The Online Newsletter of the American Dairy Science Association
April, 2001
The 2001 Annual Meeting Program has been finalized and will be available online by mid-April when the program goes to press. To find the most up-to-date list of scheduled events and the symposia schedule click here to go to the meeting website. Remember, register by May 15, 2001 and to receive a reduced rate click here for online registration.
The ADSA Board will meet at
Headquarters April 23-24 to discuss, among other things, ongoing projects, review the 2001 budget,
continue with the strategic plan, and develop the agenda for the 2001 annual board
meeting. If
you have any concerns or ideas you wish to share with the Board, please contact
one of the Board members or me.
As a result of a schedule change, the dates of the 2003 IFT Annual Meeting are the same dates as the ADSA/ASAS Joint Meeting in Phoenix (July 13-18). We are investigating alternative dates with the Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau to avoid this conflict with IFT. We will keep you posted.
Check your mail around April 25 for the 2001 ADSA officers ballot, a Foundation survey, and information on the SAD Quiz Bowl. Completed ballots are due June 15. Completed surveys can be returned in the envelope provided. This is your chance to cheer on your favorite Quiz Bowl team by attending the "New" SAD Dairy Quiz Bowl on Tuesday, July 24 with the Seating and Preliminary Rounds from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 and the final round from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Register NOW to Attend the International Animal Agriculture and Food Science Conference (2001 ADSA Annual Meeting) in Indianapolis!
The events are set, the abstracts are in, the rooms are assigned,
the menus are ordered. Now it’s time for you to register for the International
Animal Agriculture and Food Science Conference (IAAFSC)--the joint meeting of
the American Dairy Science Association, the American Society of Animal Science,
the American Meat Science Association, and the Poultry Science Association--which
will be held Tuesday, July 24 to Saturday, July 28 in Indianapolis.
Over 1850 abstracts were submitted for the 2001 IAAFSC with 48
symposia spaced throughout the meeting. The
Coordinating Committee has developed a very strong program to emphasize common
interests while maintaining the traditional activities of each society.
Plan now to attend and don’t forget to register by May 15th
– click here register online. Do not
wait to receive the printed program because it may not reach you before the
early registration deadline has passed. A list of scheduled events and the symposia schedule can be found by
or clicking here.
Submit housing reservations now. You
can reserve your rooms online now by clicking here. Rooms at the
Indianapolis Marriott, the ADSA Headquarters hotel, are going fast so act now to
reserve space in Indy's newest downtown hotel.
2001 Discover Conference
Designer Milk Topic of Upcoming DISCOVER Conference...
... Milk for the New Decade !
Recent advances in our knowledge of the nutritional and functional performance of milk and milk components as an ingredient in food and as a part of a healthy diet have sparked renewed interest in the science and technology of milk.
Consumers, producers, processors, regulatory agencies, dairy marketing organizations, and food industry executives have exciting and broad-reaching ideas on how science and technology will impact milk and milk components in the next decade. To help bring all these thoughts into focus, the DISCOVER Conference Series is pleased to present the DISCOVER Conference on Food Animal Agriculture: Milk, Dairy Ingredients and Dairy Foods for the New Decade - Developing New Composition, Nutritional and Functional Targets for Tomorrow's
Consumer, December 9-12, 2001.
The program will bring together representatives from a variety of interests to address needs of end-users in the next decade; assess trends, practices and developments that can help guide the industry through the next decade; investigate pre- and post-harvest science and technology needed to achieve our goals; and determine the most effective technology transfer to be implemented/continued to achieve successful application.
The conference is targeted for scientists involved with dairy cattle nutrition, suppliers of feeds and animal health products, and producers or feeders, as well as scientists working with milk composition, consultants for the dairy industry, companies involved in processing milk and dairy products, suppliers of milk products and regulators for the dairy industry. Participation is not restricted to ADSA members.
If you are interested in participating in this Conference, visit the ADSA DISCOVER Web site at
http://www.adsa.org/discover for complete programming, registration and travel information. The registration fee is $375.00, which includes all sessions and most meals.
This conference will be held December 9-12, 2001 at Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California on 105 acres of forest, dune and beach at the tip of California's historic Monterey Peninsula. Overlooking the Pacific, meeting accommodations are set among Monterey pines and cypresses. The tide pools of the Asilomar State Beach are just a few minutes from the Conference Center.
The facility offers a variety of recreational opportunities including a heated swimming pool, horseshoe pits, volleyball courts, and an exercise trail. Off the grounds, the area offers some of the world's best golf, sport fishing and boating. It is just a few minutes from popular tourist destinations in Carmel and Monterey - 17 Mile Drive and surrounded by neighboring Carmel, Cannery Row (just 2 miles), Monterey Bay Aquarium and Fisherman's Wharf.
Phillip Tong, California Polytechnic State University, is chair for this DISCOVER Conference. The first DISCOVER Conference was held in June 1998. DISCOVER Conferences offer a retreat-type setting and an informal format that encourage exciting interactions among scientists focusing on topics of importance to the science of food animal agriculture. Sessions are held primarily mornings and evenings with afternoons available for discussion or recreation.
Eighty cents
of every ADSA members’ dues goes to pay for our annual membership in the
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST).
