Ohio Cattlemen’s Association Celebrates Best of the Buckeye Breeders

The Best of the Buckeye Program, hosted by the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) in conjunction with the Ohio Beef Expo and the Ohio State Fair, successfully concluded its fifth season. The program rounded out the year with 269 head of cattle nominated by 146 breeders.   

The Best of the Buckeye program recognizes top-placing Ohio bred, born and registered calves, along with the breeder and exhibitor, in each breed division at the two shows. This year a new event was created for breeder recognition sponsored by Sullivan Supply and Stock Show University. Thanks to these generous sponsors, over $10,000 was awarded in prizes to breeders in late August at the first annual Breeder Reception. Nominating breeders gathered in late August for an ice cream social, program and prize drawing.   

The following breeders were winners of the prize drawing: full page ad in the Ring – Agle Family Cattle; Fitter’s Guard – Maplecrest Farms; tattoo kit – Haley Farms; e-blast to OCA’s membership: Lindsey Weaver, Hall Cattle Company; Muhlenkamp Show Cattle; $1000 Sullivan Supply Shopping Sprees: Hunter Harris and Adison Niese; Air Express III Blower – Gary Short and Paige Gehret; frozen genetic Shipping Tank – Alexander Show Cattle and DaLin Show Cattle; Val-6 KBE5I Radiant Heater - Hara Farms, LLC; 4 custom director’s chairs – Kingsway Angus; Tin Haul boots – Turner Shorthorns; $500 Credit at Legends Lane Reproductive Services - Adams Family Show Cattle; 1 dozen customized hats -  Y-Not Cattle; custom Yeti cooler - Miller Family Show Cattle; Sullivan’s Turbo Fan – Carper Family Shorthorns; cordless clippers – Leroy Billman; custom fabricated music system – Jacob Ruffing. All attending breeders at the reception received a coupon for half off the price of a purchase of an e-blast to OCA’s membership to market their Best of the Buckeye cattle for the 2019 season.   

New this year, OCA offered a People’s Choice division for breeders and exhibitors to promote their Best of the Buckeye cattle from the Ohio Beef Expo and Ohio State Fair for friends and family to vote for their favorites. The social media campaign reached over 40,000 people and the winners were named at the breeder reception. Earning the people’s choice for the heifer division was Jacob LeBrun with his Angus heifer bred by Hall Cattle Company and topping the steer division was Hudson Drake with his Chianina steer bred by Grauer Show Cattle. Both the exhibitor and breeder of the People’s Choice award winners received a banner commemorating their win.   

The program provides Ohio seedstock breeders an additional marketing opportunity, creates a source for moderately priced show steers and heifers by providing a program with awards and prestige and attracts new participants interested in showing at the Ohio Beef Expo and/or the Ohio State Fair with the benefit of added premiums. Breeders are encouraged to use the Best of the Buckeye logo for use in printed and digital promotion of Best of the Buckeye eligible cattle. The logo may be downloaded from the website at www.ohiocattle.org or requested by email at [email protected].   

Complete Best of the Buckeye show results and additional program details are available at https://www.ohiocattle.org/best-of-the-buckeye or by contacting the OCA office. For more information, contact the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association at 614-873-6736 or email [email protected].