Final FSMA rule released

The Food and Drug Administration published Sept. 10 in the Federal Register final rules for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) "Current Good Manufacturing Practices and Hazard Analysis and Preventive Controls for Food for Animals."

FSMA was enacted in 2011. FDA first proposed provisions in 2013 for the animal food preventative controls rules with additional opportunities to comment on revisions in a 2014 supplemental notice. Stakeholders have been actively involved with FDA and many industry concerns have been addressed in the final rule.

FDA listened to stakeholders and the final rule provides additional flexibility for animal food producers. Richard Sellers, senior vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs for the American Feed Industry Assn., complimented the agency for its transparency and ability to listen to industry concerns. The 666-page final rule made considerable changes, he said, which make the rule more feasible for feed industry members.


Perdue to acquire Natural Food Holdings, Niman Ranch brand

Perdue and LNK Partners have announced that Natural Food Holdings, including the well-known Niman Ranch brand, is being purchased by Perdue. 

"This represents the next chapter in our growth through premium proteins and trusted brands," said Perdue Farms chairman Jim Perdue. "The Niman Ranch brand continues our commitment to raising animals without antibiotics or artificial growth stimulants, and to responsible food and agriculture."

LNK Partners, a private equity firm, is selling Natural Food Holdings to Perdue for an undisclosed amount. The two companies signed a definitive agreement for the sale and expect to close the transaction soon.

USDA raises soy production, lowers corn

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the latest "Crop Production" report Sept. 11, revealing a larger than expected forecast for domestic soybean production.

USDA predicted 2015/16 U.S. soybean production at 3.94 billion bushels, a slight increase from August but a 1% decrease from last year. Based on Sept. 1 conditions, yields were expected to average 47.1 bushels per acre, a 0.2 bushel increase from last month but a 0.7 bushel decrease from last year. Prior to the report, the trade estimated soybean production at 3.869 billion bu. and an average yield of 46.4 bu. per acre. U.S. soybean acres harvested was forecast at a record 83.5 million acres, unchanged from Aug. but a less than 1% increase from 2014.

Sharp decline in world food prices

International food commodity prices continued to decline in August as ample supplies, a slump in energy prices and concerns over China's economic slowdown all contributed to the sharpest fall of the FAO Food Price Index in almost seven years.

The index averaged 155.7 points in August 2015, down 5.2% from July, the steepest monthly drop since December 2008, with virtually all major food commodities registering marked dips.

The trade-weighted FAO Food Price Index tracks international market prices for five major food commodity groups: cereals, meat, dairy products, vegetable oils and sugar.

ADSA News and Happenings
Would you like to help the animal and dairy science community and attend the 2017 ADSA Annual Meeting for free?
Referrals are the most tried-and-true way businesses grow, and the same is true for 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 [email protected] .
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 June 1, 2017, ADSA will comp your registration to the 2017 ADSA Annual Meeting that will be held June 25 to 28, 2017 in Pittsburgh, PA.  It's win-win-win. For more information about services offered by FASS, click here.
 
"Creating an Enduring U.S. Dairy Production Sector"
Have you made plans yet to attend the 30th Discover Conference "Creating an Enduring U.S. Dairy Production Sector"?  The speaker list is in place and will be a great program.  You can check out the agenda and speakers on the DC 30 website. The Conference, hosted by the American Dairy Science Association�, will be held November 2-5, 2015 at Eaglewood Resort & Spa, Itasca, IL.  On-line and or mail-in registration is available on the website. The early registration deadline is October 2.  
 
ADSA at World Dairy Expo
World Dairy Expo will soon be here and ADSA will be there at our usual spot in the Arena level of the Coliseum, Booth: AL 178. The expo runs from September 29 through October 3, 2015. If you will be attending Expo this year and would like to help at the ADSA exhibit booth, please contact Cara Tharp at [email protected] . We will then get back to you to schedule time slots.
 
Are You Part of ADSA� on Linked In
Our ADSA Linked In group continues to grow. We recently topped the 1,400 mark and now include 1,402 members from around the world, are you one of them? It's a great place to get information and network with other dairy professionals from around the world.  Check it out here.

