Beef Quality Assurance Trainings and Recertifications Planned

Angus cattle

 

Brooke Beam, PhD

Agriculture and Natural Resources/Community Development Extension Educator

Ohio State University Extension, Highland County

 

June 2, 2021

 

Beef producers who want to obtain or recertify their Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certifications will have the opportunity for several in-person trainings in Highland County this summer. The certifications that were completed three years ago will be expiring later this year, so be sure to mark your calendar for one of the upcoming BQA opportunities to retain BQA certification. BQA certifications can also be completed and obtained by visiting bqa.org and completing the online certification course.

United Producers Inc. will host a BQA training on June 8th at 3 PM. RSVP to (937) 393-3424 to reserve a seat.

The Union Stock Yards Company will be hosting BQA trainings on June 8th and June 15th. Both of the programs will begin at 6 PM. Space is limited to 100 participants per training. If you would like to attend, RSVP to Union Stock Yards at (937) 393-1958.

Another opportunity for BQA will be held in conjunction with the Highland County Chamber of Commerce’s Ag is Everyone’s Business event on July 16, 2021. The cost to attend is $5.00 and will include a breakfast sandwich as well as additional agriculture-based programming relevant to Highland County agricultural producers and youth livestock exhibitors. More details on the Ag is Everyone’s Business event will be announced soon. Tickets will be available from the Highland County Chamber of Commerce at (937) 393-1111.

For more information on BQA or questions about other Extension programs, contact the Ohio State University Extension office in Highland County at (937) 393-1918.

OSU Extension Beef Team to Host Winter Meetings

Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, OSU Extension

Dr. Kenny Burdine, Extension livestock economist at the University of Kentucky, will focus on beef cattle market outlook for 2021.

What a year 2020 has been. Are you looking to improve herd efficiency and profitability to weather the storm? Look no further than the slate of winter programming to be offered by the OSU Extension Beef Team. Programs planned for early 2021 are designed to provide valuable information for all segments of Ohio’s beef industry.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge to the beef industry to say the least, and the effects will continue to linger for some time. One thing we have learned this year is there continues to be need for gained efficiency and improved management within all segments of our beef cattle industry. This winter’s Ohio State Extension Beef School series will focus on both of those topics. Given current university policies regarding COVID-19, this years Beef Schools will be offered as a virtual series of programs.

What was originally planned as two on-farm face-to-face Cow-Calf Management Schools has now been redesigned as a series of 6 consecutive two hour webinar programs. While perhaps being less ‘hands-on” this webinar format now opens up the opportunity for more cattlemen throughout Ohio to participate. These presentations will occur on Monday evenings from 6 until 8 p.m. beginning on January 18, 2021. The first three evenings will be focused on producing quality forages while the final three will address reproduction and cow/calf management.

The Cow-Calf Management School series is being offered for free, and may be enrolled in as a one time package for all six programs. Find more details including registration under this registration link. Additional information will be available in the coming weeks.

In addition to the Cow-Calf School series, four additional programs focused on single topics are also scheduled.

A Cow-Calf Outlook meeting via webinar has been set for 6:30 p.m. on January 26. Dr. Kenny Burdine, Livestock Marketing Extension Specialist from the University of Kentucky will be the featured speaker. Dr. Burdine will give a market outlook for 2021 and discuss how cow and calf management plays a role in determining value at the time of marketing. Registration for this free program is available here.

The need for increased risk management for fed cattle has been highlighted by a couple of “Black Swan” events: COVID-19 and the 2019 Tyson packing plank fire. Via webinar on Feruary 24 beginning at 6 p.m., the 2021 Cattle Feeding and Management School will feature Justin White of Hudson Insurance who will present on risk management for fed cattle, specifically the Livestock Risk Protection and Livestock Gross Margin Insurance programs. To finish up the program Jason Hartschuh, OSU Extension Crawford County will discuss feedlot ventilation needs. This program will be held via webinar, pre-registration for this free program will be required.

Rounding out our winter programs will be a webinar addressing a fairly new topic for Beef Team programming. Ohio’s dairy industry is a significant contributor to beef production across the state. On March 10 at noon Allen Gahler, Extension Educator in Sandusky County will be teaching a session entitled Beef Sire Selection for the Dairy Herd, taking a look at what EPD and genetic criteria should be considered when mating beef sires to dairy cattle. The registration for this program is linked here.

Find additional detail on each of these programs on the 2021 Ohio Beef School page.

Ohio cattlemen will also enjoy the virtual Pastures for Profit series that will begin in January. Details and registration information will be available soon.

Lastly, continue to stay up to date on county based Beef Quality Assurance education opportunities. Many producers here in Ohio were certified in three years ago in 2018 and will be due for recertification in 2021. Beef Quality Assurance training dates and information as well as registration for the above mentioned programs can all be found at beef.osu.edu.

Not knowing what COVID-19 has in store for this winter, we hope these virtual programs are beneficial until in-person programs can be returned sometime in 2021. We are looking forward to working with as many of you as possible in the coming year. Stay safe!

Solar, Beef, and Hemp Programs Planned

Brooke Beam, PhD

Agriculture and Natural Resources/Community Development Extension Educator

Ohio State University Extension, Highland County

February 11, 2020

 

The next two weeks are full of exciting programs to attend. Mark your calendars for the programs outlined below and plan to attend.

On Monday, February 17, 2020, Dr. Gustavo Schuenemann, a professor at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, will teach a calving workshop at Union Stock Yards beginning at 6 P.M. Dr. Schuenemann will bring a mechanical cow, which will allow for participants to receive hands-on experience. Space is limited so that all participants will be able to receive hands-on training. RSVP to the Highland County Extension Office at 937-393-1918 to reserve your seat.

On Tuesday, February 18, 2020, Peggy Kirk Hall and Eric Romich, OSU Extension Specialists in agriculture law and solar energy respectively, will help landowners who are considering leasing land for future solar projects by teaching the basics of solar leasing. The program will be held in the Large Meeting Room of the Highland County Administration Building at 9:30 A.M. Topics included in this presentation include solar development trends, converting farmland to solar production, and key considerations to weigh before signing lease agreements for solar energy production.

On Monday, February 24, 2020, several workshops will be offered at the Ag is Everyone’s Business Breakfast. Specific to the Ag is Everyone’s Business Breakfast, there will be a beef workshop, hemp workshop, and a business round table.

For the beef workshop, Dr. Lyda Garcia, Assistant Professor for the Department of Animal Sciences at The Ohio State University, will lead an in-depth program on meat science and the beef industry. Dr. Garcia is responsible for teaching undergraduate courses in meat science, including introduction to meat science, harvest and fabrication, process meats, and meat carcass evaluation. Samples of steak from several kinds of production practices will be provided  to participants in this workshop.

Jim Belt, Ohio Department of Agriculture’s hemp inspector, will teach a workshop on hemp in Ohio. This workshop is designed to guide farmers who are interested in growing hemp through the application process, what considerations they need to evaluate before entering the hemp industry, and the regulations specific to Ohio.

The third workshop available to attend at the Ag is Everyone’s Business Breakfast is a business roundtable. This roundtable will include updates on the Willowbrook Solar Farm Project by Mike Volpe, Vice President of Open Road Renewables. Other panelists will include elected officials. Other topics relevant to agriculture production in Highland County will be discussed as well.

Tickets to the Ag is Everyone’s Business Breakfast are available through the Highland County Chamber of Commerce, 937-393-1111. For more information about any of the programs outlined above, contact the Ohio State University Extension, Highland County office at 937-393-1918.