Beef Fundamentals Course
Whether you are brand new to the beef industry or an existing beef producer, this new Beef Fundamentals self-paced course aims to expand your knowledge and skills as a farmer.
Attendees will learn about cattle nutrition and how to determine feed quality, how to assess the condition of your cattle, your legal responsibilities, how to safely handle your cattle across the farm, looking after the welfare of your cattle and a whole lot more to improve cattle management practices.
The Beef Fundamentals educational package has been developed by Local Land Services in partnership with NSW Department of Primary Industries and Tocal College under the Early Needs Recovery Program.
About the course
Experienced agronomists, livestock officers and district veterinarians from Local Land Services and the Department of Primary Industries have created this practical course based on what they see in the field every day and the questions they get asked the most.
Course topics are presented in 6 x 40-minute online learning modules covering the key principles of beef cattle farming.
These to be completed at your own pace and can be revisited for up to 12 months.
Plus the face-to-face beef cattle workshops comprising of on-ground learning sessions, with practical demonstrations and hands-on experience. Attendees can choose to complete the online learning component, attend a face-to-face workshop where you can learn from experienced livestock experts and ask questions, or do both.
As part of the course, attendees will be given a 12-month beef operations calendar with key advice and information on all aspects of beef production.
The course is fully subsidised and free for limited placements available to landholders across NSW.
Who can attend the course?
The Beef Fundamentals course aims to support landholders that are new to the beef industry and/or have smaller herds/holdings.
The course will also benefit existing landholders running cattle, providing a refresher in one or more areas of beef production.
What does the course cover?
The Beef Fundamentals course furthers your knowledge about owning and growing cattle and gives you the best tools at hand the next time you face a challenge.
Key topics covered in the course include:
- cattle nutrition and how to calculate feed
- how to do a live assessment
- pasture considerations
- National Livestock Identification System (NLIS)
- biosecurity including pests, disease and weeds
- welfare of cattle
- transporting cattle
- genetics and breeding
- extreme climatic events and planning
- business and farm management.
Read more about the learning objectives for the Beef Fundamentals Course.
When is the course available?
The online component of the beef cattle farming course content is available from when you register now and throughout 2024. Attendees can even go back and revisit topics for up to 12 months.
Face-to-face sessions will be held from February 2024. More information about the face-to-face sessions is coming soon.
Who developed this course?
The Beef Fundamentals course has been developed by livestock experts, including veterinarians, livestock advisors and development officers from NSW Department of Primary Industries and Local Land Services, with backgrounds in livestock research and on-ground extension.
Register for the course
For more information
For more information about the course, including content and eligibility please contact your local livestock officer by calling 1300 795 299.
For course IT and registration access questions please contact Tocal College.
This Beef Fundamentals educational package has been developed by Local Land Services in partnership with NSW Department of Primary Industries and Tocal College under the Early Needs Recovery Program.
The Early Needs Recovery Program is part of the $150 million Primary Industry Support Package which is co-funded by the Australian and NSW Governments. For more information about the program, please visit Early Needs Recovery Program page.