FASS to Host Animal Care Webinar

The issue of farm animal care in research is currently the subject of much discussion and debate in Washington, DC and around the country. To help clarify policies and procedures related to farm animal care and available resources, the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS), publisher of the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching (FASS Ag Guide) is hosting a webinar entitled "The Role of the FASS Ag Guide in Farm Animal Research". Join in this free webinar to learn more about policy issues surrounding farm animal care and the role of the FASS Ag Guide.

The webinar will take place on Thursday, April 23, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. (EST). Speakers and topics of discussion during the one-hour webinar include:

1. Introduction-Overview - Ken Odde, FASS Science Policy Committee

2. Situation in Washington, DC - Lowell Randel, FASS Science Policy Committee

3. History-Current Animal Care Policies - John McGlone, FASS Scientific Advisory Committee on Animal Care and Chris Newcomer, AAALAC International

a. Animal Welfare Act (AWA) - Who and what does it cover?

b. The FASS Ag Guide - Why and how was it created, how is it updated, and who uses it (USDA-APHIS, AAALAC, University IACUCs)?

c. Consequences of changing the AWA?

4. Summary

5. Q&A

This webinar is being offered free by the Federation of Animal Science Societies. To register for the webinar, please use this link. A copy of the FASS Ag Guide can be found here.

Tomorrow's Dairy Leaders Converge in New York for 2015 Dairy Challenge

Liverpool, NY, April 14, 2015 - Excitement for the future of the dairy industry was evident among attendees of the national Dairy Challenge, held April 9-11, 2015 in Syracuse, NY. The event brought together 274 college students to improve skills, network and learn about careers and industry innovation. Students represented 38 colleges in 29 states and three Canadian provinces.

"Dairy Challenge is a premier dairy industry event, providing education, communication and networking among students, producers and agribusiness and university personnel," explained Barry Putnam of Cargill Animal Nutrition and the Northeast Dairy Challenge committee.

The North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge® (NAIDC) allows dairy students to apply theory and learning on a real-world dairy farm while working as part of a team.

In Syracuse, two programs ran concurrently - the 14th annual Dairy Challenge contest and the third annual Dairy Challenge Academy. The events were coordinated by the NAIDC Board of Directors and the Northeast Dairy Challenge committee.

The 2015 contest included 32 universities, each with four students on their university team competing for awards. The Academy provided interactive training in dairy farm evaluation for 146 students, generally underclassmen at four-year universities or students in two-year dairy programs. Academy participants were divided into smaller groups, mixing students from various colleges, and their work was guided by Academy Advisors - agribusiness volunteers and academic professionals. Click here for more.

Healthy Food for a Healthy World: Leveraging Agriculture and Food to Improve Global Nutrition

On April 16, 2015, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs released a report calling on the United States to use the power of the agriculture and food sector to reduce the reality and risks of malnutrition globally.  The report was presented for the first time at The Chicago Council's Global Food Security Symposium 2015 in Washington, DC.  

Malnutrition - from undernourishment to obesity - is a global challenge affecting every country on earth and placing more than one quarter of the world's population at serious health risk.  Given that nutrition is driven largely by the food people eat, making nutrition a priority in developing the global food system could give billions more people access to the healthy foods they need to thrive, drive economic growth in poor countries, and increase the incomes of 2.5 billion small-scale farmers, many of whom themselves are malnourished.
 
Click here for more information and the report, Healthy Food for a Healthy World: Leveraging Agriculture and Food to Improve Global Nutrition.

JAM 2015 Updates and Reminders

Call for Late-Breaking Original Research Abstracts - Late-Breaking Abstracts will again be part of the Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) . The 2015 JAM Program Committee is calling for late-breaking abstracts of original research that highlight a broad spectrum of work, including cutting-edge, high-tech research that was completed recently and is important to the species or discipline. Up to eight abstracts will be accepted from those submitted for the session. The authors of these abstracts will present their data at the Late-Breaking Abstract Session from 3:00 to 5:00 pm on Sunday, July 12.

