Transformative Animal Science Fellows Program for a Sustainable, Efficient, Profitable Beef Production Future

Abstract Food production globally must double to meet demand by 2050. Demand for animal protein, coupled with reductions in grazing lands, intensifies a need for greater efficiency in beef production. Beef production relies on farms and ranches raising calves for later sale. Our goal is preparation of fellows which are cross-trained to gain inter- and intra-disciplinary knowledge and experiences, capable of bringing creative solutions to critical challenges, within the industry. Applicants were solicited via advertisements, list-serve networks, and recruitment webinars. Selection was guided by a rubric which included interviews and essays above a basic application. Through coaching/mentorship and leadership training, fellows were charged with creation of Individualized Development/Experience Plans (IDP) involving learning community dynamics, common experiences, shared/collaborative research, professional leadership & empowerment, stakeholder engagement, scholarly immersion, translational communication skills and classroom teaching. Fellows increased competencies in critical-thinking fundamentals of environmental/production sustainability emphasizing forages, beef systems, economics and more. Immersion experiences with stakeholders utilized a “design thinking” framework promoting complex creative problem-solving. Fellows were immersed in an ‘Experiential Learning Cycle’ via comprehensive planning and execution of a high-impact experience in a regional outreach stockman and stewardship event. The ANSC-NNF program creates a pipeline to industry and extension careers with graduates who understand modern challenges within production agriculture and specifically beef production. Assessments indicate the program permeated the entire graduate program within the department of animal sciences and in addition to thesis research, Fellows gained knowledge through leadership, process management, systems & sustainability and obtained skills and abilities including professional certifications. The department has initiated recruitment of a second cohort of six master’s-level Fellows for 2023-2025.