COLLEGE STATION — Texas AgriLife Extension specialists in the Department of Animal Science partnered with the Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention and Education to create a new DVD about safety around youth livestock projects.
“Right from the start: Safety awareness for the next generation of livestock producers” was unveiled on June 1, 2011 and addresses safety around beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, goats, sheep and swine. Chapters devoted to trailer safety and production livestock are also included.
The effort to create this DVD was initiated by the Center’s Livestock Advisory Board which consists of experts from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Arkansas, including Dr. Ron Gill, associate department head for Extension; Dr. Jason Cleere, associate professor and beef cattle specialist; Dr. Jodi Sterle, former associate professor and swine specialists; Dr. Ted Friend, professor; and Teri Antilley, horse program specialist, from Texas A&M. This group worked with Amanda Wickman from the Center to write and produce the video.
“Without these individuals’ commitment to this project it could not have been accomplished within the short development window the Center was given to finish this project,” Gill said.
From start to finish, the faculty were involved in developing the DVD including choosing the subject matter areas, creating the outline and story boards for each segment, finding livestock and youth exhibitors that were available and willing to participate in the different segments, appearing as instructors in the safety video, and editing and reviewing the final product.
“What made this a great partnership is the approach taken by our faculty and Amanda Wickman. She did an outstanding job coordinating video crew availability with our specialists’ schedules,” Gill said. “In the end, they all knew what a valuable resource this DVD would be for youth who work with livestock. The educational information offered in this DVD can potentially save lives and prevent accidents and for that reason it was important to the group for this project to get done right.”
“Right from the Start” is ideal for 4-H leaders, Vocational Ag teachers and other youth educators. It is available at no cost and can be viewed online at http://www.swagcenter.org/resourcesvideos.asp or call 903-877-5998 to request a copy.
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