“Experience is the teacher of all things.” So it was said over 2000 years ago by the infamous Julius Caesar, and still it stands to the present day. A quote that every fifth year student for the last 12 years has had the pleasure of living through. How may you ask? Why, the Feedlot Challenge of course!

The Feedlot Challenge was introduced to the faculty in 2007 by the current Deputy Dean, Professor Holm. It forms a part of the curriculum for the module Bovine Health and Production (BHP). The aim was to teach the specific topic of feedlot theory to students. To alleviate student boredom associated with this topic, a more practical approach was needed.

In addition, the Ruminant Veterinary Association of South Africa(RUVASA) had shared their concerns about the lack of student interest  in rural and production animal practice. The Feedlot Challenge addressed this issue by garnering interest of the participating students in production animals and veered them towards those fields. According to research by Professor Holm, some students change their career paths depending on their experiences while studying. This has proven to be of great advantage for the rural and production veterinary medicine division within South Africa.

The development of soft skills was among the objectives for the Feedlot Challenge. At the time the VPL module did not exist, so the Faculty depended on the Feedlot Challenge to teach students the value of group work and management. Nowadays, the Feedlot Challenge presents unique situations to the students that allow them to put into practice what was taught during previous VPL lessons.

While the objectives have remained somewhat the same, the challenge itself has greatly evolved over time. What started out as a small group task, has evolved into a large multiplayer project involving 120 calves with 148 students. Major sponsors this year include Beefcor, a major feedlot company, famous pharmaceutical company, Zoetis, the SA Feedlot Association, and Plaas Media. All of them have played an integral part in marketing the challenge to the public. In addition, they offer unique and vital intellectual information through lectures that can only be sourced from individuals within the industry.

Groups are encouraged to market themselves on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Each group has even come up with their own funny names, some of which include Moochachos, steakalot.com, United Steaks and Wookie Steaks.

While on the surface it may seem like all fun and games, the Feedlot Challenge is ultimately a formal part of the BHP module curriculum. The year kicked off with a Feedlot Bootcamp, which ended with a simulated auction- a first for many! Each group is then fully responsible for the health and management of these cattle. This includes ration formulation, feed mixing, treating sick cattle and kraal management. The challenge will run for 105 days, after which students must submit a scientific article for the academic aspect of the challenge. Couple this with trying to out-do your neighbours, and the 5^th years find themselves living an breathing the challenge

In the words of Professor Holm, “ In terms of success of the feedlot itself, it’s been very successful. We’ve had very good production in this feedlot for relatively inexperienced people. To manage a feedlot like this successfully is quite good. It shows how students can adapt and perform if you challenge them.” With these positive words we wish all fifth years, both present and future, a prosperous and worthwhile challenge. 

Aaminah Vahed