In 2023, Cambridge Public Schools Superintendent Jarod Albers approached high school agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Rhiley Fiene about a hands-on learning experience for students. This conversation kickstarted the Cambridge FFA Beef Program.
“The first year, the school funded the project to buy five yearling heifers,” Fiene says.
Through the program, Nebraska FFA members raise cattle to their desired weight before sending them to market. Watch this process unfold below to see how they’re learning valuable skills while investing in their futures.
A Storied History
Around-the-Clock-Care
Five students are selected for the program each school year. “We treat it just like a job,” Fiene says. “After they apply, we select them based on their resumes and interviews.”
Selected students take turns completing daily chores, such as feeding, giving minerals and breaking ice in the water trough during the winter. Fiene says it takes about 120–150 days to raise the cattle to market weight, which is about 1,500 pounds.
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Sticking to a Schedule
One of the biggest takeaways for students in the program is practicing life skills — particularly time management.
“Cattle have to be fed at roughly the same time every day,” Fiene says. “Throwing them off this schedule can impact whether they finish all their feed for the day. Feeding them before school in the mornings takes a lot of responsibility on the students’ part.”
Students are also surprised to discover how quickly the cattle grow and how much weight they’ve gained by the end.
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Finding a Future in Agriculture
Several members, including Rachel Harris (pictured above), use the Cambridge FFA Beef Program as part of their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) project. Harris had never been around cattle until she began working with them through this program, but says her participation influenced her future plans to become a livestock veterinarian.
“For those who don’t live on a farm or have any background in agriculture, this has been a great opportunity to get their hands dirty and fully experience a sector of agriculture,” Fiene says.
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“Meat”-ing a Need
Once they reach market weight, the cattle are processed. Retail steak cuts are then raffled, with proceeds going to scholarships for participating students. Fiene says each student in the program has received a $500 scholarship.
The remainder of the meat is made into ground beef, which is served in school lunches. Cambridge FFA member Braydon Miller (pictured above) approves of the first cheeseburgers made and served with Cambridge FFA Beef Program meat.
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A Learning Opportunity
Fiene says the Cambridge FFA Beef Program benefits all of her agriculture students, including those not selected to directly care for the cattle.
“In my animal science class, we evaluate [the cattle] for either livestock judging or calculating the rations a participating program student needs to be feeding for that particular week,” Fiene adds. “We’ve also had a couple of welding projects for feed bunks, so it’s really cool to see the program being used in all of my classes.”
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Community Contributions
According to Fiene, this program wouldn’t be possible without support from the FFA and Cambridge communities.
“Whether it’s purchasing raffle tickets, making donations, purchasing the heifers at very reasonable prices or helping transport feed and cattle when needed, it’s been amazing to see,” she says. “The feeder cattle are kept on a community member’s property right outside of town, and they let us use the lots for free.”
