COLUMBUS, Ohio — Beef is big business throughout the United States and Ohio is a major player in the space.

What You Need To Know

  • Ohio ranks among the top beef-producing states throughout the nation

  • 2.9 million cattle were slaughtered in 2022

  • As of Jan. 2023, 290,000 live cattle were counted as inventory across the state

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Ohio beef production increased by 2% in 2022 compared to the year before.

"I love talking about the beef cattle industry because that's what I grew up with on our farm," agriculture expert Andy Vance said. "Ohio is No. 12 in the country in terms of number of beef farms, so it's a really significant industry. Almost 18,000 beef farms in the state of Ohio have at least some cattle, so it's a really significant part of Ohio's agricultural economy."

The 35th annual Ohio Beef Expo took place in Columbus this month.

"Yeah, this is one of the largest events of its kind in the country. More than 30,000 people attend and those are folks like you and I who might like just to go and see cattle on the weekend in Columbus at the fairgrounds, but also, of course, the obvious focus is on the beef producers themselves and using that expo to do a couple of different things." Vance said.

Vance cited livestock shows as well as vendors.

"There's a lot of commerce done there and of course vendors. There's a large trade show component. Junior Show – the 4H and FFA members are participating, so it's a really big robust event and I've got to tip my hat to the organizers. This was their 35th anniversary and so it was a big weekend for members of the Ohio Cattlemen's Association," Vance said.