Authors of accepted abstracts are required to prepare both an oral and a poster presentation for this session. Oral presentations will include the speaker introduction, presentation, and question time in the usual 15-minute time slot. Posters of these presentations must be posted by 2:00 pm on Sunday (before the start of the oral session) and will remain on display for the duration of the meeting. This session is scheduled early in the program to allow networking with the presenting scientists and to avoid subject-matter conflicts.

Late-Breaking Abstracts can be submitted between April 16 and midnight on May 22 at http://www.jtmtg.org/2015/call.asp. The submitter should follow the usual guidelines for style and form and must include a justification (<500 characters) of why the abstract is important and why it should be included in the late-breaking session. Preference will be given to material that could not have been submitted as a normal JAM abstract; for example, because the hypothesis is very new, the experiment had not been completed by the earlier deadline, or the technology was not available. Abstract authors will be notified of acceptance by June 12, 2015.

The abstracts (and justifications) will be evaluated by a program committee that includes ADSA and ASAS members. Quality of research methods, importance to the field, and uniqueness and timeliness of the research are essential attributes of a late-breaking abstract. Progress reports of incomplete research or abstracts with incomplete analysis will not be considered. All abstracts are required to conform to the JAM Abstract Quality Standards. The decisions of the Late-Breaking Abstract Committee are final.

Have You Registered for the JAM?  Just $400 (through June 19) for more than three and a half days of educational and scientific exchange at the premier animal and dairy science meeting in the world.  A recent survey of similar meetings showed that JAM provides the most science at the lowest registration rate-and all registration rates for 2015 have been reduced to 2013 rates. The rate for graduate student members is even lower, at just $75.

Not a member of ADSA® or ASAS? Now is the time to join and save $150 over the nonmember rate and enjoy the benefits of membership through December 31, 2015. Just visit www.adsa.org or www.asas.org to join, and then visit the JAM website to register at the member rate. The registration savings will more than pay for your annual membership.

Be sure to visit http://www.jtmtg.org/2015 for information on Sunday's pre-and post-conference events (paid and free) before making your travel plans. A full list of Symposia and workshops with information about each of theme is available by clicking here. Visit the JAM website often (http://www.jtmtg.org/2015) for the latest meeting information. The JAM housing page is now open also: simply click on the Hotel Information tab on the JAM website to make your reservation online. We will see you there.

It's Not too Late to Renew (or Join)

Remember, it is still not too late to renew your ADSA membership and retain all the member benefits like S-PAC and member discounts for the annual meeting and Discover Conferences. The $150 you save on registration for the JAM will more than cover the cost of membership for the year and provide all of the other member benefits in addition to receiving our top rated Journal of Dairy Science.  Be sure that you maintain your benefits throughout the year by renewing today. If you are not already a member we hope that you find the many ADSA benefits of interest.  Now is a great time to join and take advantage of all these member benefits and joining. Just click the appropriate link below:

https://secure.fass.org/dues.asp

If you prefer to renew with a printed form, a PDF can be downloaded.

• Domestic joint renewal form for 2015
• ADSA demographics (required of all ADSA members)

Would you like to help the animal and dairy science community and attend JAM 2015 for free? 

Referrals are the most tried-and-true way businesses grow, and the same is true for the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS). Do you know a colleague working with an animal science group that is in need of high-quality, cost-effective support services? Help them out by referring them to Jamie Ritter, FASS Executive Director at jamier@assochq.org .

Help them benefit from the shared resource concept and the 264 years of collective experience the FASS staff have in working with non-profit animal science organizations. If your referral becomes a FASS customer prior to July 1, 2015, ADSA will comp your registration to the 2015 JAM. It's win-win-win. For more information about services offered by FASS, click here.

ADSA is a founding member of FASS.