Thirty-eight other scientific and social science societies with combined
individual memberships of 180,000 also are CAST members and pay dues in amounts
based on the number of members in each society. Two new members of CAST are the American Society for
Nutritional Sciences and the American Veterinary Medical Association; the newest
member is the Society of In Vitro Biology with 1200 members. The mission of CAST is to assemble, interpret, and
communicate science-based information regionally, nationally, and
internationally on food, fiber, agricultural, natural resource, and related
societal and environmental issues to our stakeholders—legislators, regulators,
policymakers, the media, the private sector, and the public.
The CAST Board of Directors, made up of one representative from each
member society, meets each spring and fall; the spring meeting is always in the
Washington, DC, area so that congressional leaders, staffers, and our media and
public relations employees can be with us.
Here is a brief summary of our recent meeting.
The
Executive Vice President of CAST since 1992, Richard E. Stuckey, reaffirmed his
retirement plans and Teresa Gruber was named his replacement effective April 1,
2001. Gruber will have her office
in Washington, DC, while the remaining office staff will continue operations
from Ames, Iowa. The current
president of CAST is Harold D. Coble from North Carolina State University, and
the president-elect is Brad L. Inman with CH2M-Hill in Gainesville, FL.
At the
opening general session, we were treated to a panel presentation from four
congressional staff members, two each from the House and Senate Agriculture
Committees speaking on farm bill issues. Some
issues identified were global animal health, pay-off and funding for ag
research, food safety (a sensitive issue because it is crisis oriented),
emergency assistance and the need for a dependable income for farmers, water
availability legislation, and rural-urban ag strategies and their impact on
farmers.
CAST’s
public relations firm in Washington, DC is Myers and Associates (Larry Myers and
Fran Boyd, et al.); among many of their other activities in behalf of
CAST, they issue “Friday Reports” by electronic mail about the many
activities in Washington related to agriculture.
Larry gave the report and noted “CAST’s profile is higher than ever,
as indicated by who came from the Hill for this year’s spring meeting and by
the fact that CAST is not slotted but is neutral.”
During the
meeting, a proposal to merge the Agricultural Research Institute (ARI) with CAST
was presented to Dick Herrett, ARI executive director. A motion to investigate this further was passed.
ARI has a 50-year history of supporting ag research and has many of the
same goals as CAST.
CAST
functions primarily through four work groups, a National Concerns Committee (NCC),
and an Executive Committee. The
work groups are Animal Science, Food Science and Ag Technology, Plant and Soil
Science, and Plant Protection. From
these groups outlines for issue papers and task force reports are submitted to
the NCC and then to the full Board for approval.
Currently CAST has 18 reports in some stage of preparation; those soon to
appear are Animal Agriculture’s Future through Biotechnology, Energy in
Agriculture: Efficient Use and
Potential Production, Relevance of Soil Testing to Agriculture and the
Environment (now available), and Management of Pest Resistance:
Crop Management Strategies. Others
being considered are Nutraceuticals, Ethics in Agriculture, Urban Agriculture,
Food Irradiation, Alternatives to Use of Antibiotics in Animal Health, and
Maintenance of Drinking Water Quality. A
report on animal biosolids is on hold pending a national report in preparation
on this topic.
For each
spring meeting CAST selects an individual to receive the Charles A. Black Award.
It is presented to a food or agricultural scientist actively engaged in
research who has made significant contributions to his/her scientific field, and
communicates the importance of this work to the public, policy makers and news
media. (Charles Black is a
professor emeritus of agronomy at Iowa State University and a past president,
executive vice president, and member of the founding committee of CAST.)
This year’s recipient is Judith Stern from the University of
California, Davis. Her award
address was on obesity and during her lecture, she pointed out that Americans
spend $33 billion annually on weight loss products, which do not work.
We were invited to check out the American Obesity Association’s Web
page at www.obesity.com where we can learn
how to calculate our body mass index.
The above
items are only highlights from the CAST meeting, but each session I attend makes
me appreciate more that ADSA is a member. The importance of our being in CAST is
all about the changing scene in agriculture; the Department of Agriculture has
109,000 employees; at the start of the 20th century 40% of us here on
the farm but now only 1.5% of the US population; 6 billion people are now on the
planet but by 2030 there will be 10 billion; and the United States will continue
to be the breadbasket for the world. The
challenges are formidable, and CAST is one of the most qualified agencies to
enable our best minds to focus on these opportunities to serve our profession
and humanity.
CAST next
meets in Raleigh, NC on September 20-22.
LOOKING
FOR TOMORROW’S DAIRY LEADERS TODAY
Join
Nearly 300 People Who Have Expanded Their Leadership Skills by Participating in
the Holstein Foundation’s Young Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI)
WHY
DLI?–Are you prepared to deal with your nonfarm neighbors who see your dairy
as a nuisance? Could you calmly
answer attacks from an anti-dairy activist?
Would you like to work more effectively with employees, your family, or
your management team? Would you
like to develop your leadership skills to shape the direction of the dairy
industry? If so, there is a
conference you must attend!
Young
Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI) is seeking the best and the brightest young dairy
professionals from throughout the nation for its fourth class to be held
February 2002 and 2003 in Tampa, Florida. Dairy
producers and allied dairy industry members, ages 22 to 45, are encouraged to
apply. The YDLI experience includes
a focused three-phase leadership and communications skills development program
sponsored by the Holstein Foundation. The
Holstein Foundation is a nonprofit organization, supported by generous corporate
and individual donors, with a mission to develop and sustain leaders for a
changing agriculture. The
Foundation’s programs and services are open to people working with all breeds
of dairy cattle.
