"I am a Master Beef Volunteer, but I've learned more in one day than I've learned anywhere. I've learned the why and not just the how. It shows that you guys really aimed this at the kids."2004 Adult Participant
Site Last Updated:
April 8, 2010
CAMP DOCUMENTS
Registration Form
(download PDF)
Camp Flyer
(download PDF)
Tentative Schedule- includes list of items to bring to camp
(download PDF)
Waiver Form
(PDF)
Request more information
(online form)
CAMP LOCATION
Map of E Highway 243 & E Highway 64
Canton, TX
75103, US (the map doesn't point directly at that intersection, but is close)
Hotel Listing: http://www.chambercantontx.com/
(you are encouraged to not make non-refundable hotel reservations in case the program is canceled for some reason)
BEEF LINKS
Fitting and Showmanship
A Guide for Youth Beef Cattle Exhibitors
Quality Counts
(TAMU site)
Flash Animation of Basic Showmanship Technique
CAMP PHOTOS
East Texas Youth
Beef Camp
It's What's For Winners!
The 2010 Beef Camp is scheduled for July 15-17, 2010. Please mark your calendars and share this information with others interested in showing beef cattle.
This is an intense three-day event offering detailed information based on exhibitor's experience level. This in-depth training not only provides a strong foundation for those showing cattle, but also instills the importance of sportsmanship, ethical decisions, and proper animal management. Don't take our word for it, see how others responded in our surveys (click here).
This is an excellent program for both new and experienced beef exhibitors! Come explore the real purpose of the beef project and livestock shows.
Participant Testimonials
"Wonderful camp! You guys did a GREAT job. It was a very educational camp. I wish we would have attended before we ever started – the knowledge would have been very beneficial with our first project. Hope to see you again!" 2006 Adult
"Great character builder! This is well spent time for my daughter and I. This was a well planned and executed program and we are planning to attend next years camp. I highly recommend this to 4-H’s as well as FFA." 2006 Adult
"Everything you taught us covered everything, so I don’t think I need any more information. It was very fun." 2006 Youth
"I wish I had come my first year, before I went to any shows." 2005 Adult
"I was very impressed with this camp overall. Speakers were great. You can't get any better authorities on animal science than what we had" 2005 Adult
"It was fun and nice to learn a lot about feeding and more" 2005 Youth
"The nutrition speaker was very helpful! We will use this information throughout our shows" 2005 Adult
If you have any questions please contact one of the following camp coordinators:
Derrick Bruton, District Office
District IV 4-H (972) 952-9264
Tommy Phillips, Van Zandt County
CEA-4-H (903) 567-4149
2009 - No results (event canceled)
2008 Survey Results
Youth Retrospective Pre/Post (n=33)
Statements |
Mean Value BEFORE |
Mean Value AFTER |
Mean Change |
Percent Change1 |
My understanding of Animal Selection |
1.44 |
3.23 |
1.79 |
124% |
My understanding of Fitting |
1.44 |
3.11 |
1.67 |
115% |
My understanding of Showmanship |
1.80 |
3.64 |
1.84 |
102% |
My understanding of Show Ethics/Quality Assurance-Quality Counts |
1.63 |
3.13 |
1.50 |
92% |
My understanding of “At the Show” |
2.00 |
3.70 |
1.70 |
85% |
My understanding of Nutrition |
1.93 |
3.22 |
1.29 |
67% |
My understanding of what to do Cattle Health |
2.00 |
3.22 |
1.22 |
61% |
Adult Retrospective Pre/Post (n=23)
Statements |
Mean Value BEFORE |
Mean Value AFTER |
Mean Change |
Percent Change1 |
My understanding of Fitting |
1.56 |
3.21 |
1.65 |
105% |
My understanding of Showmanship |
1.81 |
3.36 |
1.55 |
85% |
My understanding of Show Ethics/Quality Assurance-Quality Counts |
1.95 |
3.52 |
1.57 |
80% |
My understanding of Animal Selection |
1.95 |
3.39 |
1.44 |
73% |
My understanding of “At the Show” |
2.17 |
3.39 |
1.22 |
56% |
My understanding of Health |
2.30 |
3.43 |
1.13 |
49% |
1Percent change was determined by the following formula: (Mean Value After – Mean Value Before) / Mean Value Before * 100. Blue indicates percent change of 100% or more, green indicates percent change of 70 – 99%, and yellow indicates percent change of 40 to 69%.