Thanks to our Corporate Sustaining Members
                                 We appreciate your ongoing support of ADSA and the Journal of Dairy Science�.

Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition
Elanco Animal Health
Diamond V Mills 
Kent Nutrition
Grande Cheese Co.
Kraft Foods
GEA Farm Technologies 
BioZyme Inc.
Darling International Research
Quali Tech
Zook Nutrition & Management
Zinpro
DuPont Pioneer
Zoetis
West Central
Lallemand Animal Nutrition
Ag Processing
Renaissance Nutrition
Global Agri-Trade Corp.
Masters Choice
Papillon Agricultural Co. 
Calendar of Events
Sept 13-15, 2015  NYS Cheese Manufacturers' Association .Annual Fall Meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Lake Placid, NY, for more information contact Janene Lucia  607-255-2892
Sept 16-17, 2015  The 76th Minnesota Nutrition Conference ,Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Prior Lake, MN, For more information click here.
Sept 17-19, 2015  48th Annual Conference of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners* New Orleans, LA For more information click here
Sept 21-24, 2015  NYS Association for Food Protection Annual Conference/FDA NE Regional Update, Syracuse, NY, For more information contact Janene Lucia  607-255-2892
Sept 22-24, 2015  Master Artisan Short Course Series, UW Madison,  For more information click here
Sept 28 - Oct 1, 2015, 5th International Symposium on Managing Animal Mortalities, Products, By-Products, and Associated Risks: Connecting Research, Regulations, and Responses. in Lancaster, PA. For more information click here
Sept. 29 - Oct. 3, 2015 World Dairy Expo "Dairy in Our DNA", Madison, WI.  For more information click here
Oct 6-8, 2015  NextGen Dairy Network Symposium, Cornell University. For more information, click here.

Oct 12-16, 2015 Cheese Tech Short Course, UW Madison, Babcock Hall, Room 205, For more information
click here
Oct 13-15, 2015  High Temperature Short Time (HTST) Pasteurizer Workshop, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, For more information contact Steve Murphy 607-255-2893 or
Janene Lucia  607-255-2892
Oct 14-18, 2015  ADGA Annual Convention, The Riverside Hotel, Boise, ID. For more information contact American Dairy Goat Association, PO Box 865, Spindale, NC 28160, 828-286-3801 or [email protected]. www.ADGA.org.
Oct 20-21, 2015  Dairy Ingredient Applications, UW Madison, Babcock Hall, Room 205, For more information click here
Oct 20-22, 2015  Pasteurizer Operators Workshop, Penn State University, Rodney A. Erickson Food Science Building, University Park, PA, for information and registration click here
Oct 20-22, 2015  77th Annual Cornell Nutrition Conference for Feed Manufacturers*, Doubletree Hotel Syracuse, East Syracuse, NY, For more information click here
Oct 22, 2015  International Symposium on Dairy Cattle Nutrition 2015 - Nutrition and Animal Health, Wageningen, the Netherlands, For more information, click here.

Oct 22-24, 2015 Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge: hosted by Penn State University in State College, PA For more information, visit the Dairy Challenge web site
Oct. 22-28, 2015 119th IUSAHA- AAVLD Annual Meeting , Rhode Island Convention Center. Providence, RI, For more information click here
Oct. 26, 2015  Vat Pasteurization Workshop in Association with NYS Agriculture & Markets, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, For more information contact  Rob Ralyea 607-255-7643 or  Janene Lucia 607-255-2892
Oct 26-28, 2015  12th Anniversary of the International Symposium on Milk Genomics and Human Health, Sydney Australia, For more information click here.
Oct 27-28, 2015 Basic Cheese Making Workshop, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, For more information contact Rob Ralyea607-255-7643 or Janene Lucia607-255-2892
Nov 2-5, 2015    30th Discover Conference - "Creating an Enduring U.S. Dairy Production Sector", Eaglewood Resort & Spa, Itasca, Il. For more information, click here
Nov 5-7, 2015    Cheese Grading Short Course, UW Madison, Babcock Hall, Room 205, For more information click here
Nov 9-11, 2015  Symposium on Gut Health in Production of Food Animals*, Kansas City, Missouri, For more information click here
Nov. 9-12, 2015  The Science and Art of Cheese Making Short Course, Penn State University, Rodney A. Erickson Food Science Bldg, University Park, PA. For more information and registration click here
Nov. 10-11, 2015  Accredited Introductory HACCP Training, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. For more information, click here, to register click here.

