Small Ruminant 509

Press Release:

Hosted by the departments of Animal Sciences and Extension at The Ohio State University, we are pleased to announce the offering of the Small Ruminant 509 program held in the Animal Sciences Building on the Columbus campus on June 13-14, 2025. Programs such as Beef and Pork 509 have shown success with bridging gaps in producer understandings of live animal production as it relates to carcass outcomes and overall meat quality. Up to this point, small ruminant producers in the state have had limited opportunities to participate in a program as such. The overall aim of this Extension program is to provide statewide education to sheep and goat producers looking to further their knowledge of live animal evaluation and selection, meat processing, meat quality, and the economics of marketing small ruminants, in a real-world, hands-on learning environment.
To showcase the versatility and variability of small ruminant production in Ohio, a number of different breeds and types of small ruminant animals will be utilized in this program. During the two-day event, participants will have the opportunity to evaluate animals on the hoof, with fleeces on and off, as well as evaluate animals in a live auction format, to estimate potential meat yield. Those estimates will then be matched with what the carcasses yield after harvest, by evaluating carcass characteristics in addition to cutability tests. Participants will also test their butchery skills by learning and understanding how to properly break down a carcass. Lastly, participants will be able to test their skills of preparation and cookery of different small ruminant products, by grilling and smoking different cuts of meat, to see the impacts that the method of preparation has on palatability. Registration can be found at go.osu.edu/SR509. For those that have questions about the event, feel free to contact Dr. Brady Campbell at campbell.1279@osu.edu.

Buckeye Tick Test Laboratory is now open for business

The Buckeye Tick Testing Laboratory at Ohio State University is up and running and now ready to accept samples!

The tick population, the number of tick species, and the associated tick-borne diseases in people and animals are rapidly increasing across the Buckeye State. Ohio now has six medically important tick species. These include blacklegged ticks, American dog ticks, lone star ticks, gulf coast ticks, Asian longhorned ticks, and brown dog ticks and each carry one or more pathogens that could be harmful to humans and/or animals (note: pathogens are germs that can cause illness).

The Ohio State University Buckeye Tick Test Laboratory is addressing this critical situation by offering cost-effective tick-borne pathogen testing for the general public with test results within 72 hours. After receiving the test results, individuals can share the information with their medical providers and/or veterinarians. Buckeye Tick Test has the potential to reduce tick pathogen disease for hundreds of people and animals and the data from the tick testing will provide much needed publicly available tick pathogen surveillance information.

The Ohio State University Buckeye Tick Test staff is committed to providing quality tick testing for you and your family (including pets and livestock). Find details on collecting and submitting ticks, and pricing for services, at the Buckeye Tick Test Laboratory at https://buckeyebugbite.osu.edu/

Virtual Beef School, session 4; Heifer Development and Implementing Genomic Testing on Your Farm

With feeder calf values at historical highs, now is not the time to save or improperly develop a replacement female that in coming years simply isn’t going to improve the overall productivity of the herd. With that thought in mind, session 4 of this year’s virtual Beef School will focus on properly selecting and developing only those heifers that fit the goals of the herd.

If you’re contemplating saving and breeding replacement heifers now or in the future make plans to join us during next Wednesday’s fourth and final session of this year’s Virtual Ohio Beef School. We’ll explore the use of genomic testing on your farm to aid in the seedstock selection process, and the proper development of those heifers that are selected and retained.

If you still need to register in order to receive free log-in details, visit: go.osu.edu/beefschool25.

News from around OSU Extension…Pay Stubs, Investing in Herd Expansion, Favorable Planting Weather…

Springtime Decisions | Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter 

Investing in Herd Expansion: Time Value of Money and Opportunity Cost | Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter 

Favorable Planting Weather | Agronomic Crops Network 

Alfalfa Weevils are Active Statewide | Agronomic Crops Network 

Lep Monitoring Network – Black Cutworm and True Armyworm Update # 1 | Agronomic Crops Network 

Understanding Forages and Feedstuffs | OSU Small Ruminant Team 

Gifting to Manage Estate Taxes | Farm Office 

Show Me the Money: Ohio’s New Pay Stub Law | Farm Office 

Beef Quality Assurance March 25, 2025, 7:00 PM

Are you selling beef animals to be harvested for meat and need to update your Beef Quality Assurance Certification?

The goal of the Ohio Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program is to increase the competitive base for marketing Ohio cattle. Beef Quality Assurance is a program to ensure that beef and dairy cattle are maintained in a manner which will result in a safe and wholesome beef product for the consumer.  The Ohio BQA program is set to meet or exceed the NCBA BQA Guidelines.

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Program starts at 7:00 PM

Location: Muskingum Livestock Auction

No cost, no RSVP needed.

Beef Quality Assurance | OSU Extension BEEF TEAM

Muskingum Ag Network Breakfast March 4

The Muskingum Ag Network meets the first Tuesday of each month, except for July and August, at Friendly Hills Camp and Conference Center, 5880 Friendly Hills Rd, Zanesville.  Our next program will be March 4, 2025 with Jordan Penrose, OSU Extension Morgan County, on spring pasture management.  Breakfast is at 8:00 AM and costs $10.

Small Farm Conference and Trade Show

Ohio State Extension announced plans to host a Small Farm Conference in Wooster, OH on March 8th. The theme for this year’s Small Farm Conference is “Sowing Seeds for Success.”

Conference session topics are geared to beginning and small farm owners as well as to farms looking to diversify their operation. There will be five different conference tracks including: Horticulture and Crop Production, Business Management, Livestock, Natural Resources and Diversifying Your Enterprise.

Some conference topic highlights include: Growing in a Hoophouse, Integrated Disease Management Strategies for Apple and Peaches, High Tunnel Tour, Using Cover Crops for Soil Regeneration, Creating Habitat for Beneficial Insects on the Farm, Growing Microgreens, Money to Grow: Grants 101, Growing Your Farm With Agritourism, Navigating Licenses/Certificates for your Small Farm Market, How Can Value – Added Help Your Farm, Vaccination Programs for a Small Farm, Grassfed Beef Tour.

Anyone interested in developing, growing or diversifying their small farm is invited to attend including market gardeners, farmers market vendors, and anyone interested in small farm living.

Attendees will have the opportunity to browse a trade show featuring the newest and most innovative ideas and services for their farming operation. The conference provides an opportunity to talk with the vendors and network with others.

The Conference will take place on March 8th from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Ohio State University Wooster Campus Shisler Conference Center, 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster, Ohio 44691.

For conference and registration information call OSU Extension Morrow County 419-947-1070, or OSU Extension Knox County 740-397-0401. Please follow this link to register for the conference: https://Go.osu.edu/2025smallfarmconference