2025 Driftless Region Beef Conference offers feedlot topics

DUBUQUE — The 2025 Driftless Region Beef Conference continues its long-standing 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. Kohmann will 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.

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.”

Woolfolk will 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 Jan. 10. After that, the price increases to $145 per person.

To register, visit the conference website where you can also find more information on topics, speakers and lodging.