Nov 11-12, 2015 PA Dairy Cattle Nutrition Workshop, For more information
click here
Nov 12-13, 2015  DCRC Annual Meeting, Adam's Mark, Buffalo, New York, For more information click here
Nov. 12-13, 2015   Implementing SQF Systems, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. For more information click here, to register Click here.

Nov 15-17, 2015 Southern Regional Dairy Challenge: hosted by Virginia Tech in Abington, VA For more information, visit the Dairy Challenge web site
Dec 2-4, 2015   Ice Cream Makers Short Course, UW Madison, Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison WI Download a copy of the brochure and register for the short course
Feb 17-19, 2016 Midwest Regional Dairy Challenge: hosted by UW Platteville and Southwest Technical College in Platteville, WI For more information, visit the Dairy Challenge web site
Feb 23, 2016  Vermont Dairy Producers Conference, For more information click here
Feb 25-27, 2016 Western Regional Dairy Challenge: hosted by College of the Sequoias in Tulare, CA  For more information, visit the Dairy Challenge web site
Mar. 8 - 11, 2016  34th Western Canadian Dairy Seminar*, for more information click here
Mar 14 - 16, 2016 Midwest Meeting ADSA� Midwest Branch and ASAS Midwestern Section, Des Moines, IA
April 7-9, 2016 North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge & Academy: hosted by the Northeast Region in Syracuse, NY For more information, visit the Dairy Challenge web site
Apr18 - 20, 2016 Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference, Grand Wayne Center,  Fort Wayne, IN, For more information click here
May 1-4, 2016Large Dairy Herd Management (LDHM) Conference, Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort and Conference Center, Oak Brook, IL, For more information click here
June 15-16, 2016  4-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference, Grand River Center, Dubuque, IA, contact Jim Salfer, University of Minnesota [email protected]
June 20-24, 2016 13th International Colloquium on Paratuberculosis*, Nantes, France, For more information click here
July 19-23, 2016  ADSA- ASAS Joint Annual Meeting (JAM)*, Salt Lake City, UT, for more information click here
July 24-28, 2016  2016 National Association of County Agricultural Agents Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference (AM/PIC), Little Rock, AR. For more information, click here.

June 25-28, 2017 2017 ADSA Annual Conference and Tradeshow, Pittsburgh, PA.  For more information
click here
*An S-PAC Partner Conference
 
If your organization's conference isn't among the ever growing list that contribute proceedings and presentations to S-PAC�, ask your conference organizer to contact Ken Olson for more information about the benefits of participation.
If you would like to have an event included in the "Dates to Note," please contact Ken Olson.
ADSA Membership Benefits                                 
                                           
Did you know that your ADSA Professional Membership provides you with:

*        Electronic access to the Journal of Dairy Science�

*        Joint Annual Meeting at member rates

*        Discover Conferences at member rates

*        S-PAC: Free access to JAM and ADSA divisional abstracts

*        S-PAC subscription at member rates

*        Access to recorded symposia library                                                                       

*        ADSA News (association newsletter)

*        ADSA Dair e-news (ADSA industry newsletter)

*        Access to member directory

*        Peer recognition through ADSA and Foundation Award Program

*        Discounted page charges in Journal of Dairy Science�

*        A strong voice of advocacy for the animal sciences, animal agriculture and agriculture research

*        Broad author recognition through ADSA/Elsevier press release program

*        Linked In and You Tube sites for ADSA

*        Quality networking with academic and industry professionals

*        Travel awards for all graduate students attending Discover Conferences

*        Opportunity to serve peers via committee and officer positions

 
For more information on your benefits please visit: http://www.adsa.org/join.asp
To join now and gain these member benefits, visit: http://www.adsa.org/join.asp

American Dairy Science Association
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