Illinois cattlemen and cattle women will have the opportunity to hear from several experts at the 2018 Illinois Cattle Feeders Meeting, planned for Friday, March 9, 2018, at Sauk Valley Community College, IL Route 2, south of Dixon, IL. The meeting will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
“This meeting is a must-attend for Illinois cattle producers. First-hand access to this kind of knowledge in the cattle industry is rare,” says Travis Meteer, University of Illinois Beef Extension Educator.
Speaker Allison Cooke, Director of Governmental Sffairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, will discuss agricultural policy issues. She will give an update on the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), electronic logging device regulation for truckers, and other issues pertinent to Illinois cattlemen.
Ted Funk, U of I Professor Emeritus, will discuss manure handling best management practices and give an update on the Illinois Livestock Management Facilities Act. Funk will also answer questions regarding building citing and environmental regulations.
Josh McCann, Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at U of I, will share new research concerning transitioning diets for cattle.
Nathan Pyatt, Technical Consultant for Elanco Animal Health, will discuss benchmark data collected in Midwestern feedlots and explain how using technology can be a good investment for the cattle feeder.
A market update and outlook will be given by Lance Zimmerman, an analyst for CattleFax. Zimmerman will give producers insight into current and future market dynamics.
An optional Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training, led by Meteer, will be held from 2:45 to 4:45 p.m. for a fee of $10. Producers that opt to attend the training will leave BQA-certified. Pre-registration is suggested for the meeting, but there is no fee to attend. Please RSVP online at go.illinois.edu/cattlefeeders. The meeting will be held in room 1K4 at Sauk Valley Community College, at 173 Illinois Route 2, Dixon, IL.