Dr. Tim McDermott, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Franklin County
It seems in Ohio it is never too early to start scouting animals for ticks. While we commonly think of summer as tick season, we actually see tick activity and positive detections of tick-borne disease all 12 months of the year in Ohio. One of the ticks of the biggest concern impacting livestock, especially cattle, in Ohio is the invasive Longhorned Tick(LHT). This tick was first discovered in Ohio on a dog in Gallia County in 2020 and has rapidly increased its range in Ohio since then. As of the beginning of 2024 we had positively identified LHT in 11 counties in Ohio including Franklin, Delaware, Ross, Gallia, Vinton, Jackson, Athens, Morgan, Monroe, Belmont, and Guernsey county. Since that point we have added Pike, Lawrence, Noble, Coshocton, Wayne, Muskingum, Washington, and Licking bringing our total up to 19 affected counties. We anticipate adding to that list in 2025.
The Longhorned tick can be a Continue reading An Update on Ticks and Tick-borne Disease in Ohio: Plus the Buckeye Tick Test Lab
single most significant variable cost in any livestock operation is feed cost. It averages 45% of the variable cost of an operation including labor costs or is about 64% of the variable cost of an operation excluding labor. Any management practice that can reduce feed cost will significantly improve profit. In this technical paper the major points in the nutrition of goats are discussed to help you understand the digestive system, feeds, and feeding of goats.
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. 
glad that May has finally arrived. For me, it’s been a wet and somewhat stormy spring so far. If you haven’t done it already, it’s a really good idea to walk your pastures before grazing them for the first time. You can use your ATV if you prefer, but I’d rather see you walking and observing closely rather than taking quick glances and a joyride. It wouldn’t hurt to take some pictures to compare current conditions to other time periods.
water sources in pastures are only as valuable to a grazing system as the quality of water they contain. In other words, the health and performance of livestock will suffer if animals are subject to contaminated water, especially if that water is fraught with blue-green algae.