At Texas Tech University, it does not take long for students to immerse themselves in the beef supply chain. From the smell of feedlots carried by West Texas wind to the lineup of steaks on supermarket shelves, the beef industry presents itself everywhere.
The Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is a key proponent of the supply chain by offering students a comprehensive outlook on each sector: cow-calf operations, feedlots, meat processing centers and retail stores.
Every segment rests at an arms-length distance, which conveniently provides students with industry engagement at research stations and real-world operations.
Michael Galyean, Ph.D., Horn Professor in the Department of Veterinary Sciences, served as the dean of Davis College from 2012 until 2017. He shares the purpose behind increased explorative learning over the past 10 years.
“The future of this college [was] in research,” Galyean said, “because the future of Texas Tech [was] in research.”
Throughout the past decade, Galyean said Davis College has positioned itself as a recognized source of beef insights. In addition to new research and hands-on experiences, the college is committed to maintaining a mutual connection with industry.
Chance Brooks, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Animal and Food Sciences, describes the importance of high-impact, transformative learning opportunities.
“You really create a lot of uncertainty and anxiety by going out and trying things because there is potential that you’ll fail,” Brooks said, “but what we try to convince everyone is that there’s just as much learning in failure as there is success—and sometimes more.”
For AFS students, the production cycle is presented through a hands-on method from conception to consumer.
“We don’t necessarily approach the beef supply chain by segment in our curriculum,” Brooks said.
Instead, Brooks said students begin with courses in general animal science disciplines. After completion, capstone courses are offered to connect the curriculum in an experiential learning lab, which focuses on a specific purpose or breed type.
Taylor McKinzie is a doctoral student in AFS who is researching the live animal side of beef cattle. Receiving both her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in the same department, McKinzie is familiar with the program’s unique offerings.
“Looking at [the supply chain], they are broken up,” McKinzie said, “but in order to keep the wheel turning and keep it revolving, each of those entities has to continue to work together.”
Bruce Cobb has been the executive vice president of production at Certified Angus Beef for over five years and has seen AFS’s impact from an industry level. As a Davis College alumnus, he said Texas Tech’s location provides an opportunity to interact with every segment of the supply chain.
“You really have all of these sectors connected within one geographic region,” Cobb said. “It’s pretty exciting whenever you cannot just have them but really connect and communicate across these sectors.”
On the pathway from conception to consumer, Brooks said 50-60% of the supply chain is related to production. For cow-calf operations, this includes reproduction, nutrition and health.
It’s just very nice…to learn something that is literally being applied right down the road.
Aaron Norris, Ph.D.
Raising them Right
Located east of Lubbock, the 100th meridian runs vertically, separating the United States into two areas of vastly differing rainfall averages. The Texas Panhandle, which is home to the nation’s largest cattle herd, falls on the side with less than 20 inches of annual rainfall.
Brooks said this placement allows Davis College to serve beef production areas that are similarly located in semi-arid lands. He said this research transcends basic findings and acts as an applied set of insights.
“Maintaining that research and innovation not only services this area and keeps us prominent regionally, but it also enables us to serve a larger part of the United States and even other parts of the world,” Brooks said.
Whitney Crossland, Ph.D., associate professor of animal and food sciences, offers the Comparative Beef Production Tour, a summer course for undergraduate and graduate students to gain perspective about the supply chain. This experience allows students to join Crossland on site visits to gain exposure to live animal management, from cow-calf operations to feedlots.
Crossland said many concepts cannot be learned in the classroom, and this excursion allows students to return to campus with a broader understanding of the opportunities available throughout the industry.
In New Deal, Texas, Davis College maintains a farm with approximately 120 acres, a resource for multiple areas of study.
Aaron Norris, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources Management who has completed extensive research on ruminant-animal production and grazing nutrition. With a background in beef cattle production and agronomy, Norris combines both areas into his studies.
“I think that the biggest takeaway is that the college is really focusing on the [integration] of these departments to achieve our goals,” Norris said.
