Clayton County ISU Extension & Outreach Media Packet for 1/2/25
Thursday, January 9
9:00AM Commercial Manure Applicator Certification Elkader, IA
Monday, January 13
9:30AM Advanced Calving Clinic Arlington, IA
Sunday, January 19
7:00PM 4-H County Council Meeting Elkader, IA
Wednesday, January 22
6:00PM Growing Up WILD: Child Care Provider Training - VIRTUAL Online
Thursday, January 23
1:00PM Driftless Region Beef Conference Dubuque, IA
1:30PM Confinement Site Manure Applicator Certification Elkader, IA
Friday, January 24
7:00AM Driftless Region Beef Conference Dubuque, IA
1:00PM Beef Quality Assurance Training Dubuque, IA
Sunday, January 26
2:00PM 4-H Citizenship Meeting Elkader, IA
6:00PM New 4-H Member Orientation Elkader, IA
Thursday, January 30
5:00PM Managing for Today and Tomorrow: Farm Transition Planning, Multi-Session Course Edgewood, IA
Clayton County 4-H & FFA Members Weigh In 254 Market Beef for 2025 County Fair
97 Clayton County 4-H & FFA members have weighed and identified 254 head of market beef as projects this year. This is up one youth and up three animals from last year. Identified for 2025 were 168 Market Steers, 39 Dairy Steers and 47 Market Heifers. There will be 222 days for cattle weighed on December 21 used to figure rate-of-gain. For these projects to be eligible for a blue ribbon at county fair, the steers must gain 2.4 lbs. /day and the heifers 2.2 lbs. /day. The Clayton County market beef show will be Friday, July 31. Retinal imagining was also done to qualify state fair animals. This year Clayton County 4-H’ers verified 11 head of cattle for state fair 4-H show. For more information on the 4-H market beef project please contact the Clayton County Extension Office at 563-245-1451.
2025 Driftless Region Beef Conference Offers Feedlot-specific Topics
University extension services in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin offer annual event
Denise Schwab
The 2025 Driftless Region Beef Conference continues its longstanding tradition of providing educational sessions for beef producers in that region. Offered cooperatively by the university extension services in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, the 13th annual event will be held Jan. 23-24 at the Grand River Convention Center in Dubuque.
Thursday starts with keynote speakers Derrell Peel from Oklahoma State University and Troy Rowan from University of Tennessee.
Also speaking Thursday, Marta Kohmann from the University of Wisconsin will talk about “Managing Pastures for Long-Term Production.” Grazing management is no easy task. Several decisions are needed to ensure productive pastures that keep up with animal requirements long term. She'll go over main principles of sustainable pasture management, and share information on some grazing studies currently underway.
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 begins with the breakfast session in which Bruce and Peyton River of Maquoketa will share their experiences on “Challenges and Joys of Family Farm Transitions.”
Following the breakfast session, two tracks of breakout sessions will focus on the cow herd and feedlot areas respectively.
Feedlot speakers and topics are:
Joseph Lensing of Iowa State University will talk about “Risk Management in a High-Priced Market” focusing on analyzing the risk protection and strategies to protect the value of feeder and fed cattle in the current market.
Erika Woolfolk of Iowa State will talk about “Effects of Market Timing and Performance Technologies on Marketing Decisions for High Quality Midwest Cattle.” She'll share results of a study conducted at Iowa State to evaluate the tradeoff related to days on feed and market timing contingent on feeds costs, grid premiums, and discounts for high quality cattle sold on a carcass or grid market basis.
Denise Schwab of Iowa State will talk about the “BeefXDairy Lifetime Performance Project," an Iowa State project that looked at the impacts of early life nutrition on lifetime growth, health and performance on beef-dairy cross calves. The study results will be shared along with implications for managing beef dairy cross calves for performance, health and carcass merit.
Josh McCann of the University of Illinois will talk about “Causes and Costs of Erratic Intake in the Feedyard.” Consistent dry matter intake is the hallmark of good management. McCann will explain why it is important to consider the causes and costs of erratic feed intake.
Keynote speaker Peel will bring the conference to a close with his presentation, “Cattle Market Outlook: 2025 and Beyond,” which encompasses the current cattle market situation and factors affecting producer profitability.
The early registration fee of $120 per person must be received prior to midnight on Jan. 10, 2025. After that, the price increases to $145 per person. To register please visit the conference website where you can also find more information on topics, speakers and lodging.
Farm Couple Getaway Returns to Dubuque
Relax and refresh during a weekend getaway
Jennifer Bentley, Larry Tranel
DUBUQUE, Iowa – To help farm families build relationships and set family goals, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering a Farm Couple Getaway. This event is aimed at farmers wanting to take part in activities to improve farm family communication, work on farm or family goals, or work on farm transitions, or who would just like a weekend away to discuss farm and family issues.
T he getaway will be held Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22, 2025, at the Best Western Plus Hotel in Dubuque and will run from 12:30 p.m. on Friday to 3:15 p.m. on Saturday.
There is no cost to attend the program as food, lodging and other expenses are being donated by sponsors. However, there is a $50 per couple deposit to hold each reservation, refundable after the conclusion of the event.
Past Farm Couple Getaways have proven to be beneficial. “They are a very productive and delightful time to discuss items of importance to help farms and families be successful,” said Larry Tranel, dairy specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. The February getaway will comprise 10 farm couples and the extension facilitators.
Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis with registrations due by Feb. 7, 2025. Registration brochures can be obtained from dairy specialist Larry Tranel, at tranel@iastate.edu, or at the ISU Extension and Outreach Dubuque County office, 563-583-6496, or from Jenn Bentley, dairy specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, at jbentley@iastate.edu, or at the ISU Extension and Outreach Winneshiek County office, 563-382-2949.
For more details or to download the registration brochure, visit the 2025 Farm Couple Getaway webpage.
Advanced Beef Cow Calving Clinics Scheduled for Jan. 13
Denise Schwab
To help Iowa cattlemen and women prepare for a successful calving season and subsequent breeding period, Iowa Beef Center has scheduled two Advanced Calving Clinics for Jan. 13, 2025, according to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach beef specialist Denise Schwab.
Session topics cover essentials from conception to calving, including nutrition basics during gestation and early lactation, assisting at calving, colostrum management, baby calf health and care, and decisions based on calving data.
“We anticipate attendees will really enjoy the hands-on session led by clinical assistant professor Caitlin Wiley from the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine," Schwab said. “This session focuses on troubleshooting dystocia issues utilizing a life-size cow model.”
Thanks to the cooperation and sponsorship of the Edgewood Vet clinic and the Keystone Vet Clinic, Dr. Sami Kemp and Dr. Abbey Smith will be discussing newborn calf care and management. Dr. Grant Dewell, ISU extension beef veterinarian, will discuss colostrum management in beef herds and Randie Culbertson, ISU Extension and Outreach cow-calf specialist, will discuss decision making based on calving records and data. Schwab will present on gestational nutrition.
Because the sessions are designed for individual hands-on learning, attendance is limited to 50 participants per clinic location and preregistration is required. Thanks to program sponsors, the cost is $25 per person, which includes a meal.
Those who want to attend should register at least two days in advance of their desired location date by contacting the respective county extension office.
Jan. 13 — Arlington Event Center, 853 Main St., Arlington; 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.; contact ISU Extension and Outreach Fayette County at 563-425-3331 or email Deb at dkahler@iastate.edu
Jan. 13 — St. Mary’s Parrish Center, 2200 2nd Ave., Vinton; 4:30 – 9:30 p.m.; contact ISU Extension and Outreach Benton County at 319-472-4739 or email Patti at upmeyer@iastate.edu
For more information or questions contact Denise Schwab, ISU Extension and Outreach beef specialist, 319-721-9624, dschwab@iastate.edu.
Additional Stories Published Online
The following news releases have been published on the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach website.
The 2025 Iowa Forage and Grassland Council annual conference is set for Feb. 3 in Ames. After a number of years of drought conditions across the state, this year’s conference is focused on improving forage productivity and exploring alternative options that best meet production goals.
If you'll need to update your Beef Quality Assurance certification in January, Iowa Beef Center and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach have you covered with six events. These BQA dates and locations are scheduled in various areas of the state and are for both initial certification and recertification.
The 2025 Driftless Region Beef Conference continues its longstanding tradition of providing educational sessions for beef producers in that region. Offered cooperatively by the university extension services in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, the 13th annual event will be held Jan. 23-24 at the Grand River Convention Center in Dubuque.
To help Iowa cattlemen and women prepare for a successful calving season and subsequent breeding period, Iowa Beef Center has scheduled two Advanced Calving Clinics for Jan. 13, 2025, according to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach beef specialist Denise Schwab.
The 2025 Farm Transitions Conference will be held Feb. 6-7, 2025, at the Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in Ames. The conference is hosted by the Beginning Farmer Center at Iowa State University.
Nineteen Iowa 4-H youth members joined 750 of the nation’s best and brightest young people in Atlanta, Georgia, Nov. 29 to Dec. 3 to attend the 2024 National 4-H Congress, hosted cooperatively with National 4-H Headquarters, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National 4-H Council and the State 4-H Programs.
The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team monthly webinar series continues on Wednesday, Jan. 22, from noon to 1 p.m. This program will be presented by Dennis Todey and focus on the climate and weather predictions for the 2025 growing season.
SowBridge, the distance educational series for those who work with sows, boars and piglets, and with genetic and reproductive issues, begins its next program year in early February 2025. Registration is now underway for the program, provided through a cooperative effort of 15 colleges and universities from the nation's major swine producing states.
12/19/2024 New Gilt Development Video Series from IPIC
Identifying, selecting and managing the right gilts for an operation is a driving factor in farm productivity. A new video series from the Iowa Pork Industry Center focuses on a variety of aspects related to gilt development packaged in an easy to watch format.
The annual Dairy Days will be held at four eastern Iowa locations and one northwest Iowa location during February and March 2025. With slightly differing agendas, the programs will primarily focus on crop and forage management, highly pathogenic avian influenza updates, dairy market and industry updates, and a listening session with producer and industry participation.
12/17/2024 Farm Couple Getaway Returns to Dubuque
To help farm families build relationships and set family goals, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering a Farm Couple Getaway, Feb. 21-22, 2025, in Dubuque. This event is aimed at farmers wanting to take part in activities to improve farm family communication, work on farm or family goals, or work on farm transitions, or who would just like a weekend away to discuss farm and family issues.
What will ag markets and profitability look like the next 18 months? That is the question Chad Hart, nationally recognized market economist with Iowa State University, will address at Feedlot Forum 2025 on Jan. 14.
コメント