YDLI’s
unique hands-on approach to leadership development distinguishes it from other
national dairy leadership conferences. By weaving timely and cutting edge issues
information into its leadership skills workshops, YDLI allows participants to
learn by actively engaging in exciting and dynamic exercises, practicing newly
acquired skills in mock senate hearings, community and board meetings, and media
interviews. This intensive training
promotes strong and long-lasting relationships among participants and helps to
foster YDLI’s mission of building unity in the dairy industry.
YDLI’s diverse participants include men and women who are dairy
enthusiasts ages 22 to 45. Alumni
from the Institute work with all breeds of cattle and include both producers and
allied industry professionals who hail from states ranging from California to
New England and Florida to Washington. Through
YDLI, they learn the importance of both appreciating differences and reaching
consensus on issues facing the industry.
Phase
I of YDLI is a four-day conference focusing on developing the participants’
individual leadership skills, enhancing communication and media relation skills,
understanding personality styles, developing effective meeting skills and
beginning board member training, all against a backdrop of urgent issues facing
the industry. Phase II provides
participants the opportunity to put into practice their newly acquired skills by
undertaking outreach activities in their communities.
This phase also allows participants to network with other class members.
Phase III brings participants together for a second four-day conference
focusing on team development and group leadership skills, affecting the public
policy process, advanced board member training, and advanced media relation
skills with timely issues woven into the program. Participants learn from and
are inspired by top industry leaders and nationally recognized speakers who
convey a spirit of optimism for the future.
By
integrating all of these skills, graduates of YDLI are positioned to strengthen
the institutions and organization to which they belong; the communities in which
they live; and the dairy industry from which they derive their livelihood.
To date, YDLI alumni include
nearly 300 dairy producers and professionals making leadership contributions at
the local, state, and national level. A
sampling of YDLI alumni leadership contributions include: 1st Vice Chair, Land
O’Lakes, Inc.; National Type Advisory Committee, American Jersey Cattle
Association; National Director, Ayrshire Breeders Association; Chairperson,
Association of Women in Agriculture; presidents of
state Holstein associations; as well as leadership positions in 4-H, Farm
Bureau, cooperative boards, and school boards.
Pete
Kappleman, dairy producer and former president of Professional Dairy Producers
of Wisconsin, says, “I’ve been a part of numerous young farmer and
cooperator programs, but YDLI has by far had the biggest impact on me.”
Karla Spencer, extension specialist in Missouri, states: “YDLI is an
experience I can draw upon every day. If
I can practice half of what I learned I’ll be twice as effective!” Duane Nelson, dairy producer from Minnesota, feels “YDLI
has helped me to better understand, communicate, and get along on the home
front. It should also help me to be
a better board member.” Utah dairy producers John and Maria Nye summed up
their YDLI experience as follows: “This has been a tremendous learning and
growth experience for us personally and for our dairy — we want to encourage
others to share the experience.”
If
you want to be included among this group of enthusiastic young agricultural
professionals who approach issues with optimism and achieve results, then YDLI
is for you. For more information
and applications, contact Ellen Merrill at the Holstein Foundation by phone,
1-800-952-5200 x4231; email, emerrill@holstein.com; or look up the
Foundation’s website at www.holsteinfoundation.org.
Applications are due August 15, 2001.
FASS Farm Animal Worker Training Program
The Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) has created a two-VHS cassette video package to accompany the first revised edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching (Ag Guide), which was published in 1999.
The
FASS Committee on Animal Care, Use, and Standards produced the video training
module as an enhancement to the Ag Guide.
“The videotape is an accurate reflection of the FASS Ag Guide
that farm animal researchers and investigators will find very useful,” states
Dr. John McGlone, Texas Tech University and member of the FASS Committee on
Animal Care, Use, and Standards.
As
part of a national training program, the introductory two-tape video product, Introduction
to the Ag Guide, is packaged with a copy of the Guide for the Care
and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching, a
CD-ROM of the Guide, and a set of examination questions developed for
testing viewers of the educational materials.
FASS
and the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS) plan to
promote this program to agricultural animal users in research and teaching
universities, government laboratories, and industry. The complete package will
be priced at $500; certification exams will be scheduled by ARPAS.
The
committee will also be developing species-specific educational materials for
distribution throughout 2001 and 2002.
