Iowa livestock producers have an opportunity to hear all about grass-fed beef at this year's Iowa Forage and Grassland Council annual conference, which will be held Nov. 23-24 in Des Moines.

The conference, at the Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines, will feature speakers from a variety of organiza­tions, including the Iowa Beef Center, part of Iowa State University Extension, and also a speaker from  the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey is also scheduled as a speaker at the conference, discussing the importance of forages in Iowa.

Plenty of worthwhile topics for forage producers and users

Producers will enjoy topics ranging from alternative uses for forages to storing and feeding your forages. Iowa Beef Center director John Lawrence, who is also an ISU Extension livestock economist, will discuss the economics of both forage production and grass-fed cattle production in his presentations delivered at the conference. Several producers will offer insight into the best practices in grass-fed and grain-fed specialty beef production during their morning discussion.

On Monday, November 23, attendees can attend an evening roundtable discussion; the conference will continue as an all-day event on November 24. Registration for both days, with meals included, is $40, and pre-regis­tration continues through November 17. A full agenda and registration form is available at www.iowabeefcenter.org. For more information on attending the IFGC Conference, contact Joe Sellers, Iowa State University Extension beef specialist, at 641-774-2016 or sellers@ iastate.edu.