Quality Assurance

You Bought Livestock at the Local Auction Barn. Now What?

– Dr. John Yost, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Wayne County; Dr. Greg Habing, DVM, Ph.D., DACVPM Professor, The Ohio State University Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine; and Dr. Samantha Locke, Postdoctoral Scholar, The Ohio State University, Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine

Much like travelers in an airport, bringing together animals from many different locations can result in the spread of bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

Livestock auctions are a cornerstone of local agricultural commerce. They are not just a place to buy and sell livestock but also serve as a point of access to the larger national marketplace for the local producer. Collectively, livestock auctions provide legal security for financial transactions. They also become the point of price discovery to determine the real value of the livestock marketed.

However, much like travelers in an airport, bringing together animals from many different locations can result in the spread of bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Additionally, the process of trucking animals to the facility, comingling them with animals from other locations, and then transporting them to their next destination creates stress that increases their susceptibility to new pathogens. This fact sheet provides general recommendations on the initial management of newly acquired livestock purchased from a local livestock auction. Included are specific recommendations for the different species of livestock/poultry may be implemented after . . .

Continue reading You Bought Livestock at the Local Auction Barn. Now What?

EDITOR’s NOTE: Tomorrow evening, January 22, John Yost will include many of the biosecurity concerns mentioned here in his presentation during the second session of the 2026 OSU Winter Beef Webinar series.

Winter readiness: A guide to protecting your farm, workers and livestock

– Dr. John Yost, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Wayne County (Previously published in Farm & Dairy)

Winter brings us some unique challenges.

Winter has arrived in northeast Ohio and brought with it all of the unique challenges associated with low temperatures. I know that you are all too familiar with what to expect and have dealt with these challenges all your lives. It can be helpful to be reminded of these concerns to prevent complacency. This is especially true for those larger weather events that always seem to catch us off guard.

Slips, trips and falls
Winter weather always reminds us of the dangers of slips, trips and falls around the farm. Cold temperatures quickly freeze pools of water, creating hazardous conditions when walking around the farm. These frozen patches may come from melting snow that refreezes, a rain shower that freezes when temperatures drop later in the day, a leaking water spigot, over-spray from cleaning the parlor or leachate that accumulates at the bunker entrance or out of a silo. Employees should be reminded to Continue reading Winter readiness: A guide to protecting your farm, workers and livestock →

Not Ready Yet: Unfinished Beef

– Jason Duggin, Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia

Are you determining the ideal time for harvest?

There is a whole new world of beef producers selling local and even regional beef since 2020. It is remarkable to see the dramatic change that this landscape has taken since that year. Although there are a lot of producers that are doing a good job and know what they are doing regarding selling finished beef, my discussions with regional and local processors have made it apparent that there is still a noticeable issue for some areas. It seems that many producers are still sending light and/or unfinished cattle to be processed. This impacts both the producer wanting to capitalize on this marketing opportunity, but also the beef industry at large. These incidents often turn away a would-be beef enthusiast. In other words, the consumer got burned and won’t be back for a while.

The demand for local beef has been good, and as expected there have been quite a few folks jumping into the game wanting to capitalize on the potential for increased revenue and no one can blame them. However, it seems there may be some that are ready to take just about whatever they can find in the pasture to the local processor. There are numerous reasons why this is a . . .

Continue reading Not Ready Yet: Unfinished Beef

Ohio Beef Council and Ohio Cattlemen’s Foundation to Host BEEF 509 Program in Columbus

Don’t miss this hands-on program focused on meat quality.

The Ohio Beef Council and the Ohio Cattlemen’s Foundation, in partnership with The Ohio State University Animal Science Department, will host the BEEF 509 program on February 27–28, 2026, at the Animal Science Building, 2029 Fyffe Rd, Columbus, OH 43210.

BEEF 509 is an intensive educational program designed to help cattle producers better understand the food side of their business and implement best management practices to improve beef quality, enhance profitability, and recognize value within the beef supply chain.

Participants will explore topics including Continue reading Ohio Beef Council and Ohio Cattlemen’s Foundation to Host BEEF 509 Program in Columbus →

Good Stockmanship Begins with Understanding Cattle Behavior

– John Yost, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Wayne County, The Ohio State University

Good stockmanship requires more than just good facilities.

How cattle react to a handler’s presence is governed by three principles: instincts, past treatment, and what is happening in the moment.  Instincts are behaviors that an animal is born with.  They have a natural instinct to either flee from, or fight, a predator.  A mother with a newborn calf, and intact males, may chose fight over flight, when their natural instinct is to flee from what they perceive as danger.

