Regional hay producers are invited to attend the 41st annual Eastern Iowa Hay Producers Association Annual Meeting and Conference on Thursday, March 19, at Buzzy’s in Welton. Registration will begin at 10 a.m., with the program scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.

This year’s program will feature three new Iowa State University staff: Shelby Gruss, assistant professor and extension forage specialist, Aimee Lutz, Iowa Beef Center director and extension feedlot specialist, and Joseph Lensing, extension farm management specialist:

• Gruss will address the management of alfalfa diseases and bring a grazing trailer, which displays fencing and water systems.
• Lutz will speak on ration balancing based on 2025 forage quality.
• Lensing will discuss Livestock Gross Margin and Livestock Risk Protection, cost of large round bales and the economics of silage versus balage.
• Virgil Schmitt, extension field agronomist with Iowa State, will talk about fertilizer decisions amid high input costs and low commodity prices.

Following lunch, there will be a brief annual meeting to elect officers and directors.  A drawing for prizes will be held at the end of the day.

The registration fee for the conference is $30, which includes a membership to EIHPA and a meal. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Certified Crop Advisor credits are also available. This conference is sponsored by EIHPA, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Beef Center.

The Eastern Iowa Hay Producers Association provides educational workshops and field days for forage producers in Jackson, Jones, Clinton, Cedar, Scott and Muscatine counties. Forage producers from other counties are also welcome to participate. 

For more information, contact Kevin Brown at brownfarm10@gmail.com or 563-872-4475.