To order, click here
Dairy
Issues in the News
APPOINTMENTS
CAST Appoints Teresa Gruber, Ph.D./Esq. as Executive Vice President, effective April 1, according to a Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) March 13 News Release, which notes " ... She succeeds Richard E. Stuckey who will continue as past executive vice president until his retirement at the end of June. Gruber will help CAST identify and respond to critical national and global issues that currently or potentially impact food, fiber, agricultural and natural resource system and environmental quality. CAST scientists are currently active in communicating on agricultural biotechnology and other timely issues. Forthcoming CAST publications cover topics ranging from microbial risk analysis in food safety to ethics in agriculture to agriculture’s response to global climate change. ... Gruber holds a Ph.D. in plant breeding from the University of Minnesota and a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. She served as Counsel to the Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture from October 1997 to January 2001. Gruber was the trade and agriculture counsel to U.S. Senator J. Robert Kerrey (D-NE) from January 1995 to October 1997. In addition, Gruber served as a staff assistant on the Agriculture Committee in the House of Representatives as well as other jobs related to federal policymaking. She will maintain an office in Washington, D.C. Gruber will also direct CAST’s office located in Ames, Iowa. CAST’s mission is to assemble, interpret, and communicate science-based information regionally, nationally, and internationally on food, fiber, agricultural, natural resource, and related societal and environmental issues to stakeholders--legislators, regulators, policymakers, the media, the private sector, and the public.” More information on CAST and its numerous scientific reports are available at http://www.cast-science.org or by calling (515) 292-2125 or by e-mail communications at cast@cast-science.org - A copy of the CAST March 13 news release should be posted soon at http://www.cast-science.org/castnews.htm
Joseph J. Jen Nominated for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education and Economics - President Bush announced the nomination in an April 5 News Release, which notes that Dr. Jen " ... is currently the Dean of the College of Agriculture at California Polytechnic State University and was previously the Division Chairman and Department Head of the Division of Food Science and Technology at the University of Georgia. Jen is a graduate of Taiwan University and received a Master's degree from Washington State University. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.B.A. from Southern Illinois University." - A copy of the White House News Release is posted at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/04/20010405-3.html
Mary Kirtley Waters Nominated by President Bush to be Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Congressional Relations, according to a White House April 5 News Release, which notes: "She is presently the Senior Director and Legislative Counsel for ConAgra Foods where she has served since 1986. Before joining ConAgra, she served as a Legislative Assistant for Congressman Larry J. Hopkins from 1984 to 1986. Waters is a graduate of the University of Illinois and received her law degree from George Mason University" - A copy of the White House News Release is posted at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/04/20010405-3.html
DAIRY ISSUES
Starbucks to offer rBST free milk as an alternative in all of its stores by the end of summer 2001, according to a March 16 letter from the company’s president to several anti ag biotech groups - The letter notes: " ... You have expressed concern about some very complex social, economic and environmental issues that impact us all, and do not lend themselves to simple solutions. We had hoped to share with you our policies and actions on these issues and to explore how we could work together to achieve those things to which I think we may both be committed. Your refusal to meet unless we have categorically agreed to all your demands signals to us that you may be more interested in using Starbucks as a public forum to express your views than in working cooperatively for constructive solutions. ... As with virtually every other retailer of food products, Starbucks must rely on governmental agencies charged with food safety responsibility to determine what foods are safe for human consumption, unless there is a substantial body of evidence which contradicts agency positions. We, therefore, have concluded that the products offered in our stores are safe either because they have been approved by government agencies or conform to governmental regulators. Nevertheless, Starbucks recognizes that some of our customers may be concerned about GMOs, even in the absence of any evidence of harm to the public, and that there will be increasing public debate on the GMO issue. ... Because Starbucks does not produce these goods and does not have control over their supply, we are not in a position to give immediate assurances that we can offer only GMO-free goods. ... In the meantime, Starbucks has been, and continues to be, responsive to potential concerns about GMOs. We have examined our entire product line to determine GMO content and to study alternatives where they exist. We have clearly established that our core products, coffee and tea, are completely free of GMOs and are not derived from genetically modified sources. The soymilk that we offer in our stores is certified organic, and therefore GMO-free. As to our remaining products, there is no labeling requirement in the U.S. that obligates producers to disclose the presence of all genetically modified ingredients. Nevertheless, we believe most other products we offer are GMO-free and will continue to work with our existing suppliers or alternative suppliers to assure this is so. We also understand you have particular concerns about rBST (recombinant bovine somatotropin) in milk products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization, American Medical Association, National Institute of Health and regulatory agencies in 30 countries take the position that milk from cows supplemented with rBST is no different from milk from untreated cows. However, again we recognize that some of our customers have concerns about the presence of rBST in milk products. Therefore, we are taking measures to address those concerns. As soon as we have an alternative source of supply, Starbucks will begin to offer rBST-free milk as an option upon request, just as we currently offer soymilk as an alternative in our beverages. We expect that the rBST-free milk alternative will be available in all our company-owned U.S. stores by the end of this summer. Currently, 25% of our milk supply is rBST-free. Ultimately, we hope to be able to offer all of our milk products rBST-free. However, even though only about one-third of dairy herds are injected with the synthetic hormone rBST, the USDA advises that, at the current time, significantly less than 5% of the commercially produced milk can be certified as coming from rBST-free herds because of the bulking processes used within the milk industry. Without an adequate source of rBST-free milk, we cannot make immediate changes. However, we are already discussing with existing suppliers what we can do to ensure the remainder of our supply is rBST-free and will push for a solution. ..." - A copy of the company's letter to the anti ag biotech activist groups is posted at: http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/pressdesc.asp?id=170 - Questions may be directed to Starbuck's Public Affairs Cheri Libby at 206 318 7272; e-mail: clibby@starbucks.com NOTE: ADSA has sent them a letter to reconsider this policy.
