Iowa Beef Center

Best practices paired with profitability during difficult economic times are the topics at hand at this year’s cow-calf conference held in Ottumwa, IA.

The 39th annual Cornbelt Cow-Calf Conference — the largest such conference of its kind in the state — provides producers with the opportunity to learn and share ideas that will help make the cow-calf business profitable and competitive on a long-term basis. This year’s conference is Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, starting at 9:30 a.m., at the Bridge View Center.

This one-day event typically draws more than 500 people and costs just $10 to enter. No preregistration is required, and all participants receive a copy of materials presented at the conference.

For more information about this year’s Cornbelt Cow-Conference, click here.

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The Iowa Beef Center winter cow meeting series, ““Doing business in an information-based marketplace,” is being brought to a location near you, with Iowa State University Extension staff presenting production and financial information to help feeder cattle owners tackle current issues.

Although the specific agenda will vary by location, several ISU Extension staff members will be presenting at each meeting. Among these presenters are Dr. Dan Loy, ISU Extension beef specialist, who will discuss weaning and backgrounding systems, and Dr. Grant Dewell, ISU Extension veterinarian, who will present on increasing the value of feeder calves through health programs. Dr. John Lawrence, Iowa Beef Center director and Extension livestock economist, will have a presentation on market outlook for 2010 and Dr. Daryl Strohbehn, ISU Extension beef specialist, will discuss capturing the value of feeder calves.

Darrell Busby, ISU Extension beef field specialist, will highlight his experiences with the Tri-County Cooperative in southwest Iowa, and a local field specialist will be on hand to discuss the value of information in the marketplace.

For more information on the cow series, including a list of the meeting times and locations, a complete press release is available here, and an accompanying brochure for the cow series is here.

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The January issue of the Iowa Beef Center newsletter, Growing Beef, is now available! This latest issue highlights some of the recent staff changes to the center, including the retirement of four of our staff members who together have devoted more than thirteen decades to Iowa State University Extension.

The Iowa Beef Center also says goodbye to its director, John Lawrence, an ISU Extension livestock economist who has led the Center for more than a decade. Lawrence leaves the Iowa Beef Center to take on the role of Director of ISU Extension to Agriculture and Natural Resources, effective February 1, 2010. An interum director for the Iowa Beef Center will be announced shortly. Click here for more information on Lawrence’s new position within Extension.

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Presenters at next month’s seedstock conference, “Applying Old Rules to New Technology Production,” will be covering two topics that are sure to help breeders take their business into the future.

Dr. Jonathan Beever from the University of Illinois will be presenting on genetic defects.

“Dr. Beever is the leading geneticist in the United States on genetic defects and has developed several DNA diagnostics currently available for testing and managing breeding stock for exactly these types of problems,” Strohbehn said. “This is a session our bull breeders should not miss if they are serious about being a producer with the highest integrity.”

To learn more about this topic and Dr. Beever’s presentation, click here.

Both Dr. Jim Reecy of Iowa State University and Dr. Darrh Bullock of the University of Kentucky will present information on beef cattle genomics and their incorporation into genetic predictions and selection programs.

Reecy has been at the forefront of the discovery and development of gene markers, which relates to various production traits in beef cattle. Bullock has been on the other side of the genetic equation, which is relating how to best utilize these informational tools in advancing bull breeding programs.

To learn more about gene marker technology, go here. Additional information on the seedstock conference, including a registration form, can be found here.

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The Iowa Beef Center winter meeting series, “Feedlot Forum 2010,” is being brought to a location near you, with Iowa State University Extension staff presenting production and financial information to help feedlot producers tackle current issues.

Although the specific agenda will vary by location, several ISU Extension staff members will be presenting at each location. Among these presenters are Dr. Dan Loy, ISU Extension beef specialist, who will discuss feed management, and Dr. Grant Dewell, ISU Extension veterinarian, who will present on keeping compromised cattle out of the market place and cattle health. Dr. John Lawrence, Iowa Beef Center director and Extension livestock economist, will be available via voice-over PowerPoint with a presentation on market outlook for 2010 and Brian Waddingham from the Iowa Beef Industry Council will discuss their Feedlot Animal Welfare Assessment tool. Area beef program specialists will visit about management and performance of cattle in hoop and mono-slope barns.

To learn more about the meeting series, including a listing of the locations where the meetings will be held and registration information, go here. The meeting series brochure is also available, which includes a registration form.

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A complete agenda and registration form are now available for the upcoming December seedstock conference, “Applying Old Rules to New Technology Production.” To learn more about the conference, click here.  

