By Tanner Hood

Cows and corn could be found around every Iowa corner for attendees on the Alabama Farmers Federation Beef Tour June 22-25. 

“I think the first thing that catches anybody’s eye when they come to Iowa is it’s corn country,” said Lamar County’s Will Gilmer. “Their feeding program is different than what we have, so the thought in my mind is how can we start compensating, getting our cows prepared for when they ultimately make the move up here.”

Gilmer, the Federation District 5 director and a first-time Beef Tour attendee, said learning from other farmers in a different state adds value to his operation. 

“I’m trying to be like a sponge and soak in as much of it as I can,” said Gilmer, a dairyman-turned-beef-cattle-farmer. “We’re learning some of the same things at the same time. We have conversations, so hearing how other farmers are taking what they’re learning and how they can apply it cues some ideas in my mind. Anytime you can build relationships, whether it’s with people in other regions within your industry or right there at home, those are where the real dividends are paid.”

Alabama cattle producers and industry professionals spent four days hurtling across the Hawkeye State touring farms, feedlots and beef breeding facilities. Stops included Iowa Farm Bureau; Plowman Farms Inc.; Nichols Farms; Lorimor Farming Corporation; Gilman Shorthorns; Hawkeye Breeders; Hanrahan Ranch; Brummer Farms; Amana Beef; and Cornfed Farms, LLC. 

Coffee County’s Ginger Gaines said insight into individual techniques could benefit Alabama farms. 

“It’s opened my eyes to a whole other world of the beef industry,” said Gaines, who runs a family commercial cow-calf farm and works as a beef sales representative. “You can take something back and integrate it with your own operation. This will help us provide a better product but do it more cost-effectively.” 

Attendees were introduced to the importance of localized feedstuffs for finishing cattle. The tour covered the use of monoslope barns to prevent cattle from slogging through mud while providing shade, plus visits to enhanced genetic and artificial insemination breeding practices. 

Federation President Jimmy Parnell said the tour is designed to spur new ideas while building connections across the nation.

“It’s kind of opening everyone’s horizons a little bit to the opportunities that are out there,” said Parnell, who raises cattle in Chilton County. “It puts us in perspective for what’s going on in the rest of the country. That’s the ultimate goal — to help our people understand the industry, learn how to do things better and learn more where they fit into the production cycles.”

The Federation Beef Tour will travel to Virginia next spring.