The Beef Industry Scholarship Challenge (BISC) is a unique contest that focuses on the student’s knowledge and skills in all areas of beef production management. Each year, the Georgia Jr. Cattlemen’s Association puts on the challenge that awards over $10,000 in scholarships for students to pursue a college degree of their choice.
The challenge was divided between Sr. (11th and 12th Grades) and Jr. Divisions (9th and 10th grades).
The Beef Industry Scholarship Challenge is a very in depth competition that would challenge even veteran beef producers’ knowledge, skills and abilities. The challenge consisted of 10 stations and are as follows:
1) Meats ID: Team members had to identify various primal and retail cuts of beef, quality and yield grade beef carcasses and take a written test over food safety.
2) Credit and Finance: Team members had to develop a farm plan, financial statements and present their loan request to a committee.
3) Job Interview: Team members had to develop a resume and cover letter prior to the contest and go through a simulated real life job interview.
4) Beef Industry Issues: Team members had to research various issues the beef industry and discuss the issues and how to correct them with a panel of judges.
5) Beef Management Challenge: Team members had to offer advice and guidance to a producer concerning various management and production scenarios.
6) Reproduction: Team members had to identify various reproduction tools associated with beef production and synchronization protocols used for production practices.
7) Handling and Health: Team members had to handle cattle in a low stress manner and demonstrate proper Beef Quality Assurance standards through exhibiting how to properly administer vaccines and other pharmaceutical products.
8) Nutrition: Team members had to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of ruminant nutrition through forage ID, performing coast analysis of various feed stuffs, and take a written test.
9) Marketing: Team members had to demonstrate marketing skills by discussing the most profitable ways to market seed stock heifers.
10) Seedstock Merchandising with Keep/Cull Replacement Heifers: Team members had to interpret Expected Progeny Differences amongst bulls and determine which bull would fit the scenario to breed the replacement heifers.
Coffee Freshman FFA participated in the annual challenge and placed first in the Jr. Division. The team consisted of Katie Ricketson, Allison Dorsey, Cole Wallace, and were coached by advisor Spencer Highsmith.
Each team member won $100 in scholarships.
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