RLC to host Beef Day on Aug. 14

The Southern Illinois Beef Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14 in the Applied Science Center at Rend Lake College.

The conference is designed to be useful for cow/calf and stocker/backgrounding producers of all knowledge levels. Conference topics covered include information on melding EPDs and cattle conformation to selecting replacement heifers, marketing cattle, etc.

The morning session will begin at the 4H barns with a set of heifers provided by Gordon Cattle Company, LLC. The keynote speaker, Doug Parrett, professor emeritus from the University of Illinois, will evaluate the set of heifers for conformation then utilize EPDs to select replacement heifers. Afterward, Glenn Gordon Jr. will utilize the set of heifers to discuss marketing cattle from the perspective of a buyer and beef cattle markets.

Following lunch, producers will have the opportunity to attend two of three presentations. Chris Evans, University of Illinois Extension forester, will discuss invasive pasture plants and methods to control them. Lee Ann Lyons, University of Illinois Veterinary Medicine, will inform cattlemen about ticks, their behavior and diseases carried by the ticks that can impact human health. The third topic, black vultures in Illinois, will be presented by Scott Beckman, State Director, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services.

The registration fee for the conference is $15 per person for registrations received by Aug. 9, or individuals can pay $20 per person at the door. The registration fee is waived for Illinois Beef Association members. More information and registration forms are available by contacting Teresa Steckler at 618-695-4917 or tsteckle@illinois.edu.