Steer-A-Year Program Seeks Donations

The Steer-A-Year program in Montana State University’s College of Agriculture will return for the 2026-27 academic year and is seeking donations of young cattle and feed.

Housed in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Steer-A-Year teaches students about the many aspects of raising cattle through a hands-on academic approach, while supplying locally raised beef to campus dining halls.

Students spend the year taking care of the calves, including feeding, performing health checks and managing steers, along with collecting data on feed efficiency and weight gain while studying livestock marketing.

“For students, getting hands-on learning opportunities is huge,” said program adviser Hannah DelCurto-Wyffels.

“In the classroom, we talk about the things we’re doing with those cattle, and then we’re able to apply it directly out at the farm, which is only a mile or so from campus,” she said. “The ability to do that on a day-to-day basis is pretty neat for our students, and those hands-on opportunities are only possible because producers donate and make it happen.”

Steer-A-Year accepts financial support or donations of steers, feed and other supplies. Donated steers are housed at the Bozeman Agricultural Research and Teaching Farm, and at the end of the academic year, the cattle are sold to MSU Culinary Services. The meat is served in both of MSU’s dining halls, Miller and Rendezvous, helping fulfill the university’s commitment to using as many local ingredients as possible. Last year, Culinary Services purchased all 29 steers raised by Steer-AYear students.

Proceeds from sales go directly toward student activities, such as support of travel and other costs for student teams and clubs in the College of Agriculture. Annual awards are presented to the producer who donated the best initial feeder steer, as judged by the MSU livestock judging team, the steer with the top rate of gain, the steer with the best feed efficiency and the steer that produces the best carcass. Calves should be weaned, castrated and dehorned before donation and should weigh between approximately 500 to 800 pounds. The ideal pickup period for calves is late October and early November. Those interested in donating steers or feed, providing financial support or learning more about the Steer-AYear program can contact DelCurto-Wyffels at 406-994-3752 or hannah. delcurto@montana.edu.