The Iowa Forage and Grassland Council Annual Conference date, place, and schedule are set!

Join us in West Des Moines for a day of learning, networking, and continuing to strive for improved forage management across Iowa.

Registration opens at 9:30 AM, with educational sessions kicking off at 10 AM and concluding at 3 PM. First, a session titled “Grazing for the Birds” from the Iowa DNR and Audubon Conservation Ranching will feature benefits of grazing public lands and using grazing as a beneficial conservation tool.

Dr. Shelby Gruss, ISU Extension forage specialist and Iowa Forage and Grassland Council board member, will partner with ISU plant pathologist, Dr. Alison Robertson to discuss rust and other emerging diseases in forage crops, focusing on both the plant and animal impact. A third session will follow a similar tag-teamed approach with ISU entomologist, Dr. Erin Hodgson discussing common pests and insects to watch in alfalfa, silage, and other forages, and Dr. Gruss addressing the subsequent feed value impacts.

During lunch, attendees will have the opportunity to view various forage research posters and network. The IFGC will also conduct the annual business meeting, confirm officers for the 2026 year as well as new board member elections.

The day will wrap up as the Iowa Farm Bureau livestock economist, Dr. Chris Pudenz, addresses trade, New World Screwworm, and recent developments impacting cattle and forage markets in Iowa and across the country.

The conference will be held in the Iowa Farm Bureau auditorium, at 5400 University Ave., West Des Moines, IA. Lunch is included in the registration fee. To register or find more details, visit https://iowaforage.org/events/. 

Plant diseases and subsequent impact on the forage crop beyond yield will be an area of focus at this year’s annual meeting. Southern Rust frequently made headlines in the Midwest this past growing season, and those utilizing corn or other affected crops as a forage needed to stay aware of potential implications to the feed value.

The big three implications of Southern Rust are early dry down, yield loss, and nutritive value. These implications are further discussed in “Corn Diseases and Silage Implications: What to Look for as You Prepare for Harvest”. Early dry down can become challenging for those ensiling feed, which depends on ideal fermentation conditions for a quality feed product. A common question this summer was if the fungus causing southern rust was safe for animal consumption, or if there were mycotoxin or toxicity concerns.

Wet growing conditions last spring facilitated Southern Rust, ear rots, and other diseases. Looking forward, if we experience dry growing conditions instead, there are a host of other potential diseases and issues to be aware of. During the annual conference, Dr. Alison Robertson will address various diseases known to impact Iowa forages, and Dr. Shelby Gruss will translate how those diseases impact the plant and the feed value when utilized as a forage for livestock. By understanding various diseases themselves, producers are better equipped to prevent disease, understand potential impacts, when and what to test for, and still capitalize on a valuable feed resource.

The Iowa Forage and Grassland Council board of directors is composed of producers, industry representatives, and industry stakeholders sharing the mission of promoting profitable production and utilization of forages in Iowa. As we’re rounding out another year, we are looking for new board members to fill vacant spots. If you’re interested in learning more about our board of directors and potentially joining the group, please reach out to our executive secretary, Ben Gleason, at bgleason@agribiz.org. Elections will take place during the IFGC annual meeting held over the lunch hour of the Annual Conference. A current list of board members can be found here: https://iowaforage.org/ifgc-board-of-directors/.

New this year! Researchers with forage or forage adjacent work recently completed and relevant to Iowa are invited to submit posters to be displayed during the conference. If interested, reach out to any IFGC board member, or bethr@iastate.edu. 

You can now follow Iowa Forage and Grassland Council on Facebook and help us promote profitable production and utilization of forages in Iowa! Follow along to:

•  Learn about forage field days & events
•  Get updates about the growing season
•  Hear about the latest forage research
• Promote the value of forages
• Engage in conversations about forage production, utilization, & marketing

American Forage and Grassland Council Conference: Did you know that your Iowa Forage and Grassland Council is affiliated with the American Forage and Grassland Council? Because of that, members are welcome to attend the annual America Forage and Grassland Conference. Registration is now open for the 2026 conference, which will be held in Asheville, North Carolina on January 12 - 15. Let us know if you consider attending! The IFGC Board of Directors voted to compensate Iowa Forage and Grassland Council membership dues for Iowans attending the national event. Find more information at https://www.afgc.org/annual-conference/. 

Midwest Cover Crops Council’s Annual Meeting: On February 10 and 11 in Dubuque, Iowa, the Midwest Cover Crops Council will host the annual meeting and a day of education. The MCCC has a mission to “empower a network of producers, landowners, researchers, industry professionals, agencies, extension specialists and government stakeholders to increase cover crop adoption.” This meeting will mark the 20th anniversary, and attendees can hear from multiple Iowa and out of state experts addressing row crop, livestock, and conservation topics as they relate to cover crop utilization in the Midwest. The early registration cost is $110 and increases Jan. 10, so check out the meeting’s website for more information now and register early! https://www.midwestcovercrops.org/meetings/

To learn more about how IFGC can provide financial support to forage field days, informational meetings and pasture walks, visit the IFGC website to learn more about our Education Grants Program. 

In early November, IFGC granted educational funds to a field day coordinated by Iowa State University and South Dakota State University extension specialists. In attendance was an editor of the Hay and Forage Grower Magazine, and she wrote an article highlighting the event. Read it below or at: https://hayandforage.com/article-5531-Virtual-fencing-has-real-potential.html

Virtual fencing is not a new concept, but its adoption by livestock producers is constantly growing and changing. There are essentially as many strategies for virtual fencing as there are farmers using the technology, and with four companies offering different virtual fencing options on the market, it can be difficult to know where to start.

