I-29 Moo University

January Webinar Topics and Presenters

The I-29 Moo University and the Northern Plains Forage Association Forage Webinar Series continues on Wednesday, January 7, from 7 to 8:30 pm CST with a variety of forage topics including an overview of virtual fencing, winter grazing and a hay market outlook.

Presenters this month include:

Yijie Xiong, Nebraska Extension Specialist notes Labor is tight, and input costs aren’t getting any cheaper. If you’re looking for ways to stretch your forage further, virtual fencing (VF) might be a tool worth adding to your operation. These GPS-enabled collars allow you to create or move paddock boundaries from your phone or computer. No posts, no reels, no fence to drag across the pasture. That makes it easier to rotate cattle more frequently, adjust grazing patterns on the fly, and make better use of your existing forage without adding to your workload. 

Dr. Yijie Xiong joined the University of Nebraska Department of Animal Science in 2020 as an Assistant Professor and Extension Precision Livestock Management Specialist. She has a split appointment between animal science and the Department of Biological Systems Engineering.

Shelby Gruss notes that Interest in grazing cover crops and winter annuals has increased in recent years. Research on grazing winter and summer annuals in Iowa has been concentrated in southern Iowa, but because of differences in growing conditions, data on growth potential from the northern half of the state and the I-29 corridor, she will discuss options for Siouxland.

Gruss is an assistant professor and forage extension specialist. Dr. Gruss joined the Iowa State University Department of Agronomy in November 2023. Her role's responsibility covers forage management: hay, pasture, and silage.

Amber Friedrichsen will provide the hay market report from what she is seeing across the country and across the country. She will discuss the impact of high cattle prices, weather and other plant pressures in her discussion.

She author is the managing editor for Hay & Forage Grower. Amber Friedrichsen joined the Hay & Forage Grower staff as an associate editor in May 2023. In July 2024, she has assumed the role of managing editor. Friedrichsen also served as the editorial intern in 2021 and 2022. She graduated from Iowa State University in May 2023 with a double major in agricultural communication and agronomy. Friedrichsen grew up and worked on her family’s diversified crop and livestock farm in eastern Iowa near Clinton.

There is no fee to participate in the webinar; however, registration is required at least one hour prior to the webinar. Register online at: 

https://go.iastate.edu/FLHTEP

The 2026 I-29 Moo University Dairy Webinar Series kicks off on Monday, January 12 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. CST, focusing on milk markets with Dr. Leonard Polzin.

This webinar provides an update on U.S. dairy markets and recent Federal Milk Marketing Order reforms, with a focus on how current market and policy dynamics are affecting milk prices and producer revenues. The discussion examines the ongoing downturn in dairy prices by analyzing key supply, demand, and trade factors, explaining why prices have declined, why the downturn has emerged at this point in the cycle, and how competing market signals are creating mixed price indications.

Leonard Polzin grew up on a century-old Wisconsin dairy farm and received bachelor’s Degrees in Dairy Science and Agricultural Business from UW River Falls. He completed his graduate work in Agriculture and Resource Economics from Michigan State University. He brings extensive experience as an educator and analyst to the position, having developed and provided programing on topics including market analysis, outlook and market expectations, risk management, and policy analysis.

There is no fee to participate in the webinar; however, registration is required at least one hour prior to the webinar. Register online at:

https://go.iastate.edu/25NNVN