Agricultural News
OSU's Rosslyn Biggs Reminds Folks to Get Health Certificates in Order Before Arriving at OYE
Fri, 25 Feb 2022 11:50:15 CST
Oklahoma friends and families are counting down the days until the Oklahoma Youth Expo - the world's largest junior livestock show - kicks off! With more than 25,000 entries, this year's show is expected to be one of the largest ever. With that many animals coming and going, Rosslyn Biggs, director of continuing education for the College of Veterinary Medicine and beef cattle specialist for the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service at Oklahoma State University, warns folks to not wait until the last minute when it comes to getting your health certificate.
Biosecurity is serious business and animals coming to OYE represent all of the state's 77 counties. Depending on the disease, an outbreak could shut down the show entirely. With that said, Biggs said the number-one reason folks get turned away at the gate is not because of illness, but because they fail to provide a health certificate or they have failed to properly ID animals.
"Your veterinarian is required to inspect your animal," Biggs said. "Make sure you make that appointment and give your veterinarian enough time to get that done."
If you have multiple animals traveling to OYE, Biggs said get a list with identification details ready to make the process quick and simple at your farm or ranch.
Once you arrive at the show, folks should make sure health certifications are ready to be inspected at the entry gate. A great way to avoid hiccups during the show is to make copies of health certificates and hand them out to any adults who may be moving animals around.
"When you get to the gate, I am going to take a look at that health certificate, take a look in the trailer and make sure I can verify ID," Biggs said. "One thing that can get tricky is ear notches on those hogs - make sure those are in good shape so we can check that ID if necessary."
Families who are seasoned OYE veterans know and understand this seemingly small but integral step in the process of getting their child ready to show. Biggs said oftentimes, families who are new to OYE or children who are making it to OYE because they are supported by an agriculture teacher are the ones who may not realize they have not fully prepared to arrive with their animals.
"Take a little extra care of those families who are here for the first time because this is something that is easily overlooked," Biggs said. "My goal is to get you through the gate as soon as possible."
Hit the LISTEN BAR to hear KC Sheperd and Rosslyn Biggs talk about how to have a smooth start to this year's Oklahoma Youth Expo.
Our coverage of the 2022 Oklahoma Youth Expo is sponsored by Hilliary Communications, serving more than 19,000 customers with telephone service in 22 counties throughout Oklahoma & Texas. The company also offers IP television service and internet speeds up to 1 Gig. Hilliary Communications continuously researches the marketplace for innovations and strives to improve underdeveloped areas, offering services that exceed customer expectations. Click here to learn more about Hilliary Communications.
You can see all of our pictures from the 2022 OYE in our 2022 OYE Flickr album, available here.
Our stories from the Oklahoma Youth Expo will be located on our website within our Blue Green Gazette pages- and stories from this year and last can be seen by clicking here.
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