With the limited hay crops in some areas this summer, beef producers may want to consider harvesting corn silage to supplement the cow herd this winter. Corn silage can be a very cost effective feedstuff for cow herds, but proper harvesting, storing and feeding is critical to maintain silage quality and feed value. Dr. Hugo Ramirez Ramirez, Iowa State University dairy specialist, shared his top five priorities for making quality silage.

In the absence of a reported market price, determining a fair price for corn silage is a negotiation between buyer and seller. As in most negotiations, the fair price is what the seller and buyer agree to, but there are many variables to consider in negotiating that price. Iowa State University extension livestock specialist Russ Euken offers guidance for sellers and buyers.

Iowa Beef Center's new publication "Iowa’s Pastureland and Grazing 2013-2018" is based on survey results from producers who attended various grazing and pasture management programs over that timeframe. It gives a snapshot of how Iowa’s cow-calf industry has changed in terms of pasture utilization. It summarizes the findings of that evaluation to determine the changes in Iowa’s pasture management and to look at the effectiveness of IBC’s various pasture programs.

Iowa cattlemen often are faced with limited forage availability when it comes to extending the grazing season. Now, producers may have the option to add grazing Conservation Reserve Program acres to their grazing rotation in the spring and again in late summer. Iowa State University extension beef specialist Erika Lundy says a Crawford County pasture walk, set for Sept. 11, will help increase awareness of this program and the benefits it can have for cattle, the land and wildlife.

The premier educational opportunity for cattlewomen in Iowa, Boots In The Barn, will be hosted by Louisa County Extension this fall. A four-meeting series covering an array of topics has been set for 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Aug. 28, Sept. 4, Sept. 18 and Oct. 2 at the Youth Center in Columbus Junction. The building is located on the Louisa County Fairgrounds at 101 Fairgrounds Road, which is just off highway 92 on the southeast side of Columbus Junction. Iowa State University Extension beef specialist Patrick Wall said attendees find the program usable and enjoyable.

From 2015-2018, the Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University partnered with 28 producers across the state in the Iowa Cow Systems Project. It was designed to identify costs, environmental impacts and best practices from Iowa cow-calf operations. The effort worked to assess emerging beef cow management technologies, detail benchmarks, summarize production and environmental data and develop decision tools. Read more about the project, findings and how to access the results.

The College of Veterinary Medicine and the Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University are asking for help from midwestern confined cow-calf producers on a survey project. The main goal of this project is to determine the common management practices utilized, the incidence and importance of animal disease, and the nutritional management practices in confined cow-calf operations. We want to improve our understanding of how these operations are managed so that we can better serve producer needs through research and educational activities. All data collected will be completely confidential and no individual answers will be published. Any presentation of the results of the survey will have all answers compiled from all participants. We hope to complete our data collection and analysis by this fall so producer educational programming may be planned beginning in 2020. The survey is available online here https://iastate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bgyUzdjBrQJaBFj  and in paper version. Request a paper copy by contacting Dr. Terry Engelken at 515-294-2192. A stamped return envelope will be included so you can mail the completed survey back at no charge. You can email Engelken with any questions.

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