MANHATTAN, KAN. – The 2021 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Research Symposium and Convention program is now confirmed. This year’s event will be hosted in person June 22-25 in Des Moines, Iowa.  

The BIF Symposium features two and a half days of educational programming and a full day of tours. The first general session — “Beef Industry: Where is it going?” — will feature presentations by Michael Uetz, Midan Marketing; Jim Pillen, Pillen Family Farms; and Dr. Dan Thomson, Iowa State University Department of Animal Science chair. During the second general session the theme will be Precision Livestock Technology. Speakers Thursday will include Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, UC Davis; Justin Sexten, Precision Livestock Analytics; Pat Wall, ISU extension specialist; Reiss Bruning, Bruning Farms; and Cody Jorgensen, Jorgensen Land and Livestock. 

The afternoon technical breakout sessions both days will focus on a range of beef-production and genetic-improvement topics. The conference also features a Young Producer Symposium on Tuesday afternoon, designed for networking and to equip young cattle producers with essential knowledge as they grow their role in the business. Tuesday evening attendees will enjoy an opening reception as well as the National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) symposium. 

This year’s event is being planned to take place in person. “The BIF Board believes it is imperative to provide ‘face-to-face’ networking and educationoal opportunities for its members. We understand that our in person 2021 meetings might look a little different, but we are excited to begin meeting together again,” says Dr. Bob Weaber, BIF executive director. 

Registration is scheduled to open April 15. Online registration will be available at BIFSymposium.com.  

For more conference details, including registration options, complete program and lodging information, visit BIFSymposium.com. Prior to and during this year’s symposium, be sure to follow the event on social media channels using the hashtag #BIF2021. 

Each year the BIF symposium draws a large group of leading seedstock and commercial beef producers, academics and allied industry partners. The attendance list is a “who’s who” of the beef value chain, offering great networking opportunities and conversations about the issues of the day. Program topics focus on how the beef industry can enhance value through genetic improvement across a range of attributes that affect the value chain.