A full day of cattle viewing and socializing with fellow beef producers is on tap for the annual Iowa Hereford Tour on Aug. 25 in southeast Iowa. Sponsored by the Iowa Hereford Breeders Association, the event is open to the public. Door prizes will be awarded at each stop.

Attendees will gather at 10 a.m. at Rustic View Farms, 1626 275th St. at Mount Pleasant. Hosts Don and Annie Van Amerongen will serve doughnuts, coffee and water. The Van Amerongens began their select herd of Hereford cows in 2011 and are regular consignors to the Iowa Beef Expo. 

Next on the tour is K7 Herefords, 3388 240th St. near Lockridge. The tour will arrive at this second stop at 10:40 a.m. Visitors will see 100 spring-calving and fall-calving cows owned by Tom and Jo Heidt and family.

Annual meeting at luncheon

From there, the group will travel to the Cambridge building on the Jefferson County fairgrounds, 2606 W. Burlington Ave. in Fairfield. A Dutch-treat meal will begin at 12:30 p.m. The Iowa Hereford Breeders Association will hold its annual meeting, where association members will elect four new directors.

The hamburger lunch costs $8 per person, and reservations should be made by Aug. 12 to Bill Goehring, 641-919-9365, or Becky Goehring, 641-919-8951; or send them an email at [email protected].

The first afternoon stop at about 2:45 p.m. will be hosted by Phillip and Ryan Gaffney at 32646 310th St. near Milton. The Gaffney family has been breeding Hereford cattle for 85 years. They will have their spring-calving cow herd and bred heifers on display.

The tour will conclude with a 4 p.m. visit to Goehring Herefords, 22131 205th St. near Keosauqua. Bill and Becky Goehring and family have had Hereford cattle since 1973 and will showcase groups of AI-produced calves, bred heifers and herd sires, including GHF 21Z Every Storm 58C, the 2017 grand champion bull at both the Iowa State Fair and Minnesota State Fair.

‘Herefords in the Park’

A special evening event, “Herefords in the Park,” is an informative program for all cattle producers in a casual setting. It will be held in the main lodge at Lacey Keosauqua State Park, 22895 Lacey Trail, Keosauqua, beginning with a social at 6 p.m. 

Following a steak supper, speakers will be Jeff Gooden, cattle operation manager at Valley Oak Steak Co. in Lone Jack, Mo., and Frank Barnitz, owner and operator of Net Worth Feeds & Feeding, Lake Springs, Mo. Gooden will discuss processing and marketing certified Hereford beef and incorporating Hereford bulls into their Angus cow herd. Barnitz will talk about custom backgrounding and feeding using Hereford-influence cattle.

Reservations are also needed for the $10 steak supper at the evening event and should be made to the Goehrings at the phone numbers or email as previously listed.

Source: Iowa Hereford Association, which is responsible for information provided and is owned by the source. Informa Business Media and subsidiaries aren’t responsible for any content in this information asset.