AMES, Iowa – The Iowa Beef Center is adding online meetings to the way it offers information. In addition to holding local meetings and statewide conferences, a new format – the online meeting – is being debuted this fall.

The first online meeting, “Fall Cowherd Decisions: Herd and Calf Weaning, Marketing and Management,” is now available at www.iowabeefcenter.org/content/weaningconference.html. The course offers sessions that cover nutrition, health, marketing, cow culling and weaning strategies. The course material is offered by livestock experts in a variety of ways – podcasts, voice-over PowerPoint presentations, fact sheets, newsletters and spreadsheets.

“The online meeting is a great way to receive information on your own time,” said John Lawrence, Iowa State University Extension livestock economist. “You have access to a meeting agenda that is the same as an in-person meeting, only this agenda links you directly to the research and advice you seek. Instead of waiting for a meeting to listen to a speaker, you’ll receive the same information when it is convenient for you.”

Lawrence says one session, “Making Marketing Decisions This Fall,” includes a podcast on fall marketing outlook; a voice-over PowerPoint presentation titled “Factors Impacting Feeder Cattle Prices at Iowa Auctions” and a useful spreadsheet on feeder cattle marketing assessment.

“The online presentations and handouts are prepared by Iowa Beef Center’s beef cattle experts; participants will get the same information that they would receive at an in-person meeting or conference,” said Lawrence. “This first course includes the latest information on weaning management topics ranging from vaccinations to stress management. Related topics, such as cow culling, are covered to help producers make management decisions that coincide with weaning decisions.”

Course participants can view the material all at one time, or make repeat visits back to the site as time and interests allow. There is no charge for participating in the online course offerings available from the Iowa Beef Center Web site, www.iowabeefcenter.org.

The Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, was established in 1996 with the goal of supporting the growth and vitality of the state’s beef cattle industry. It serves as the university’s extension program to cattle producers and is comprised of faculty and staff from ISU Extension and the colleges of agriculture and life sciences and veterinary medicine. Together, the Iowa Beef Center’s members work to develop and deliver the latest in research-based information regarding the beef cattle industry. For more information about the Iowa Beef Center, visit www.iowabeefcenter.org.

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