The event begins Friday morning with the opening of the trade show at 10 a.m. Also starting on Friday morning is the educational seminars. These seminars will take place throughout the day on Friday and Sunday and will offer producers the opportunity to learn how to make their operation more efficient and profitable. A special feature will be the seminars for grass-fed beef production on Sunday. A complete list of seminars is available at www.ohiobeefexpo.com.

The Ohio Beef Expo will once again include a three-day industry trade show. This year's trade show is the largest ever and will feature over 100 exhibitors from 16 states. The breed shows, sales and displays will once again feature some of the country's greatest cattle. Breeders from the Angus, Beefalo, Charolais, Chianina, Gelbvieh, Hereford, Limousin, Maine-Anjou, Murray Grey, Piedmontese, Shorthorn and Simmental breeds will be on hand to sell or display their cattle. Catalogs for these sales can be requested by logging on to www.ohiobeefexpo.com and clicking on the sales link.

While visiting the trade show, producers can stop at the Ohio Cattlemen's Association booth and learn about all the benefits of being an OCA member. Thanks to a great partnership with J and J Steakbarn, an outstanding membership prize of a $100 gift certificate to J and J Steakbarn will be given away to a lucky OCA member. OCA's County Cattlemen's Association affiliates will be on hand Sunday to see which lucky county will be the winner of a new five foot, stainless steel grill sponsored by the Ohio Corn Growers Association.

Throughout the event, the Ohio Beef Expo will be hosting several fund-raisers for OCA's PAC (Political Action Committee) fund. There will be an item sold at the start of each of the breed sales as well as a few items sold at the start of the Semen Sale to benefit the PAC fund. As Ohio enters into a big election this November, the need for these funds is critical.

The ever-popular Genetic Pathway will once again be a feature of the upper concourse of the Voinovich Livestock and Trade Center throughout the weekend. The country's best genetics will be featured with live bulls and females on display.

Another attraction for the 2010 expo is the junior show fitting demonstration and junior social that will happen on Friday evening. The excitement will begin with a fitting demonstration at 6 p.m., followed by the junior social and pizza party. These events are sponsored by Purina-Show Chow Feeds and Farm Credit Services of Mid-America.

The junior show will kick off Saturday afternoon with showmanship that is being sponsored by Green Oak Farms. The competition will start again early Sunday morning with the heifer and market animal shows. Complete rules for the show can be found on www.ohiobeefexpo.com.

Two individuals will also be recognized as Friends of the Ohio Beef Expo during the event for their contribution to the event's annual success. Sam Roberts of South Charleston and Laura Sutherly of Troy are this year's award recipients.

Over 25,000 visitors from 20 states and Canada routinely attend the Ohio Beef Expo. It is ranked as the ninth largest event hosted in central Ohio and is the premier location to meet Ohio's cattle producers. Don't miss it. If you are unable to attend the event, visit www.ohiobeefexpo.com during the event because all results will be posted as it is available. Four of the breed sales and the junior show will also be broadcast on www.dvauction.com.

For complete details on the 2010 Ohio Beef Expo, visit www.ohiobeefexpo.com. The Ohio Beef Expo is a function of the Ohio Cattlemen's Association (OCA). The OCA is an affiliate of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and is the state's spokesperson and issues manager for all segments of the beef cattle industry including cattle breeders, producers and feeders. It is the grass roots policy development organization for the beef business. Through the Ohio Cattlemen's Association, cattle producers work to create a positive business environment, while providing consumers with a safe and wholesome product.

Ohio Beef Expo

Offers a Family Weekend

March 19-22 at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, has many different events happening throughout the weekend specifically for youth involved in the beef industry. More information about each of these events is listed on www.ohiobeefexpo.com.

BEST Participants recognized by BEST Booster Club -- All the BEST participants who are exhibiting at expo are eligible to receive a sweatshirt from the BEST Boosters Club. The sweatshirts will include a listing of the BEST Boosters Club and will be available in the Gilligan Building.

Fitting Demonstration -- Purina's Show Cattle Ambassadors will demonstrate the correct clipping and fitting techniques. They will also discuss the importance of proper selection, daily care and nutrition for show cattle. Don't miss two great opportunities to gain the "Power to Perform" from Purina's Honor Show Chow. The first demonstration will happen at 2:15 p.m. on Friday, March 19, in Sale Ring Two. The second demonstration will happen at 6 p.m. on Friday in Cooper Arena.

Pizza Party -- As the fitting demonstration draws to a close on Friday night, the celebration will continue with the Junior Show Welcome Pizza Party. This event is open to all junior exhibitors and is sponsored by Farm Credit Services of Mid-America.

Judging Contest -- The Ohio Beef Expo Judging Contest is Saturday, March 20. Registration and team photos will begin at 8 a.m. with a registration fee of $5 per individual. Teams will consist of three or four people. The three highest scores will count for team placings. Divisions will be offered for juniors (eight to 13) and seniors (14-18). Six classes of cattle will be evaluated and one or more classes will include questions and the use of performance data. Lunch will be provided and awards will be presented at 4:30 p.m. in Voinovich Sale Ring One.

