Cow-Calf Research Summary
Supported by the Iowa State Beef Checkoff, these cow-calf research highlights offer practical strategies to boost herd performance and resource efficiency. This sheet summarizes key findings help producers enhance cow and calf productivity through dry-lot housing and cover crop grazing systems. .
Iowa Beef Industry Producer Survey
2025
Dr. Randie Culbertson
Iowa State University
Surveying Iowa beef producers to better understand current production practices, industry challenges and opportunities, and the information producers need to remain competitive and sustainable.
Technologies to Improve Cow Reproduction
2025
Beth Reynolds
Iowa State University
Educating beef producers on technologies that can improve reproductive performance and efficiency in cow-calf operations.
Winter Feeding For Cows
2024
Dr. Anna Menezes
South Dakota State University
Winter feeding of high-forage versus corn-based diets in pregnant beef cows: Effects on offspring performance, milk production, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Effects of Housing Cow-calf Pairs
2020
Dr. Daniel Shike
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Effects of housing cow-calf pairs in dry-lots versus pasture during summer on cow and calf performance.
Grazing Cover Crops
2019
Erika Lundy-Woolfolk
Iowa Beef Center
Evaluating performance and economics of cover crop grazing vs. dry-lot systems in fall-calving cow-calf pairs.
More Research Results:
Gain & Performance
Highlights practical strategies to improve feed efficiency, carcass quality and cattle performance—with summaries to help producers make data-driven decisions. .
Herd Health
Highlights practical insights to improve cattle well-being, performance and profitability—supporting informed decision-making across all sectors of the cattle industry.
Reproduction & Genetics
Highlights valuable insights to enhance herd productivity and reproductive success—supporting informed decision-making to improve breeding outcomes and overall herd performance.