Cattle farmers from across the area will gather at Rend Lake College in Ina on July 18^th for the fifth annual Southern Illinois Beef Conference.  It will run from 9 AM to 3 PM.  The conference is designed to be useful for cow/calf and stocker/backgrounding producers of all knowledge levels.  Several topics involving cattle will be discussed at the conference.  The keynote speaker will be Dr. James Pettigrew, animal scientist from the University of Illinois.  He will address concerns about the FDA decision on antibiotic use and its potential effects on the cattle industry.  The registration fee is $15 per person for registrations received by this Friday or pay $20 at the door.  You can register online at web.extension.illinois.edu/dsac/.  For more information, call 618-659-4917.