Conference Agenda

11:30 am-12:30 pm: Registration, View Displays

12:30-2:30 pm: Session One

“The New Era of Higher Prices and Higher Costs: Do the Old Beef Production Rules Apply?”�
John Lawrence, Iowa State University

“New Technologies in Genomics, Their Capability and What We’ve Learned So Far”
Jim Reecy, Iowa State University

“I’m Itching to Use Gene Markers: With the Current Technology, Can An Operation Play by the Old Rules?”
Darrh Bullock, University of Kentucky

2:30-3 pm: Break

3-5:30 pm: Session Two

“Clean Genes - Are You Supplying Them?  Defects and Tips on Handling Them”
Jonathan Beever, University of Illinois

“Handling BVD-PI, Johne’s Disease and Trichomoniasis: Are There New Technologies for Production and   Sales?”
Kris Clothier, Iowa State University

“Can the Seedstock Industry Learn Anything from the Old Methods of Progeny Feedouts?”
Darrell Busby and Daryl Strohbehn, Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University

5:30-6:30 pm: Social Hour, View Displays

6:30-7:15 pm: Dinner

715-8:30 pm: Evening Session

“Can New Internet/Electronic Technologies Enhance Your Marketing Strategies?”
   Eric Grant, Angus Production Inc.; Ed Tlach, Edje Technologies; and Mark Core, Core Family Farm Seedstock

To register for the conference, fill out the registration form and return it to the Iowa Beef Center.  Hope to see you there!

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The November issue of the Iowa Beef Center newsletter, Growing Beef, is now available! Robert Jolly, Iowa State University economics professor, walks feedlot operators through preparations for upcoming meetings with their ag lenders. Click here to read Jolly’s recommendations on understanding your lender and developing a plan regarding your operation’s financial future.

For more information on working with your ag lender and understanding your operation’s financial future, check out the following Iowa State University Extension resources:

• Ag Decision Maker Web site: An agricultural economics and business site
• “Obtaining a Business Loan” : article from Ag Marketing Resource Center
• “Financial Terms” : article from Ag Marketing Resource Center

Economics & Markets, Feedlot Operations ag financing, ag lender, IBC newsletter

Iowa livestock producers have an opportunity to hear all about grass-fed beef at this year’s Iowa Forage and Grasslands Council Conference, held Nov. 23-24, 2009.

The conference, held at the Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines, will feature speakers from a variety of organizations, including the Iowa Beef Center, part of Iowa State University Extension, and the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey is also scheduled to present at the conference, discussing the importance of forages in Iowa.

Producers will enjoy topics ranging from alternative uses for forages to storing and feeding your forages. Iowa Beef Center Director John Lawrence, also a livestock economist, will discuss the economics of both forage production and grass-fed cattle production in his presentations delivered at the conference. Several producers will offer insight into the best practices in grass-fed and grain-fed specialty beef production during their morning discussion.

On Monday, November 23, attendees can attend an evening roundtable discussion; the conference will continue as an all-day event on November 24. Registration for both days, with meals included, is $40, and pre-registration continues through November 17.

A full agenda and registration form is available at http://www.iowabeefcenter.org. For more information on attending the IFGC Conference, contact Joe Sellers, Iowa State University Extension beef specialist, at 641-774-2016 or sellers@iastate.edu.

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Out with the old and in the with new, as they say. Or, in the case of an upcoming Iowa Beef Center conference, maybe the old and the new are both here to stay.

The Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University will be hosting a seedstock conference Dec. 10, 2009, in Ames, IA, and conference organizer Daryl Strohbehn hopes to bring in attendees who wish to learn about new technology and its place in long-standing practices.  

The conference, titled “Applying Old Rules to New Technology Production,” is intended for bull breeders in Iowa and will feature a range of topics, including the following:

• using new genetic technology, including the millennia chip
• utilizing gene markers in breeding programs
• detecting and managing around genetic defects
• reviewing breeding directions in a time of escalated costs
• handling diseases important to seedstock sales
• enhancing marketing programs through the Internet and electronic media

A complete agenda and list of speakers, along with conference registration information, will be available shortly online at www.iowabeefcenter.org.

Stocker/Backgrounder bull breeding, livestock genetics, seedstock

Cattle producers can now look to a new tool to help them  better develop a marketing strategy, thanks to the work of livestock economists working with the Iowa Beef Center and Iowa State University Extension.

Iowa Beef Center Director John Lawrence and ISU Extension Livestock Economist Shane Ellis spearheaded the development of the Cattle “Crush Margin” tool, now available online.  This gross margin forecasting resource projects the gross margins of fed cattle that will be marketed over the next 16 months.  The projections are based on futures prices and the historic Iowa basis for live cattle, feeder cattle and corn. 

Using the projected gross margin as a barometer, it is possible to identify the opportunities when profitability could be secured with a hedge or other price risk management technique.  Projections are updated online every Wednesday or more often if significant futures price fluctuations occur. 

The crush margin tool and accompanying resources can be accessed through www.iowabeefcenter.org/margins.

Economics & Markets crush margin, futures marketing, gross margin, livestock marketing