Kansas youth are urged to register soon for a pair of one-day programs to increase their knowledge of livestock production and management.
Kansas State University will host the Junior Beef Producer Day on Saturday, March 5, and Junior Sheep Producer Day on Saturday, March 19. The events are put on by the K-State youth livestock program, K-State Research and Extension, and the K-State Department of Animal Sciences and Industry.
All activities will be held in Weber Arena on the Manhattan campus.
Organizers said the junior day programs are educational opportunities for youth, parents, project leaders, extension agents and others to increase their knowledge of youth livestock production and management.
Tentatively, the agenda includes:
Project selection.
Nutrition and feeding.
Meat science.
Health, reproduction.
Grooming.
Showmanship.
The state livestock nomination process.
Sessions will be led by K-State faculty members, staff, students, extension agents and guest speakers. All ages are welcome, but all attendees – youth and adults — must register.
The cost for each event is $15 per person for those who register by Feb. 11 (beef) or Feb. 25 (sheep), and $20 per person for those who register after the deadline. Those registering after the deadline will not receive an event t-shirt.
Registration is available online, or by downloading a flyer at http://bit.ly/ksujrproducerdays.
Both Junior Beef and Junior Sheep days will offer instructor-led training for youth attendees to earn YQCA certification, provided as an optional session after each junior day program concludes. The training is expected to last approximately one hour. YQCA is a national youth livestock quality assurance program in its fourth year.
These are biennial events, with sheep and beef days hosted in even years and swine and meat goat in odd years.
More information is available at www.youthlivestock.ksu.edu. For questions, please contact Lexie Hayes, youth livestock coordinator, at [email protected] or 785-532-1264.