Youth intent to change behavior
- 28 of 28 (100%) said they probably or definitely will adopt practices related to following medicine labels.
- 28 of 28 (100%) said they probably or definitely will use the techniques taught in preparing for the show.
- 27 of 28 (96%) said they probably or definitely will adopt practices related to animal safety.
- 27 of 28 (96%) said they probably or definitely will adopt halter breaking techniques.
- 27 of 28 (96%) said they probably or definitely will adopt practices for looking for health problems.
- 27 of 28 (97%) said they probably or definitely will implement fitting techniques.
Adult Intent to change behavior
- 23 of 23 (100.0%) said they probably or definitely will adopt practices related to animal safety.
- 23 of 23 (100.0%) said they probably or definitely will use the techniques taught in preparing for the show.
- 23 of 23 (100.0%) said they probably or definitely will adopt practices for looking for health problems.
- 23 of 23 (100.0%) said they probably or definitely will implement practices for preventing health problems.
- 23 of 23 (100.0%) said they probably or definitely will adopt calculate average daily gain (ADG).
- 23 of 23 (100.0%) said they probably or definitely will adopt fitting techniques.
Youth and adult satisfaction
This section focused on overall satisfaction of the East Texas Youth Beef Camp. The results are as follows.
- 51 of 51 (100%) respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the camp was very educational.
- 51 of 51 (100%) respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they could go home and use the information they learned.
- 51 of 51 (100%) respondents agreed or strongly agreed that overall, this was a very educational camp.
- 51 of 51 (100%) respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the speakers were knowledgeable of his/her subject and presented it well.
2008 Participant Comments
The information, instructors and the atmosphere was awesome this was a great camp for our daughter and her heifer. Adult
By taking the time to explain the "why" our understanding was greatly enhanced. This camp is a bargain for what you get. Thanks to everyone. Adult
After being knocked down by her calf our daughter (13) was skittish of her calf. After the first day of camp our daughter’s attitude and confidence level was such that she is now very excited and confident that she can go back home and begin working with her calf. It has made a huge difference for her. Adult
As a commercial producer, I had general cattle knowledge but still learned things. As a parent of a first time shower she learned a wealth of knowledge. Adult
This is a great thing you've been doing. I was not very confident about the beef project, but after coming to the Beef Camp I feel ready as ever. Youth
2007 Survey Results
Youth Retrospective Pre/Post (n=35)
Statements |
Mean Value BEFORE |
Mean Value AFTER |
Mean Change |
Percent Change 1 |
My understanding of Show Ethics/Quality Assurance-Quality Counts |
1.74 |
3.43 |
1.69 |
96.7% |
My understanding of Cattle Health |
1.69 |
3.29 |
1.60 |
94.9% |
My understanding of Showmanship |
1.97 |
3.63 |
1.66 |
84.1% |
My understanding of Fitting |
1.77 |
3.2 |
1.43 |
80.6% |
My understanding of Nutrition |
2.00 |
3.47 |
1.47 |
73.6% |
My understanding of Animal Selection |
2.11 |
3.47 |
1.36 |
64.2% |
My understanding of what to do “At the Show” |
2.17 |
3.46 |
1.29 |
59.2% |
Adult Retrospective Pre/Post (n=20)
Statements |
Mean Value BEFORE |
Mean Value AFTER |
Mean Change |
Percent Change 1 |
My understanding of Nutrition |
1.85 |
3.23 |
1.69 |
74.3% |
My understanding of Fitting |
1.70 |
2.93 |
1.60 |
72.1% |
My understanding of Health |
1.95 |
3.26 |
1.66 |
67.6% |
My understanding of Animal Selection |
1.95 |
3.23 |
1.43 |
65.4% |
My understanding of Showmanship |
2.15 |
3.40 |
1.47 |
58.1% |
My understanding of Show Ethics/Quality Assurance-Quality Counts |
2.10 |
3.25 |
1.36 |
54.8% |
1 Percent change was determined by the following formula: (Mean Value After – Mean Value Before) / Mean Value Before * 100. Blue indicates percent change of 80 -- 100% or more, green indicates percent change of 60 – 79%, and yellow indicates percent change of 50 to 59%.
