Contact: Dan Thomson
E-mail: dthomson@vet.ksu.edu

There is a growing need for health professionals to have a knowledge base in management practices relating to nutrition, animal health, environmental and regulatory issues, and the data management associated with the operation of cattle confinement feeding facilities. To meet this need, a certificate program in feedlot production management has been developed within the Clinical Sciences  graduate program. The program is a joint venture of regional cattle producers, private industries, and academic and research units at Kansas State University, and it is designed to train students to manage a modern confinement feeding facility.

The primary function of the certificate program is to prepare graduates for a career in feedlot production management while encouraging interdisciplinary educational experiences. The courses selected for the program are consistent with program objectives. They are intended to expand a student’s educational and career background with an understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of feedlot management by demonstrating the interrelationship of business administration, veterinary medicine, and livestock nutrition in the feeding industry. We anticipate that the scientific and medical training of veterinarians, coupled with specialized knowledge of feedlot production management, will place certificate holders in a unique position to work with producers to develop cost-efficient programs that provide high quality, safe food products.