OKState Animal & Food Sciences

Inspect. Protect. Report.
New World screwworm has been detected in Texas, but not in Oklahoma. Knowing the signs and reporting concerns quickly can help protect livestock, pets and wildlife across the state.
Awareness is one of the best tools we have.
Find New World screwworm resources and educational materials from OSU Extension.
🔗: screwworm.okstate.edu

Several AFS faculty, students and extension specialists, were a part of the 2026 Payne County Pasture Tour. Participants spent the day exploring practical pasture management strategies, cattle efficiency research, forage improvement techniques, prescribed fire and herbicide integration, and emerging drone technology for woody plant control. The tour also featured hands-on learning opportunities, including plant identification and livestock producer contests, along with valuable networking among producers, landowners and agricultural professionals. Featured in the photos are the OSU North and South Range Cow Research Centers. Mike Major, OSU South Range Herd manager teaching about integrating fire and herbicides for pasture and w**d management. Mariana Garcia OSU Postdoctoral Fellow and Earl Ward, Northeast Area Livestock Specialist discussing Cow Efficiency, and Jay Edens, North Range Herd Manager and Greg Perdue, Assistant North Range Herd Manager discussing strategies to reclaim bermuda pastures.

📷 Courtesy of Payne County Extension

Congratulations to Madilyn Brummer who won third in the BIF graduate oral competition this week. The “Shark Tank” Competition consisted of students writing a one-page summary of a new idea that would benefit the beef industry. From there, the proposals were screened to the top five which were invited to present their idea in front of the BIF attendees. Her topic was Bovi-Vision: Advancing Beef Cattle Evaluation Through Automated Identification and Structural Function Quantification. Madilyn is currently doing research under Dr. David Lalman at Oklahoma State Animal and Food Sciences.

Dr. Jerry Fitch will retire June 10th after more than 38 years of service to the Department of Animal and Food Sciences. We welcome you to join us in recognizing Dr. Fitch's career and help us celebrate this well-deserved new chapter.

Retirement celebration will be held at noon on Friday, June 12, 2026, at Totusek Arena. Please use the following link to RSVP: https://okstatecasnr.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3fmZ8G1wVOvTBfU

Congratulations to our graduates! We are proud of you and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. 🧡👏

OSU Extension is hosting a workshop in El Reno on April 29th that will cover topics related to poultry health, small flock biosecurity, parasites, small business and Egg/Meat Sales. Registration is $30 which includes lunch. Click the link for more info and to register: https://secure.touchnet.com/C20271.../web/store_cat.jsp...

Congratulations to Drs. Adel Pezeshki and Morgan Pfeiffer, both professors in OKState Animal & Food Sciences. They were recognized at the Oklahoma State Ferguson College of Agriculture Scholarship and Awards Banquet. Adel received the Excellence in Graduate Advising and Mentoring Award, and Morgan received the Early Career Excellence in Teaching Award.

📸: Courtesy of Oklahoma State Agriculture

Congratulations to Oklahoma State AFS graduate student, Bailey Tomson, who recently won the research poster contest at the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) last weekend. She received a prize of $5,000. The TSCRA invited graduate students to present their research at the 2026 Cattle Raisers Convention & Expo. Students had the opportunity to present their research to industry leaders and TSCRA members and affiliates. The title of her research poster was Residual Average Daily Gain Improves Efficiency Without Increasing Cow Size in Heifers Developed on a Strict Forage Diet.