Mark your calendar and plan to attend the 2008 ICA Annual Convention to be held Tuesday and Wednesday, January 8-9, 2008, at the Gateway Hotel & Conference Center on the south edge of Ames.

The two-day event is packed with exhibits and information for cattle producers and everyone interested in the beef industry. The annual meeting and trade show is a fun and informative event, says Bruce Berven, executive vice president.

Registration begins Tuesday at 8 a.m. and Table Top Trade Show at 9 a.m. Last year's convention featured 27 exhibitors, this year it'll have over 40. For details on the trade show, call ICA at 515-296-2266, or visit www.iacattlemen.org.

Committee meetings include beef product, business issues, and cattle production, commence at 9 a.m. All policy issues are open for discussion, topics will likely range from beef quality assurance, precondition/EID, checkoff consideration, environmental and animal health issues such as Johne's Disease.

Tuesday 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. features information sessions. Topics include:

* Adding Value with Age and Source Verification - hosted by AgInfoLink
* 2008 Legislative Review - ICA lobbyist Jill Altringer
* Making Your Hay Stretch - ISU Extension beef specialist, Daryl Strohbehn
* Small Feedlot Plan - EPC's, Dave Petty and DNR's Lyle Asell
* Identifiying BVD PI's: Elimination and Control - Bruce Hoffman, president and co-founder, Animal Profiling International, Inc.
* Market Outlook - vice president marketing, Nebraska Cattlemen Inc, Jeff Stolle
* Johne's Disease Control Update - Johne's Program coordinator, IDALS, Randy Wheeler
* 10 Things to Look at with high feed costs (feedlot)--ISU Extension beef specialist Dan Loy
* Custom Cow/Calf Grazing - ISU Extension specialist Joe Sellers and former ISU Extension livestock specialist Carl Neifert
* Summer Annuals/Winter Annuals—ISU forage specialist Steve Barnhart

Tuesday will evening will be Iowa Cattlemen's Association Awards Dinner and Foundation Auction. ICA Hall of Fame, ICA Woman of the Year, Iowa Beef Backer of the Year, and Youth Beef Team Scholarship Winners will be honored. Awards will be followed by the Foundation Auction starting around 8:15 p.m. The auction raises funds for youth scholarships and adult educational activities.

Iowa Cattlemen's Foundation auction

Many items for home and farm use are donated for the ICF auction. A few of this year's items include: a year's use of a new feed mixer wagon was donated by Sioux Automation Center, Inc.; D&R Feed & Penford Products has donated one semi load of wet corn gluten; Ritchie Industries, Inc. has donated a certificate good for any Ritchie Fountain; Manatt's Inc. is donating 7 cubic yards of concrete; Sunds Custom Fencing has donated an S17 Solar Fencer; many prints have also been provided and several other items are on our auction list.

Ralgro Wheels are back in the auction this year. Cattle producers are urged to bring their empty Ralgro implant wheels to the ICA conference. For every 10 empty Ralgro implant wheels, or 20 empty Ralgro Magnum strips, Schering-Plough Animal Health will donate one new implant wheel for the auction.
Annual meeting on Wednesday

Wednesday will begin with breakfast hosted by the board of directors. Awards for Iowa Commercial and Seedstock Producer, as well as Elanco scholarship award will be presented. At 9:30 a.m. Iowa Beef Industry Council Annual Meeting and Iowa Cattlemen's Association will hold their annual meetings. The Iowa Cattlemen's Association 2008 Annual Convention concludes at 12:30 p.m.

For information about the ICA Annual Convention and show, call ICA at 515-296-2266, or check the ICA Web site www.iacattlemen.org.