Author: Braden Campbell

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
Dr. Samantha Locke, Postdoctoral Scholar; The Ohio State University, Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine

(Image Source: Waverly Sales Company)

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 consultation with your veterinarian.

Work with Your Veterinarian

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Sheep Vaccines

Isabel Richards, Veterinary Science – South Africa and owner/operator of Gibraltar Farm
(Previously published with the Eastern Alliance for Production Katahdins (EAPK): January 5, 2026)

There are multiple vaccines licensed for sheep in the USA, and it might be difficult to decide which ones to use on your farm. We will discuss how vaccines work, as well as best practices for handling and administering vaccines. Finally, we will look at the different types of vaccines that are available as well as how to decide if a particular vaccine is indicated for your flock.

How do Vaccines Work

The general idea with a vaccine is to expose an animal to a specific pathogen (or combinations of pathogens) in a way that is not likely to make them as sick as the natural infection would. This is done so that an animal can produce antibodies to protect it from disease.

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Winter Readiness: A Guide to Protecting your Farm, Workers, and Livestock

Dr. John Yost, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Wayne County
(Previously published online with Farm & Dairy: December 22, 2025)

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 see 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

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Ohio Sheep Producers Needed for Mineral Study

Dr. Haley Linder, Assistant Professor, OSU Ruminant Nutrition
Dr. Brady Campbell, Assistant Professor, OSU State Small Ruminant Extension Specialist

Sheep producers across Ohio are invited to participate in a new research project conducted by The Ohio State University focused on understanding mineral availability and mineral status in sheep flocks. The project, Mineral Status Across Ohio Sheep Farms, is funded by the Ohio Sheep & Wool Program and is led by Haley Linder and Brady Campbell, Assistant Professors in the Department of Animal Sciences at The Ohio State University.

Mineral concentrations in soil, forage, and water vary widely across the state, yet many flocks rely on standard mineral mixes without knowing whether they match local conditions. This project aims to characterize regional mineral trends by collecting soil, forage, water, and blood samples from sheep farms across five Ohio regions (NW, NE, Central, SW, SE).

Participating producers will receive farm-specific mineral results, including blood mineral status and environmental mineral data. All sampling supplies and laboratory costs are covered by the project. Producers will also be asked to share basic management information, such as their current mineral and nutrition program, to help interpret results.

Both pasture-based and confinement operations are eligible, provided soil and forage can be sampled from the field(s) where forage fed to the sheep was grown.

Producers interested in participating should contact Haley Linder (linder.129@osu.edu) or Brady Campbell (campbell.1279@osu.edu). Recruitment will occur in Winter 2025, with sampling planned for Spring 2026.

Don’t Fail Your Hay Test

Amber Friedrichsen, Managing Editor, Hay and Forage Grower
(Previously published in Hay & Forage Grower: December 16, 2025)

(Image Source: Oklahoma State University Extension)

Now that farmers have shifted from harvesting forage and grazing pastures to selling and feeding hay, forage analysis should be critical to marketing and purchasing decisions. But not all sellers and buyers test their hay products, even though knowing forage quality is essential to both parties.

On one hand, sellers can use this information to set their price and inform buyers, as well as to track production performance and identify areas for improvement. On the other hand, livestock producers must know forage quality to build winter feeding programs that meet their animals’ nutrient needs.

But to ensure those forage analysis results are useful, farmers must know how to take a proper hay sample. Luckily, the National Forage Testing Association (NFTA) provides a research-proven, standardized protocol to do so. Continue reading Don’t Fail Your Hay Test →

Flashing Ear Tags Show Promise Against Livestock Predation

Utah State University
(Previously published online with Feedstuffs: December 2, 2025)

(Image Source: Utah State University)

LED FlashTags worn by livestock are triggered by movement in the dark, emitting random light patterns that deter predators.

Wolves, bears, cougars, and coyotes are important parts of ecosystems of the West — and a pain for people who raise livestock there. Carnivores sometimes prey on cattle and sheep in pastures and on the open rangelands they share, creating a financial burden and emotional cost to ranchers, sometimes triggering lethal removal of the offending animals.

A simple technology shows promise toward alleviating some of that conflict, according to Julie Young, a wildlife biologist from the Utah State University Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, as well as director of the Berryman Institute of Wildlife Damage Management. Continue reading Flashing Ear Tags Show Promise Against Livestock Predation →