Beginning Beef Cattle Operations – BattleGround to Breaking Ground

Course Information

This self-paced, asynchronous online course is designed for new and beginning beef producers, agricultural students, interns, and others who want a practical, grounded introduction to beef cattle operations. Using a mix of short readings, videos, downloadable tools, and self-assessment activities, you'll learn how to plan and manage a small-to-medium beef operation from the ground up: facilities, genetics, nutrition, health, reproduction, calf management, welfare and stockmanship, grazing systems, economics, and marketing.

You might already run a few cows and want to improve your management; be planning your first herd in the next 1-3 years; be working on a business plan, a loan application, or a grant; be supporting a partner or family member building an operation. You do not need to have a specific herd size or breed, fancy facilities, or prior college-level animal science courses to benefit from this course.

The course is aligned with Texas A&M AgriLife and BattleGround to Breaking Ground (BGBG) philosophies and makes frequent use of resources from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, and Beef Quality Assurance (BQA). While the focus is on Texas and the Southern Plains, concepts are broadly applicable nationwide.

No prior cattle experience is required. Some basic familiarity with farm life or agriculture is helpful but not necessary. If you are willing to learn, ask questions, and think honestly about your goals and resources, you're in the right place.

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Understand core concepts of a beef cattle operation (facilities, genetics, nutrition, health, reproduction, welfare, grazing, and economics)
• Develop a realistic Operation Starter Plan (1-3 year plan) for your own beef operation that fits your situation;
• Learn how to use basic recordkeeping tools and budgets to support better decisions; and
• Connect with resources and programs (BGBG, AgriLife, USDA, NRCS, BQA, Texas Beef Council) for continued learning and support.