Beef Teaching Center
Educational Programs


Here at the Teaching Farm we have the opportunity to participate in a variety of programs.  Producers, students, and people from around the world visit us regularly.  By being involved in new technology, as well as established practices, we can make first hand recommendations on the practicality and usefulness of many programs in the cattle industry.  Some of our endeavors have been successful and some not so.  In either case we have had the opportunity to participate in different production practices and situations.  Tours and class demonstrations allow us to pass this valuable information on to students.  Scroll down and take a look at some of the things we are doing at the ISU Beef Teaching Center.
 

Algona, IA- Satellite Herd

Several years ago Iowa State was willed a farm in North Central Iowa.  Located a few miles North of Algona, in Kossouth County, this working cattle operation was owned by the Diemer Family until their death.  Since then it has been operated by Mike Hansen, the on farm manager.  Mike and his family had been on the farm previously and continues to coordinate ongoing programs.

The location of this operation has given the Beef Teaching Center the opportunity to take our own genetics and place them in a different environment.  We have approximately 45 cow/calf pairs on rotational pasture, with both spring and fall calving groups maintained.  Similar genetics are used in both the Ames and Algona herds.  The rotational grazing system that has been implemented here in Ames is also used in Algona.  Bulls, steers, and cull heifer calves are brought back to Ames to finish and allow students to see the difference in environment.  The use of similar protocols, reproduction and performance can be evaluated.   The Algona herd has provided us with valuable information we have used in our operation here in Ames.  We hope to expand the operation and utilize more information from the data we collect.
 

Artificial Insemination (AI)

 Having two purebred herds, we take advantage of the best genetics available.  To do this we use AI extensively, as you can see by the number of sires on our calves.

Protocol for AI is simple at ISU. In the spring, we AI for three weeks beginning with the heifers the first week.  After the second week one shot prostaglandin is followed by 44 days of clean up.  In the fall, due to environmental conditions, we AI for 10 to 14 days combining the heifers and cows. The one shot prostaglandin after 1 week is followed by only 24 days with the herd bull.

As an added benefit to our students, every year,  we offer AI schools through 21st Century Genetics.  During fall break a three-day class is held at the farm.  Anyone who participates is eligible to become certified.  This program has become very successful and a spring session has been added due to overwhelming interest.
 

Embryo Transfer (ET)

This year we had two successful flushes from our donor cows.  We obtained around 40 transferable quality embryos.  The recipients of the Angus embryos were Simmental and crossbred cows.  These cows will calve in the spring of 2001.

Management Intensive Grazing (MIG)

The concept of "Rotational Grazing"  was implemented early in its development here at ISU.  We began research in 1987 on a variation of this idea and have been using it ever since.  Management Intensive Grazing works on the concept of increasing stocking rate through intensive management of forage resources.  Rotations of every other day, every 3 days, and once a week have been researched.  Currently we rotate every other day, depending on the time of year and forage availability.

Currently we have 56 acres of rotational pasture.  This space is divided into 8 seven-acre paddocks with a central hub for each 4 paddocks.  Smooth Bromegrass and Bluegrass are the primary forages available.  We fertilize twice per year, in the spring and early fall with 150# N/acre.  This combination allows us to run 80 cow/calf pairs all season with a rotation every other day.  Specifically, that's a cow/calf pair on 7/10 of an acre from the first week in May till weaning October 1.
 

Production Sale

The pride and hard work that has gone into this purebred herd has resulted in four successful production sales.  January 16, 1999 was the fourth ISU Beef Teaching Center Production Sale.  Every sale assembles the best heifers, bred heifers, and cows we have to offer.   In 1999 we offered 40 head of females in conjunction with our yearly private treaty bull sale.

Students have the opportunity to take a hands on approach to the sale.  A Beef Seedstock Merchandising class has been set up and 20-25 students get the opportunity to take part in every aspect of a production sale.  The class meets during the fall semester to coordinate with herdsman Marshall Ruble and professor Brad Skaar.  Students are in charge of design and preparation of the catalog, facilities set up, cattle preparation, and sale day procedures.  To complete the class students develop a follow up questionnaire to evaluate the sale acceptability to the public.
 

Ultrasound

Cattle have been used to help develop the carcass evaluation model for the Centralized Ultrasound Processing (C.U.P.) Center here at ISU.

To compliment the C.U.P. lab, we have designed a facility at the teaching center, for holding certification classes in the summer and winter.  Cattlemen and Veterinarians come from around the world to train and certify with the ISU C.U.P. staff.

Ultrasound has been used as a management tool in reproduction for fetal sexing and early pregnancy detection.  Within our curriculum, students have hands on opportunities to use this technology and equipment.
 

Animal Science