STILLWATER, Okla. – Buyers in the market for high quality, ranch-raised calves should mark their calendars for a series of six Oklahoma Quality Beef Network (OQBN) certified sales at five sites across the state.
OKC West will begin this year’s sales Nov. 7, followed by McAlester Stockyards (Nov. 13) and Blackwell Livestock (Nov. 17). Sales at Pawnee Livestock (Dec. 1), Tulsa Stockyards (Dec. 3) and OKC West (Dec. 5) round out the schedule.
Gant Mourer, beef value enhancement specialist for OQBN and Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension beef specialist, expects to move 4,500 head or more through the sales by the end of the year.
“Buyers come to these sales because these are healthy calves. Morbidity and mortality are decreased due to preconditioning so that adds value,” Mourer said.
More specifically, the OQBN certified cattle featured exclusively during the sales require fewer antibiotics, experience less sickness, go on feed much quicker and are water- and bunk-broke.
The idea behind OQBN, a joint project between OSU Extension and Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association (OCA), is pretty simple: to increase the value of cattle within the state of Oklahoma. Established in 2001, the initiative accomplishes its mission through education on the best value-added management practices and the OQBN VAC-45 program, a recommended brand-neutral vaccine protocol that allows ranchers to pick their preferred products.
Except for the cost of a required tag for each calf certified under the program (tags run about $1.10 each), OQBN is free to participants. Animals enrolled in OQBN must be castrated and healed (bull calves), dehorned and healed, weaned 45 days or longer, cared for under Beef Quality Assurance guidelines, identified with a program-compliant ear tag and subjected to one of three suggested vaccination protocols.
“These things cost money to do, of course, so a producer takes these extra steps and gets extra money in the sale barn,” said Mourer. “I like to tell people that in a 45-day weaning period, 60 percent of the value of a preconditioning program is simply gain on those calves.”
Also, consider that castrated bull calves can earn $20-$30/cwt more compared to steer calves. Likewise, vaccinated animals going through the sale ring can bring almost $50/cwt more compared to sick ones.
All of these management practices add value to cattle regardless of being involved in a vaccination program. However, OQBN certified calves generated a $6.54/cwt premium in the sale barn last year
“We’ve seen more and more producers gravitate to these kinds of certification programs to increase profitability. This program has proven to provide that,” said Scott Dewald, OCA executive vice president. “We’ve also seen good demand for the cattle that are coming through the program.”
Mourer took over OQBN Oct. 1 after spending the past 6 years managing a ranch for OSU. His immediate goals for the educational program, which currently supports about 50 producers, are to continue increasing the number of ranchers who participate in the program as well as expanding the services it offers.
Longer term, Mourer envisions possibly adding certified sales of purchased-calves sales and replacement heifer, as well as making OQBN’s cutting-edge management techniques more accessible to a broader number of producers and ranchers across the state.
Right now, much of that education is taking place through producer meetings organized around Oklahoma. And, for now, that’s working well; however, Dewald recognizes the tremendous opportunity OQBN represents for producers.
“I wish more producers would take advantage of the program, but that’s just a process of education, which Extension has done a really nice job of getting out into the country and talking to producers about the requirements, the cost of those requirements and the potential return on investment for doing the things you have to do in the program,” he said. “Like most things, it’s slowly adopted.”
Meanwhile, Dewald believes OQBN fits well with the OCA’s vision of providing the tools the organization’s producer-members need to enhance profitability.
“Because our industry is changing dramatically, changing quickly, we want a program that is nimble, that can take advantage of new value-based marketing systems and programs, and provide our producer-members with quality information so they can make sound decisions,” he said.
OQBN also currently has scheduled certified sales in the spring at Durant Stockyards (Jan. 10) and McAlester Stockyards (Feb. 26, April 2 and June 4).
For more information about OQBN, contact Mourer at 405-744-6060 or [email protected] or visit www.oqbn.okstate.edu.
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Oklahoma State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local Governments Cooperating: The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, or status as a veteran, and is an equal opportunity employer.
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