The Iowa Beef Center with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host a Technology Field Day at the McNay Memorial Research Farm on Sept. 29, showcasing a handful of technologies being used in various research and demonstration studies.

According to Shelby Gruss, assistant professor and forage extension specialist at Iowa State, cattlemen and women are discovering top-of-the-line tech to help their operations run smoother and a bit more efficiently. The technologies beef producers can use are expansive, and it is a rapidly evolving space with more options becoming available.

The McNay Research Farm houses Iowa State’s main cow-calf operation, comprised of a purebred Angus spring and fall herd. On-farm data collected provides ample research opportunities, which assistant professor and cow-calf extension specialist at Iowa State Randie Culbertson will discuss at the field day.

“We have both genotype and traditional phenotype information on all these cattle. With new technologies, we can gather phenotype information that has been hard to collect in the past and start looking for more genetic relationships that matter to producers,” she said.

The field day will feature various demonstration trials utilizing technologies, as well as a tradeshow with multiple company representatives available to answer questions about virtual fencing, activity monitoring ear tags and more.

Schedule

  • 9 a.m. – Trade show and Check-in

  • 9: 30 a.m. – Transport to field with alfalfa grazing trial. Technologies that will be discussed include grazing alfalfa varieties, satellite imagery for biomass estimates, eartags that track activity and location and a mineral feeder collecting cattle weights.

  • 12:15 p.m. – Lunch and Trade show

  • 1 p.m. – Iowa State Cow Herd Data Collection and Management

  • 1:30 p.m. – Iowa State Forage Research Update

  • 2 p.m. – Satellite Imagery and Biomass Prediction Research

  • 2:15 p.m. – Virtual Fence and Wearable Technology Panel

  • 3 p.m. – Adjourn

Check-in will begin at 9 a.m., with the program beginning at 9:30 a.m. A light meal will be provided. The McNay Memorial Research Farm is located at 45249 170th Avenue, Chariton.

To attend, producers can register online. For additional information, contact Shelby Gruss at sgruss@iastate.edu or 515-294-2333.

This program is supported by an Iowa Beef Industry Checkoff grant.