Livestock Advisors

Providing classroom and field experience in livestock management.

WSU Extension Livestock Advisor Program: The program provides insights into best livestock practices and operational improvements for various livestock types, including cattle, pigs, sheep, horses, and goats.

What they do:

Buying and Selling: Livestock advisors can facilitate the buying and selling of farm animals, such as cattle, poultry, or swine.
Advising Farmers: They provide guidance to farmers on which livestock to purchase based on their needs and current market conditions.
Best Practices: They offer expertise on various aspects of livestock management, including raising, breeding, and housing livestock.
Knowledge Transfer: They play a key role in transferring knowledge and supporting farmers in on-farm implementation.

Why they are important:

Knowledge and Expertise: Livestock advisors possess specialized knowledge and experience in the livestock industry, helping farmers make informed decisions.
Supporting Farmers: They provide valuable support to farmers, particularly in areas like animal health, nutrition, and management techniques. Network with others, while learning strategic, sustainable methods for maximizing production while producing livestock.
Promoting Sustainable Practices: They can help farmers adopt sustainable and efficient livestock management practices.

Plan and Prosper

Connect and find local resources to develop a strategic plan for your Homestead, avoiding costly mistakes.

Livestock–101–

Learn how to integrate livestock on your farm using the knowledge you gain to make productive choices for fencing, noxious weeds, feeding, breeding, housing, and pastures.

Community

Network with your kind of people while learning strategic, sustainable methods for maximizing forage while producing pastured livestock.

Instructors

Each year we bring in experts in their fields to teach classes and share their years of experience. We invite livestock and pasture experts, Veterinarians, and loyal farmers outstanding in their fields.

Giving Back

After training we ask you to give back 40 hours of time over 2 years to our program. Plenty of opportunities arise for all: Fairs, helping out on tours, educational events….

How do I apply?

Livestock Advisor Application

Or contact your local WSU Extension office for an application.
Skagit WSU Extension
11768 Westar Lane, Ste. A,
Burlington, WA 98233.
360-428-4270.

Space is limited, so please apply soon.

Livestock Master Foundation Scholarship Application

Class Participant Testimonial

Donna Melton- I grew up on a small homestead in a small town with parents who grew, raised foraged, hunted 98% of the food we consumed. How ever, like most kids I didn’t pay attention to raising livestock, preserving food, or homesteading. What I had learned as a child had been long forgotten after my move to the city. In 2006 I moved from the city to my own small homestead and tried to raise some animals. There were struggles, tears, frustration and a lot of questions. In 2016 I was made aware of the Livestock Advisors program and took the 10-week course. The classes are taught by instructors who come from many professional backgrounds, but the common denominator is a love for homesteading/farming and sharing that knowledge. Since 2016 I have continued to be very involved with the Livestock Advisors program by becoming a board member, and volunteering at the Country Living Expo. What has the Livestock Advisors program given me? It has given me so much more than knowledge related to raising livestock. It has given me a community of likeminded people that I can call on at any time with questions or concerns. It has given me a group of people that I can call not only – mentor but friend.

Do you want to increase your knowledge about livestock?

Take the Livestock Advisor training this fall or plan on attending the next Country Living Expo in January.