Living her dream at K State
Rebecca (Becca) George was awarded the Kansas State University Scholarship in 2019 and after multiple delays finally got the chance to live her dream and spend a semester at this iconic university in Manhattan, Kansas!
During her stay Becca fully immersed herself into student life in the Midwest, (all-inclusive of the American college experiences such as the K State Rodeo, a baseball home game and a Super Bowl watch party) and took the most of every opportunity thrown her way.
‘I enjoyed a range of different classes across the Animal Science and College of Agriculture programs, and I am very grateful for all the professors and my classmates for welcoming me into their classes this semester and also for being curious about Australia.’
The opportunity to join and share these classroom experiences allowed Becca to enjoy being able to share her journey in agriculture and her knowledge about Australian production systems with her classmates.
The 110th KSU Cattleman’s Day held on campus at Weber Hall during March was one of the big highlights for Rebecca during her study.
‘The day kicked off with the trade stalls and research posters in the arena and from there I was able to attend the first session of the day, given by Jason Sawyer that focused on navigating the U.S carbon markets.’
As well as the trade stands and information sessions, a large part of the KSU Cattleman’s Day involves the KSU Legacy Bull Sale at the Stanley Stout Centre.
The KSU Legacy Bull Sale is run by the K State Purebred Beef Unit and the class of ASI422 Livestock Sales Management, which sees the class involved in all aspects of running the sale, including the organisation, marketing, and management of the sale, along with everything else involved in running a sale.
Rebecca, who was a part of the Livestock Sales Management class, said that ‘The sale was offering 19 Angus Bulls, 14 Simmental Bulls, 9 Hereford Bulls, 1 Elite Angus Heifer, 14 Bred Heifers, 21 Commercial Heifers and 3 Quarter Horses.’
‘The sale was a great success, drawing in a large crowd of buyers, K State Alumni, Students and Faculty. The top price of the day (for the cattle) went to the Elite Angus Heifer selling for $10,000 USD. The Angus bulls sold 17/19 and to an average of $6,500 USD,’ she added.
‘I really enjoyed Cattlemen’s Day and am very grateful to have been able to participate in the Livestock Sales Management class and assist in the running of the Legacy Sale.’
Rebecca also took the opportunity where she could to get off campus and experience the American beef industry (visiting a bull sale, The National Western Stock Show and a visit to the American Angus Association, to name some) when afforded the time.
‘At the start of April, I was able to head out to Lorraine, Kansas for the Green Gardens Angus Bull Sale, where the Jenssen Family had 100 bulls on offer for their 64th Annual Production Sale. Lot 31, Gardens Split Fire PAR J65, was the top bull of the day bringing in $14,500 USD. The sale averaged $5,070 USD. I really enjoyed being able to get out on farm and walk through the bulls pre-sale.’
Another highlight for Rebecca was a visit to the American Angus Association, St Joseph, Missouri.
‘Jerry Cassady, the Director of Member Services, gave me an overview of the association structure as well as the member and animal registration statistics.’
‘I also enjoyed talking with Troy Marshall, Director of Commercial Industry Relations, about ongoing projects to assist American commercial breeders to get the most from their herds,’ she added.
Becca also spent time with Kelli Retallick, Angus Genetics Inc (AGI) Director, and Andre Garcia, AGI Geneticist, from the department responsible for generating EPDs for the American Angus Association.
‘Lastly I was able to chat with Shauna Hermel, Chief Editor for Angus Media, about the different publications, digital media and branding the Angus Media branch work on.’
During her visit Becca sat down with Shauna to record a section for the podcast ‘Angus at Work’.
In summing up her time in the USA, Becca could not be more grateful for the experience that the Angus Foundation Scholarship has afforded her.
‘Being able to experience an industry, that I hold a lot of passion for, internationally will always be a privilege and I am thankful for everyone who has taken the time to share their experiences with me,’ she said.
‘I would like to thank Dr Dan Moser, Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture, for hosting my exchange here at K State. Dr Moser helped me to create a custom timetable and always ensured I was getting the most out of my experience.‘
— Diana Wood, Marketing & Communications Manager