Youth intent to change behavior
• 33 of 33 (100.0%) said they probably or definitely will adopt practices related to animal safety
• 33 of 33 (100%) said they probably or definitely will adopt practices related to following medicine labels
• 33 of 33 (100%) said they probably or definitely will use the techniques taught in preparing for the show
• 32 of 33 (97%) said they probably or definitely will adopt practices for looking for health problems
• 32 of 33 (97%) said they probably or definitely will implement practices for preventing health problems
• 32 of 33 (97%) said they probably or definitely will adopt halter breaking techniques.
Adult Intent to change behavior
• 20 of 20 (100.0%) said they probably or definitely will adopt practices related to animal safety
• 20 of 20 (100%) said they probably or definitely will use the techniques taught in preparing for the show
• 20 of 20 (100%) said they probably or definitely will adopt practices for looking for health problems
• 20 of 20 (100%) said they probably or definitely will implement practices for preventing health problems
• 20 of 20 (100%) said they probably or definitely will adopt animal selection techniques
• 19 of 20 (95%) said they probably or definitely will adopt practices related to following medicine labels.
Youth and adult satisfaction
This section focused on overall satisfaction of the East Texas Youth Beef Camp. The results are as follows:
• 52 of 53 (98%) respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the camp was very educational
• 52 of 53 (98%) respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they could go home and use the information they learned
• 52 of 53 (98%) respondents agreed or strongly agreed that overall, this was a very educational camp
• 51 of 53 (96%) respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the speakers were knowledgeable of his/her subject and presented it well.
2006 Evaluation Results
Results. A retrospective evaluation instrument was administered to determine behavior change of youth participating in the program. In addition, four questions were asked in attempt to program satisfaction data. Finally, a several open ended questions were asked about the program. Sixty-two participants responded to the survey instrument. The results are below.
Statements |
Mean Value BEFORE |
Mean Value AFTER |
Mean Change |
Percent Change 1 |
My understanding of Nutrition. |
1.79 |
3.04 |
1.25 |
69.8% |
My understanding of how to Fit Cattle. |
1.83 |
2.98 |
1.15 |
62.8% |
My understanding of Show Ethics/Quality Assurance-Quality Counts. |
2.11 |
3.31 |
1.20 |
56.9% |
My understanding of Animal Selection. |
2.10 |
3.27 |
1.17 |
55.7% |
My understanding of Showmanship. |
2.35 |
3.49 |
1.14 |
48.5% |
My understanding of developing and maintaining Facilities . |
2.40 |
3.40 |
1.00 |
41.7% |
My understanding of what to do At the Show. |
2.59 |
3.62 |
1.03 |
39.8% |
1 Percent change was determined by the following formula: (Mean Value After – Mean Value Before) / Mean Value Before * 100. Blue indicates percent change of 60% or more, green indicates percent change of 40 – 59%, and yellow indicates percent change of 0 to 39%.
Behavior changes.
- 46 of 47 (97.9%) said they probably or definitely will adopt practices related to animal selection.
- 43 of 49 (87.8%) said they probably or definitely will adopt halter breaking techniques.
- 49 of 49 (100.0%) said they probably or definitely will adopt practices related to Looking for health problems with my project(s) .
- 47 of 48 (97.9%) said they probably or definitely will utilize techniques learned to prevent health problems.
- 44 of 47 (85.1%) said they probably or definitely will implement fitting techniques.
- 40 of 47 (85.1%) said they probably or definitely will follow medicine levels.
- 44 of 49 (89.8%) said they probably or definitely will Body Condition Score projects.
- 48 of 49 (98.0%) said they probably or definitely will use the techniques taught in preparing for the show.
Satisfaction.
This section focused on overall satisfaction of the East Texas Youth Beef Camp. The results are as follows.
- 51 of 51 (100.0%) respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the camp was very beneficial.
- 50 of 50 (100.0%) respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they could go home and use the information they learned.
- 50 of 50 (100.0%) respondents agreed or strongly agreed that overall, this was a very educational camp.
- 48 of 50 (96.0%) respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the speakers were good.
