– John F. Grimes, OSU Extension Beef Coordinator

Beef 510 is a one-day program to be held on March 3 designed for those who have participated in Beef 509, but is open to all cattlemen. The program will continue the traditional beef sensory sessions and BQA presentations, but will also present information designed to help producers better prepare their operations and their cattle to meet challenges of the future. All who attend will be certified in Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) at the end of the course. Beef 510 is a joint program coordinated by the Ohio Beef Council, the Department of Animal Sciences – OSU, and OSU Extension. The registration deadline is February 16, 2018.

The list of speakers include:

Justin Nelson, Director of Animal Procurement specializing in cattle for Tyson Foods, Inc. and located at the corporate office in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota. He will discuss today’s marketing environment and Tyson’s approach to market access programs. The presentation will also discuss the decision from Wendy’s restaurants to purchase cattle beginning in 2019 only from those suppliers who can verify the producers providing the cattle are beef quality assurance certified.

Mandy Carr Johnson, Sr. Executive Director for the Science, Culinary and Outreach team at National Cattlemen’s Beef Association ((NCBA) oversees programs focusing on human nutrition research. In addition, she has oversights on influencer outreach, product quality, sustainability, and beef safety research, as well as the Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner Culinary Center She will discuss how the beef checkoff program is working to assure consumers that beef is a sustainable and nutritious food so consumers don’t feel pressured to explore other products perceived to be more sustainable or healthier. The presentation will also include a sneak peak into the checkoff’s new raising beef responsibly campaign and touch on the “Rethink the Ranch” consumer campaign focused on sharing stories of the people behind the product.

Glen Arnold, is an Associate Professor with Ohio State University Extension and Field Specialist in the area of Manure Nutrient Management Application. His on-farm research focuses on the use of livestock manure as a spring top-dress fertilizer on wheat and as a side dress fertilizer for corn. His research goal is to move livestock producers toward applying manure during the crop growing season instead of late fall application window. With the growing number of those who want to place the blame on livestock producers for Ohio’s water quality challenges. You will not want to miss this session.

Additional presenters include professors from the Department of Animal Sciences at The Ohio State University: Steve Boyles, OSU Extension Beef Specialist; Lyda Garcia, Assistant Professor of Meat Science/Meat Extension Specialist; and Eric England, Assistant Professor of Meat Science. The Ohio Beef Council and OCA will also provide program updates.

The Beef 510 program will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will conclude by 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 3. Lunch will be provided by the 2018 OSU Meats Judging Team. Registration deadline will be February 16, 2018. Register early, as the program will fill up and space is limited.

For more information contact, Emily Henes at the Ohio Beef Council at 614-873-6736 or ehenes@ohiobeef.org .

Source: Ohio Cattlemen’s Association