Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University will host six tours focusing on fall grazing cover crops across Iowa in late November and early December. These tours are part of a fall grazing cover crops risk management project funded through USDA-NIFA, and will be led by IBC beef specialists. Tour stops will include Iowa State research projects and producers who have successfully grazed cover crops in the fall, who will share their tips for overcoming the challenges of adequate fall growth for grazing.

The Iowa Beef Center is cooperating with the Iowa Beef Industry Council to host a series of Beef Quality Assurance training and certification sessions across Iowa before the end of 2018. BQA is a nationally coordinated, state implemented program that raises consumer confidence through offering proper management techniques and a commitment to quality within every segment of the beef industry. Find a location near you.

The final session in this year’s Greenhorn Grazing series is Nov. 8 at the ISU McNay Research Farm near Chariton. The meeting will run from 4:30 p.m. to approximately 9 p.m. and dinner is included. Iowa State extension beef specialist Chris Clark said discussion topics will include optimizing winter grazing, electric fencing systems, fertility recommendations for pastures, winter beef cow nutrition, and general grazing management. Cost is just $15 for those not already registered for the series, and preregistration is due Nov. 6.

Corn silage has always been a major feed component in dairy and beef rations. However, this year's weather is making harvesting corn silage a challenge for many areas of the state. While every area of the state has had different growing conditions, all have been challenging. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach beef specialist Denise Schwab said a few basic principles of corn silage harvest are critical to harvest and store a high quality corn silage feedstuff.

For the first time since 2014, the annual conference of the Iowa Forage and Grasslands Council will be held in Des Moines during November. The 2018 Iowa Forage and Grasslands Conference is set for Nov. 26-27 at the Des Moines Airport Holiday Inn. ISU extension beef specialist Patrick Wall is IFGC president and says Jim Gerrish and Byron Shelton are featured speakers at the event.

Two Iowa State University projects, both coordinated by Iowa Beef Center and ISU extension beef specialists, were among 17 recently awarded funding through the 2018 North Central Extension Risk Management Education Program. Beef specialist Denise Schwab is the project director for “Fall Grazed Cover Crops - Balancing Feed Cost and Weather Risk” and beef specialist Patrick Wall will lead the “’Iowa Cowmaker Elite’ Bred Heifer Development Risk Management Project.”

News Archives

Dan Loy, Iowa Beef Center director, writes this monthly column featured in Iowa Cattleman Magazine.

November 2018

Adding Value to the Calf Crop and to You

November typically features the peak of the fall calf marketing run. For cow calf producers that are not backgrounding or retaining ownership in some fashion, this is your pay day. For feedlots this is the beginning of the process of filling pens that will continue into the winter or early spring.

At Iowa State University our crop is students. Our fall crop of students will graduate in December and the larger spring crop will graduate in May. Employers are willing to pay a higher salary for those students that they believe have more value based on grades, activities, leadership, experience and other factors. Even though the ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has a 99.2% placement rate there are ways to add value to the experience.

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Katy Lippolis, assistant professor of animal science at Iowa State University, writes a regular "By Design" column for Angus Journal.

November 2018

Indoor hay storage facilities

With much of the country experiencing drought and a shortage of hay supplies, finding ways to stretch hay through the winter months is increasingly important.

A long-term option to decrease hay losses due to spoilage is storing bales under roof or in an enclosed barn (see Table 1). Bringing hay inside can also prevent hay from losing quality. While the initial cost may be high compared to storing outside, the barn will often pay for itself over time when considering the decrease in spoilage and often improved nutritional value.

There are many economical options available for facilities to get hay and other feedstuffs out of the weather, including pole barns and hoop barns. While the designs included in this article are partially enclosed, there are a wide variety of options available — from no walls to fully enclosed, depending on your needs.

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