By Clarence E. Watson Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Director

This year we're observing a convergence of anniversaries of major events that have a strong impact on all who serve the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. This is the 150th anniversary of both the establishment of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and of the passage of the Morrill Act that created the nation's system of land-grant colleges and universities. 

1862 wasn't the only big year for agricultural activity in Congress. In 1887, the Hatch Act was enacted that led to the establishment of agricultural experiment stations at the land-grant universities that had been authorized 25 years earlier. In 1890, Congress passed the Second Morrill Act, which established 16 land-grant colleges in the South for African-American students. The colleges became known as 1890 land-grant institutions and have been active partners in agricultural research. Finally, in 1914, passage of the Smith-Lever Act was the beginning of the Cooperative Extension Service across the nation.

The University of Arkansas was founded in 1871 as a Morrill Act college and has evolved into a multicampus system that includes several research and extension stations around the state that function as components of the UA System Division of Agriculture. This activity was mandated from the beginning in the language of the Morrill Act that donated federal lands to the states. 

Today's large, comprehensive universities are a product of this legislation that requires the land-grand institutions, "without excluding other scientific and classical studies and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life."

The Hatch Act set up the agricultural experiment stations in the states and was amended in 1955 to specifically ensure that their activities would be geared toward "maintenance of a permanent and effective agricultural industry in the United States, including research basic to the problems of agriculture in its broadest aspects, and such investigations that focus on the development and improvement of the rural life and consumer welfare."

The vitality of agricultural research as a tool of economic development can be summed up in a couple of simple statistics. When the Morrill Act was passed in 1862, the United States had 30 million people, with 80 percent living in rural areas and 60 percent of the population employed in agriculture. By 2004, the population had increased tenfold to 300 million, but only 20 percent lived in rural areas and a scant 2 percent were employed in agriculture - fewer people feeding more people than ever. 

The national investment in these agricultural experiment stations - through both federal funds from USDA and state funds from their respective legislatures - has brought a return of 20 to 60 percent in the late 20th century, according to 27 studies analyzed by the USDA Economic Research Service (Economic Returns to Public Agricultural Research, Fuglie and Heisey, 2007).

The benefits are evident beyond the statistics. The work of the nation's agricultural experiment stations has led to improved health and nutrition by promoting nutritious and safer foods, a cleaner environment, the building of stronger communities and the improved efficiency of food and fiber production. 

Agricultural experiment stations always have a long to-do list. Our tasks are oriented toward helping our producers to be globally competitive. We do this by helping them increase production, reduce the production costs, add value to their products, shape agricultural policy, market their products, gain consumer acceptance of their products, promote environmental sustainability and ensure food safety.

The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station meets these responsibilities this current fiscal year that ends June 30 with a budget of more than $57 million. The state provides $35.5 million of that amount and the federal government is the source of more than $9 million from formula funds and sponsored grant money. Private industry grants account for $8 million of our budget and assorted non-federal sources add another $8 million. 

This level of activity is likely a long way from what President Abraham Lincoln might have imagined in 1862 when he signed the bills that created USDA and set up the land-grant college system. Technologies will change and new issues will emerge in years to come, but our mission will stay the same as institutions such as the AAES do their part to meet our nation's agricultural priorities.

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By Karen McSpadden Technology Licensing Officer

The University of Arkansas Technology Licensing Office (TLO) is a joint office of the Division of Agriculture and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville campus. Our job is to "commercialize world-class research to support a lasting knowledge-based economy to benefit Arkansas and the world." We serve Division inventors across the state in both the Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. (Note: The TLO does not handle inventions related to seed-bearing crops; those are handled separately through Don Dombek's office.) We work to protect the university's intellectual property and license it to partners who can commercialize it to create value for the university, the inventors and the citizens of Arkansas.

Everything starts for us with the creative and innovative Division researchers who generate new ideas, file invention disclosures and engage in the commercialization process with us. This can be tedious, but it can also be fun and rewarding. We look forward to working with all of our current and future inventors! This fall we are beginning a new tradition of honoring the previous fiscal year's inventors at an appreciation banquet. This tradition will begin on Sept. 20, 2012, and will honor those researchers who disclosed an invention, had a technology licensed and/or had a patent issue in FY2012. 

