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I-Belief Welcome to the I-BELIEF undergraduate program page! Training future leaders in beef cattle nutrition research! �

That’s a wrap folks! It’s been an amazing and memorable 10 weeks this summer! Thank you to Dixon Springs for the best ro...
08/03/2026

That’s a wrap folks! It’s been an amazing and memorable 10 weeks this summer! Thank you to Dixon Springs for the best roommates anyone could ask for and the best cows! I can’t wait to take all of this experience back with me and continue to learn and grow!
This last week we got to say see you later to all the amazing workers down at Dixon. I can’t wait to go back down for breeding season and see everyone again! Then we headed up to campus to see everyone and expand our resume and interview skills. I got to see my f***l samples I sent up and see how they do the ash and the acid detergent fiber procedures. I can’t wait to collect the data and become an excel nerd in the next couple of weeks. We even got to see the Champaigns county fair and watch a bunch of shows and got to see another rodeo!
Thank you to everyone for making this summer LEGEND - wait for it - DARY!
- Lydia Bennett

Wow what a way to close out the summer! I had so much fun this past week at UIUC with the other interns. I really got to...
08/03/2026

Wow what a way to close out the summer! I had so much fun this past week at UIUC with the other interns. I really got to sit back and put into perspective just how much I learned throughout the internship. Wednesday I helped out in the lab with some ammonia assays for research and learned about that current project. Then on Thursday I got to help work some calves and gave some vaccines. Friday we wrapped up with presentations about our research and we got to meet with some industry professionals for mock interviews! This was super helpful and it was great hearing about their experiences and occupations. I can’t believe the summer has come to an end. I am so grateful for this awesome internship and to the Trennepohl’s for letting me be apart of their family this summer. Such an unforgettable experience!

-Makenzie Buchta

Hard to believe these 10 weeks went by so fast! At the beginning of the summer, we were all strangers, but along the way...
08/02/2026

Hard to believe these 10 weeks went by so fast! At the beginning of the summer, we were all strangers, but along the way we experienced everything together the highs, the challenges, and everything in between. We had the opportunity to do so many new and exciting things, but the best part was growing together as a team.

Even though the summer has come to an end, our work isn’t finished yet. Now it’s time to put the finishing touches on our projects, write our abstracts, and present our research at Midwest.

This summer was more than I could have ever hoped for, not just because of the experiences, but because of the incredible people I got to share them with. I’ll always be grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to see where everyone goes from here!

– Hannah Huffman

My last week with IBELIEF was a wonderful one. I got to go to campus and learn more about everyone’s research. I got to ...
08/01/2026

My last week with IBELIEF was a wonderful one. I got to go to campus and learn more about everyone’s research. I got to reunite with the infamous cannulated steer, Barry! We all got to go to the champagne county fair as well. The last day consisted of some very helpful mock interviews, and I presented my progress on my tick research. This summer was more impactful than I’d ever imagined, and I have met the most wonderful people through this experience. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and can’t wait to see where this research takes me!

-Susan

This week was full of fun! I spent Monday touring the other research farms with all of the interns. Learning about grazi...
07/27/2026

This week was full of fun! I spent Monday touring the other research farms with all of the interns. Learning about grazing techniques was very fun. Thursday was Dixon Springs Beef Field day, where all the interns were able to come down and help educate producers. We took the interns to a local county fair that Wednesday, and Friday Lydia and I took a road trip to the great state of Wisconsin to visit Elizabeth’s family’s rodeo! On the way back, we visited the gorgeous Holy Ghost park. It was a wonderful week with the other interns, and an amazing weekend. Only one week left to go!

-Susan

What an awesome 9th week! I had so much fun getting to rekindle with the other interns as we traveled to see different p...
07/26/2026

What an awesome 9th week! I had so much fun getting to rekindle with the other interns as we traveled to see different placements. The week started in Macomb where Nick and I gave a tour of the facility and then everyone got to go to see River Oak Ranch which is a local producers regenerative cattle farm. We learned about his rotational grazing operation. Wyatt gave all of us a tour of the Orr Center and introduced his research. We rounded out the week down in Dixon Springs. Here, I got to learn about their daily chores and help with feeding. We also worked some calves for a docility research study and I helped with vaccinating them. Beef Day was also a success down there and I learned lots about ticks! Can’t wait for the final rotation tour next week as we wrap up the summer!

-Makenzie Buchta

Hey everyone checking back in! This week I have been occupied planning a field trip for a local day care center and fixi...
07/26/2026

Hey everyone checking back in! This week I have been occupied planning a field trip for a local day care center and fixing some fencing here in Macomb. We were able to show the kids all of the different types of livestock here on the farm and the daily care that goes into each one. Next week we are planning to pull the bulls after getting all of the fencing fixed up in their intended pasture this week. I also published my first blog post so please go check it out! You can find it at
https://ibeliefundergraduateprogram.wordpress.com/

It’s week 9 here and it’s finally cooling off! This week we got to visit Western Illinois and it was so amazing to see a...
07/25/2026

It’s week 9 here and it’s finally cooling off! This week we got to visit Western Illinois and it was so amazing to see all of the old fencing being torn up in time for new ones! I can’t wait to go back to Macomb and see it all beautiful! We also got to visit the Orr center and see there side of the production! With all of that traveling it gives me the perfect excuse to take some much needed naps! Then everyone got to come down and visit here at Dixon springs where we showed them the ropes of our day to day and working cattle and calves. It was amazing to see everyone this week and all get back together and we even got to go to the Saline county fair to watch tractor pulls! We also had the Illinois beef day down here and got to visit and meet producers, it was an amazing way to give back and learn! Only 1 week left to make countless memories down here!
- Lydia Bennett

This past week had some very awesome events I was excited to be part of! I spent Tuesday educating the local community a...
07/20/2026

This past week had some very awesome events I was excited to be part of! I spent Tuesday educating the local community at Dixon Springs about my research and tick awareness at our annual field day. I love getting to answer questions and share my passion for animal science with others. I also got the opportunity to attend the Heart of America Grazing Conference in Effingham, where my mentor gave a talk over small ruminant grazing and ticks. There I was able to learn more about grazing techniques and hang out with a fellow IBELIEF intern, Olivia. Looking forward to these last few weeks with some wonderful people!
-Susan

Crazy to think we're just about done with our summer down here in Dixon Springs! This past week we did hoof scores on ou...
07/19/2026

Crazy to think we're just about done with our summer down here in Dixon Springs! This past week we did hoof scores on our favorite heifers that we've been working with all summer and spoke at the Dixon Springs Ag Center Field Day about our internship and research projects. We may only have 2 weeks left of our internship but they are sure to be busy! We are starting our summer rotations and on our way to see what the other interns at Macomb and Orr Center have been up to all summer. I'm super excited to gather data for my doscility study this week and then head up to Wisconsin for the PRCA Rodeo that my family is hosting on our farm!

Elizabeth Colburn

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354 State Highway 145 N
Golconda, IL
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