Providing research-based beef production information to beef producers in the Driftless Region of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
University of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin Extension services are working together to offer the thirteenth annual Driftless Region Beef Conference to be held on January 23 and 24, 2025 at the Grand River Convention Center in Dubuque, IA. The aim of the conference is to provide educational sessions for beef producers. The early registration fee of $120 per person must be received prior to midnight on January 10, 2025. After that, the price increases to $145 per person. To register please visit https://www.regcytes.extension.iastate.edu/beef/ where you can also find more information on topics, speakers, and lodging.
Thursday will start out with keynote speakers Dr. Derrell Peel from Oklahoma State University and Dr. Troy Rowan from University of Tennessee. Also speaking Thursday will be Dr. Marta Kohmann from the University of Wisconsin.
Rounding out Thursday evening after dinner will be the popular “Bull Pen” discussion featuring a panel of locker plant managers from the Driftless Area sharing their insights and answering questions about marketing beef locally.
Friday morning will start out with a breakfast session on “Challenges and Joys of Family Farm Transitions” where Bruce and Peyton River of Maquoketa, IA will share their experiences on these challenges.
Following the breakfast session, breakout sessions will be offered on a variety of topics. One track will focus on the cow herd while the other focuses more on feedlot aspects.
The cow herd focused sessions this year will be led by Troy Rowan from the University of Tennessee, Marta Kohmann from the University of Wisconsin, Dan Shike from University of Illinois, and Mark Renz from University of Wisconsin.
Troy Rowan will talk about “Crossbreeding: The Beef Industry’s Last Free Lunch”. During this talk Dr. Rowan will talk about balancing the new technologies with the older tried and true approaches. This talk will discuss the basics of crossbreeding, an old tried and true approach, can be used as leverage for commercial herds to build more productive cows and higher-performing calf crops.
Marta Kohmann will talk about “Cow-Calf Operations on Pasture”. Keeping cow-calf operation on pasture is an efficient way to maximize profit and reduce costs. During this talk, Dr. Kohmann will discuss the main pasture management strategies for cow-calf operation success while also looking into approaches to increase forage inventory and length of the grazing season.
Dan Shike will talk about “Impact of Age and Body Weight at Time of Breeding on Heifer Reproductive Success”. Earlier research recommended developing heifers to 65% of mature body weight at time of breeding was best. More recent research has shown that 55% may be adequate and more cost productive. Data suggests that there is an interaction between age and bodyweight relative to heifer reproductive success.
Mark Renz will talk about “Benefits and Options for Shrub Control in Pastures”. The talk delves into the impacts of shrubs on forage productivity in pastures and management options to effectively manage them such as herbicides, goats, manual removal, and integrated approaches.
Finally, to wrap up the conference, everyone will come together again and here Derrell Peel talk on “Cattle Market Outlook: 2025 and Beyond” which encompasses the current cattle market situation and factors affecting producer profitability.
The Driftless Region Beef Conference is presented by
