Iowa Beef Center | Iowa State University

Mission: The Iowa Beef Center mission is to enhance the vitality, profitability and growth of the Iowa beef industry through timely and relevant producer education, applied research and improved access to information.
News from Iowa Beef Center
	Heads up! The registration deadline for Feedlot Forum 2025 is quickly approaching! The Forum will be Jan. 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Terrace View Event Center in Sioux Center, and the registration deadline is Jan. 6.
	The 2025 Iowa Forage and Grassland Council annual conference is set for Feb. 3 in Ames. The event will be held at Reiman Gardens, 1407 University Blvd., just to the southwest of Jack Trice Stadium. After a number of years of drought conditions across the state, this year’s conference is focused on improving forage productivity and exploring alternative options that best meet your production goals.
	If you'll need to update your Beef Quality Assurance certification in January, Iowa Beef Center and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach have you covered. ISU extension beef specialist Denise Schwab said these six BQA dates and locations are scheduled in various areas of the state and are for both initial certification and recertification.
	To help Iowa cattlemen and women prepare for a successful calving season and subsequent breeding period, Iowa Beef Center has scheduled two Advanced Calving Clinics for January 13, 2025. Session topics cover essentials from conception to calving, including nutrition basics during gestation and early lactation, assisting at calving, colostrum management, baby calf health and care, and decisions based on calving data.
	The 2025 Driftless Region Beef Conference continues its longstanding tradition of providing educational sessions for beef producers in that region. Offered cooperatively by the university extension services in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, the 13th annual event will be held Jan. 23-24 at the Grand River Convention Center in Dubuque.
	Iowa crop and livestock farmers and agricultural landowners are asked to complete an online survey on CRP and marginal lands. The survey is being conducted by the World Wildlife Fund with support from the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association Cow-Calf Council. Responses will be used to develop recommendations for USDA to enhance programmatic support for the development of grasslands and pasture with livestock integration. All responses are anonymous. Deadline to respond is Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. Complete the Optimizing the Productivity and Health of Marginal Lands Survey.
	The Three-State Beef Conference, set for Jan. 14-16, 2025, provides beef cattle producers and others in the beef industry with a regular update on current cow-calf and stocker topics. Iowa State University extension beef specialists Erika Lundy-Woolfolk and Chris Clark are Iowa organizers of the annual event, and say the content is based on prior attendee feedback and current industry economic conditions.
	The Cornbelt Cow-Calf Conference (CCCC), Iowa’s premier educational event for Iowa’s cow-calf sector is gearing up for its 53rd year, and the program set for Jan. 25, 2025, will certainly continue that tradition. The Bridge View Center in Ottumwa will host the event, and admission will continue to be free thanks to trade show vendors that will fill the exhibit hall.
	Dealing with stress: Serious financial and other stresses continue to impact and affect those in our agricultural community. There are some resources to help deal with a variety of stress concerns and grief. The Iowa Concern Hotline is always available at 800-447-1985, iowaconcern@iastate.edu and at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/iowaconcern/.
	Looking for a BQA workshop? Check this listing on this page of the Iowa Beef Industry Council website for a location near you. This page also has links to our IBC personnel, online BQA training, information on BQA transportation trainings and more.
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Mission: The Iowa Beef Center mission is to enhance the vitality, profitability and growth of the Iowa beef industry through timely and relevant producer education, applied research and improved access to information.

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