By Scout Nelson
The University of Nebraska is excited to announce the launch of the University Beef program, a collaborative initiative involving the University of Nebraska at Kearney, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA), and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL).
This program provides students with a comprehensive hands-on experience in the beef industry, connecting agricultural education with high-quality dining.
Larry Gossen, dean of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, noted, “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. We’re taking that trend to a whole new level by engaging students in the entire process.”
The program begins in southwest Nebraska, where NCTA students raise and manage about 60 head of cattle at their Curtis campus and a nearby 2,100-acre ranch. Students are actively involved in all stages of cattle management, from breeding and calving to grazing and feeding.
In the past, NCTA sold its cattle to large companies for processing. However, with the new University Beef partnership, cattle are now brought to Lincoln, where UNL students harvest and process the meat at the USDA-inspected Loeffel Meat Lab.
The packaged beef is then transported to Kearney, where it is prepared into delicious dishes by Sodexo, the dining services provider at UNK.
Michael Christen, director of business services at UNK, emphasized the benefits of this collaboration: “It’s important to showcase the state’s agricultural roots and connect that to our dining operations.
There’s a whole brand behind Nebraska beef, and we’re going one step further by highlighting the student experience. It’s student-raised beef. It’s student processed. And it’s served to students.”
The program will officially launch with a steak dinner for the Board of Regents, followed by a campus cookout for UNK students during homecoming festivities. Moving forward, Nebraska-raised beef will be integrated into the regular dining menu and catering services at UNK.
Branding efforts developed by UNK marketing students will ensure awareness of the program and its origins. Gossen stated, “It’s all about the students. This gives us a chance to expand their education so they can see beef production all the way from conception to harvest to consumption.”
Support for the program comes from Kearney-based Cash-Wa Distributing, which handles the transportation of the finished product. Although UNK Dining Services will continue purchasing beef from outside the program to meet demand, both Christen and Gossen see future growth opportunities, including increasing the number of cattle raised and possibly introducing pork into the program.
As Christen noted, “We’ll do everything we can to continue adding value and quality to the student meal plan and our catering services.” Gossen added, “We’d like to get as many cattle as possible into the university system.” This innovative initiative highlights the importance of agricultural education and its direct impact on student experiences.
Photo Credit:gettyimages-pamwalker68
Categories: Nebraska, Education, Livestock, Beef Cattle