BEEF 509 is an educational program designed to teach cattle producers about the food side of their business and how to utilize best management practices to improve beef quality and enhance profitability while learning about value within the beef chain.   

Topics to be covered include Live Cattle Evaluation, Beef Carcass Grading, Grid Pricing, Beef Harvest Demonstration, Carcass Fabrication and Cutting, Understanding the Science of Beef, Beef Quality Assurance and Live Carcass and Boxed Beef Evaluation.   

Participants will be divided into teams, taught live animal evaluation, grid pricing systems, allowed to select live cattle through an “auction-like” setting and then follow those cattle through harvest, grading and a hands-on cutting session which provides participants with the opportunity to experience first-hand the differences encountered in carcass composition. The resulting information is then evaluated in terms of the value differences calculated between animals and how that translates back to value differences in the live animals to determine which teams made the most profit based on their original live purchase price.   

The program is limited to 30 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is $175 per person, with the Ohio Beef Council covering all additional program expenses. Participants are required to attend both days. The tentative schedule is Friday, 3:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. and Saturday, 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Registration and additional information are available at ohiocattle.org or by calling 614-873-6736 or email at [email protected]. Registration deadline is Jan. 20, 2026 or as soon as the program is full.