Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching (FASS Ag Guide) hosted a webinar entitled "The Role of the FASS Ag Guide in Farm Animal Research".  The webinar was moderated by Ken Odde, Head of the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University and FASS Science Policy Committee member.  FASS Washington Representative Lowell Randel discussed the current situation in Washington, DC related to animal care policy discussions.  John McGlone, Professor at Texas Tech University and Chair of the FASS Animal Care Committee, and Chris Newcomer, Executive Director of AAALAC International addressed the history and applications of the Animal Welfare Act and the FASS Ag Guide as well as the implications of potential policy changes.  The webinar was well attended, with over 65 participants from government, industry and academia.  A recording of the webinar will be posted on the FASS website in the near future.

In view of continuing interest in the second edition (1992) of LDHM and requests for an update, the Foundation will undertake publication of a third edition of LDHM. The third edition will be available in e-book or print-on-demand options with completely new content, designed to allow for convenient updating, sold at member, nonmember, and student rates, and distributed directly by ADSA.

The ADSA Foundation will sponsor a conference to facilitate development of the updated third edition. The conference is tentatively planned for spring 2016 in the Chicago area. Dairy experts from around the world will be selected to prepare and make chapter presentations as a first step in creating a comprehensive and essential resource-the third edition of LDHM. Publication is anticipated for spring 2017.

Dr. David Beede will serve as conference chair and editor-in-chief of the third edition. He was an author in the second edition and is currently the C. E. Meadows Endowed Chair of dairy management and nutrition, Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing.

Nonprofit organizations, companies, and individuals are invited to join the Foundation as co-sponsors of the conference, the e-book, or both. For information on sponsorship and the worldwide lasting recognition this will bring, please contact Larry Miller (LargeDairyHerdManagement@adsa.org).

USDA Awards Almost $3 Million in Research Grants
to Increase Food Security Through Improved Livestock Health
 WASHINGTON, April 23, 2015 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced three grants designed to boost food security by minimizing livestock losses to insects and diseases. The awards to support research, education, and Extension efforts were made through NIFA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), which is authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

"These grants will allow scientists to discover the new tools and technologies necessary to deal with the threats insects and pathogens pose to livestock production in our nation, which ultimately benefit consumers through abundant, affordable food." said Sonny Ramaswamy, NIFA director.

NIFA made the awards through the AFRI Food Security challenge area, which seeks to increase sustainable food production. Priority was given to projects that will improve prevention, early detection, rapid diagnosis, or recovery from new, foreign, or emerging diseases or arthropods (like fleas and ticks) that have the potential to cause major impacts on food security. NIFA will make additional awards later this spring through the AFRI Food Security challenge area that focus on minimizing crop losses by arthropods and diseases.

The fiscal year 2014 awards are:

• Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Miss., $47,464 - To create a portable computer and communication center for training veterinary students, graduate students, practicing veterinarians, and other food production stakeholders to use system dynamics modeling, other forms of stochastic and deterministic modeling and health data management or analysis software to protect livestock from pests and disease.
• Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, $1,460,000 - Develop knowledge-based integrated approaches to detect, control, and prevent poultry respiratory diseases in the United States through new and improved diagnostic tools, vaccines, and novel preventive measures.
• University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt., $1,480,000 - Reduce the impact of new, emerging and foreign pests and diseases to domestic production of cattle, swine and small ruminant foods and byproducts.

The grants include research on alternatives to antimicrobials, such as improved vaccines, which could lead to a decrease in antimicrobial use. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been an area of focus during the past two decades as USDA plays a dual role in protecting animal agriculture and public health. Recognizing AMR as a potential and serious threat, USDA's AMR activities focus on surveillance; research and development; and education, extension, and outreach.

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 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 until 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)

S-PAC Adds New Conference

We are pleased to announce that the Vermont Dairy Conference is now partnering with S-PAC.  Proceedings from their 2015 Conference, held Feb, 24, are now available on S-PAC.  Subscribers now have access to 518 proceedings from 57 conferences.  Visit http://spac.adsa.org/ for a complete listing of conferences and more information.  If you are not currently a subscriber, now is a great time to add S-PAC to your information toolbox.

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.