2010 Feedlot Interns

Amy Rich: Did her internship at Cargill Cattle Feeders near Leoti, KS. She is a native of Kansas, went to Kansas State, and finished her Masters degree here at UNL. She is now employed by Cargill Cattle Feeders.

Curt Bittner: Did his internship at Holland Feedlot near Wisner, NE. Curt is from central Nebraska and went to school at UNL and is now in grad school at UNL.

Kari Gillespie: Her internship was with Winner Circle at Minatare, NE. Kari is from Montana and is now in grad school at UNL.

Heath Weichel: Internship was at Craig Cattle Co, Heath is from southeast Nebraska and went to school at UNL. Heath is now managing a cow/calf operation.

Caleb Brown: His internship was at Mead Cattle Co, Caleb is from Texas and went to school at UNL. Caleb has returned to Texas.

Benj Baird: Internship was at Rhea Cattle Co., Benj is from Utah and went to school at BYU Idaho. Benj has gone back to school at BYU.

Alex Titlow: Internship was with Dinklage at Broadwater, NE, Alex is from Illinois and is now in grad school at UNL.

Troy Eberle: Internship was with Adams Land and Cattle where he is now employed, Troy is a Broken Bow, NE native and went to school at UNL.

Front row: Amy Rich, Curt Bittner, Kari Gillespie
Second row: Heath Weichel, Caleb Brown, and Benj Baird
Back row: Alex Titlow, and Troy Eber

The feedlot management specialization internship is designed for students interested in pursuing a career in beef feedlot management or other related agribusiness areas. The purpose of the internship is to train undergraduate students in the area of feedlot management to fill the growing need for trained, responsible individuals who can enter into management positions in feedlots.

The internship is designed for students to enter upon the completion of their undergraduate degree in animal science, agribusiness, or related major. However, up to eight credit hours are obtained and can be applied to the students degree. Students should have had classes in the areas of livestock management, feed formulation, accounting, agricultural marketing, and agricultural finance. In addition to this, students will submit an application and go through a screening process. Students should submit their application prior to the end of the fall semester to be admitted the following spring.

The internships trains students in two ways. The first way is in the classroom. Interns spend eight weeks (usually beginning near May 20) on the UNL campus to learn basic principles of feedlot management. Students interact with specialists in the areas of feedlot management and nutrition, animal health, economics, and personnel management. The second form of training occurs when students go out into progressive feedlots to experience first hand how professionals utilize these principles. The internship ends about Thanksgiving time after which students return to the UNL campus to discuss their experiences.

Course Outline

This section provides a general outline for the internship. Dates are provided, but are flexible depending on the needs of the students enrolled. In general, the internship is designed to begin following the spring semester when students graduate with their undergraduate degree, and end just before Christmas so students are able to take a job beginning in January. The internship is broken into three segments. The pre-internship session provides basic knowledge pertaining to the feedlot industry. The sessions are discussions rather than lectures and students are able to interact with experts in the area they are discussing. The second portion of the internship occurs when students go to their host feedlots to experience first hand how professionals utilize the principles students learned in the pre-session. The third portion allows the inters to discuss their experiences with each other and the experts they were exposed to during the pre-session.

I. Pre-Internship Seminar (7 week session usually beginning around May 20. ) - these sessions are held at the UNL Animal Science department.

Topics include:

1. Internship Orientation

• Internship objectives
• Organization for internship
• Organizational structure of feedlots

2. Personnel Management

• Personality types
• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills

3. Integration of Nutrition and Feedlot Management

• Bunk management
• Relationships of acidosis
• Step-up diets

4. Feedlot Management Decision and the Decision Making Process

5. Economics

II. Internship (July 15 to November 25) - students are at their host feedlots during this time.

III. Post-internship Seminar (December 1 to December 18) - Students are again at the UNL Animal Science department.

Topics include:

1. Student Reports on Internship Experiences

• General overview of internship
• Identification of issues for further discussion

2. Personal Management

• Integration of internship experience with information from pre-internship seminar

3. Feedlot Marketing Alternatives

4. Risk Management in Feedlots

5. Feedlot Consultants and the Feed Industry

6. Integration of Nutrition and Feedlot Management

• Integration of internship experience with information from pre-internship seminar

Course Objectives

There is a growing need for well-trained, competent young people to take leadership positions in the beef industry. This need has become so great that the National Cattlemen Beef Association has made personnel training a priority for the future of the beef industry. This is especially true in the feedlot industry.

