The cattle industry is ever evolving, and Angus families know that to be successful in this business, you must always be learning. Today, Angus youth have a free resource at their fingertips to keep them top-of-the-class for industry knowledge. 

BEEF Academy, an online learning platform with content designed by industry experts, launched last summer and is tailored to National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) members.

“It’s a program that can offer a lot of good, in terms of gaining a better industrywide scope,” says Lyle Perrier, a young cattleman from Eureka, Kan., who helped pilot the program in spring 2024. “Sometimes we get caught in our daily grind of rinsing cattle and going to school and those things, but it does a good job of just giving a good 30,000-foot view of the industry and how it goes from one step to the other.”

From the classroom

Supported by the Angus Foundation, Ingram Angus and the American Angus Association, BEEF Academy currently offers three topics: beef industry segments, beef breeds and genetics, and beef science, with additional topics to be created and added to the educational lineup.

This resource complements what we have going for adult members through Angus University and modifies content to be age appropriate. Wherever you are in your NJAA journey, it’s interactive and easy to understand and suits age levels of our juniors well.” — Sharla Huseman, American Angus Association communications manager

As a parent, Huseman, who helped develop the platform, understands the importance of ensuring kids are getting quality material from a trustworthy source.

“When kids are researching, you want to know where the information is coming from,” she says. “BEEF Academy is science-based.” 

Jordyn Shockley, a former elementary school teacher turned events coordinator at the Association, appreciates the interactive design of the program. 

“We have experts in our industry helping us build the modules and reviewing them,” she says. “We are getting feedback on these lessons to make sure this is what we want the kids to get from BEEF Academy. I think that’s probably one of the coolest things about it.”

Each module requires only 10-12 minutes of seated time, and learners can pause and return to complete later if needed. For those who want to learn even more, additional resources are available within modules — just a click away.

To the industry

Huseman and Shockley agree this is the only beef industry-focused online learning platform for youth of its kind. 

“We started with offering this just to our NJAA members, but now we’re seeing that the reach is going to be much further,” Shockley says.

Huseman says they are conducting a pilot test program with 30 agriculture educators across the country through May and getting feedback on lesson plans and teaching guides.

“Pilot response shows there’s a need for it in education curriculum,” Huseman says, noting they received responses from hundreds of educators interested in the pilot.

She adds that a long-term goal is for BEEF Academy to be available to any youth wanting to learn more about the beef industry. 

For now NJAA members can learn more about opportunities in the beef industry while becoming a resource to their peers. 

“The beef industry segment module, especially, shows you there’s so much available for these kids in the agriculture industry,” Shockley says. “From being someone who has a cow-calf operation to a marketing business, to working in a meat packing plant or going to work for a pharmaceutical company, everybody has their place. Opportunities are endless for these kids.”