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
	With the fall run in full swing, cattle producers want to make sure their spring-born calves have a good start in the feedyard. A new program offered by Iowa Beef Center will help cattle feeders and stakeholders prioritize herd health and ease stress on individual animals. Cattle Feeders Day is set for Dec. 10 at the ISU Armstrong Research Farm/Wallace Learning Center, 53020 Hitchcock Ave., Lewis.
	Building on the success of the first Genetic Symposium that was centered on the bull, Iowa Beef Center has refocused the Dec. 16-17 event on the female and improving reproduction. Iowa State University extension cow-calf specialist Randie Culbertson said reproduction is the most economically significant trait of a cow-calf operation.
	One year-end BQA certification training remaining in northwest Iowa on Dec. 16 in Orange City. These trainings feature significant changes in the beef industry and best management practices to provide sustainable, high-quality beef to consumers, and ISU extension beef specialist Beth Doran said new developments such as EID traceability, biosecurity, and animal health will be featured.
	Beef producers are invited to attend the next All Things Beef winter workshop on Dec. 18 in Marshalltown to learn about recent regulatory updates and winter beef cow nutrition. Chris Clark, Iowa State University extension beef specialist, said this session will include information on some relatively new regulations regarding animal identification and implants.
	Do heavier cattle weights increase feedlot profit? Dr. Grant Crawford, associate director of cattle technical services with Merck Animal Health, will address this topic at Feedlot Forum 2025 on Jan. 14 in Sioux Center. Registration is due Jan. 6.
	With the national beef cow herd at record low numbers and fed cattle numbers still decreasing, marketing and the future of the cow herd expansion is the timely focus of the 13th annual Driftless Region Beef Conference. It will be held Jan. 23-24, 2025, at the Grand River Convention Center in Dubuque.
	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.
	Dairy-beef crossbreds are gaining in popularity, yet some producers are unsure how that might work in their herds. Garland Dahlke, research scientist with the Iowa Beef Center, will present research he conducted the past 18 months examining the nutrition, health, and performance of dairy crossbred calves. His presentation is one of five at Feedlot Forum 2025 on Jan. 14 in Sioux Center.
	High-priced feeder cattle, inflation, volatile markets, and weather have pressured the bottom line for cattle feeders. Beth Doran, beef specialist for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, said these pressures and methods of coping are the focus of this year’s Feedlot Forum 2025.
	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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