Speakers

Casey Anderson
director of industry relations, Iowa Beef Industry Council, Ames, IA

Casey manages the BQA, education & youth, and producer communication programs for the Iowa Beef Industry Council. She's an Iowa State University Animal Science Alum and currently resides in Eldora, IA with her husband Brandon. Together they raise registered Simmentals and market their genetics to a diverse customer base.

Presentation title: Checkoff funded research drives value to driftless region producers

Lillie Beringer-Crock
Beringer Family Farms Beef, Cascade, IA

Lillie Beringer-Crock is a third-generation farmer from Cascade, Iowa. Out of all her grandparent’s 26 grandchildren, Lillie is the only one carrying on her family farm legacy. Lillie’s passion for agriculture sparked early in life and has carried on throughout her whole life. In January 2021, Lillie launched a direct-to-consumer beef business, Beringer Family Farms Beef, where she sells individual cuts of 21 day dry-aged Angus beef nationwide. Through her Facebook and Instagram channels, Lillie connects people to their food by sharing the farm to plate story and “life on the farm” content.

Presentation title: Building a direct-to-consumer beef business

Doerte Doepfer
professor, Food Animal Production Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madision, WI

Veterinarian, microbiologist and epidemiologist by training, Doerte Doepfer is specialized in infectious diseases affecting cattle and food animals, epidemiological investigation and data analysis. Prevention and control of lameness associated with hairy heel warts is one of her specialties

Presentation title: Prevention and control of digital dermatitis in feed yards

Bill Halfman
extension beef outreach specialist, University of Wisconsin Extension, Sparta, WI

Bill Halfman is the UW Extension Beef Outreach Specialist. Bill’s work in beef production and management has centered on developing and sharing numerous decision- aid spreadsheets, as well as coordinating and presenting beef production and management programs across the state, including collaboration with neighboring states. He earned B. S. from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and an M.S. from The University of Tennessee- Knoxville.

Presentation title: Dairy on beef performance and biometrics

Dan Loy
University Professor and director, Iowa Beef Center, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Dan Loy is a University Professor of Animal Science at Iowa State University and Director of the Iowa Beef Center. He has also served as an Extension Beef Specialist for Iowa since 1982, giving leadership to ISU’s program to the cattle feeding industry. His research interests have focused on applied feedlot nutrition and beef production and management systems. He is also an instructor for an advanced Beef Systems Management course. Dan has a B.S from Western Illinois University and a Ph. D. from Penn State.

Presentation title: Feeding systems into the future

Josh McCann
assistant professor, Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL

Dr. McCann grew up in the southeast on a small family farm. He obtained a B.S. in animal and food science at Texas Tech University, followed by a M.S. in animal science at Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. at the University of Illinois. Dr. McCann’s research centers on the influence of nutrition on metabolism and subsequent efficiency and performance of feedlot cattle. We are striving to understand the interplay between nutrition, the rumen microbiome, and gastrointestinal epithelium, to connect this fundamental information to applied advances in the feedlot. His research goal is to leverage new nutritional insights to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and profitability of feedlot cattle operations.

Presentation title: Confinement mobility & mat studies

W. Travis Meteer
beef extension educator, University of Illinois, Baylis, IL

Travis is a Beef Cattle Educator with University of Illinois Extension. He holds a master's degree in ruminant nutrition and a bachelor's degree in animal science from the University of Illinois. He grew up on a family farm that included a diversified livestock operation in central Illinois. He is involved with statewide programming for Illinois beef cattle producers. Programming involves nutrition, genetics, reproduction, grazing, and marketing in the areas of cow-calf, stocker, and feedlot production.

Presentation title: Drylot cow demonstrations

Derrell Peel
Breedlove Professor of Agribusiness, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK

Derrell Peel is the Charles Breedlove Professor of Agribusiness in the Department of Agricultural Economics. He has served as the Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist since he came to Oklahoma State University in 1989. He has B.S. and M.S. degrees from Montana State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. He previously served as the Superintendent of the Southeastern Colorado Range Research Station in Springfield Colorado. His main program areas at Oklahoma State University include livestock market outlook and marketing/risk management education for livestock producers. Derrell also works in the area of international livestock and meat trade with particular focus on Mexico and Canada and the North American livestock and meat industry. He lived in Mexico on sabbatical in 2001 and has developed an extensive knowledge of the Mexican cattle and beef industry and the economics of cattle and beef trade between the U.S. and Mexico.

