NE Oregon Students Witness Beef Production From Start To Finish

Blue Mountain Community College is teaming up with Beef Northwest Feeders to give local students hands-on experience in the cattle industry.  The new program, called Prime Start, launched this year with six high school students from Umatilla County.

School officials said each student has raised a steer from start to finish, managing feeding, tracking growth, and monitoring animal health.  Later this spring, those same animals will be processed at BMCC’s Meat Science Lab, giving students a full-circle look at beef production.

On May 30th, students will take part in a workshop led by lab technician Sara Garrow, focusing on grading, carcass quality, and the business side of beef.

“This is where everything connects,” said Garrow. “Students have spent months raising these animals, tracking their growth, making decisions, and putting in the work.  Now they get to see how that translates into the final product that reaches consumers.  It’s a powerful moment of understanding the full scope of the industry.”

The finished cattle will be sold as beef shares, with students earning any profits, offering real-world business experience.  BMCC said community members can also sign up to purchase shares.

The program highlights Blue Mountain Community College’s focus on hands-on education and workforce development in agriculture.

“This program doesn’t just teach students how to raise cattle, it shows them how to think like producers,” Garrow added. “They’re learning responsibility, data-driven decision making, and what it takes to bring a product to market.”

Garrow added by connecting students with industry partners and real-life applications, programs like Prime Start are helping build the next generation of producers, innovators, and leaders in agriculture.

Click Here to learn more about BMCC's Agriculture Department.

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