As many schools, teachers, and students are struggling to decide how to approach the new school year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canute High School’s agriculture teacher, Jeff Conner, is jumping head first into an ambitious animal science project with his students.
Conner and his students will be conducting an experiment to determine the impact of hormone implants on the growth of beef cattle and the impact, if any, on the quality of the meat they produce. The students will have three, as close to identical as possible, steers, one without a hormone implant and two with, which they will raise and care for in exactly the same manner. They will be given the same feed and medicine, on the same schedule, with their weight and growth documented at every step along the way.
At the end of the experiment, in February of 2021, the animals will be taken to Keith’s Butcher Shop in Burns Flat, where Keith Schneberger has volunteered to process the animals. Conner said he will be bringing in meat scientists from universities in Oklahoma and Texas who will then judge the quality of the meat produced. The judges will not be told which animals had the implants and which did not. The point, he said, is to obtain unbiased scientific data about the use of the hormones in the raising of the animals.
“This is going to be a learning experience and an animal science project for the kids,” Conner said.
Conner said the idea is something he’s been kicking around for a couple of years. He was sitting around the dinner table with some friends and family, fellow farmers, when they started discussing different methods of raising cattle. They were discussing various programs that worked, and some that didn’t.
The idea to test husbandry methods stuck in his head, and then the coronavirus pandemic struck, sending shockwaves through the beef market. The reported meat shortages brought the old idea back to the front burner of his mind and he decided the time was right to launch this experiment.
Conner’s goal is to create an ongoing program to test different programs and variables each year on steers, heifers, and bulls. He wants his students, many of whom don’t come from farming backgrounds, to gain both in-depth knowledge of, and hands-on experience, in cattle ranching practices. With that knowl edge and experience, he said, they can serve as ambassadors for agriculture wherever their life paths lead them.
“I want them to become liaisons for western Oklahoma agriculture,” he said. “We’re pretty excited about this. We’ve received good feedback from the community and from the administration.”
Canute’s principal, Kevin Merz, shared Conner’s excitement with the new program.
“I am very excited about this project and believe it will be an excellent opportunity for our FFA students to expand their knowledge in this area,”he said. “It should provide them with information and experience that will enhance their thoughts and decisions for possible future endeavors. Mr. Conner does a great job of exposing our students to many different areas within the FFA program.”