Going forward, this newsletter will contain a summary of recently issued patents. To get us caught up and ready for next quarter, following is a summary of all of the patents that have issued to Division inventors to date in FY2012:  

UA INVENTOR(S)	PATENT NO.	PATENT TITLE	COUNTRY	ISSUE DATE
West, Charles / Piper, Edgar	7,977,550	Non-toxic Endophytes, Plants Injected Therewith and Methods for Injecting Plants	United States	7/12/2011
Rosenkrans, Charles	8,003,328	Genetic Markers for the Identification of Cattle Productivity	United States	8/23/2011
Daniel, Tommy / Reiter, Mark	8,062,405	Value-Added Granulated Organic Fertilizer and Process for Producing the Same	United States	11/22/2011
Clark, John	PP22,449	APF-45 (Prime-Ark 45 Blackberry)	United States	1/10/2012
Clark, John	PP22,464	White Diamond Peach	United States	1/24/2012
Osborn, Scott / Matlock, Marty	2006249808	Portable Water Ecosystem Oxygenator	Australia	10/27/2011
Hettiarachchy, Navam / Eswaranandam, Satchithanandam	2,497,535	Organic Acids Incorporated Edible Antimicrobial Films	Canada	11/1/2011
Osborn, Scott / Matlock, Marty	563542	System and Methods for Dissolving Gases in Fluids and for Delivery of Dissolved Gases	New Zealand	11/7/2011
Hargis, Billy / Cole, Kimberly / Ye, Kaiming / Cox, Mandy / Bottje, Walter / Jin, Sha / Kwon, Young Min	150941	Improved Live Attenuated Salmonella Vaccine Vectors	Singapore	12/30/2011
Maxwell, Charles	2010203379	Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Use in Swine Direct-Fed Microbials	Australia	3/8/2012

 

With the passage of the federal America Invents Act, the patent process will be changing in some significant ways for university researchers. Stay tuned here for a future update. In the meantime, please contact me at 479-225-2077 or kmcspadd@uark.edu or through the mail at University of Arkansas, 535 W. Research Center Blvd., Suite 107, Fayetteville, AR 72701 if you have an invention to disclose or any comments, questions, ideas, or constructive criticism. Our website is at http://tlo.uark.edu.

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More than 300 people enjoyed the second annual Division of Agriculture/Bumpers College picnic for faculty, staff and families on Friday, May. 4. Everyone was summoned to leave their desks by 4 p.m. and head to Agri Park where administrative staff served the barbecue and the bluegrass band Hobnobbers provided the music.    

More photos from the picnic are on display at http://aaes.uark.edu/awards/picnic2012.html.

 

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Karen Love

Karen Love joined the Division of Agriculture on March 5 as assistant to Associate Vice President Clarence Watson. She earned a B.S. degree in elementary education from Arkansas Tech University, has completed graduate hours at the UA Sam Walton College of Business and plans to complete her master's degree. Love taught elementary school in Arkansas and Texas, was an editor at Deloitte & Touche in Dallas and owned and managed a restaurant in Hot Springs Village before moving back to Fayetteville. On campus, she previously served as executive assistant to the chair of the physics department and to the associate vice chancellor for development in University Development.

Love and her husband, Ed, a commercial lender for Bank of the Ozarks, live in Fayetteville and have four children: two grown sons, a daughter, Andrea, who is a sophomore in CSES, and son Scott, a junior at Fayetteville High School. 

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Members of the Technology Support staff include (front row from left)  Jyllian Martini, Bryson Porter, Michelle Guerreiro and Alline Fulton Phillips; (back row from left) Gary Shepard, Aaron Rogers, Cosmo Denger, Shannon Springer, Adam Brown and Ken Smedley.

AAES Technology Support team leader  

The AAES/AFLS Technology Support group provides technology support to 12 individual agricultural research stations throughout Arkansas. Serving nearly 200 computers, broadband and satellite networks and a wide assortment of specialized equipment, the Technology Support Group strives to facilitate the integration of modern technologies and information systems to support the immediate and long-term needs and strategies of each Research Station. 

Our technology specialists utilize remote assistance tools as well as having two members dedicated to on-site support. Michel Guerreiro has been with the Division of Agriculture for the past four years. Our group welcomes the addition of Shannon Springer, who will be working alongside Guerreiro in supporting the research stations.

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Three Division of Agriculture publication projects won awards in the 2012 Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Life and Human Sciences (ACE) national Critique and Awards competition.

Arkansas Land and Life, a magazine published by the Division twice a year, won a Gold Award. AL&L is produced by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service communication units to promote Arkansas agriculture, the Division's research and extension efforts and the Division's support for academic programs.

The booklet Economic Contributions of Arkansas Agriculture 2011 won a Silver Award. The pocket-size booklet, which provides a quick reference to major economic impacts of the state's agricultural sector, is produced by AAES and CES economists and Agricultural Communication Services.

"Peach Production and FRS History Highlights Display Panels" won a Bronze Award. Two permanent panels of photos and text in the Cole J. Westbrook Building at the Fruit Research Station at Clarksville illustrate the history of the FRS and the local peach industry. They were produced by AGCS and FRS staff and Clarksville residents.

The awards will be formally presented at the ACE annual convention in June in Annapolis, Md.

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Philip Crandall

The Institute of Food Technologists has elected Philip Crandall, professor of food science in the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, as one of this year's IFT Fellows. The IFT Fellow designation is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers, recognizing exemplary professionalism in the field of food science. IFT calls the award "a unique professional distinction conferred on individuals with outstanding and extraordinary qualifications and experience for their contributions to the food science and technology field."