Dry Whole Milk Grade Standards - USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Announces the " ... availability of revisions to the United States Standards for Grades of Dry Whole Milk. The changes will: (1) Lower the maximum bacterial estimate to not more than 10,000 per gram for U.S. Extra Grade and not more than 50,000 per gram for U.S. Standard Grade, (2) include protein content as an optional test, (3) incorporate maximum titratable acidity requirements, (4) expand the "Test methods" section to allow product evaluation using the latest methods included in the Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy Products, in the Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, and in standards developed by the International Dairy Federation, (5) reference the Food and Drug Administration's standards of identity for dry whole milk, (6) relocate information concerning the optional oxygen content determination, and (7) make editorial changes that would provide consistency with other U.S. grade standards for dairy products." - Effective April 13 - A paper copy of the revised standards are available from Duane Spomer, Chief, Dairy Standardization Branch, Dairy Programs, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 2746, South Building, Stop 0230, P.O. Box 96456, Washington, DC 20090-6456 - Electronic copies should be posted at http://www.ams.usda.gov/dairy/stand.htm - Questions may be directed to Talari Jude, Dairy Products Marketing Specialist, Dairy Standardization Branch, Dairy Programs, USDA/AMS/Dairy Programs at (202) 720-7473 - USDA AMS March 14 Federal Register: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_register&docid=01-6331-filed
MAD COW DISEASE
Dietary Supplements and Mad Cow Disease - The National Nutritional Foods Association has developed and posted on its www site a Guidance Document, titled: "NNFA BSE Guidance Manual," which was developed by the Association's Committee for Product and Label Integrity, dated March 2001 - The document provides background information, recommendations from FDA and other government sources, a Sample Operating Procedure that manufacturers can follow " ... To insure the safety of all ruminant sourced ingredients through lot specific documentation. Transmittable Spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) found in bovine, cervine and ovine species is closely related to a new variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease found in humans. This procedure establishes a paper trail to insure that ingredients of this type are from approved FDA/USDA countries and have been documented to be disease free," and a question and answer fact sheet - A copy of the guidance document is posted at http://www.nnfa.org/services/science/pdf/GuidanceDoc.pdf
The 60 Minutes II Transcript from Tuesday evening, March 13, on "What Have They Done To Our Food? Scientists Engineer Corn With Gene To Kill Pests Add A Flounder Gene To Tomatoes To Withstand Cold But Consumer Advocates Ask If U.S. Regulation Is Too Lax," is posted at http://cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,275254-412,00.shtml
Mad Cow Disease Story Run March 20 on 60 Minutes II - Addressed: "Mad Cow: Will Disease Strike American Cattle? Some Poke Holes In U.S. Testing And Rules; Should Officials Adopt European Precautions?" - According to the story " ... Mad cow has never been found in the United States. But this country is not taking all precautions. Experts warn that America is risking too much. ... Researchers believe that variant CJD entered the food chain in the English countryside. The problem stems from the way cattle have been fed in Western Europe and in the United States for decades. When cattle are slaughtered, part of the remains go into cattle feed. ... The leftover bones, brains and blood help cows grow larger, faster. But in Britain diseased cows were mixed in the feed, and mad cow disease spread rapidly. In the final stages, animals suffer tremors and can't walk. At one point it was thought mad cow wouldn't infect humans. Initially Britain's agriculture minister told consumers, 'British beef is safe.' But most researchers now believe varient CJD is transmitted by eating infected beef. In the United Kingdom that mostly likely included anything ranging from steaks to baby food. Victims never know exactly how they get it, but in Britain, so far 86 people have suffered the staggering gait, failing coordination and madness. ... The disease is currently untreatable. Scientists believe it's a totally new kind of infection, not a bacterium or a virus. A protein called a prion is found in all of our brains. Prions are harmless molecules unless they get twisted out of their normal shape. ... Europe has tried to curb exposure with very tough animal feeding regulations. Fifteen European countries have banned the use of animal meat and blood in animal feed. Farm animals there are vegetarians again. But in the United States, the federal government has not imposed the same strict standards. And some experts worry the United States has too many holes in its mad cow defense. In 1997 the government outlawed most cattle remains in cattle feed. But cows are still an important ingredient in other animal feeds in this country. That feed is supposed to be labeled 'Do not feed to cows.' But an investigation by the FDA found hundreds of feed makers in this country are violating the law. ... The FDA still allows the use of cow blood in cattle feed, a practice banned in Europe. New laboratory research suggest blood can infect sheep with mad cow disease, although there's no evidence in cattle so far. ... Federal mad cow strategy is based on the premise that there is no disease in the United States. The government believes American cattle have been safe ever since it banned the import of meat, feed and animals from countries with mad cow. But critics of that strategy say we may not have found mad cow because we're not looking hard enough. 'Germany and these other countries didn't detect their first cases until they started to do much larger screening,' says Michael Hansen, who studies prion diseases at the Consumer Policy Institute, which publishes Consumer Reports magazine. He says France tests more than 40,000 cows a week while in the United States only a tiny fraction of the national herd undergoes such scrutiny. ... In Europe, the test is done in just four hours. Europeans test 25 percent of the cattle and are finding prion disease in cows that still look healthy. ... The Department of Agriculture declined to comment on testing. The USDA did send 60 Minutes II a letter saying it will 'ensure timely detection and swift response in the unlikely event that an introduction of (mad cow) were to occur' and that the agency will 'continually improve the surveillance system.' But for now the United States says it doesn't need to adopt Europe's feed and testing precautions. The FDA is evaluating the latest research. ..." - A copy of the complete 60 Minutes II story is posted at: http://cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,279514-412,00.shtml
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Ag
Biotech Legal Issues Roundtable Set for May 10 in Washington, DC -
Developed and sponsored by the American Bar Association Section on Environment,
Energy, and Resources Special Committee on Agricultural Management in
cooperation with the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA), American Crop
Protection Association (ACPA), Council for Agricultural Science and Technology
(CAST), and Georgetown University Law Center - The intent of the
conference is to "... bring leading scientists, lawyers, and other
stakeholders together for an interdisciplinary discussion of science and law in
search of 'win-win' options to the complex issues surrounding supporting
approval of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Discussions will include the
impact of new international rules regulating GMOs, imports of which are
regulated as 'living modified organisms' (LMOs) under the newly approved
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (an addendum to the Convention on Biological
Diversity). An emerging 'precautionary approach' to approval requirements in
overseas trading partners should lead manufacturers of LMOs (e.g., seeds,
aquaculture fish, trees etc.) to plan well in advance for overseas approvals for
crops entering the U.S. marketplace. Seed companies, growers and the entire
chain of agricultural commerce will need to implement 'identity preservation'
for crops and lines of communication that create an interdependent marketplace.
