FDA seeks comments on food labeling term 'natural'

Because of the changing landscape of food ingredients and production, and in direct response to consumers who have requested that the Food and Drug Administration explore the use of the term "natural," the agency is asking the public to provide information and comments on the use of this term in the labeling of human food products, the agency said in a press release.

The FDA is taking this action in part because it received three citizen petitions asking that the agency define the term "natural" for use in food labeling and one Citizen Petition asking that the agency prohibit the term "natural" on food labels.

FDA also noted that some Federal courts, as a result of litigation between private parties, have requested administrative determinations from the FDA regarding whether food products containing ingredients produced using genetic engineering or foods containing high fructose corn syrup may be labeled as "natural."

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APLU/AAVMC unveils antibiotic resistance report

The Association of Public & Land-grant Universities (APLU)/Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) Task Force on Antibiotic Resistance in Production Agriculture recently unveiled a report that outlines a comprehensive national strategy for diminishing the role antibiotics used in food animal production systems play in the broader antimicrobial resistance (AMR) problem.

The task force, comprised of leaders from U.S. agriculture colleges/land-grant universities and veterinary colleges as well as key representatives from the production animal agriculture community and the pharmaceutical industry, detailed a comprehensive research and educational agenda along with plans on how it intends to implement it.

The report's agenda was designed to explore and describe the nature and implications of the problem and educate producers, healthcare providers and the public about best practices. It also calls for a series of national summits to elevate the issue of antibiotic resistance to the top of the national agenda.

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Competition to encourage recycling nutrients from livestock waste

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pork and dairy producers, and environmental and scientific experts to launch the Nutrient Recycling Challenge, a competition to develop affordable technologies that recycle nutrients from livestock waste.

Every year, livestock producers manage more than one billion tons of manure, which contains valuable nutrients - nitrogen and phosphorus - that plants need to grow. Challenge participants will develop technologies that extract nutrients from livestock manure to generate products with environmental and economic benefits that farmers can use or sell.

"Scientists and engineers are already building technologies that can recover nutrients, but further development is needed to make them more effective and affordable," said EPA administrator Gina McCarthy. "The Nutrient Recycling Challenge will harness the power of competition to find solutions that are a win-win for farmers, the environment, and the economy."

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Alltech buys Canada's major animal nutrition company Masterfeeds 

Alltech and Masterfeeds announced that they have entered into a share purchase, under which Alltech will acquire 100 percent of the outstanding shares of Masterfeeds, Inc., from Ag Processing Inc (AGP). This will provide Alltech complete ownership of Masterfeeds LP, a leading commercial animal nutrition company in Canada.

"This is a crucial time in agriculture, and Canadian farmers are facing ever-increasing pressures, including the continued drive to produce more with fewer resources," said Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech. "Masterfeeds provides the on-farm support that is critical to Canada's farmers and ranchers. This new opportunity will enable more efficient delivery of superior animal nutrition and tailored feeding programs, supported by robust scientific research."

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ADSA News and Happenings
OSTP Seeks Input on Agriculture Innovation
On November 5th, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input on future innovations in agriculture.  The purpose of the RFI is to discover new ideas that will spur innovation in agriculture and food systems and raise the profile of agricultural research.  OSTP is seeking information about programs, public or private, that are actively working to innovate agricultural science, as well as areas of need in research, education, and training. Input is sought from biological and agricultural stakeholders, including researchers in academia and industry, non-governmental organizations, scientific and professional societies, and other interested members of the public.
The RFI includes the following list of questions for which it is seeking feedback:
 1. Over the next ten years, what are the most important research gaps that must be addressed to advance agricultural innovation?
2. What interdisciplinary agriculture and food programs successfully impact agricultural innovation?
3. What elementary, middle, and high school outreach programs are successful examples of introducing students to agricultural careers, and what are examples of effective ways to introduce agriculture to suburban and urban students interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)?
4. How can colleges and universities recruit STEM undergraduates into agricultural disciplines? What effect, if any, do introductory courses that engage students in discovery-based research have for this purpose?
5. What resources are fundamental to addressing agricultural research needs?
6. What further training is needed among agricultural professionals to take advantage of advances in agriculture research?
7. Is there any additional information, not requested above, that you believe OSTP should consider in identifying crucial areas of agricultural research?
A full copy of the RFI can be found by clicking here.  Responses can be provided through a web form on the OSTP site.  They are due by November 30, 2015. 
 
USDA to Host Listening Sessions on Public Access to Science
On November 10th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that is seeking public comment on the development of a policy to increase access to the results of federally-funded agricultural research. USDA will receive comments during two live teleconferences and via email through Dec. 9, 2015.  USDA has stated that the goal is to help stakeholders understand and participate in planning for an increase in public access to scholarly publications and scientific data funded by USDA.
The two webinars and their topics have been scheduled as follows:
Monday, November 23, 2015, 2:00pm EST:  Policy impacts related to scholarly papers 
Participant Instructions:
The conference begins at 2:00 PM Eastern Time on November 23, 2015; you may join 10 minutes prior.
Step 1: http://ems7.intellor.com/login/700719
Step 2: Instructions for connecting to conference audio will then be presented on your computer. If you will be connecting via the AT&T Connect Participant Application, we strongly recommend that you install version 11.5 prior to the conference. If you are unable to do so, we recommend you join the conference using the Web Participant Application. If you are unable to connect to the conference by computer, you may listen by telephone only at 1-877-369-5243 or 1-617-668-3633 using 0387588# or Find an Alternate Number. If you need technical assistance, call the Help Desk at 1-888-796-6118 or 1-847-562-7015.
Friday, December 4, 2015, 2:00pm EST: Policy impacts related to scientific data 
Participant Instructions:
The conference begins at 2:00 PM Eastern Time on December 04, 2015; you may join 10 minutes prior.
Step 2: Instructions for connecting to conference audio will then be presented on your computer
You will be connected to the conference with the AT&T Connect Web Participant Application - there is no software download or installation required. If you are unable to connect to the conference by computer, you may listen by telephone only at 1-877-369-5243 or 1-617-668-3633 using 0392090# or Find an Alternate Number If you need technical assistance, call the Help Desk at 1-888-796-6118 or 1-847-562-7015.
Comments will also be accepted in writing through December 9th by either sending them online to: ([email protected]) or mailing them to:
United States Department of Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
c/o Paul Tanger, Institute of Food Production and Sustainability
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 2240
Washington, DC 20250-2201

