Animal Science Extension Internship

I have always been interested in agriculture. My brother and I grew up on a small farm in Carter County

Brilee Culbert

raising commercial beef cattle, goats and sheep. As a 5th grader, I remember teachers asking us where we wanted to go to college. Every time, I immediately said UT-Knoxville because I knew that there was a strong agriculture program here. It wasn’t until I started high school when I joined my local 4-H club and went to conferences and competed in judging teams that I wanted to major in agricultural education. Now, I am a senior at the University of Tennessee majoring in Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications with a concentration in Education. With this degree, I hope to work as an Extension Agent or as an agriculture educator. 

Last January, I was scrolling through Facebook and a post from the UT Beef and Forage Center spiked my attention to apply for this internship with the Animal Science department. I think I began working on my application right away because I had been thinking about a summer internship since the prior November. In March, I got word from Dr. Katie Mason that I was offered the position and I started in late May. Then, I never knew how much of an impact that 10 weeks could have on me and my professional development.

I started out in my office by catching up on some knowledge about nitrates in beef cattle nutrition. This was something that I needed to learn quickly as a majority of my project would be about the Effect of Ensiling on Nitrate Levels in Sorghum-Sudangrass. After brushing up on nutrition, I took what I learned and wrote my first blog post for the UT Beef and Forage Center called “Check It Before You Cut It”. I then moved on to making infographics for National Forage Week. 

Perhaps my favorite opportunities throughout the internship were working with 4-H youth. The Academic Conference challenged me to come up with a Record Keeping Activity for the Beef project. The activity used craft rocks to represent cows, bulls, and calves. Each of the rocks were labeled with blue and pink stickers as well as a tag number. The students were tasked with matching the calves with the correct mother cow and bull. At the end of the activity, we had a discussion about the importance of record keeping on a cattle operation and how their home operations keep records of their cattle. 

Aside from working with 4-H youth programs, one of the main projects of this internship was assisting with data retrieval for a research trial evaluating nitrate content of ensiled forages. Over-fertilizing during periods of drought can cause elevated levels of nitrates in forages. This is especially problematic when using warm-season annuals. If cattle eat forage high in nitrates, the nitrates replace oxygen molecules in their blood which can lead to death. Though cattle can consume forage with nitrate levels up to 2,500 ppm, special care should be taken above the threshold, especially in pregnant cows. There is some evidence that indicates that ensiling can reduce the level of nitrates in forage after harvest. Other advantages of ensiling include: less field and harvest loss than occur with hay and less likelihood of weather damage during harvest. The objective of this project was to determine whether there is a decrease in nitrate levels after ensiling sorghum-sudangrass. After the second harvest, we expect to see a decrease in nitrate levels after the ensiling process, and hypothesize that the decrease may be relative to the N rate treatment. 

As a whole, it’s reassuring to look back at how many people I’ve met in such a short amount of time. I have never been involved in the animal science department at UTK until now even though it’s one of my favorite topics in agricultural education. Communicating with people has been a vital part of this whole experience. Traveling the state for the State Horse Show or the Beef Expo, going on three county visits, and learning more about UTIA’s AgResearch has shaped a network for me as a future professional in the agriculture field. I hope to put a few of the things I have learned into practice working for UT Extension in the future as a 4-H Extension Agent or as a high school agriculture educator. Advocating for the agriculture industry is one of my favorite things to do and I cannot wait to share what I have learned.

First Digital Story

 Learn more about the history of agricultural education in my first Digital Story on YouTube. This was 

                                                                                         

made for my ETEC 386 "Integrate Technology into Curriculum" course at UTK. Digital Story

                                                                               

Educational Blogging: Advocating Our Passions

Writing this blog has taught me that there is so much in agriculture to be taught. So far, I have dived into the opportunities for non-farm kids within 4-H and FFA. However, I have not gone into the daily agenda of an Agricultural Educator. I am still a college student, so I do not know this for certain but I think I have an idea of what it is like. A blog post for Norfolk High School in Nevada written by Ag teacher, Mr. Jonathan Anderson, goes into detail of "A Day In The Life Of An Ag Room." He discusses the activities at each hour such as an FFA officer meeting at 7 am and 1st period Introduction to Agriculture starting at 8 am and so on. Educational blogging in my opinion is advocating for your passion whether it be in agriculture, art, music, elementary, secondary, etc. 