Overseas, countries will need to develop the capacity to expedite approvals of
seed and commodities imports to avoid massive disruptions in U.S.
trade...." - Program highlights include: "The pros and cons of
treating genetic engineering as a process that create unique risks and unique
legal standards; The use of information technology to expedite risk assessment
and liability risk management; Balancing developing country interests in
environmental protection and development; Legal and scientific methods for
protecting wild relatives of common crops and native plant varieties from
displacement by genetically modified varieties; and Risk management for sales of
'living modified organisms' (LMOs) not yet approved in major overseas
markets." - Program and registration information should be posted soon on
the CAST www sit at http://www.cast-science.org/ - Questions may be directed to
CAST's Biotechnology Communications Coordinator, Cindy Lynn Richard at 202 408
5383; fax: 202-408-5385; e-mail: crichard@cast-science.org
PBS
Frontline/Nova Set April 24 "Harvest of Fear," report on Ag
Biotech, which is " ... investigating the controversy over genetically
modified foods. While proponents say this new technology has the potential to
end hunger and dramatically improve the quality of life for billions of people,
others argue it's the biggest threat to humanity since nuclear energy. The
controversy has led Europe to ban the planting of genetically modified crops and
to demand that all existing 'GM' products be labeled. Will the United States
follow suit?" - Go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/ and http://www.businesswire.com/
search for word: Frontline, for an April 9 PBS News Release on the April 24
show.
Anti Ag Biotech Group, "DownSouth," organizing for protest actions, according to a March 25 listserver message distributed by DownSouth, a unit of the anti ag biotech group referred to as "Resistance Against Genetic Engineering (RAGE)" - Information about DownSouth and other RAGE groups is posted at http://liberated.tao.ca/rage.htm - FIEN Comment: Each of the anti ag biotech groups noted on this www site are planning protest or vandalism actions for the immediate future - Organizations involved in ag biotech research should review their public response and security plans in anticipation that one or more of their operations could be a protest or vandalism target.
Anti Ag Biotech Activists may be targeting individual university research professional staff as well as research facilities, according to an internet e-mail message distributed by DownSouth Resistance Against Genetic Engineering (RAGE), a group that is opposed to the application of modern biotechnology techniques in agriculture - An April 3 message from the group to its supporters states: "many people have asked me how to go about researching what is out there and where. ... for example, just now i was starting to do some web research on University of Tennessee. ... so using UT as an example, after typing in "University of Tennessee biotechnology" in google, i came up with a link to the UT agricultural experiment station. ... http://web.utk.edu/~taescomm/ ... you'll see many interesting links on this page. at the bottom left you see 'millie and animal cloning research' - gee that sounds interesting! click there and you get this: http://web.utk.edu/~taescomm/utcloneproject.html click on animal science department, and you have lists of all the faculty in that dept. for when you want to descend on their lab wearing freaky mutant cow costumes and videotape them trying to defend their mad science, or lock down to the cloning machine or whatever; - if you click on 'research' you'll come to all the 1999-2000 animal science research projects and who is in charge of them. do the same thing in plant pathology, genetics and breeding, molecular biology, or any other similar sounding field of study. search the engine on the university's main page, using words like 'transgenic (fish, crops, plants, trees),' or 'genetic engineering' or 'biotechnology.' a lot of times you will find a lot of stuff linked under 'biotechnology' that is medical/pharmaceutical based. a lot of times the ag stuff is listed as 'agricultural biotechnology.' the medical stuff is harder to target in the general public's mind, and usually contained in a lab, so its hard to argue on environmental grounds. but that sector uses a lot of transgenic mice and other lab animals, and works on producing human medicine in cloned animals' organs. i'll leave it at that for now, but i encourage folks to start researching this stuff, and gettinga grip on who is doing what, so we can confront and expose them personally rather than just in the marketplace. long live the seed!" - Information about DownSouth Rage is posted at: http://liberated.tao.ca/dsrage.htm - See also http://liberated.tao.ca/rage.htm - FIEN Comment: Government (ARS, APHIS, FDA), university and company agricultural biotechnology researchers should take seriously the possibility that the anti ag biotech protest movement may be planning to target individual researchers, not just their research projects and may want to review security precautions with their local police officials.
