For part-time farmers, dead livestock are often disposed of with no further investigation. Many report that they assume the cost of transporting the animal for necropsy would be prohibitive, and that they do not think they can determine a cause with their own knowledge. To help farmers identify the causes of death loss, the Cooperative Extension Service brought UK's Extension Veterinarian to a cattle producers' meeting to discuss how to utilize the diagnostic lab and what background information to gather on the farm that could guide the necropsy or even identify a likely cause without transporting the animal. Dr. Michelle Arnold reviewed common diagnoses encountered in the lab, discussed the process for bringing specimens to the lab, and what information was needed to ensure an accurate determination of the cause of death. Of the 21 in attendance, all reported a greater understanding of how the VDDL could benefit their farms and stated they were more likely to utilize it in the future.