August 1 marks the beginning of the third biennial Feedlot Nutritionist Boot Camp, which will bring 30 feedlot nutrition graduate students from across the country to Amarillo, Texas to learn about the realities of commercial feedlot management. The training is run by animal science professors Mike Hubbert of New Mexico State University and Chris Reinhardt of Kansas State University, and sponsored by Merck Animal Health, Zoetis, Huvepharma, Zinpro, MWI Animal Health, Cargill Animal Nutrition, Servitech Laboratories, and DSM.
The Feedlot Nutritionist Boot Camp is a chance for graduate students to meet with and learn from leading scientists, nutritionists, executives, and feed suppliers in the feedlot industry. Over the course of five days, students will attend lectures, complete nightly assignments, and observe feedyards, a millwright shop, and other aspects of the industry firsthand.
“This will give them an unparalleled chance to learn some things about commercial feedyard nutrition and management that are difficult to convey in an academic setting,” Reinhardt said.
The goal is for the students who attend the program to leave graduate school with a more thorough understanding of how their expertise can be applied within the commercial feedlot industry, Reinhardt added. That will make them more effective consultants, managers, or scientists.
“The program imparts knowledge and skills that the attendees would be hard-pressed to acquire from a graduate school program,” he said. “The entire beef industry will benefit from a new generation of feedlot nutritionists who are starting their careers with some advanced comprehension of the commercial feedlot industry.”
Source: k-state.edu