I-29 Moo University Dairy Beef Short Course is March 25

BROOKINGS, S.D. – The 2025 I-29 Moo University Dairy Beef Short Course is from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. CDT on March 25 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. 
Held as part of the Central Plains Dairy Expo, the annual event brings together industry experts and producers for a day of presentations, moderated discussions and networking. This year’s program will focus on feedlot production, while touching on important topics like vaccinations.
“Dairy beef cross cattle offer a unique opportunity,” Madison Kovarna, said SDSU Extension Beef Nutrition Field Specialist. “Dairies have a valuable end product with calves that perform better in the feedlot than straight-bred dairy calves. Feedlot producers have the ability to get their hands on a uniform group of calves.” 
Registration is required by March 14 and is $75 per person, or $20 for college students. To register and view the agenda, visit https://extension.sdstate.edu/events and search “moo”. 
This year’s presentations are an update on implants by Zach Smith, SDSU associate professor in animal science; vaccination management by Jennifer Spencer, assistant professor, Extension and research dairy specialist at Texas A&M; calf management research on feedlot preparation by Gail Carpenter, assistant professor of Extension and outreach at Iowa State University; what dairy crossbreed research says about the feedlot, by Garland Dalke, research scientist at Iowa State University; the economics of beef-dairy crossbreeds in the feedlot by Melanie Pimentel-Concepcion, Michigan State University; and hoof-related lameness in feedlot cattle, by Sara Erickson, TELUS Agriculture. 
There will be moderated question-and-answer sessions in the morning and afternoon. SDSU Extension will also participate in the expo as part of the Northern Plains Forage Association. 
“We focus on bringing speakers to the stage that have experience and a background that offers an all-encompassing experience for our attendees,” said Kovarna. “Held prior to the Central Plains Dairy Expo, attendees can still make it to the expo to visit with various vendors – perfect timing for those venturing into Sioux Falls ahead of the Expo.”
SDSU Extension is a member of I-29 Moo University, a multi-state learning community established to connect Extension dairy specialists and producers from South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska to share research, workshops, webinars, newsletters, on-farm tours and networking opportunities. 
If attendees also plan to attend the Central Plains Dairy Expo, they are encouraged to register in advance at https://www.centralplainsdairy.com/registration/.
For more information, contact Madison Kovarna, SDSU Extension Beef Nutrition Field Specialist, at 605-882-5140 or Madison.Kovarna@sdstate.edu.

–SDSU Extension