Read all about Libby’s K State experience
In January of 2024, Libby Falkiner began her time as the 2023 Angus Foundation Kansas State University Scholarship recipient.
Spending several months in the United States, Libby attended Kstate as a student and immersed herself in the American beef production system.
Read her report here:
As the 2023 recipient of the Angus Foundation Kansas State University scholarship, early January marked the exciting beginning of my trip of a lifetime. Whilst I was welcomed to Manhattan at 1am with snow and -30 degree temperatures, the warm reception from my peers and professors once classes commenced reassured me of the exciting adventures that lay ahead.
Having had a long running fascination with the US College system for years and with farmland accounting for 87.5% of all Kansas land, I couldn’t think of a better place for a young Ag enthusiast to be based to gain a more global perspective of the agricultural sector. The unique beauty of this scholarship is the opportunity to develop a fully personalised timetable under the guidance of Dr Dan Moser, Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture. My time studying at K- State saw my days jam packed with classes including Ruminant Nutrition, Meat & Livestock Evaluation, Calving, Physiology of Reproduction, Cow-Calf Health, Livestock Sales Management, Global Food Systems Leadership Studies and Contemporary Economic Issues in Agriculture. Classroom highlights included camping out at the on-campus Beef Unit to complete overnight 2 hourly calving checks and spending time evaluating carcasses in the chillers after assessing the live beast in the previous lesson. With a keen interest in seedstock cattle operations, I also enjoyed helping my sales class facilitate the 47th Annual K-State Bull & Female sale in early March.
As a budding Veterinarian, another academic highlight was attending Medicine and Surgery classes in the renowned K-State Vet School. I’m also incredibly grateful to have been able to connect with members of the Beef Cattle Institute. Located within the Vet School halls, the team at the BCI is comprised of Veterinarians, Masters & PhD students, working together to tackle the challenges facing the beef industry through education, research, and outreach. Throughout the semester, I enjoyed attending weekly research meetings and data collection field trips and left with a renewed passion for research and its importance.
In what felt like a blink of an eye, spring break was upon me and I flew East for a week of hiking and trail running in Nevada, Utah and Arizona with a great mate I made through classes at K- State. I then travelled to Ashland, Kansas to live and work on the Gardiner Angus Ranch in the lead up to their 45th annual spring sale where over 536 bidders from 31 states and Mexico contested 670 lots of registered and commercial Angus. Whilst in southwest Kansas I also had the opportunity to attend the US Premium Beef Annual General Meeting in Dodge City and enjoyed spending time shadowing the knowledgeable vets from Ashland Veterinary Clinic as they worked on ranches throughout Kansas and Oklahoma. I would like to thank the Gardiner family for embracing me and all of my eager questions. I left the ranch with new skills and knowledge, an addiction to cattle cutting (and a love for quarter horses) and lasting friendships.
It was very special to end my time at K-State watching many of my friends don purple caps and gowns for graduation. Through tears of gratitude and love for my adoptive K-State family, I departed Manhattan at the conclusion of the spring semester to capitalize on my remaining time before my VISA expired.
I travelled to Kentucky and completed 2 weeks of university placement at the oldest and largest privately owned equine veterinary practice in the world. I then drove East-West across the top of the US to meet up with Quanah Gardiner (regional manager for the American Angus Association) to commence a ranch tour of the Pacific Northwest. It was fascinating to learn about the innovative farming practices unique to running cattle at 8000 feet and the corresponding EPDs that have been developed to assist producers.
It was heartwarming to be welcomed onto farms by such terrific people, and exposure to their passion for agriculture and hardworking attitudes has left a lasting impression on me.
With a few more travel adventures in between, I managed to clock up visits to over 20 states in my unrelenting passion to get the most out of this opportunity. I would like to thank Dr Dan Moser for his kindness and generosity when helping to facilitate my experience in the States. Visiting the American Angus Association together was another highlight of my time in the Mid-West and I always took away many pearls of wisdom from our conversations.
To Jake Phillips, you have a special knack for understanding young people and your passion fosters a culture of enthusiasm amongst so many. I would like to sincerely thank you and Angus Australia for opening the door to international agriculture and supporting this Aussie girls dream.
