Responsible beef herd expansion: is it in your future?
Replacment heifers.
3/12/25
CHARITON, Iowa – Is now a good time to expand your beef cow herd? Have you been thinking about how to optimize your production to capitalize on this record-high market? The new Iowa Beef Center program, “Responsible Expansion of Iowa’s Cow Herd” might help provide answers to those questions.
Iowa State University extension beef specialist Chris Clark will offer the same program at two locations in early April, and said the content will help producers think about both opportunity and risk regarding herd expansion. The sessions at Moravia and Chariton also will include strategies to keep breeding females in the herd to increase profitability.
“We will go through an interactive exercise talking about cow appreciation and depreciation, and risk based on cow age and stage of production,” he said. “Then we will talk through some management practices to improve reproductive success and reduce replacement rate.”
Other discussion topics may include nutritional management of first-calf heifers, breeding strategies for yearling heifers, animal selection, and buying versus raising replacements. The Iowa Beef Center team developed this program with producer success in mind, and Clark said one of the take-home messages is that the better we do at keeping females in the herd, the more profitable we are.
"It’s an interesting time in the beef industry,” Clark said. “On one hand, we all would like to have as many females as possible producing calves right now. On the other hand, replacement females are really valuable. Simply put, can we afford to expand, and if we do, how do we make the most of that investment?”
Both programs will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. with refreshments provided at the Chariton site and a light meal provided at the Moravia site. They’re free and open the public, and preregistration is requested to help ensure adequate supplies.
- April 1: Lighthouse Church of Nazarene, 405 Myra Lane, Moravia. Call either Appanoose County Extension at 641-856-3885, Monroe County Extension at 641-932-5612, or Davis County Extension at 641-664-2730.
- April 2. Lucas County Extension Office, 48293 Hy Vee Road, Chariton. Call Lucas County Extension at 641-774-2016 or email Mikenzy at mcbeaty@iastate.edu.
For more information about the program, contact Clark at 712-250-0070 or email at caclark@iastate.edu.
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The Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University was established in 1996 with the goal of supporting the growth and vitality of the state’s beef cattle industry. It comprises faculty and staff from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine, and works to develop and deliver the latest research-based information regarding the beef cattle industry. For more information about IBC, visit www.iowabeefcenter.org.
Contact:
Chris Clark, Iowa State University Extension beef specialist, 712-250-0070, caclark@iastate.edu