National Ag Biotech Conference Set for May 22 - 24 in Chicago under the theme of “High Anxiety and Biotechnology: Who’s Buying, Who’s Not, and Why?” - Intended to serve as a forum to “ … bring together representatives of agricultural biotechnology research and teaching institutions and industry to discuss issues with far-reaching impact on the future of agricultural technology. Key topics for the conference include: how food technologies get accepted; how you say it counts; how the consumer gets influenced: perceptions of risk, information technology, consumer advocacy; [and] divergent lenses: the producers, the scientists, the consumers and the media - Two workshops will provide an opportunity to share viewpoints and make recommendations concerning topics discussed. In addition, a pre-conference program, 'Getting Ahead of Issues in Biotechnology,' will be held on May 22, 2001 from 8:30 -1:30 at the Wyndham. The pre-conference will consist of three highly focused, moderated panel discussions that will define key issues related to production, regulation, and public opinion facing the agricultural biotechnology industry internationally, and their impact on U.S. agriculture." - A detailed program and registration information can be found at the NABC 2001 web site, http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/research/nabc2001/welcome.html - The conference is sponsored by the University of Illinois and Iowa State University - Questions may be directed to the University of Illinois National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL) at 217 244 1706; fax: 217 244 1707; e-mail: nsrl@uiuc.edu
Dairy
Fun Facts
Sports Drinks in the Dairy Case, St. Louis District Dairy Council. If you're looking for a really good sports drink, head for the dairy case. Nancy Clark, a registered dietitian and author of Nancy's Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, says "Low-fat milk is a perfect beverage of choice to help fuel any physical activity or workout." Milk provides:
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potassium, which regulates the balance of fluids in the body, |
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protein, which helps keep muscles strong and the immune system working, and |
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other vitamins and minerals, including riboflavin, vitamin B12, niacin, vitamin A, vitamin D, and phosphorus. |
Necrology Report
Bliss Crandall, instrumental in the dairy industry as the founder of computerizing DHIA records, passed away at his home on Saturday, April 7, 2001. Crandall has been a member of ADSA since 1967 and was a Life Member at the time of his death. Crandall was presented the ADSA Fellow Award in 1997. His son, Ken, also an ADSA member, is still involved as the President of DHI-Provo Computing Company.
Grant and Internship Notices
Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship
Grants - USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service Seeks by July 10 Requests for Proposals (RFP) for Food and Agricultural
Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants Program for Fiscal Years 2001 and 2002 and for 2001 Supplemental Grants for Special
International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research Travel Allowances from institutions or groups of institutions that confer a doctoral degree in a
national need area - Proposals also may be submitted by a research foundation maintained by an eligible college or university - CSREES also
is soliciting comments regarding this RFP from any interested party. Such comments will be considered in the development of any future requests for
proposals for this program. Such comments will be used in meeting the requirements of section 103(c)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Extension,
and Education Reform Act of 1998 (AREERA) - Supplemental Grant proposals to support special international study or thesis/dissertation research for
current Fellows must be received by October 1 - CSREES Contact: Dr. Howard Sandberg, Higher Education Programs at (202) 720-2193; e-mail:
hsandberg@reeusda.gov - USDA CSREES January 19 Federal Register:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_register&docid=01-1492-filed
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE (AAAS), PROGRAM ON
EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA, INTERNATIONAL DIVISION announces
WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE COLLABORATION (WISC) PROGRAM
2001 - 2002
OVERVIEW
The Women's International Science Collaboration (WISC) Program is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and administered by the Program
on Europe and Central Asia of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Because the application rate of women
scientists and engineers to the Central and Eastern Europe Program of the Division of International Programs has been disproportionately low, the
goal of this Program is to increase the participation of women as PIs and co-PIs in international research projects. This program provides grants
to individual US scientists who plan to establish new research partnerships with their colleagues in Central/Eastern Europe
(CEE) and
the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union (NIS).
The grant, up to $4,000, will provide travel and living support for the US woman scientist and, when appropriate, an additional grant of $4,000 to her American male or female co-PI. Each scientist will be responsible
for arranging accommodations. The grant does not cover salary or institutional expenses (e.g. overhead). US scientists can spend up to
four weeks in the partner country to develop a research program and design. Expenses can also be used to cover material and supplies needed
during the stay. Where excess funds exist and with the approval of AAAS administrators, grants funds can also be used to support a second visit
to the partner country or for a foreign partner to travel to the US when such a visit is deemed necessary. The grants are not to be used for the
sole purpose of attending conferences or workshops or teaching or training. The program will be administered by AAAS. The grantee's home
institution will be responsible for overseeing the grantee's adherence to NSF and federal guidelines regarding administration of the grant.
For full grant details, click here
Professional Meeting Calandar
ADSA/ASAS/PSA/AMSA Joint Annual Meeting:
July 24-28, 2001, Indianapolis, IN
Click here for complete list of ADSA Future
Annual MeetingsNational Mastitis Council/Professional Dairy
Producers of Wisconsin Joint Conference on Milk Quality, April 9-10, 2001,
Marriott-Madison West, Middlelton, WI; for additional information, call
800-WIS-PDPW.
Food Safety Summit and Expo, April 17 - 18, 2001
Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, DC; 800-746-9646; web: http://www.foodsafetysummit.com
2001 Joint Annual Meeting of the American Dairy Products Institute and the American Butter Institute—“Planning for the Future”, April 22-25, 2001 Hyatt Regency O’Hare Hotel, Rosemont, IL USA phone: 312-782-4888; email: adpi@flash.net
Hands-On Biotechnology Training Program—“Techniques in Animal Cell Culture and Scale-Up Strategies”, April 24-27, 2001 Utah State University Biotechnology Center, Logan, UT USA http://www.usu/edu/biotech
2001 Mid-South Ruminant Conference—“Focus on Transition Cows and Technology”, April 25-26, 2001, Hilton Arlington Hotel, Dallas, Texas USA. For more information, contact Dr. Ellen Jordan, 17360 Coit Road, Dallas, TX 75252-6599 or e-mail e-jordan@tamu.edu
Animal Well-Being: Challenges and Strategies Towards Solutions, April 27th Purdue, University Stewart Center Room 306. The past year has seen tremendous activity in the development of animal well-being guidelines. Numerous organizations have established animal well-being guidelines to promote appropriate husbandry and living conditions for food animals. Purdue University’s Center for Farm Animal Productivity and Well-Being and the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Livestock Behavior Research Unit invite you to a 1-day conference on this important issue for animal agriculture. The program includes animal well-being scientists and representatives of industry providing leadership in this area. The conference will be held at Purdue University’s Stewart Center in West Lafayette, Indiana. If you are interested in the most recent information on animal well-being, the challenges, and the strategies towards solutions, then this will be a day well spent. Please send in your registration as soon as possible. Space may become limited.
