Wildfire Relief; Ohio’s Cattlemen ask, “What can we do to help?”

By now you’re well aware of the devastating wildfires that destroyed most everything in their path on a million and a half acres across the states surrounding the Oklahoma panhandle. It goes without saying our thoughts and prayers are with the families that have suffered from the destruction of life and property resulting from these fires. Many have asked what can be done to help.

The Ohio Cattlemen’s Association has reached out to the cattlemen’s associations in the states most impacted, and the response has been Continue reading

Are You Making the Beef Industry Great Again?

John F. Grimes, OSU Extension Beef Coordinator (This article appeared previously in the 2017 Expo issue of the Ohio Cattleman)

We are in the early days of the Presidency of Donald Trump.  Regardless of which side of the political fence you stand, I’m sure you will be closely watching the activity out of Washington D.C.  Based on the first few days of the Trump administration, the status quo will not be standard business as usual out of the nation’s capital.

I’m not sure that President Trump and his administration are going to have the luxury of a “honeymoon” period associated with the next four years.  It is obvious that Continue reading

Ohio Beef Expo to Celebrate 30th Anniversary

The Ohio Beef Expo, the premier event of Ohio’s beef industry, will take place beginning Friday and run through March 19 at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio. This annual event, coordinated by the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA), includes a kickoff social, breed sales, shows and displays, an educational seminar, 3-day trade show and a highly competitive junior show.

New and exciting things to note for the 30th Ohio Beef Expo include a Continue reading

Posted in Events

Regulating Livestock Welfare Remains an Issue Around the Country

Ellen Essman, Law Fellow, OSU Agricultural & Resource Law Program

While livestock producers in Ohio have been subject to standards for the care of livestock since 2011, animal welfare remains a topic of debate around the country. Most recently, attention turned to the care of livestock raised under the National Organic Program and animals raised in confinement in Massachusetts.   In this post, we examine the proposed federal organic standards and a livestock care ballot initiative passed in Continue reading

Water Quality and Beef Sustainability Producer Survey

Water quality is important to sustainable beef production. Every day beef producers implement practices that improve water quality, reduce nutrients in surface waters, or have positive impacts on water quality through land use and pasture and range management. Some of these practices are encouraged through cost share programs by the USDA, but many others are implemented for a variety of other reasons.

To characterize water quality management practices implemented by beef producers and to assist NCBA in their Continue reading

DeNise Inducted Into OSU Animal Science Hall of Fame

On Saturday April 8, The Ohio State University Department of Animal Sciences will celebrate the achievements of those who have enhanced student education and enriched the animal sciences industry through the annual Evening of Excellence program at 5 PM at the Nationwide & Ohio farm Bureau 4-H Center on Ohio State’s campus.

This year, the Department will induct Dr. Sue DeNise, researcher, teacher and Continue reading

Posted in Events

Implications of Heavyweight Feedlot Placements

– Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist

The February USDA Cattle on Feed showed that January feedlot placements were 111.3 percent of last year while marketings were 110.2 percent of one year ago. There was one extra business day this January compared to last year. The Feb. 1 on-feed total was 10.8 million head, 100.7 percent of last year. The report was well anticipated with no surprises in any of the numbers.

Something new beginning with this report is more detail on heavyweight feedlot placements. This and future reports will Continue reading

Early Grazing Observations

Chris Penrose, Associate Professor and Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, OSU Extension

March 3rd was the last day I fed my spring calving cows hay. You may have read in previous articles (2/26/ 2014, 3/7/2012, 3/1/2006) some of the advantages of stockpiling fescue and grazing it during calving season. This includes a thick sod to calve on, no mud, and no hay to feed. I do have to admit that I feed a couple pounds of whole shelled corn right on the ground to give the cows a little more energy, but every year I see a rapid improvement in body condition when they go out on stockpiled fescue. When we moved the cows to the pasture on Saturday (March 4th), I noticed that there was more new growth for early March then I have seen in over Continue reading

Early Season Forage Seeding Considerations

Rory Lewandowski, OSU Extension Educator, Wayne County

I have been getting questions about seeding forages, both frost seeding and drilling, and this year’s weather pattern needs to be considered when making a seeding decision. Generally March is a good time in our area to consider frost seeding. Frost seeding works better some years than others. Successful frost seeding is dependent upon Continue reading

Alfalfa Risks from the Wild Weather Ride This Winter

Jason Hartschuh, Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Educator

Alfalfa breaking dormancy in Crawford County.

As farmers call in to discuss this strange winter and its risks to their alfalfa stand, concerns continue to grow as the green color has started to come back to alfalfa fields. Actually predicting what this weather is going to do to our alfalfa crop is impossible but scouting this spring will be imperative to determining how your alfalfa crop might do this year.

As temperatures rose into the 60’s or even set records in the 70’s recently it has Continue reading