Driftless Region Beef Conference Offered in Dubuque

Extension services from the University of Illinois, Iowa State University, and University of Wisconsin services are working together to offer the thirteenth annual Driftless Region Beef Conference Jan. 23-24, at the Grand River Convention Center in Dubuque.

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 starts with a breakfast session on “Challenges and Joys of Family Farm Transitions” where Bruce and Peyton River of Maquoketa 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, 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.” He'll share information on balancing new technologies with older tried and true approaches. This talk will discuss the basics of crossbreeding, an old tried and true approach, and how it can be used as leverage for commercial herds to build more productive cows and higher-performing calf crops.

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. She'll 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's presentation is “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.