Crandall is one of 15 IFT members chosen to receive the honor this year. In a given year, no more than 0.3 percent of the professional membership is eligible, and even fewer than that earn the honor. The IFT is an international association of professionals with more than 20,000 members.

"I am delighted to see Dr. Crandall being recognized by IFT for his contributions to the food science profession and our professional organization," said Jean-Francois Meullenet, head of the department of food science. "This brings great distinction to the department and contributes very positively to our national reputation and visibility."

Crandall has served since 1989 on the department of food science faculty and also currently serves on the university's Center for Food Safety faculty. His research interests include thermal and non-thermal food processing, natural antimicrobials, benefit/risk assessment of poultry products and increasing the safety of ready-to-eat foods through employee education. He has also served as a faculty member at the University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center. He holds a bachelor's degree from Kansas State University and master's and doctoral degrees from Purdue University.

Crandall and other 2012 IFT Fellows will be honored at the organization's annual meeting in June in Las Vegas. 

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Derrick Oosterhuis

Derrick M. Oosterhuis, Distinguished Professor of crop, soil and environmental sciences at the University of Arkansas, was presented the 2011 Werner L. Nelson Award by the Fluid Fertilizer Foundation at their recent annual meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz.

A news release from the foundation said, "The award recognizes outstanding contributions in the development of soil fertility practices and plant nutrition management to increase crop yields for the benefit of the North American farmer and consumer. The late Dr. Werner Nelson was a leader in agricultural science, industry and education. The many books he authored on soil fertility and fertilizers are recognized standard texts and widely used."

Oosterhuis holds the Clyde H. Sites Endowed Professorship in International Crop Physiology in Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. A University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Scientist, he is chairman of the Arkansas Cotton Research Group.

An internationally known expert on the physiology of the cotton plant, Oosterhuis's interests include the causes, effects and management of plant stress, including plant growth regulation. His research topics include high temperature stress, plant-soil water relations, drought tolerance, and photosynthesis and carbon partitioning in growth and yield development.

Oosterhuis has a B.S. degree from Natal University in South Africa, an M.S. degree from the University of Reading, United Kingdom, and a Ph.D. degree from Utah State University.

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Trent Roberts, research assistant professor of crop, soil and environmental sciences, collects soil samples for the Nitrogen Soil Test for Rice method he developed. The drill collects soil from a column 18 inches deep - the root zone of rice on silt loam - and deposits them in the bucket for sampling.

The N-ST*R Nitrogen Soil Test for Rice developed at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture has earned a team award from the Rice Technical Working Group.

N-ST*R offers field-specific recommendations for nitrogen applications that, in many cases, has the potential to reduce application rates by half or more, said Trent Roberts, research assistant professor of crop, soil and environmental sciences.

"It's about improving the profitability of our growers," Roberts said.

Roberts, soil fertility professors Rick Norman and Nathan Slaton and extension specialists Chuck Wilson and Jeremy Ross were the lead scientists on the team that received the RTWG's Distinguished Rice Research and Education Team Award.

Collaborating team members from other institutions include Louisiana State University agronomists Dustin Harrell and Brenda Tubaña, Mississippi State University agronomist Tim Walker, and Texas A&M agronomist Garry McCauley. The award was presented during RTWG's 34th gathering Feb. 27-March 1 with rice experts from across the United States and the world.

 

See full article at http://arkansasagnews.uark.edu/6770.htm.

 

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Clark contributes chapter on intellectual property

The book chapter notes the new trend in intellectual property toward integration of trademarks into plant protection and commercialization strategy for a new variety. 

"Marketing and commercialization have become much more complex, compared to earlier times when varieties were released and made their way to commercial use through simpler arrangements," the chapter says. "Options such as territorial marketing, club models and closed commercial systems are becoming ore common."

The authors conclude that the increase in intellectual property rights protection around the world and the increasing competition in the agricultural industry give considerable value to each new variety. They also encourage breeders to be open to private club and close-system variety management and to consider global issues in pursuing commercialization schemes. 

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Steven Ricke

Fred Pohlman

Two researchers at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Center for Food Safety are leading a significant component of a federal research grant in which several universities seek to reduce the occurrence and public health risks from Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) along the entire beef production pathway.  

Steven Ricke, director of the Center for Food Safety, and Fred Pohlman, professor of animal science and a faculty member of the Center, will lead the research into one of the grant's five objectives. The objective being investigated by Arkansas will explore interventions for seven STEC serotypes.

The Arkansas work is part of a $25 million multidisciplinary grant awarded Jan. 23 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) through its Agriculture and Food Release Initiative (AFRI). The University of Nebraska is the lead institution. The overall project aims to improve risk management and assessment of eight strains of STEC in beef, including the O104 strain that caused a recent outbreak in Germany. The project will focus on identifying hazards and assessing exposure that lead to STEC infections in cattle and on developing strategies to detect, characterize and control the pathogens along the beef chain.