Two red hands typing on a laptop with notepads, pens and other items. 

While reading my peer's blog posts, I have learned that mostly all of us have the same goal which is to share our ideas and passions. Three of my favorite blogs were written by Anna Loy, Alexis Lynch, and Olivia Phillips. In Anna's "Ms. Loy's Educational Ploys" blog, I found the "Stop Trying to be PC" blog very interesting and relatable. She discusses the word "disabled" versus "person with a disability." I had not known that there was a difference in the two terms. This is relatable to me because I had a learning disability from elementary school until high school and how I recovered because of my agricultural education and upbringing-- which I may discuss in a later blog. Moving on to "Alexis' View of the World (of Education!)" blog, "Standardized Testing and Students with Disabilities" caught my eye. In her blog she states, "For students with moderate to significant disabilities, standardized tests are absolutely not appropriate." I relate to the struggles of standardized testing because I was one of those kids who needed help or extra time to complete a test. Lastly, "LIVin the Ag Teacher Life" by Olivia Phillips was very relatable because she and I have the same major as well as a similar background. "The Home and The School" caught my eye because she goes into how every child's home environment can determine the type of behavior in a classroom. The type of discipline and rules at home can factor into whether a student is successful or not. I love her statement, "I have high hopes that parents of young children and future parents will understand that school does not end when the bell rings in the afternoon and that their involvement can change the path of their child's life." This is very relatable to my personal growth and development and it is definitely something to keep in mind as a future teacher (and possibly parent). 

Educational blogging is a practice that should be done by all teachers and educators because it allows for us to build off of each other. I have not been a blogger for very long (not even two months...hehe), but this is something that I plan on doing as a teacher. From reading the blogs of my peers, I have gotten the idea to post my story as an agricultural student with a learning disability in a later blog post. Throwing ideas and research information around in blogs is advocating for our passion: education for all. Who knows what else I will write about? - the possibilities are endless.

4-H and FFA Opportunities for Non-Farm Kids: Life Skills

As previously mentioned in another blog, agriculture-based youth programs include opportunities

Group of students judging a class of Hereford cattle.

including livestock programs with show projects and judging teams. Not many people know the life skills that are taught behind the scenes. The journal article by Chad Martin and Clint Rusk also details life skills provided through these programs, specifically livestock judging. It states "They learn to develop a thought process through the assimilation of concepts identified with proper evaluation practices. Through active preparation for the contest situation, called "work-out" sessions, participants become associated with and learn to adjust to pressure situations." Oral reasons are a great example of a life skill as it provides public speaking skills while defending their decisions. Oral reasons describe contestants' thought process in the selection of the livestock or cuts of meat. Additionally, "participation on livestock judging teams is credited with improved critical thinking, improved organization, delivery, and accuracy of written and oral communication processes." 

Another journal article written by Larry D. Gutherie and J. Lee Majeskie detail Dairy Judging in more detail. They describe livestock judging to have benefits in "personal growth: team skills, interpersonal relationships, critical thinking skills, self-discipline, situation analysis, decision-making skills, organizational skills, verbal expression, and defense of decisions." Whether students grew up with an agricultural background, "nondairy farm youth learn about the importance and magnitude of the dairy industry, and many of them continue their involvement in the dairy cattle judging programs as volunteers." Given these points, not only are students learning the information needed to identify an ideal animal or cut of meat, they are learning more about each industry within agriculture along the way which teaches them to be logical agricultural advocates. Students coming from a non-agricultural background to being in a judging team of four will be a great experience for anyone. Are there other clubs that teach life skills? Yes. Will my child learn these same skills in another club? Possibly. As someone who grew up with an agricultural background, I think it is amazing when my classmates grew up in the city and have come to UT to major in agriculture. It shows how wonderful the agriculture industry really is because it teaches so many things including the life skills needed for the workforce. 

