For more than two decades, the Oklahoma Quality Beef Network (OQBN) helped Oklahoma cow-calf producers capture added value for calves managed to meet the needs of stocker operators, feedyards, and ultimately beef consumers. This program will close following the final official OQBN-certified sales in spring 2026. Looking back on the decades of success, we realize that QBN was more than a marketing program. It has been one of Oklahoma Extension’s long-term beef industry success stories.
OQBN began as a collaboration between Oklahoma State University Extension and the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association with the simple goal of helping producers document management practices that improve calf health, and make calves more predictable and more valuable. The OQBN VAC-45 program has built value around practical management. Calves had to be weaned at least 45 days, vaccinated, castrated and healed, dehorned and healed, identified with OQBN tags, and verified by Extension personnel. That verification gave buyers confidence that calves were managed according to a defined protocol and gave producers a clear way to document the work done before marketing.
The program’s success never depended on one person or one office. It was a true Extension team effort involving a team consisting of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, livestock markets, county Extension educators, area livestock specialists, OSU beef specialists, and veterinarians,. Leaders including David Lalman, Gant Mourer, Jeff Robe, Paul Vining, and many others helped guide the program. Economic evaluation by Kellie Raper, Derrell Peel, and their graduate students documented the value of preconditioning.
The economic record was important. Across many years, OQBN calves sold for premiums over similar non-preconditioned calves at the same sales. Those premiums showed buyers were willing to pay for calves with reduced health risk, better management history, and greater confidence in performance after purchase.
The longer-term impact may be even greater than the sale premiums. OQBN helped teach producers, markets, and buyers what effective preconditioning looks like. Practices such as castration, dehorning, weaning, vaccination, bunk training, documentation, and Beef Quality Assurance are now more commonly discussed as part of routine calf management and marketing. Some producers adopted these practices through OQBN, while others now use similar practices through local auction-market programs, video and internet sales, or industry-based programs.
Although the formal OQBN program is concluding, its influence continues. OQBN helped move value-added calf management from a specialized marketing option toward a broader industry expectation. It showed that Extension can bring education, market access, economic analysis, and producer commitment together in a way that improves cattle management and returns more dollars to Oklahoma ranchers.