Physiology
Their instincts and physiology give cattle advantages that have historically helped them protect themselves.  Their eyes are set on the side of their head, which gives them a 310-degree field of vision.  Also, their vertical vision is more limited than . . .

Continue reading Good Stockmanship Begins with Understanding Cattle Behavior

When to Cull Bulls

– Amanda L Cauffman, University of Wisconsin Extension

Culling bulls now can positively impact income.

It is common practice this time of year to evaluate our cows to make culling decisions, but this is also a good time to evaluate our bulls to determine which sires we are going to feed through the winter and which have come to the end of their genetic contribution to the operation.

Bulls, much like cows, can live ten to twelve years. Most bulls will remain active in the herd for closer to four or five years due to feet and leg, structural, and fertility problems, temperament concerns, or injuries. The decision to cull many bulls happens in the spring after failing a breeding soundness exam. However, producers can save input costs (6 months’ worth of decent quality hay for a mature bull will cost about $600 based on current prices) by culling bulls in the fall if they or their offspring have any undesirable characteristics that would make them unsuitable for the next breeding season.

Most mature breeding bulls can maintain . . .

Continue reading When to Cull Bulls

Precondition or Not, That is the Question

– Dr. John Yost, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Wayne County, Ohio State University Extension (originally published in The Ohio Cattleman)

I have mixed feelings about social media but must admit that I have profiles on several platforms.  My feeds mostly contain posts from various livestock related pages and I enjoy reading some of the opinions and questions.  Recently, there was a post that caught my eye.  Someone had raised the question of it was worth the effort this year to pre-condition their calves.  As an educator my initial reaction was “of course you want to pre-condition your calves”!  However, after a little reflection I was able to understand someone questioning, what might be, their traditional management practices.

Cattle prices are crazy.  Marketing cattle is almost as easy as one of those “drive it, tow it, drag it” used car deals that are advertised from time to time.  The market is hungry for cattle and buyers may be willing to compromise their standards to fill their needs.  It is easier to understand why someone would reconsider the added expense and time to keep calves around an extra 45 days and choose to Continue reading Precondition or Not, That is the Question →

Ohio Bovine Emergency Response Planning (BERP) Program

– Haley Shoemaker, OSU Extension AGNR Educator, Columbiana and Mahoning Counties (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

BERP Participants learn about trailer safety, mechanics, and how to properly extract injured animals.

For those who’ve responded to roadway accidents before, it’s no secret that the scene is not the place to realize your team is unprepared. Transportation incidents involving livestock present a multitude of unique challenges to first response teams, haulers, and law enforcement personnel – many of which are covered through a nation-wide training program called “BERP”, or Bovine Emergency Response Planning.

With an estimated several hundred thousand head of cattle on roadways each day in the U.S., BERP offers practical curriculum and training opportunities for local responders to more appropriately prepare for and Continue reading Ohio Bovine Emergency Response Planning (BERP) Program →

Current Status of New World Screwworm (NWS) Infestations in the U.S.

– Gustavo M. Schuenemann, Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University

New World Screwworm, a parasitic fly

The NWS has been largely eradicated in the United States for over 50 years, but a current outbreak in Central America and Mexico is moving closer to the U.S. On August 18, 2025, the Secretary of Health and Human Services issued the emergency declaration after determining that NWS “has a significant potential to affect national security or the health and security of United States citizens living abroad and that involves New World Screwworm.” This emergency declaration allows veterinarians to use certain treatments under extra-label use provisions, to help control potential infestations.

What is NWS?
It is a parasitic fly (Cochliomyia hominivorax) that lays eggs in and on open Continue reading Current Status of New World Screwworm (NWS) Infestations in the U.S. →

Smooth Bedstraw

– Jordan Penrose, Ohio State University Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Morgan County (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

Bedstraw was brought to the US to be an ornamental.

Over the past couple of months, I have received several questions about a weed that is appearing in pastures and hayfields. That weed is smooth bedstraw (Galium mollugo); it is also known by many other names, like beggar-lice, chicken weed, cleavers, false baby’s breath, robin-run-ahead, whip-tongue, white bedstraw, white hedge bedstraw, and wild madder. Smooth bedstraw has been around in Ohio for a while, as it is widespread in eastern Ohio and scattered throughout other areas of the state. The native region of smooth bedstraw is Eurasia, and it was brought to the United States to be an ornamental plant.

Smooth bedstraw prefers gravelly or sandy loam soils and can be Continue reading Smooth Bedstraw →