BEST Bulletin

EVANS CATTLE CO. PRESENTED FRIEND OF THE BEST PROGRAM AWARD

The COVID pandemic resulted in many unfortunate cancellations, closures and changes and the BEST program experienced many of these. The cancellation of the Ohio Beef Expo and the end-of-the-year BEST awards banquet made the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) and BEST volunteers determined to find a way for the program to continue in 2021. After making the necessary changes and adding many safety precautions for the shows, Evans Cattle Co. stepped up to help make the season the best it could be under the circumstances. The program had to limit show attendees, resulting in grandparents, family and friends staying home. Thanks to Evans Cattle Co. and their sponsorship of the live streaming services through Walton Webcasting at each show, these loved ones were still able to be a part of the shows from the safety of their own homes. The streaming service became so popular, Evans Cattle Co. continued the sponsorship into the 2022 season. Evans Cattle Co. was named the Friend of the BEST program at the OCA BEST awards banquet in May. Their award was presented during the Ohio State Fair.

2022-2023 BEST SEASON UPDATES

For the 2022-2023 OCA BEST season, all cattle (in-state and outof-state) exhibited at an OCA BEST sanctioned show are required to be tested and negative for Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) persistent infection (PI) status. Acceptable tests include and are limited to: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) on skin, Antigen-capture ELISA (ACE) on serum (blood test) or skin, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on whole blood, serum or skin. Animals must be individually tested and individually identified. Pooled testing is acceptable only if documentation is provided that the animal was specifically included in the pool and that the pool contained no more than 7 animals. Exhibitors will need to plan ahead and purchase EID tags prior to the BEST season so crossbred animals can be identified at the time of testing. Registered animals can use their tattoo as identification at testing, but will ultimately require an EID tag at their first BEST show. Schedule the BVD PI test with enough lead time to receive the test results prior to a BEST show. A lead time of at least two weeks is recommended prior to the first show. If purchasing show animals, ask your seller if the animal has had a BVD PI test. It should be noted, that many national livestock shows are also requiring BVD PI negative tests. A BVD PI test is a one-time test good for the life of the animal. The OCA BEST committee is working to provide some pre-season testing options to reduce the fees associated with an on-farm BVD test. For more information visit the BEST section of the OCA website at ohiocattle.org.