Schedule: 8:30-9:00 Registration and CoffeeAnimal Transportation Association 2001 Annual Conference, April 29-May 2, Toronto, Ontario, Canada http://www.npscmgmt.com/AATA/conference.htm
American Feed Industry Association Expo 2001, May 7-9, Indianapolis, Indiana,USA http://www.afia.org/Events/Meeting_Programs.html
2001 World Congress of the World Agricultural Forum, May 20-22, 2001, Hyatt Regency Union Station, St. Louis, Missouri USA http://www/worldagforum.org
Hands-On Biotechnology Training Program—“Microbial Fermentation: Development and Scale-Up”, May 22-25 and October 2-5, 2001 Utah State University Biotechnology Center, Logan, UT USA http://www.usu/edu/biotech
National Agricultural Biotechnology Conference 2001—“High Anxiety and Biotechnology: Who’s Buying, Who’s Not, and Why?”, May 22-24, 2001, Wyndham Hotel, Chicago, Illinois USA http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/research/nabc2001/welcome.html
14th Annual J.R. Brunner Protein Symposium, May 24 - 25, 2001, Michigan State University, Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, East Lansing, MI phone: Dr. Zeynep Ustunol at 517-355-0285; email: ustunol@pilot.msu.edu
NIZO Dairy Conference on Food Microbes 2001 13-15 June 2001 Ede, The Netherlands website:
http://www.elsevier.nl/locate/nizodairy2001
Contact: Sarah Wilkinson, NIZO Dairy Conference Secretariat Elsevier Science, The Boulevard, Langford Lane,
Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK
Tel: +44-1865-843691
Fax: +44-1865-843958
E-mail: sm.wilkinson@elsevier.co.uk
Yeast Summit, sponsored by Alltech, July 23, 2001, Indianapolis, Indiana. The Yeast Summit is recommended for nutritionists, feed manufacturers, livestock producers, formulators, purchasing agents, and university faculty involved in the production of feeds containing yeast. It will be particularly informative for those involved with high-producing dairy cows, horses, beef feedlot cattle, and pet food. For more information, contact your Alltech representative or Ms. Carol Johnson, Alltech Biotechnology Center, 3031 Catnip Hill Pike, Nicholasville, KY 40356; Tel: 859-887-3328; Fax: 859-887-3256; E-mail: cjohnson@alltech-bio.com.
11th International Conference on Production Diseases in Farm Animals (11th ICPD ), August 12-16, Copenhagen, Denmark http://www.11icpd.kvl.dk/
Hands-On Biotechnology Training Program—“Protein Purification: Isolation and Characterization”, September 11-14, 2001 Utah State University Biotechnology Center, Logan, UT USA http://www.usu/edu/biotech
ADDRESSING ANIMAL PRODUCTION/ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: AN INTERNATIONAL
SYMPOSIUM" October 3-5, 2001; Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Research Triangle Park, NC
This Symposium will involve several tracks as follows:
a. papers related to key issues being addressed by the National
Center for Manure and Animal Waste Management;
b. papers related to issues of animal production and
environmental issues not included in the Center program;
c. papers presenting the perspectives of the animal industries;
d. papers related specifically to issues of the Southeastern United
States;
e. posters on all of the above in addition to presentations;
f. workshops and tours.
The official call for papers and/or posters will be sent very soon, but
this is a prenotice. The information on format for papers, registration
and other arrangements will be found on our website when posted:
www.cals.ncsu.edu/waste.mgt/
Please direct any questions or submit potential paper topics to:
Dr. Leonard S. Bull, Program Chairperson
Associate Director
Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center
Box 7608
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7608
919-515-6836/919-513-1762 (FAX)
World Dairy Expo, October 3-7, 2001, Madison, Wisconsin USA http://www.world-dairy-expo.com
First International Symposium on Spray Drying of Milk Products, October 16-18, 2001 ENSP, Rennes, France http://www.rennes.inra.fr/spray
Worldwide Food Expo, October 18-21, 2001, McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois, visit http://www.worldwidefood.com or call 202-371-9243
Animal Welfare Considerations in Livestock Housing Systems, October 22-24, Zielona Góra, Poland http://www.pz.zgora.pl/cigr/
International Dairy Federation Conference: World Dairy Summit
2001, November 4-8, Auckland, New Zealand http://www.idf-wds2001.org/master.html
IX World Conference on Animal Production, October
26 - 31, 2003, Porto Allegre, Brazil Information is available at conference web
site: www.waap.it/9thworld.htm or
by contacting Leonard S. Bull, Vice President of WAAP for North America at leonard_bull@ncsu.edu.