Iowa Ag Connection - 3-State Beef Conferences Jan. 15-17

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3-State Beef Conferences Jan. 15-17
Iowa Ag Connection - 12/06/2018

Area beef producers should make plans to attend the fifth annual Three-State Beef Conference Jan. 15, 16, and 17 with locations in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. The conference provides a forum of specialists from three of the United States' leading beef cattle land-grant universities to discuss where one can reduce winter cow feed costs and improve management of those resources.

The theme for this year's conference is "Reducing Cow Feed Costs Using Cropland."

Participants will be able to engage in learning about opportunities to help lower the need for hay, the most common feed resource in winter cattle rations through alternative feed sources off cropland.

"Hay resources are in high demand and short supply this year, so discovering how to reduce winter feed costs highlights the need matched by this conference," said Nebraska Extension Educator Kristen Ulmer. Ulmer will lead a conference session titled "Opportunities and management of corn residue for beef cattle."

Erika Lundy, beef specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, said the program is designed to meet current needs of producers.

"The 2019 conference will focus on reducing cow winter feed costs through optimizing the use of cropland," Lundy said. "Topics this year are especially timely considering the 2018 weather challenges, which limited opportunities for producers to harvest high-quality feedstuffs."

Additional topics and speakers for the conference include: "Using Annual Forages to meet late fall and early spring forage needs," Mary Drewnoski, beef systems specialist, Nebraska Extension; and "Silage as the primary winter feed for cows" Eric Bailey, beef nutrition specialist, University of Missouri Extension.

Drewnoski will open the program. Following the evening meal, UNL extension beef systems educator Kristen Ulmer will speak. Baileywill round out the program with his presentation.

The conference is a traveling program, offered at three locations on different dates. At each site, registration begins at 5:30 p.m., and the program will start at 6 p.m. The registration fee is $25 per person and includes a meal and copy of the presentations. Preregistrations are appreciated by Friday, Jan. 11, to help with meal planning.

- Jan. 15: Warren Cultural Center in Greenfield, Iowa

- Jan. 16: Andrew County Youth Building in Savannah, Missouri

- Jan. 17: Otoe County Fair Center in Syracuse, Neb.

To register for the Iowa session, contact Kathy Rohrig at the ISU Extension and Outreach Office -- Adair County at 641-743-8412 or krohrig@iastate.edu.

To register for the Nebraska location, call Ulmer at the Nebraska Extension in Otoe County at 402-269-2301 or email kristen.ulmer@unl.edu.

To register for the Missouri site, call Jim Humphrey at the Andrew County Extension office at 816-324-3147 or email humphreyjr@missouri.edu.

The conference brochure has agenda information and a registration form. It's available at www.iowabeefcenter.org/events/3Statebrochure2019.pdf

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