The summer of 2025 at the Hansen Center was one to remember. The Iowa State University facility had a great turnout for a multitude of events.
The Block & Bridle Club hosted the Cardinal & Gold Sheep Show. They had a record-breaking number of entries with two hundred and eighty head. Block & Bridles also hosted the LegaCY pig show with eighty-five head of pigs.
A livestock judging camp had close to two hundred youth participating. They made the new addition of a livestock judging contest as well. The event was hosted by the Iowa State Livestock Judging Team.
Animal Science Round-Up had a strong showing of over one hundred and twenty-five children in attendance. Animal Science Round-Up is an engaging 4-H program for youth to learn more about the field of Animal Science.
The Hansen Center hosted the Heartland Throwdown Showdown for the first time. This event had an impressive participation of over five hundred attendees. The Heartland Throwdown is a livestock show that encompasses eight counties. Exhibitors must qualify for the show at one of the county fairs from Calhoun, Dallas, Greene, Guthrie, Jasper, Marshall, Polk, and Story counties.
The Iowa Beef Center held an informational short course about feedlots at the Hansen Center.
They hosted forty-five people from across the state for the short course. This feedlot short course was three days long and promoted learning through presenting new advances in the industry. It featured many speakers and covered topics such as bunk management, managing lameness issues, chute side management tips and optimizing cattle health in the feedyard. The attendees also watched a feed mixing demonstration and evaluation.
Another livestock judging contest was held at the Hansen Center. The State FFA Livestock Judging Contest occurred at the end of August with one hundred and sixty-five participants. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences hosted their annual barbecue for alumni. The barbecue took place before the ISU vs. South Dakota football game. They had a fantastic showing of three hundred and seventy-five people in attendance.
Thank you to everyone that helped make these events a success. For more information on the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center or hosting your event there, please visit https://www.haslc.ag.iastate.edu/.