Casey Anderson received her bachelor’s degree in animal science in 2014. During her time at Iowa State, she was a member of the Block and Bridle Club, the beef interest group, Collegiate Cattlemen, the Beef Sales team, and the Livestock Judging team.
Now Anderson serves as the Director of Industry Relations for the Iowa Beef Industry Council. In this role, she manages three different program areas: the Beef Quality Assurance program, youth education, and producer communications. Through the BQA program, she works with the Iowa Beef Center to help producers stay up to date on the best management practices. In the youth education sector, Anderson ensures kids are getting exposure to beef production by working with outside organizations to introduce information about the industry to them. She has a variety of responsibilities for the producer communication side of things. These include writing pieces for magazines, managing content for radio stations, and maintaining a good relationship with producers.
When asked how Iowa State prepared her for this role, Anderson replied, “I learned how to study better and to excel in other ways outside of the classroom. It helped me make connections with people and be able to network, which is now a huge part of my job.” One of her favorite classes was Animal Science 426 –Beef Cattle Systems Management. She enjoyed Professor Dan Loy and found the class interesting.
Anderson’s advice to current students in animal science is to remember that agriculture is a people business and if you work hard and are yourself, you can go as far as you want in any career path. She encourages students to try new things because college is a journey to find where you excel.