Beef Quality Assurance -- Youth Beef Quality Assurance training will once again be offered in conjunction with the Ohio Beef Expo. Concurrent sessions will be held on Saturday, March 20, for youth 13 and under and youth 14 and over at 1 p.m. in Cooper Arena. BQA training is a requirement for the OCA BEST program. All participants will receive documentation of attendance and a copy of the document will be sent to the participant's county. Some counties may require additional certification.

Showmanship -- Another feature to the Ohio Beef Expo Junior show is that exhibitors will be competing for two showmanship titles for the second year in a row. Thanks to showmanship sponsor, Green Oak Farms, participants will be under the eye of two judges in each age division as the competition kicks off Saturday, March 20, in Cooper Arena. Participants will show to a surrogate judge while each of the two official judges makes their selections for their respective final drives. Each age division will feature two separate final drives under each official showmanship judge.

Junior Show -- The action for junior exhibitors will pick back up on Sunday, March 21, with the competitive market animal and heifer shows. This is the largest junior event annually in Ohio with over 600 head being exhibited in last year's competition. The heifers will be evaluated in the Jones Show Cattle High Standards Female Sale Ring while the market animals will be shown in the Campbell Insurance Ring. The Fayette County Cattle Feeders are sponsoring the make-up ring for participants. Weaver Leather in conjunction with many of Ohio's breed organizations will be sponsoring awards for the division champions and reserves. The junior show will be broadcast on dvauction.com for people who want to watch the action from home. Visit dvauction.com to register for a free account during the week of March 15.

2010 Schedule of Events

Wednesday, March 17

No cattle are permitted on the fairgrounds before 6 a.m.

Thursday, March 18

8 a.m.-noon -- Trade Show set up for large equipment

Noon -- All breeding cattle must be in place, O'Neill Building

1 p.m. -- Junior Show Barn open for stalling, Gilligan Complex

Noon-4 p.m. -- General Trade Show set up, Voinovich Building

Friday, March 19

8-10 a.m. -- Trade Show set up for smaller vendors

8 a.m. -- Voinovich Building opens for public access

10 a.m.-6 p.m. -- Trade Show open, Voinovich Building

10 a.m.-1 p.m. -- Genetic Pathway open, Voinovich Building

10 a.m. -- Educational seminars begin in Voinovich Building

10:30 a.m. -- Breed Shows begin in Cooper Arena and O'Neill Building

1-6 p.m. -- Junior Show check in, Gilligan Complex

3-5 p.m. -- Genetic Pathway open, Voinovich Building

6 p.m. -- Fitting Demonstration, Cooper Arena

6:30 p.m. -- Junior Pizza Party to follow Fitting Demonstration

Shows - Times and place are subject to change

10:30 a.m. -- Limousin Show, Cooper Arena North Ring

11 a.m. -- Parade, Cooper Arena South Ring

11 a.m. -- Piedmontese Show, O'Neill Building

12:30 p.m. -- Hereford Parade, Cooper Arena South Ring

12:30 p.m. -- Shorthorn Show, Cooper Arena North Ring

12:30 p.m. -- Murray Grey Show, O'Neill Building

2:30 p.m. -- Simmental Parade, Cooper Arena North Ring

Saturday, March 20

8-9 a.m. -- Judging Contest Registration, Cooper Arena

8 a.m.-6 p.m. -- Trade Show open, Voinovich Building

8-11 a.m. -- Junior Show check in, Gilligan Complex

9 a.m. -- Judging Contest, Cooper Arena

9 a.m. -- Junior Show arrival deadline

10 a.m. -- Breed Shows begin in Voinovich Building

10 a.m.-1 p.m. -- Genetic Pathway open, Voinovich Building

1 p.m. -- Youth Beef Quality Assurance, Cooper Arena

Juniors will be divided into two groups by age

and both sessions will run concurrently.

3 p.m.-- Junior Showmanship, Cooper Arena

3-5 p.m. -- Genetic Pathway open, Voinovich Building

4:30 p.m. -- Judging Contest Awards, Voinovich Building

Sales - Times and place are subject to change.

10 a.m. -- Shorthorn Sale, Voinovich Sale Ring One

10 a.m. -- Hereford Sale, Voinovich Sale Ring Two

Noon -- Simmental Sale, Voinovich Sale Ring One

Noon -- Angus Sale, Voinovich Sale Ring Two

2 p.m. -- Limousin Sale, Voinovich Sale Ring One

2 p.m. -- Maine-Anjou Sale, Voinovich Sale Ring Two

Semen Sale to benefit the OBE Junior Show to

immediately follow Maine Sale.

Bring your semen tanks.

Sunday, March 21

8 a.m.-5 p.m. -- Junior Show, Cooper Arena

8 a.m. -- Voinovich Building opens for public access

10 a.m. -- Educational Seminars begin in Voinovich

9 a.m.-2 p.m. -- Trade Show open, Voinovich Building

10 a.m.-1 p.m. -- Genetic Pathway open, Voinovich Building