COLUMBUS, Ohio – Planning is underway for the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association’s (OCA) 2021 Ohio Beef Expo, scheduled for March 18-21 at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus. Maintaining a safe environment while providing Expo participants with the critical necessity to continue essential farm income are the objectives driving all decisions for the event.

Accomplishing these goals has required the Beef Expo to reformat several elements to comply with the current COVID-related state health orders. The seven seedstock sales have been changed to reduce the number of buyers in one area and scheduled for one sale at a time utilizing only one sale ring in the Voinovich building.

The sales will start Friday afternoon March 19 and continue through Saturday, March 20. Most sales will also provide potential buyers with an optional online bidding opportunity. In addition, the Online Feeder Cattle Sale will continue at a new time on Friday morning.

Ohio Beef Expo Schedule of Events (tentative)

Thursday, March 18

3 p.m.-7 p.m. – Trade Show open

Friday, March 19

8 a.m. – Miniature Hereford Show 

8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. – Trade Show open

8 a.m. – Shorthorn Show

10 a.m. – Online Feeder Cattle Sale

10 a.m. – Hereford Show

1 p.m. – Murray Grey Show

1 p.m. – Junior Show Showmanship

2 p.m. – Mini Hereford Sale

4 p.m. – Red Angus Sale

5 p.m. – Angus Sale

Saturday, March 20

8 a.m. – Junior Show Market Animals

8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. – Trade Show open

10 a.m. – Hereford Sale

11:30 a.m. – Shorthorn Sale 

1 p.m. – Simmental Sale 

3 p.m. – Maine Anjou Sale

Sunday, March 21

8 a.m. – Junior Show Heifers

8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. – Trade Show open

The Beef Expo’s trade show is being planned and exhibitor information will be available at the Expo’s website or by contacting OCA staff contact Bailey Eberhart at beberhart@ohiocattle.org. The Beef Expo’s goal is to provide a retail trade show as close to normal as possible while complying with the state’s health orders. The committee is working with state and local officials to explore all options for its continuation. Currently, the trade show closing time has been extended until 7 p.m. for Thursday-Saturday to accommodate the revised breed sale schedule.

Plans continue to host the popular Ohio Beef Expo Genetic Pathway for participants to purchase the industry’s best semen and embryos for the 2021 breeding season.

The Ohio Beef Expo Junior Show is the last BEST sanctioned show of the season and has also been reformatted to reduce congestion and provide distancing. It will continue to be held in Cooper Arena with showmanship beginning midday on March 19. The market animal show will be March 20. The heifer show will be March 21 and still provide the opportunity for juniors to purchase heifers in Saturday’s Expo sales and enter them to show in the junior show the following day. Both the market animal show and the heifer show will include an additional breed division drive for registered cattle who are BEST participants and eligible for the Buckeye Breeders Series program.

The decision has been made to suspend seminars and other large educational events requiring the Beef Expo judging contest, youth quality assurance training and fitting demonstrations to be discontinued for 2021. A smaller Beef Quality Assurance certification will be held for BEST participants only. The Beef Expo judging contest is one of the OCA BEST program’s stockmanship contests. The BEST committee is currently evaluating options to schedule another judging contest in conjunction with a different BEST show weekend to replace Expo’s event or to reduce the number of stockmanship contests for 2021.

The need to maintain annual Ohio Beef Expo sponsorships has never been greater to ensure OCA can continue to host this successful event and sponsors can take advantage of the Expo’s extraordinary recognition opportunities. The Beef Expo planning committee encourages individuals, breedersand cattle-related businesses to continue a 2021 Beef Expo sponsorship. More information on these opportunities is available at ohiobeefexpo.com.

Details regarding the 2021 Ohio Beef Expo are subject to change pending current state health orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information on the 2021 Ohio Beef Expo contact OCA at cattle@ohiocattle.org, 614-873-6736 or visit ohiobeefexpo.com.