As part of his curriculum, Norris demonstrates proper ranch management by introducing students to various practices, including brush control, fence maintenance and water infrastructure. Norris focuses on providing hands-on aspects, which he said is important, especially to students without an agricultural background
Norris said livestock nutrition and forage ultimately play a key role in the supply chain since each factor influences feed yard performance. With hopes to improve efficiency and productivity, Norris’ grazing research is regionally important due to its relevance with pasture-based systems.
“It’s just very nice to be in a location where you have the opportunity to learn something that is literally being applied right down the road,” Norris said.
Brooks said training students to return to the ranch is especially important at the cow-calf level. As the industry has strengthened returns on investment, there is a prime opportunity for production practice innovation.
Because of this curiosity, ranch management curriculum has a bright future as the college takes advantage of expansions into newly gifted living laboratories, such as the 3 Rivers Ranch and the 7R Ranch.
“They’re going to give us an opportunity to provide much more hands-on learning and training in that space,” Brooks said.
Claiming Cattle Country
After leaving the ranch, feedlots become an integral stage in producing high-quality beef. Crossland said feedlots act as the middle guy by figuring out how to feed cattle effectively—an initiative being focused on by Davis College faculty and staff.
“We just have a huge opportunity here, and I think our department chair and college [have] done a really good job of recruiting quality…for the long term,” Crossland said.
Brooks said in the feedlot sector, the primary focus is efficiency, which always leads back to resiliency and sustainability. At Texas Tech’s research farm in New Deal, Texas, the Burnett Center is a key proponent of beef cattle feeding and management.
The Burnett Center, located 15 miles north of Lubbock, is a dynamic system comprising a feed mill, a feedlot and an energetics building. Each branch collaborates seamlessly to function as an independent university operation moving in the same direction.
“The beef system is highly fractured because of the length of the production cycle,” Crossland said. “There’s a lot of room for faculty to operate independently [and] still have similar goals to achieve a bigger picture.”
Crossland said the Burnett Center is focused on applied science since it attempts to manifest results into practices that can be utilized within the industry.
During his time at Certified Angus Beef, Cobb said West Texas has seen a positive increase in product quality over the past three to four years. He attributes most of it to beef demand signals and feeder cattle genetics.
“The Panhandle has always been a dominant force in cattle feeding from a volume perspective,” Cobb said, “and it’s now emerging as a dominant force from a quality perspective.”
Cobb said much of the department’s research work is relevant to Certified Angus Beef. Specifically, product quality is heavily impacted by genetics and management, which has proven beneficial to the industry.
With an opportunity at hand, the Burnett Center is positioned to continue these studies. Brooks said they are trying to develop science that can be scaled up for industry applications.
“That’s our niche at the Burnett Center,” Brooks said. “Those small pens allow us to be at the forefront, cutting edge of that [topic].”
Brooks said Texas Tech’s prime location in the middle of cattle country leads to an abundance of beef cattle production, representing all segments of the meat industry.
“One advantage that we have is to not only be able to provide these experiences, but [also] provide them in this area,” Brooks said. “Our location is unique.”
Prime Processing
Cobb said combined with the location, Texas Tech’s world-class faculty creates a highly valued skillset for students entering the workforce. He said there is a big difference between students capable of academic success and those who have a winning attitude.
“There is a passion for excellence,” Cobb said. “There is an appetite for winning, and that’s part of this tradition of the college.”
McKinzie is no stranger to winning, as seen through her performance on the 2019 National Champion Meat Judging Team, an accomplishment that brought great publicity to the department. From a responsibility standpoint, judging contributed to her growth as an individual, but she said faculty relationships are also valuable.
“In comparison to many of my peers nationwide,” McKinzie said, “you just don’t find faculty and teachers that care enough to support students on a daily basis and provide different hands-on learning opportunities.”
For McKinzie, many of these experiences have taken place in the lab.