ADSA Joins in support of ERS and NASS Funding
ADSA joined 25 other members of the Friends of Agricultural Statistics and Analysis, in coalition letters to members of the US House and Senate strongly supporting funding for the USDA ERS and NASS.  The letters noted that "The statistics, data, and analysis provided by these agencies underpin the health and vitality of our U.S. agricultural sector. "  Copies of both letters are in the ADSA Science Policy section of the website.
 
S-PAC Grows Again
We are pleased to announce the addition of the proceedings from 2015 Symposium on Gut Health in Production of Food Animals to S-PAC.  S-PAC, your portal to proceeding from the top animal related conferences in the world now includes 530 proceedings from 57 conferences.  You can check out the full list of conferences on the S-PAC website.  If it is not already part of your information toolbox, today is a great day to join.  Just click on the "Subscribe to S-PAC" button at the top of the page and follow the instructions from there.
 
LDHM Conference Registration is Open
Registration is now open for the Large Dairy Herd Management conference to be held May 1-4, 2016 at the Hilton Oak Brook Hills Resort and Conference Center in Oak Brook, IL.  This conference is designed to provide an opportunity for authors to obtain feedback on the chapter papers developed for the Large Dairy Herd Management e-Book. The program will be designed so attendees can participate in the sessions of most interest to them. It includes 96 sessions that are organized around the 15 e-Book sections. For a full list of topics and editors visit the conference website.  Key stakeholders in the international dairy science community will want to be a part of the conversation about the above topics that impact large dairy herd management. This includes but is not limited to dairy extension specialists, researchers, dairy educators, consultants, allied industry representatives, and dairy producers. A range of sponsorship opportunities are available as well.
 
ADSA Asks:  Did you Know about Discover Conferences?
ADSA Membership provides many benefits.  Two of the most obvious are the Journal of Dairy Science� and the Joint Annual Meeting, but there are others that may be overlooked.  During the coming weeks we will highlight many of the benefits and encourage you to take advantage of all that ADSA has to offer.
Did you know that your membership includes discounted member registration rates to the popular ADSA Discover Conferences?  Attend a single Discover Conference, and you've recovered 45% of your dues!
Graduate students members can attend Discover Conferences at a special low rate, limited to ten on a first-come first-served basis.  In addition, up to ten graduate students per Discover Conference receive up to a $250 travel award, thanks to the Discover Conferences Travel Award Fund, initiated by Bill Baumgardt and supported by ADSA members.  For more information on travel awards, contact Cara Tharp [email protected]  at ADSA headquarters.
In November 2016, Discover will return to the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center, just a short cab ride from O'Hare International Airport.  The 31th Discover Conference, "Big Data Dairy Management "will be held Nov 1-4, 2016.
 
The DISCOVER Conferences provide a unique environment and format fostering interactive presentations and discussions with an attempt to involve all conference participants.  If you've never attended a Discover Conference, you need to add this to your professional "bucket list"!  But you will need to act early, as registration is capped to ensure maximum interaction, and this highly-rated meeting sells out.
Click here for more information on this quality conference, a program of the ADSA Foundation.
Thank you for being a member of ADSA!  We look forward to your continued membership through the coming year If you are not yet a member, now is a great time to join and begin gaining the benefits of membership.  Click here to join or

 
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.
 
Are You Part of ADSA� on Linked In
Our ADSA Linked In group continues to grow. We now include 1,441 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.
Nutriad 
Calendar of Events
Nov 30, 2015   10 a.m. EST "Listeria Environmental Sampling in the Dairy Industry Webinar". Sponsored by Cornell University Dairy Foods Extension. To join, visit Join WebEx Meeting, Meeting Numer: 645 838 251, meeting passwordL cMBtHmu7

Dec. 1-2, 2015  Food Safety Plans for Artisan Food Processors, Crowne Plaza, White Plains, NY. For more information and to register click here.
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
Dec 15, 2015  Using Social Media to Deliver Extension - Webinar with Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam. For more information and to register click here

January 18-19, 2016  Pacific Northwest Animal Nutrition Conference, The Riverside Hotel, Boise, Idaho, visit http://www.pnwanc.org for more information
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 17-19, 2016  2016 Southwest Nutrition Conference. Tempe Mission Palms Hotel & Conference Center, Tempe, AZ. For more information, click here.

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 2-9, 2016  American Dairy Goat Association National Show, Farm Show Complex & Expo Center, Harrisburg, PA. For more information contact ADGA, PO Box 865, Spindale, NC 28160. 828-286-3801. www.ADGA.org
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.

Oct. 20-26, 2016  120th IUSAHA-AAVLD Annual Meeting, Greensboro Sheraton Hotel, Greensboro, NC. For more information, click here.

Nov 1-4, 2016  31st ADSA Discover Conference: Big Data Dairy Mangement, Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center, Oak Brook, IL. 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
1800 South Oak St., Suite 100, Champaign, IL 61820