IBA Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony

June 3, 2025 | Springfield, Illinois

Expo Building, Illinois State Fairgrounds

2561 Main Street

Springfield, Illinois, 62702

Be sure to check out this entire page for all information regarding the 2025 IBA Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony. We have an exciting agenda planned with industry-leading speakers, generous sponsors, and special room block pricing available at the Candlewood Suites. This is an event that you won't want to miss!

Agenda

8:30- 9:00 am

Registration

8:30- 4:30 pm

Tradeshow Open

9:00- 9:15 AM

Opening Ceremony

9:15- 10:15 AM

Cattlemen's Education Series General Session I: "Biosecurity: Protecting the Herd" with Michaela Clowser, National Cattlemen's Beef Association

*1 BQA Continuing Education Credit Available

10:20- 11:10 AM

Breakout Session I

Option 1- "Direct-to-Consumer Marketing" Panel Discussion

Option 2- "Cow-Calf Cash Flow: Unlocking Your Profit Potential"

11:15- 12:30 pm

Lunch & IBA Annual Meeting

12:30- 1:30 pm

Cattlemen's Education Series, Session II: "A Word from the Capitol" with Josh St Peters, and Illinois Legislators

1:35- 2:25 pm

Breakout Session II

Option 1- "Immune Priming: Raising Low-Risk Cattle"

Option 2- "Expanded Kill Capacity in Illinois: What Does This Mean for Producers" Panel Discussion

*1 BQA Continuing Education Credit Available with Option 1

2:30- 3:10 pm

Breakout Session III

Option 1- Meat Cutting Demonstration: Primal into Retail

Option 2: "Emerging Technologies in the Beef Industry" Panel Discussion

*1 BQA Continuing Education Credit Available with Option 2

3:15- 4:00 pm

Cattlemen's Education Series, Session III: "The Economic Ebb and Flow" with Olivia Willrett, Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, LLC

4:00- 5:00 pm

Illinois Beef Hall of Fame Reception

5:00 pm

Illinois Beef Foundation Silent Auction Closes on SC Online Sales

5:00- 8:00 pm

Supper & Illinois Beef Association Awards Ceremony

BQA CE Credits

BQA Continuing Education Credits are a new and exciting opportunity for Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony attendees! Any producer with a valid BQA Certificate who attends the above-noted sessions and passes a short quiz after the session; will receive a BQA Continuing Education Credit through the National BQA program. Producers who attend all three sessions and pass all three quizzes will receive a renewed BQA certificate by the end of the day! This renewed Continuing Education BQA Certificate will be added to the end of your existing certificate and serve as a three-year renewal, just as the foundational training has always done. If you have any questions on the BQA Continuing Education opportunity, please reach out to Annie Schoetmer at the Illinois Beef Association. This is an exciting opportunity that we hope you will take advantage of!

Illinois State Fairgrounds Map

Don't know where to go? Find the red star on the map to find the expo building!

Get to know the speakers

Biosecurity: Protecting the herd*

Michaela Clowser

Michaela serves as the Senior Director of Producer Education and Sustainability at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), where she leads initiatives to advance beef quality, animal welfare, and sustainability practices across the industry. Some of the programs she oversees are the Stockmanship and Stewardship regional events, annual Cattlemen's College held in conjunction with CattleCon and assists with the development of BQA and National Beef Quality Audit research and resources. Michaela is a native Nebraskan where she grew up on an Angus and Simmental operation. She attended the University of Nebraska - Lincoln for her undergraduate degree and Oklahoma State University for her graduate degree, both for Agricultural Economics.

Immune Priming: Raising Low-Risk Cattle*

Preston Cernek, DVM

Preston, is a veterinarian in Stockton, Illinois at Northern Illinois Veterinary Services. He was raised in Gratiot, Wisconsin on a small dairy farm, and he is a graduate of Highland Community College, UW-Platteville, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Preston spends most of his time working with all aspects of beef and dairy cattle, but he particularly enjoys herd health preventative medicine, bull breeding soundness examinations, feedlot consultation, and bovine pregnancy diagnosis, which includes fetal age and gender determination with ultrasound. Preston’s wife, Megan, was raised in Elizabeth, Illinois, and the two of them have enjoyed returning to their rural roots to raise a family. Preston and Megan have two daughters, Tilly and Eleanor, and a Black Labrador named Mabel. Outside of the clinic, the Cernek family enjoys caring for their small herd of beef cattle, attending local fairs and community events, and spending time with family.

Emerging Technologies in the Beef Industry*

Eli Slouha

Eli is the Midwest Growth Manager for Performance Livestock Analytics. He brings a deep-rooted passion for agriculture to his role, drawing from his rich background on his family farm, where he grew up raising cattle. He and his wife now have their own operation where they raise purebred Berkshire hogs. A proud FFA American Degree recipient and active FFA Alumni member, Eli is dedicated to building connections within the livestock industry. Outside of work, Eli is a hands-on craftsman, often found tinkering in his shop or woodworking—a skill that earned him state champion honors in high school. He and his wife enjoy family day trips with their toddler, exploring new places and enjoying craft beers along the way. From summer lake outings to Mississippi River cruises, he enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends.

The Economic EBb & Flow

Olivia Willrett

Olivia is an Illinois native having been raised on a diversified grain and cattle feeding operation in DeKalb County. Following the completion of her bachelor’s degrees in animal science and agricultural business at Colorado State University in 2021, Olivia joined the risk management team at Five Rivers Cattle Feeding as a market analyst. Over the last five years, Olivia has played a role in developing market research as well as creating and executing hedge strategies in both cattle and grain markets. In addition to her role with Five Rivers, Olivia is involved with her family’s Illinois feedyard, managing cattle procurement and marketing from her location in Colorado. Outside of work, Olivia is pursuing a master’s degree in agricultural economics from Colorado State University.