The Gordon W. Davis Meat Science Laboratory is a comprehensive unit responsible for various tasks in the supply chain. From receiving and harvesting animals to processing and fulfilling orders, students learn every part of this sector.
Working in conjunction, Raider Red Meats sources beef, pork and lamb products for the community, all produced by students. This on-campus store bridges the gap between curriculum and practice by being part academia and part industry.
Zach Buckley is the production manager at Raider Red Meats and is a product of the program. In 2024, Buckley returned to Texas Tech after spending over three years with a large meat packer.
In his role, Buckley is responsible for cutting orders and preparing products for distribution. He also leads harvest demonstrations, which host approximately 600 students per semester for visual learning opportunities. Buckley said these sessions aim to offer necessary exposure.
“It’s hard to show someone a harvest lab on a video,” Buckley said. “You don’t get the full experience.”
Buckley said the sights, smells and noises all contribute to understanding meat processing facilities. He said it is difficult to effectively communicate topics if the curriculum cannot be integrated with an experiential component.
To offer hands-on programming, the facility supports top-notch equipment for students to excel. Buckley said high-caliber technology attracts numerous large companies for partnerships. Training students with real-world equipment prepares them for a seamless transition into full-time positions.
Brooks said workforce development is considered first and foremost through undergraduate programs.
“It’s a combination of knowledge and soft skills that you really focus on,” Brooks said. “If you’re producing people that can go into the workforce, there’ll be a natural migration of leadership.”
Reaching the Shelf
Raider Red Meats has emphasized marketing and distribution since it became an enterprise of Texas Tech in 2008. Connections with faculty members, industry stakeholders and local citizens position the business as a hub for several opportunities.
“As the department has grown, Raider Red Meats has grown,” said Tate Corliss, director of Raider Red Meats.
Corliss has served as director for over 12 years and has played a strong role in the overall operation. He said the store functions in a manner showing students there is a wide world of career opportunities.
Located in the Animal and Food Sciences Building, Raider Red Meats maintains approximately 55 student employees working in sales, logistics, production and more. Growing quickly, Corliss said he wants to strive ahead while supporting the attributes and qualities that have made them unique and agile.
Brooks said Raider Red Meats allows students to tie the beef supply chain together through an effectively operating business. The store also exposes students to parts of the industry, such as marketing and distribution, which are unavailable elsewhere.
“Nobody has a Raider Red Meats,” Brooks said, “so it’s an opportunity for us to be able to provide those high-impact learning experiences, and that’s something that is unique to us.”
While he wants students to understand each piece of it, Corliss said he also wants students to see profit and loss sheets to develop logical reasoning.
“We built our business model around premium products, and I like to say those products are the students we’re producing and the meat products,” Corliss said. “Both are going to be premium and have a lot of value added when they leave this place.”
Raider Red Meats is driven by promoting servanthood through meat sales. Corliss said he is focused on instilling a sense of service and passion for paying it forward.
As production manager, Buckley has done exactly that.
“The passion behind our team is second to none,” Corliss said. “We have students of the program scattered throughout leadership who really are here to give back.”
Corliss said he is fortunate for these students continuing the operation’s legacy. He said reputation is an aspect that can take a lifetime to build but vanish in a second.
“It’s extremely humbling but also a big responsibility for us to maintain,” Corliss said, “but I just couldn’t be more proud to be a part of that.”
From conception to consumer, pride takes several forms along Texas Tech’s beef supply chain.
Brooks said he thinks student success programs set Davis College at an advantage. With hopes of sustaining the industry through workforce development, he said the department produces students who are well trained and equipped—an industry impact Brooks said is almost immeasurable.
Crossland said hands-on access to the supply chain is going to refine and sharpen students.
“It is a challenging environment to work in, and being able to meet that challenge is going to be really important for our students,” Crossland said. “It’s going to set them apart, truly.”
Story by Ryan Hess; Design by Halle Munson; Photography by Avery Meers; Advertisements by Riley Green.
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