Extension services in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin have teamed up to offer the 2014 Driftless Region Beef Conference Jan. 30-31 at the Grand River Convention Center in Dubuque.
The program begins at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, and ends about 11:45 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 31. The Thursday afternoon agenda will focus on the competitive advantage of grain and beef production systems, followed by an evening discussion looking at extending the grazing season with cover crops and annuals.
Friday morning’s program includes three breakout sessions for feedlot operations and three for cow herds, with a cattle market outlook presentation to end the conference.
These feedlot session topics will be offered one time each: forage levels in finishing diets with variable corn prices, introduction of the ISU Feedlot Monitoring program, and health and nutrition management for incoming feeders. For cow herds, the breakout session on economics and management of feeding cows in confinement will be offered twice, and the session on the effect of calving date on lifetime productivity of heifers offered once.
Registration for the conference is $80 before Jan. 22 or $100 after that date. Additional information, including links to the agenda, directions and lodging options, and registration forms, is on the Driftless Beef Conference website. 
—From Iowa Beef Center