YOUTH PARTICIPANT PRE/POST TEST RESULTS
| Pre-Test | Post-Test | |||||
| # Missed | % Correct | # of People | # Missed | % Correct | # of People | |
| -6 | 80% | 1 | -4 | 87% | 5 | |
| -7 | 77% | 3 | -5 | 83% | 1 | |
| -8 | 74% | 4 | -6 | 80% | 7 | |
| -9 | 70% | 1 | -7 | 77% | 3 | |
| -10 | 67% | 1 | -8 | 74% | 3 | |
| -11 | 64% | 2 | -9 | 70% | 4 | |
| -12 | 61% | 2 | -10 | 67% | 1 | |
| -13 | 58% | 3 | -11 | 64% | 3 | |
| -14 | 54% | 4 | ||||
| -15 | 51% | 6 | ||||
| -16 | 48% | 3 | ||||
| -18 | 41% | 2 | ||||
| -19 | 38% | 1 | ||||
| -23 | 25% | 1 | ||||
| TOTAL: | 34 | 27 | ||||
| AVERAGE: | 58.17% | 76.66% | ||||
| TOTAL % Mastery (above 70%): | 26% | 85% | ||||
Results from 2005 Beef Camp Survey
A retrospective evaluation instrument was administered to determine the level of knowledge change based on Beef Camp. In addition, nine questions were asked in attempt to ascertain which practices will be adopted as a result of the program. Finally, a satisfaction section was included determine the overall thoughts on the camp. Sixty-nine of 125 youth and adult participants returned the surveys (55.2 response rate).
Table 1. Mean score differences using a Likert scale 1 to reveal perceptual knowledge increases using a retrospective post evaluation strategy.
STATEMENTS |
Before Mean |
After Mean |
Change 1 |
My understanding of Nutrition. |
1.89 |
2.89 |
1.00 |
My understanding of how to Fit Cattle. |
1.77 |
2.77 |
1.00 |
My understanding of Show Ethics/Quality Assurance-Quality Counts. |
2.17 |
3.16 |
0.99 |
My understanding of Showmanship. |
2.38 |
3.30 |
0.92 |
My understanding of Animal Selection. |
2.23 |
3.11 |
0.88 |
My understanding of what to do At the Show. @ |
2.56 |
3.41 |
0.85 |
My understanding of developing and maintaining Facilities . |
2.56 |
3.30 |
0.74 |
1 Likert scale = 1 - None, 2 - A Little, 3 -Quite A Bit, and 4 - Completely.
2 Change indicates the mean value difference between the before and after measurement. Orange indicates change of 1.0 or greater, and yellow is for change ranging from .99 - .70.
The interpretation of these data revealed that respondents perceived that their knowledge increased significantly ( p < .05) for each of the seven statements asked. The most growth was for the topics on nutrition, fitting cattle, and show ethics through the Quality Counts Program.
The second section focused on intentions to change based on what the participants learned at the East Texas Youth Beef Camp. Sixty-nine participants responded to this section of the instrument.
- 68 of 69 ( 98.6% ) said they will use the information learned at the camp to properly prepare for the show.
- 65 of 69 ( 94.2% ) said they will look for health problems of their projects as learned at the camp.
- 63 of 69 ( 91.3% ) said they will follow medicine labels learned at the camp.
- 63 of 69 ( 91.3% ) said they will utilize techniques to prevent health problems learned at the camp.
- 63 of 69 ( 91.3% ) said they will select animal projects based on practices they learned at the camp.
- 59 of 69 ( 85.5% ) said they will utilize the fitting techniques learned at the camp.
- 58 of 69 ( 84.1% ) said they will use the halter breaking techniques learned at the camp.
- 48 of 69 ( 69.6% ) said they will body condition score learned at the camp.
- 41 of 69 ( 59.4% ) said they will calculate average daily gained learned at the camp.
The last section focused on overall satisfaction of the camp. Sixty-nine participants responded to this section of the instrument.
- 69 of 69 ( 100% ) agreed that they can go home and use the information they learned at the camp.
- 68 of 69 ( 98.6% ) felt that they were more knowledgeable about their beef project as a result of the day camp.
- 68 of 69 ( 98.6% ) felt the Van Zandt County Fairgrounds was a good location for the event.
- 67 of 69 ( 97.0% ) agreed that the camp was very educational.
- 66 of 69 ( 95.6% ) agreed that the speakers were good.