Agriculture is the largest industry in Nebraska. The beef cattle industry is the largest part of Nebraska agriculture and the feedlot industry is the largest generator of dollars in the cattle industry. This industry is rapidly increasing in size of units and complexity of management. Therefore, there is a large and increasing demand for well-trained people to enter management positions.

In Nebraska alone there are normally about 2.2 million head of cattle "on feed" at any time with about five million head fed annually. Feedlots require about one employee per 1,000 head and one person in a management position for every 5,000 to 10,000 head. This equates to 1800 feedlot employees, 360 of which are in management positions in Nebraska alone.

If a student has not had training in one or more of these areas and would like to participate, that student should contact the course coordinators to determine if they have the background to succeed in the internship.

Course Prerequisites

Certain prerequisites are required because the classroom portion of the internship moves quickly and it is assumed that students have the background knowledge necessary to participate in discussions. Although it is not required that students have completed their undergraduate degree, it is highly recommended. Students are also required to complete an application and go through an interview screening process. It is also recommended that students apply during the fall semester prior to entering into the internship so that adjustments can be made to their class schedule if necessary. The following is a list of classes that the student should have had to participate in the internship. The class numbers in parenthesis are for UNL classes and will likely not match course numbers for other universities.

• Beef Feedlot Management
• Advanced Feeding and Feed Formulation
• Accounting
• Ag Marketing (Ag Econ 211)
• Ag Advanced Marketing (Ag Econ 311)
• Ag Finance (Ag Econ 452 )

Financial Information

There is no direct cost to the student to participate in the internship. Students can receive up to eight credit hours for participation in the internship. The tuition cost is paid for through a grant provided by the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation.

In addition to this, students receive financial compensation for their time spent working in the feedlot. Because of this, students should treat the internship as a job and realize they have a commitment to the feedlot to earn their wage. Salary during the internship is agreed upon by the intern and feedlot, the class coordinators have no part in determining salary.

Students should be prepared to provide finances for their cost of living during the pre-session and post-session at the UNL Animal Science department. Students will find they will need to have finances saved for the first pre-session, but should be able to save money while working in the feedlot to pay for their living expenses during the post-session.

Students are responsible for finding housing during their internship. Their host feedlot will be a valuable resource for this task. There is limited housing at the UNL Animal Science building that students can rent during the pre-session and post-session if necessary. Students should contact course coordinators for more information on housing in the Animal Science building and should realize it is not a guaranteed part of the internship.

Chris Hagedorn

Office Manager, Hi-Gain Feedlot Inc.

"The Feedlot Internship helped me in my career path by exposing me to three major areas. First, I worked in all areas of the feedyard and observed the extent in which those areas are intertwined. Second, the class compared the differences in philosophies of each of the feedlots in which the interns worked and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each. Finally, the internship exposed myself and my name to the feedyard business and related industry leaders."

Robert Cooper

Feedlot Nutritionist, Cattlemen's Nutrition Services
"I credit the Feedlot Management Internship for giving me the experience and confidence needed to be successful both in graduate school, and professionally. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in a career in the feedlot or supporting industry."

Jeff Rudolph

"The Feedlot Management Internship gives students intensive broad based exposure to all areas of the feedlot. We structure the students time with us with the idea of giving them experience in every department. We participate in the internship to have access to bright young individuals who learn rapidly, and who will stay with us or will become long term contacts in the industry."

William H. Rhea II

"Education is a continuing process. There are many different ways to do things in this industry and it is beneficial to see how others put together a system that works for them. My experience in the internship built contacts in the industry that I still use. Since that time, we have hosted several interns because we feel it is a valuable experience for everyone involved."