants right now.”
They hope the event can eventually grow and attract participants from outside Oklahoma. “We’re hoping that this can turn into an event that out-of-state people are coming to,” Mace said. “Just to be able to give back to the youth and customers of ours and customers of the co-op.”
Mace also expressed appreciation for the businesses that are helping make the event possible. “We’re very grateful that the other people that we do a lot of business with are willing to help us put this on and help provide for costs and lunch and all that for us,” he said.
For Mace, one of the biggest benefits will be giving young people the chance to connect with others who share their interest in cattle. “I just think it’ll be a really good event for kids to meet other kids with the same passion that they have for show calves and cattle in general,” he said, “and then be able to learn from different professionals in the industry.”
Registration Open Through September 15
The Next Generation Stockman event will be held September 26 at Sandridge Landing Cattle just south of Perkins, Oklahoma.
