Gate to Plate, a three-day professional development opportunity for Kentucky high school agriculture teachers, included learning from experts, networking with other educators and taste-testing a lot of meat.  

Hosted by the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the program was a collaboration among UK Agricultural Education, the UK Department of Animal and Food Sciences, the Kentucky Beef Council, the UK Meats Science Laboratory and the Kentucky Department of Education Office of Career and Technical Education.  

Gate to Plate was created because past programming on meat production had been so popular. Extension meat specialist Gregg Rentfrow said this program is a “win-win” for everyone involved—UK faculty and staff, ag teachers, the students in their classrooms and community members.  

Ag teachers learned from lectures, demonstrations and hands-on activities related to cow-calf operations, harvesting animals, meat processing and food preparation. Participants visited Eden Shale Farm, Bluegrass Stockyards, the UK Meats Lab and other UK facilities.  

“I have more information that’s correct and current than I did prior to the professional development,” said Brittany Forgey, agriculture teacher at Murray Independent High School. “I have a lot more to share [with students].” 

Agriculture is so broad that it can be difficult for high school teachers to teach everything they might want to, so teachers like Shelbi Taylor of Owsley County High School love learning from experts at programs like Gate to Plate.  

“They gave me the resource. They’re like, ‘Here, take it,’ and now I have two full weeks of animal science,” Taylor said. “Coming to things like this and being able to change that curriculum or change that lesson plan or make that small adjustment—I think that’s just a game changer in our industry and in our world." 

In addition to enriching the academic experience for high schoolers across Kentucky, Gate to Plate also enhanced UK’s recruitment opportunities. Participants stayed on campus, giving them a taste of the modern-day college experience. Staying in a dorm was a new experience for Ohio County High School ag teacher Greg Hillard, who was a non-traditional student.  

“I feel like I’m a little more equipped to bring students,” Hillard said. “I can bring a kid here now and say, ‘This is where you live, this is where your classes are.’”  

Forgey had never been to UK’s campus before this program.  

“I can take that experience back to my kids because some of them want to go to school here,” Forgey said. 

Rentfrow’s father, a retired ag teacher, once told him that when a student decides where they’re going to college, the parents are going to have the most influence. But the second biggest influence will be their ag teachers.  

“For us to come in here and expose these ag teachers to what we do at UK, it’s going to help us in recruiting and get more of our in-state kids coming in,” Rentfrow said. “That’s why we do it, and I think that’s extremely important.”  

In addition to helping students look toward their college education, what teachers learned at Gate to Plate will also help prepare a skilled labor force in the meat and food system.  

“This only helps the agricultural industry and specifically the beef industry to become stronger,” said UK associate professor Rebekah Epps.  

This positive impact for Kentucky high school ag teachers and their students would not have been possible without the collaboration among organizations and experts. The Kentucky Beef Council (KBC), funded by the beef checkoff, works in areas of promotion, research and education. For Gate to Plate, KBC helped develop curriculum, spread awareness of the program and contributed to cost-share benefits.  

“Participants were given posters to hang in their classrooms, curriculum they can utilize in their lessons, and of course beef apparel to promote their protein,” said Braden Burks, KBC Director of Education.  

KBC was also a major contributor of one of the program’s most important supplies: beef. 

Once they had the meat, they needed to call in an expert: Texas native Lyda G. Garcia, Extension meat specialist at Ohio State University.  

“If you want to have people teach how to do brisket, you’ve got to get somebody from Texas,” Rentfrow said.  

Garcia taught participants how to cut and cook meat—a skill that was part of her culture as she was growing up. Then they lit up the grills. Garcia led a sensory evaluation and discussion of meat characteristics like tenderness and flavor.  

Then they ate and ate and ate—not just the participants but also everyone in smelling distance who came in search of good food.  

To learn more about programs like Gate to Plate, contact associate professor Rebekah Epps at rebekah.epps@uky.edu or visit the Department of Community and Leadership Development at cld.ca.uky.edu.  

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Writer: Bailey Vandiver, bailey.vandiver@uky.edu 

The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, physical or mental disability or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.