4-H and FFA Opportunities for Non-Farm Kids: Scholarships

As discussed in a previous blog, agriculture-based youth development programs, 4-H and FFA are key

Blue graduation cap with a yellow tassel with "Scholarships" written across the top.

topics for anyone and everyone to be involved in. 4-H in Tennessee is open to 4th-12th grade and FFA is open to 7th-12th grade students. Although, not all middle schools have FFA or a Career and Technical Education sector, many schools in Tennessee do having over 30, 000 members and 220 chapters state-wide according to Tennessee FFA. While both organizations have similarities, this blog post will be about the FFA program specifically. A journal article by Will Doss and John Rayfield mainly discusses a gap between school principals and agriculture programs, it still provides information on the importance of FFA programs. Literature on FFA programs is difficut to find, but this source provided most, if not all, of the activities and events that FFA offers. School-based agricultural education (SBAE) forcuses on middle and high school students in agriculture classrooms using laboratory instruction, FFA participation, and SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) participation. FFA programs at each school "have the opportunity to participate in local, district, area, state, and national conventions and meetings" (Doss, Rayfield, 2021). The article discusses events specific to Texas FFA programs. One SAE program is livestock programs, similar to 4-H which was discussed in last week's blog post. Additionally, agriculture mechanic shows are popular in Texas for students involved in an agriculture mechanics SAE to exhibit their work. By being involved in FFA and/or an SAE program, "students have the opportunity to earn FFA scholarships, earn FFA degrees, compete for FFA Star Awards, and compete in SAE proficiency awards" (Doss, Rayfield, 2021). 

With that being said, there are many scholarship opportunities through programs like 4-H and FFA. In my personal experience, scholarships have always been an easy task to apply for and (sometimes, but not all the time) receive. I graduated high school in 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic began. I had a lot of down time to apply for scholarship after scholarship. I received one from the National FFA Organization with John Deere Meade Tractor for my freshman year of college. I received two scholarships from my high school, one from my college, and one from my local fair. I'm not saying this to brag, but I am saying this to encourage everyone -not just students in agriculture- to apply for scholarships. Apply if it is for $100, $1,000 or $10,000. Being involved in agriculture-based youth development programs looks good on any scholarship application, so financing for college can be an easier task in the future. 

4-H and FFA Opportunities for Non-Farm Kids: Livestock Judging

 A key topic in education and youth development is the material taught and the strategy to distribute

Two females evaluating a class of swine.

knowledge. Agriculture-based programs such as 4-H and FFA teach many agricultural related topics, including animal science, plant science, and natural resources, which can sometimes be a stereotype when encouraging youth to become involved. Parents and families may not see the full picture of these programs because of the stereotypes such as "just for the farm kids" or "just for elementary school aged kids." Some may not want their children to be involved in agriculture because it may be "too dangerous of a job" or a job where you "do not get paid as much." While these stereotypes come into vocabulary when deciding which programs to encourage their children to join, they should be taking more time to learn about the benefits of becoming involved, even if a child does not have a background in agriculture. A journal article  discusses livestock programs within 4-H and FFA. Livestock programs including dairy, horses, livestock, and meat judging have been popular since the early 1900's. Participants engage in learning about what makes a good cut of meat or an ideal cow, horse, goat, hog, or sheep. The contests "evaluate contestants' ability to make logical decisions in a fixed amount of time, with a given scenario, and a selected group of animals or cuts of meat." They view a "class" of each and identify qualities in each and rank them from best to worst using a 1-2-3-4 format (Martin, Rusk, 2021). 

As a future agriculture teacher, it is important that I have my school(s) and community know that agriculture involves everyone. Everyone needs to eat three times a day with a few snacks here and there. Students nor parents should be afraid to become involved in 4-H and FFA. Programs such as these offer numerous opportunities and Livestock Judging is one of the many ways that skills are being taught all while teaching a new topic. I plan to make a series of blogs in the future showing the different opportunities that these agriculture-based clubs have for non-farm and non-agricultural families.