The Beef Cattle Institute brings big ideas and expertise to the area
A lot of work and consideration goes into producing beef for the dinner table. “The Beef Cattle Institute (BCI) brings together expertise from a variety of disciplines across K-State to provide holistic answers and generate new information assisting in decision making throughout the beef value chain,” explained Dr. Brad White, director of the BCI and professor of production medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
BCI faculty and students represent multiple colleges and departments across the K-State campus, and they conduct research on all aspects of ranching from cattle health to environmental impact to the agricultural economy. The BCI passes that information on to ranchers through face-to-face meetings, online educational tools and mobile apps, which help ranchers make decisions in real-time.
“With all the technology available in agriculture, we have seen few applications in cattle health,” said Dr. Trent Fox, veterinarian and BCI advisory team member. “The apps developed by the BCI are very useful to allow practitioners to utilize their smart phones to record data.”