Dr. Katie Shira, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Idaho, joined WSU this spring as a lecturer for the Beef Cattle Production and Beef Feedlot Systems courses. She brings practical knowledge from her family’s cow-calf operation, research experience as a feedlot intern, and her animal science education, all of which shape the teaching she provides to students.
Shira began her educational journey studying animal science at Treasure Valley Community College in Eastern Oregon, about 50 miles northwest of Boise, Idaho, before she transferred to Oregon State University and completed a BS degree in agricultural science with a minor in animal science at the Eastern Oregon University campus in La Grande, Oregon, in 2019. Building on this foundation, she then moved to Moscow, Idaho, and completed her PhD in animal science – beef physiology in 2024, where she studied bone and skeletal muscle growth and development before beginning her postdoc. Currently, she splits her time equally between the UI and WSU, working on livestock genetics research and teaching, respectively.
Her upbringing working with her parents on the ranch, combined with seeing how much her mom enjoyed teaching elementary school, led Shira to discover a passion for educating the next generation about beef cattle production. Building on these influences, she now emphasizes active learning and plans for students to visit operations, observe management styles, and ask questions in the courses she teaches. Because early job shadowing and internship experiences strongly shaped her own career, she wants her students to have similar exposure.
“I want to give students a real-world picture of beef production and feedlot management,” she said, as she described her teaching philosophy. “I want students to get some hands-on experience and get involved with industry members, and I want them to learn about all the opportunities there are in the industry.”
Given that students in her classes come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including many with pre-vet interests, Shira focuses on meeting the class where it is. To bridge different experience levels, she first covers some fundamentals before delving into more advanced information. Additionally, she encourages students to complete Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification to ensure they understand and can discuss the science-based production principles that assure cattle well-being, beef quality, and safety.
In addition to the current courses, she would like to help bring back the Cougar Cattle Feeders program, which has been inactive for several years. Her goal is to revive this program so that students can once again participate in the student-run cooperative, custom-feed steers and heifers, and gain valuable hands-on experience in feeding, care, and management. The revived program would also reconnect students with industry leaders and help prepare them for careers.
Shira provides a learning experience that connects classroom learning with the realities of beef cattle production and feedlot management, giving students the knowledge and the confidence to step into a wide range of careers in the beef industry. Shira’s goal is simple: to help students see what’s possible, then give them the experiences to get there.