Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
1/20/99
Contacts:
Byron Leu, Extension Livestock, (515) 472-4166
Treva Blumenshine, Extension Communication Systems, (515)
294-5672
Cornbelt Cow/Calf Conference To Be Held
AMES, Iowa -- Iowa has continued interest in the beef industry, and the 1999 Cornbelt Cow/Calf Conference offers an opportunity for researchers and cattle producers to meet with industry representatives to explore how the cow/calf business can be competitive and profitable in the future. The conference is set for Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Ottumwa Coliseum.
The one-day conference focuses on management and production practices that apply to the cow/calf industry and is open to anyone with interest in the beef industry, according to Byron Leu, Iowa State University Extension livestock field specialist. The conference program features industry leaders addressing current topics affecting the beef industry. Doors open at 7:30 a.m. with registration and exhibit viewing. Registration is $6 and includes a copy of the proceedings and lunch.
Doc Blakely, a humorous, motivational speaker with more than 20 years of professional experience headlines this year's conference. Audiences from the United States and Canada to Australia acclaim his first-rate, clean humor and timely anecdotes. After 20 years on the platform scene, he has become an authority on the use of humor in communication, authoring several books on the topic.
Also speaking at the conference is Michael John on fall calving. John is a cow-calf producer from Huntsville, Mo. His family operation includes 400 commercial cows, a calf growing program and a retained ownership enterprise. He is actively involved in the Missouri Beef Industry Council, NCBA, Missouri Cattlemen's Association and community activities.
Matching the cow to farm resources will be discussed by Don Adams. He is a professor at the University of Nebraska and is the faculty coordinator for the Gurmundsen Sandhills Laboratory. His research focuses on range beef cattle nutrition and range beef systems. He has authored more than 40 animal science papers and has been the recipient of the ASAS Young Scientist Award.
Paul Lasley, Iowa State University Extension sociologist, will be discussing changing rural culture. He is widely known across Iowa and the nation for conducting the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll. His research focuses on the changing economic and social structure of agriculture and the rural community. Lasley has authored more than 100 journal articles and has received numerous state and national awards.
During the conference, a panel discussion on adding value to the cow-calf enterprise will be presented. The panel of speakers, moderated by Daryl Strohbehn, an ISU Extension beef field specialist, include Phil Schooley, Bloomfield, Iowa; Pat Larkin, Ottumwa, Iowa; and Doug Honold, Coon Rapids, Iowa. Schooley will be discussing Iowa-Missouri Beef Improvement Organization (IMBIO) graded calf sales. In 1995, Schooley organized the IMBIO feeder calf marketing group. From 1995 until 1998, more than 20,000 calves were marketed through this program. Larkin will discuss replacement heifer development. He is a commercial cow-calf producer. His family operation includes more than 300 cows, a retained ownership program and more than 13 years of experience with progeny testing bulls. For more than 10 years, his operation has emphasized marketing heifers as breeding females. Larkin has served southeast Iowa as a CHIPS technician for more than six years. Honold is a cow-calf producer who will discuss breeding cattle. In 1984, Honold and Gordon Fordyce developed the Hat Ranch Breeding System. The goal of this two-breed rotational system is to create a uniform and predictable animal at all stages of the life cycle. The system has expanded into 15 states, involving 25,000 cows.
This is the 28th annual Cornbelt Cow/Calf Conference. The Ottumwa Area Chamber of Commerce, Iowa State University Extension and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture are sponsoring the event. For more information, contact Byron Leu, Extension livestock field specialist, at (515) 472-4166.
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