Presentation title: 2023 Cattle market outlook

Colby Redifer
graduate research assistant, Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO

Colby grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia where his family raised and exhibited seedstock Angus and Gelbvieh cattle, club lambs, and wether-type goats. He attended Butler Community College for his A.S., Texas Tech University for his B.S., and completed a M.S. in Animal Science at Iowa State University. While in Ames, Colby’s M.S. research focused on peripartum supplementation of rumen-protected methionine on beef cow-calf performance. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Ruminant Nutrition at the University of Missouri with an anticipated graduation of Spring 2023. While at Mizzou, his research has focused on developmental programming, specifically the impacts of late gestational nutrient restriction on prenatal and postnatal offspring nutrient utilization in beef cattle.

Presentation title: Impacts of poor nutrition during late gestation on the cow-calf system

Denise Schwab
extension beef field specialist, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Vinton, IA

Schwab has been with ISU Extension for 39 years, and as a beef specialist for the last 20 years. Her expertise is in enterprise records, cow-calf management, and forages.

Presentation title: Annual forages to fill the grazing gap

Alyssa Seitz
graduate research assistant, Animal Nutrition and Meat Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

Alyssa is a masters student at University of Madison-Wisconsin currently working on a study following dairy x beef animals from conception and consumption and looking at the affect diet has on the subsequent meat quality. Other areas of measurement for this study include muscle development, feed efficiency, phenotype and coat color, among others.

Presentation title: Dairy on beef performance and biometrics

Sarah Sellars
graduate research assistant, Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Savoy, IL

Sarah Sellars is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois. She holds a B.S. in Agricultural and Consumer Economics from the University of Illinois and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University. Her research interests include farm management and conservation practice adoption. Her interest in agricultural economics began while growing up on a family grain and livestock farm outside of Winchester, IL.

Presentation title: Updating the carbon market landscape

Jack Smith
fifth generation farmer, Epworth, IA

I’m a fifth generation family farmer from the Bankston area of Dubuque County. My family and I run about 400 beef cows in a rotational grazing program that includes permanent pasture, cover crops and summer annuals. We also graze stock piled grass and crop residues for fall and winter feed.

Presentation title: Cows, covers and no till cropping systems

Zachary Smith
assistant professor, Animal Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD

Dr. Smith received his bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas Tech University in 2012, master’s degree in animal science from South Dakota State University in 2015 and Ph.D. in animal science from Texas Tech University in 2018.

Presentation title: Turning corn into beef

Jordan Thomas
assistant professor, Animal Sciences and state cow-calf extension specialist, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO

Jordan Thomas is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Animal Sciences at the University of Missouri. Dr. Thomas is a Missouri native and University of Missouri alumnus, having earned his Ph.D. in Animal Sciences with an emphasis in Reproductive Physiology in 2017. Dr. Thomas maintains an active applied research program in reproductive management of beef cattle, coordinates the breeding program for cattle across the University of Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station Research Center herds, and serves as program advisor to the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program. The primary research focus of the Thomas lab is control of the bovine estrous cycle, specifically to facilitate use of reproductive technologies such as timed artificial insemination and embryo transfer.

Presentation title: 7 & 7 Synch: A synchronization option for your herd?

Dan Thomson
professor, Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Dr. Dan is a third generation bovine veterinarian from Clearfield, IA. He consults feedlots and beef slaughter facilities on cattle health and welfare internationally. Dr. Dan has a 50% appointment at Iowa State to conduct research and provide outreach to beef producers.

Presentation title: Cattle handling and facilities for improved health, production and carcass characteristics

Presentation title: Changes in animal health regulations – OTC & implant changes in 2023

Tammy Vaassen
executive director, Wisconsin Beef Council, Verona, WI

Tammy Vaassen is the Executive Director for the Wisconsin Beef Council. She joined the council in 2018, and is responsible for working with the board and staff to work towards the organization’s mission – to grow beef demand that is sustainable for future generations. She grew up on a diversified livestock and grain farm near Platteville. After obtaining her Animal Science degree from UW-Platteville, Tammy spent the next 25 years on the staff of the Wisconsin Pork Association. She enjoys working to support farmers, promoting agricultural products, and serving as a face to the consumer to answer their questions about beef production. Tammy and her husband Brian reside near Cuba City, WI and have two adult children.

Presentation title: Checkoff funded research drives value to driftless region producers