Posted June 4, 2013

Iowa State University Extension and several partners are initiating a young livestock producer group in North Central Iowa.

A kick-off event will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26, at the Hancock County Extension office in Garner, 327 West 8th Street. The target audience is young people under the age of 35 interested in any type of livestock production. Couples are encouraged to attend. They do not need to currently be involved in livestock production.

County cattlemen and pork producers are providing a meal for the evening and those interested in attending are requested to RSVP by contacting the Hancock County Extension office at (641) 923-2856. Several industry speakers, including Iowa Pork Producers Association President-elect Jamie Schmidt, will briefly discuss the importance of livestock production and young producer involvement in the industry.

The young producer group will focus on management education, social interaction with peers and networking with industry. ISU Extension will assist in organizing the group and providing relevant education to the participants. This education would take place through workshops, tours, mentors and other methods. Several management or production education topics would be possible, including financial management, risk management or credit access. Participants will determine what topics are most important to them. Depending on participation and interests, the group may focus on a particular species of livestock production and management or it may be a multi-species focus.

Several other groups are being organized across Iowa. Other partners for the project include the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa State Dairy Association, Western Iowa Dairy Alliance, NE IA Community Dairy Foundation and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.

For more information on the organizational meeting on June 26 or on the young livestock producer project, contact Russ Euken, Extension livestock specialist, at (641) 923-2856 or reuken@iastate.edu. Those interested also can contact their local county Extension office.