Getting started with and making the best use of virtual fencing was the focus of a precision livestock technology field day held earlier this month at Resilient Farms in Red Oak, Iowa. The field day was coordinated by Iowa State University (ISU) and South Dakota State University (SDSU) extension specialists.



Matt and Jocelyn Vermeersch started renting Resilient Farms two years ago and have established a succession plan with the current landlords to gradually acquire land ownership. They are also in the midst of transforming the corn and soybean acres into permanent pasture for their Scottish Highlander cattle and goat herds.

Matt Vermeersch explained how he uses Nofence virtual fencing to rotationally graze his cattle and goat herds in Red Oak, Iowa.

Before establishing permanent pastures, the Vermeersches have been renovating the row-crop operation by seeding annual forages and grazing cover crop mixes. They have also gotten creative in their grazing management, considering the riparian areas, terraces, and lack of viable fencing in the fields. Virtual fencing was a solution to make the most of their limited forage and pasture infrastructure.

In addition to keeping livestock contained and being a rotational grazing tool, virtual fencing can have positive effects on farmers’ pocketbooks, animal health, and overall herd performance. There are some drawbacks, though. Erika Lundy-Woolfolk, an extension beef specialist with ISU, and Jamie Brennan, an extension livestock grazing specialist with SDSU, explained some of those strengths and weaknesses during the field day.

Reduced fencing costs. Like the Vermeersches, many farmers utilize virtual fencing in fields that aren’t necessarily set up for grazing. After installing 7,000 feet of permanent fence last spring, the Vermeersches said investing in virtual fencing technology was more cost-effective than continuing to divide large pastures into smaller sections with five strands of high tensile wire.

Brennan added that virtual fencing can be a less expensive solution to exclude animals from sensitive areas like riparian buffers and waterways. In his region of western South Dakota, farmers also use virtual fencing to graze hunting ground without needing to install barbed wire that could otherwise interfere with hunting activity.

Using virtual fence to graze cornstalks is another way to take advantage of an underutilized forage source on crop fields without proper fences. “I’ve done the math, and we could graze the whole U.S. cow herd on our Iowa cornstalk acreage for 60 days and still only use about half of it,” Lundy-Woolfolk said. “With virtual fence collars on, we can move cattle and strip graze cornstalks for better utilization.”

Even so, Lundy-Woolfolk advised the audience that virtual fencing should not be a substitute for a perimeter fence that meets legal standards.

Time and labor savings. Each of the four virtual fencing options — Vence, Nofence, Halter, and eShepherd — include GPS-enabled collars, and all systems are controlled in-app. Farmers simply use their smartphones or tablets to draw virtual boundaries, edit invisible fence lines, and move cattle from one paddock to the next.

“The great thing about virtual fencing is that it offers the ability to move cows from anywhere,” said Lundy-Woolfolk, who also manages a beef operation in southwest Iowa with her husband, although both of them work full time off the farm. “The flexibility to be able to move cows while you are sitting at a desk job or at a kid’s ballgame is a nice opportunity.”

Labor for fence repairs is also saved. And if cattle do go beyond virtual boundaries, farmers are notified instantly, reducing the time it takes to corral animals back into the correct pasture.

Better herd management. In addition to tracking animal location and sending alerts about escapees, virtual fence collars can track different grazing behaviors and herd health metrics, depending on the company. For instance, the Vermeersches utilize grazing distribution heat maps on their Nofence app to plan pasture moves. Other options include notification preferences for less movement or greater lying time by individual cows, which could indicate illness. Some features can even aid in breeding and calving.



“Some of the collars monitor estrous expression to know if those females are cycling, and that can help us pinpoint what our breeding season will look like,” Lundy-Woolfolk said.

The Nofence GPS-enabled collars on the Vermeersches’ cattle are solar powered and connect to user software via cellular networks.

Virtual fences can also be useful in managing multiple groups of animals at one time. In a cow-calf operation, this might look like creating a virtual fence line for cows wearing collars while calves creep graze beyond those invisible boundaries — like a leader-follower approach. “We want that younger animal with a higher nutritional requirement to graze ahead of the more mature cows,” Lundy-Woolfolk explained.

It's not a silver bullet

So, what are the downsides? For one, virtual fencing won’t fix poor management. Farmers still need to facilitate grazing rotations and give forage sufficient rest periods. Brennan suggested good grazing management may be even more important with virtual fences since cattle will ignore electric pulses from collars in order to satisfy their basic needs for feed, water, or safety.

“Virtual boundaries are really only as effective as the negative reinforcement compared to the desire on the other side of the invisible line,” Brennan said. “If you run out of forage, cattle might break the boundary. If you accidentally fence out your water, they might run across that line.”

Some audience members raised concerns about collar maintenance and connectivity, for which the four virtual fence companies have different solutions. Nofence, Halter, and eShepherd collars are solar powered, whereas Vence collars run on a battery. Moreover, Halter and Vence use long-range communication (LoRa) to connect to base stations, while eShepherd utilizes cellular networks, and Nofence has the option for both. Each company also has different subscription models and price offerings, so farmers must do their research to find the best fit for their operation.

Overall, virtual fencing may not be a good fit for every animal. Although the four companies all report high success rates, there will always be a few stubborn cows that don’t comply with the technology.

“Virtual fence isn’t perfect, but neither is our traditional fence,” Lundy-Woolfolk said. “We don’t have 100% containment from traditional fence, either, so it is still a good comparison from that perspective.”