Ohio's Beef School starts tomorrow night. I am very excited about helping set a sight for Belmont County at Union Local High School with the help of Jon Jones. This sight is being sponsored by the Ohio Valley Cattlemen. This means they are paying for the $75.00 hook up for the interactive live link sight. They also are donating the refreshments, which I volunteered to manage. The first night is tomorrow night and it is hard to tell how many will come. With Agriculture meetings this is what will set the tone for turn out; weather (really good or really bad causes poor turnout), where it is held, who is coming, has there been something like this before. The end story I have no idea how many I am planning food for. The weather is going to be neutral, we are in a neutral location, and they have never held an event like this here before. So I still don't know how many to plan for. However I do know the food has to be excellent. Rule of Life #1, you must feed farmers. I am taking tips from Connie Smith (she doesn't know this). She is in extension and hosts great meeting with excellent treats for agriculturalists. With numbers in the air and Connie's special treats on my mind I have decided on brownies with ice cream and chocolate syrup. Coffee, water and pop will also be available.

Oh if you aren't coming for the refreshments this why we are actually having refreshments for the program. This is the calendar, the topics and the locations.

Ohio Beef Cattle School, class #1

Live downlinks of each of the 4 Ohio Beef Cattle School classes will be hosted in several Extension office throughout Ohio

2012 Ohio Beef Cattle School series beginning on January 26, 2012 and continuing on the Thursdays of February 9 and 16, and March 1. Following a theme of "The New Normal," each session will be broadcast "live" beginning at 7 p.m. by many of Ohio's Extension offices via an internet link, and will focus on optimizing efficient beef production in a rapidly changing business and consumer environment. Nothing is sacred as we explore trends in reproduction, genetics, feeds and feeding, targeted marketing, and the opportunities afforded by backgrounding calves versus finishing them in Ohio feedlots.

Specific topics and speakers include these industry respected individuals from across the Midwest. The agenda is:

January 26: speaker - Kevin Dhuyvetter, Extension Specialist, Farm Management, Kansas State University

Topics: Economic Considerations in Beef Cattle Production

February 9: speakers – Dave O'Diam, Certified Angus Beef; Don Knore, Pineland Farms Natural Beef; and Logan Edenfield, United Producers

Topics: Targeted markets and marketing alternatives

February 16: speakers – Dr. Les Anderson, University of Kentucky Beef Extension Specialist and John Grimes, OSU Beef Programs Coordinator

Topics: Genetics, reproduction efficiencies, calving season alternatives, etc

March 1: speaker – Nevil Speer, PHD, MBA, Western Kentucky University

Topic: Meat industry perspective looking to the future including ‘outlook’, Choice/Select spreads, etc.

If interested in attending, more details will be posted here as they become available, or contact your local Ohio State University Extension office to ask if their winter programming plans include hosting the Ohio Beef Cattle Schools. To date, the following locations have been confirmed as host sites:

Adams and Highland County, hosted by OSU Extension

Athens County, hosted by OSU Extension

Belmont County, hosted at Union Local H.S. in cooperation with OSU Extension

Butler County, hosted by OSU Extension

Crawford County, hosted by OSU Extension

Fairfield County Ag Center, hosted by OSU Extension

Hocking County, hosted by OSU Extension

Holmes County, hosted by OSU Extension

Jefferson County, hosted by OSU Extension

Knox County, hosted by OSU Extension

Licking County, hosted by LCCA in cooperation with OSU Exension

Morgan County, hosted by OSU Extension