Activity 1: Beef From Farm to Fork

1. Explain to students that there are many processes in our life that follow a specific cycle from start to finish. Cattle, the source of our beef, go through a variety of steps from start to finish. This brief activity will explain and illustrate what cattle eat and where they live as they grow and mature.
2. Distribute the Beef Life Cycle Board Game, one per student.
3. Open the attached Beef Life Cycle PowerPoint.
4. Read through the instructions with the students and go through the PowerPoint as they take notes on their game board.
5. After finishing the worksheet, have students write a “$2 summary” of the lesson on the back of their game board. Each word is worth 10 cents, and students must write until they reach $2.
   • This summary activity can be scaffolded by giving students specific words related to the learning that they must include in their summaries. You may also increase to any amount of money to require additional length. Possible words to include in the summary include: beef life cycle, calves, ranch, feed yard, harvest, or supermarket.

Activity 2: The Remarkable Ruminant

1. Ask students, "How many people currently live on the earth?" Accept an answer of approximately 7 billion or go to the World Population Clock for a more precise answer. Follow up by asking students if the world population is expected to increase or decrease in coming years. (increase)
2. Conclude with students that it is, and will become, increasingly important to use our land wisely to provide homes, food, space, and resources for a growing population.
3. Ask, "Can we use ALL of our open space to grow crops for food?" Display the following images for illustration.
4. Ask students:
   • Is some land too dry or too wet for crop growth?
   • Is some soil too rocky or sandy to grow crops?
   • Could steep inclines or cold climates prohibit a farmer from growing crops successfully?
5. Ask students to think back to what they have learned so far. Could the land that is unsuitable for crop farming be used by cattle (or sheep) to produce food? (Yes!) Tell students that this is possible due to a unique digestive system. Show the video clip, A Cow's Digestive System (1:35 mins).
6. Distribute the Remarkable Ruminant handout to students. Instruct students to read the article on page 1 and highlight each example they find of ways cattle convert otherwise unusable resources into useable resources. Students will then complete pages 2 and 3 of the worksheet.

Activity 3: How Cattle Recycle

Preparation: Prior to class, print 1 copy of the attached Food Waste Scenarios. Cut scenarios into individual strips and save until you reach step three. Print 1 copy of the attached Finding Value in Food Waste and cut into eight individual strips. Distribute the slips around the room before students arrive. You can leave them visible or hide under chairs, tape to the walls, etc.

1. Ask students to brainstorm all of the places where food goes to waste. Students will likely think of uneaten food at their home, school cafeteria, or restaurants. Once students have exhausted their own ideas, provide a prompt. Ask, "When you are preparing food at home is there any portion of the food that you throw away?" Provide examples such as:
   • Do you ever peel a fruit or vegetable and throw away the peel?
   • Do you ever throw away the core of an apple or the rind of a watermelon?
   • Do you always eat the heel/crust of a loaf of bread?
2. Point out that on a house-by-house basis, the amount of food waste may be relatively small (though potentially impactful). Ask students to think about the waste from a large food processing facility. Ask, "Are there food processing facilities that could produce truckloads of waste?"
3. Divide the class into eight groups. Give each group one Food Waste Scenario slip. Allow groups to read and discuss their assigned scenario and come up with a potential solution.
4. Next, introduce the concept of cattle being able to digest food and receive nutritional value from foods that humans either do not choose to eat or cannot eat because it provides little/no nutritional value to our bodies.
5. Inform students that they will find strips of paper around the room that contain the nutritional value of the food product represented in their scenarios. Instruct students to search for the papers to find the information they need to determine if the food waste from their scenario could be used in another way.
6. Once students have found the slip of paper to match their scenario, have them come up with another solution for the food waste based upon what they learn. Have each group share their scenario and solution with the class.
7. After each group has shared with the class, use the following questions for reflection:
   • What is the definition of a byproduct?
     • An incidental or secondary product made in the manufacture of something else. To learn about additional feeds from byproducts, see the Enriching Activity below titled, "Digging Deeper into Byproduct Feeds."
   • What limitations can farmers/ranchers face in feeding their cattle byproduct feeds?"
     • Some byproduct feeds have geographic limitations. For example, citrus fruits are only grown in a few states. To further discuss the geography of these byproducts, see the Enriching Activity below titled, "Mapping Out Commodities and Byproducts."
   • What makes cattle different from humans and allows them to digest food waste products like the ones we discussed today?
     • Cattle are ruminants which means they have four compartments in their “stomach” allowing them to break down and digest plant products that other animals and humans cannot.
   • So what? Why does this matter or why is this important?
     • The world population is growing exponentially which places a greater demand than ever before for food. Using alternative food sources that would otherwise go to waste, and feeding them to ruminants like cattle, allows farmers to efficiently and economically produce food for this growing population.

Activity 4: Careers

1. Create a T-chart on the board and brainstorm careers related to producing beef. The left side will focus on careers directly related to the farmer/rancher. The right side will focus on careers that help market/sell the beef to consumers.
   • Left side: Careers directly related to the cattle farm/ranch
     • Seed Salesman: needed to grow hay and grain to feed cows
     • Grain and Hay Farmer: grows hay and grain
     • Veterinarian: help manage and oversee prevention of disease and treatment of sick cows
     • Feed Salesman/Animal Nutritionist: cattle need feed to eat; nutritionists help formulate balanced rations for cattle
     • Feedlot Manager: cattle are finished growing in feedlots
     • Extension Agent: provide continuing education for farmer/rancher which helps them learn the newest and most updated information for growing beef
   • Right side: Careers that help market/transport beef
     • Farm Reporters or Broadcasters: report on cattle markets
     • Auctioneers or Livestock Market Managers: assist farmers in selling cattle
     • Cattle Buyers: buy cattle for processing facilities
     • Truck Drivers: transport cattle to harvesting facility and boxed beef to distribution centers and restaurants
     • Food Service Providers (e.g. US Foods): deliver specific cuts of beef to restaurants and chefs
     • Restaurant and Grocery Store Employees: serve up beef as a part of meals and provide a place for consumers to buy beef
2. Create a foldable to organize notes on. See pictures below for illustration.
   1. Place paper in landscape orientation and fold in half (left to right). Open paper back up.
   2. Fold the left side to the midline and the right side to the midline to create a tri-fold.
   3. Use scissors to make 6 tabs on both the left and right sides of the foldable allowing each tab to be opened individually.
   4. Use the careers listed on the T-chart, list one career per tab.
   5. Use the descriptions of each career from the T-chart to complete the foldable. The career will be listed on the outside of each tab and a description of the career will be written on the inside. The left side of the t-chart (careers directly related to the cattle farm/ranch) will be on the left side of the foldable and the right side of the t-chart (careers that help market/transport beef) will be on the right side of the foldable.
3. To summarize the activity, have students turn the foldable over so the solid back (no tabs) is facing up. Instruct them to complete a 3-2-1 summary.
   • Record three things the student learned about agriculture careers.
   • Record two careers the student found interesting and would like to learn more about.
   • Record one question the student still has about agriculture careers related to beef.