$30m awarded for competitive ag research grants

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday that more than $30.1 million in competitive grants have been awarded to fund 80 research projects to improve food safety, reduce antibiotic resistance in food and increase the resilience of plants in the face of climate change.

The grants are made possible through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agriculture & Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the nation's premier competitive, peer-reviewed grants program for fundamental and applied agricultural sciences.

AFRI grants are administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), which is making the awards through funding provided in fiscal 2015. NIFA awards AFRI grants in six farm bill priority areas: plant health and production and plant products; animal health and production and animal products; food safety, nutrition and health; bioenergy, natural resources and the environment; agricultural systems and technology, and agricultural economics and rural communities.

USDA gathering new data on organic ag 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announced Feb. 1 that it has started conducting the "2015 Certified Organic Survey" to gather up-to-date data on certified organic crops and livestock in the U.S.

NASS said this special survey effort is critical to help determine the economic impact of certified organic agriculture production in the U.S.

NASS is mailing the survey to all known organic farms in the U.S. The form asks farmers to provide information on acreage, production and sales for a variety of certified organic crop and livestock commodities. In addition, NASS is gathering information about organic farmers' production and marketing practices. The agency urges all participants to respond by Feb. 19. After this date, NASS will follow up by mail, phone and personal interviews with those who have not responded. Producers can return their forms by mail or complete the survey online at www.agcounts.usda.gov
Dairy producers focus on immune suppression

Regional results of a new survey show U.S. dairy producers are acutely aware of the consequences of immune suppression, and 59% of survey respondents rated mastitis as the top complication of compromised immunity.

To a lesser extent, U.S. producers identified immune suppression itself as the cause of this costly disease.

The U.S. results were presented by Elanco at the recent 2016 National Mastitis Council annual meeting in Glendale, Ariz.

"As we reframe how we manage the vulnerable time around calving and make immune suppression a priority, we know that more than 80% of U.S. producers are looking to their veterinarians for help in protecting their cows' immune systems," said Dr. Paul Rapnicki, a dairy technical consultant with Elanco Animal Health. "Focusing on immune suppression as the cause rather than managing the consequences will decrease costly diseases post-calving while setting cows up for a productive lactation."

ADSA News and Happenings
President's Budget to Request $700 million for AFRI
On February 3rd, Sonny Ramaswamy, Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced that the President's fiscal year 2017 request for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) will be $700 million.  This represents the largest ever Presidential request for the AFRI program and would bring overall funding to the program's authorized level. 
Dr. Ramaswamy stated that these new investments would "support the discovery of solutions to serious challenges being faced by society, such as poor nutritional outcomes, climate change, pollinator health, and anti-microbial resistant bacteria."  He went on to say that "AFRI would be better able to support cutting-edge science that advances sustainable food and agricultural systems, provides for an abundant and safe food supply, promotes nutritional security, supports the resiliency of rural communities, creates jobs, and develops the next generation of food and agricultural scientists."
Current funding for AFRI in fiscal year 2016 totals $350 million.  The President's budget, which will be fully released on February 9th, is expected to propose $375 million in discretionary funds for AFRI, as well as a request to Congress to make $325 million in mandatory funds available for AFRI.  This combination would bring AFRI funding to $700 million.  Since its inception, the AFRI program has only received discretionary funding through the annual appropriations process.  The move to include mandatory funding is new to AFRI, and it is uncertain how the new approach will be received in Congress.  USDA issued a fact sheet on the AFRI proposal, which can be found here.
An overview of the President's proposed FY17 NIFA Budget will be presented by Sonny Ramaswamy, director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, on Tues., Feb. 9 at 5:30 p.m. EST.  The call is open to all interested parties,
Participant Instructions: The conference begins at 5:30 PM Eastern Time on Feb. 9, 2016: You may join the conference 5 minutes prior.
Dial-in: 1-877-369-5243 or 1-617-668-3633
Access Code: 0149994# 
 
University of Wisconsin-Platteville & Southwest Technical College to Co-Host Students from 10 States at Midwest Dairy Challenge�
PLATTEVILLE, WIS. - University of Wisconsin-Platteville and Southwest Technical College will host college dairy students from 16 schools in 10 states at the Midwest Dairy Challenge, February 17-19, 2016, in Platteville, Wisconsin. Dairy Challenge� is a prominent educational event for students planning a career in the dairy industry. Seventy-seven dairy students from 12 four-year colleges and four technical schools are expected at the 12th annual Midwest Dairy Challenge.
The Midwest event is one of four regional contests sponsored each year by North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge� (NAIDC). These regional contests - plus a national event for about 300 dairy collegiates - are funded through generous support by 130 agribusinesses and dairy producers. Over its 15-year national history, Dairy Challenge has helped prepare nearly 5,000 students for careers as dairy owners or managers, consultants, researchers, veterinarians or other dairy professionals.
The 2016 national event will be April 7-9, 2016 in Syracuse, NY; details about the contest and the Challenge are at www.dairychallenge.org.
 
ADSA asks:  Did You Know about S-PAC?
While we now have S-PAC� (Searchable Proceedings of Animal Conferences) subscribers in 36 countries and all attendees of the 2015 JAM received a free 90 day trial, we've found that that some ADSA members may still not be aware of one of the significant benefits of ADSA membership, the opportunity to utilize S-PAC.  Included in your membership dues is access through S-PAC to searchable Joint Annual Meeting abstracts for 1998-2015, ADSA annual meeting abstracts from 1935-1997, as well as ADSA divisional meeting abstracts
and
Members have the opportunity to subscribe to S-PAC at the deeply discounted ADSA member rate.  Subscriptions run for 365 days from date of sign-up.
Professionals $75; Undergrads $5 and Grads $10
ADSA member rates are extended to ASAS, PSA and ARPAS members as well as members of organizations and conferences who share proceedings through S-PAC.
Corporate sustaining member and academic library subscriptions are also available, as S-PAC brings current real world science and its application into the classroom and the office. Speaking of the classroom, S-PAC is the only on-line source for the highly regarded textbook "Large Dairy Herd Management."  This is included in your subscription.
S-PAC is the most comprehensive collection of domestic and international animal production and management conference proceedings in the world. It also includes animal health, dairy foods and grazing conference proceedings. This unique collection of conference proceedings and presentations, that is completely user searchable, is a must-have resource for animal scientists, veterinarians, academicians, consultants and members of industry around the world.  It is a great teaching resource as well since it includes current real-world application of science and the "Large Dairy Herd Management" text book. As of February 5, 2016, 57 conferences have contributed 537 sets of proceedings, with new conferences and proceedings added frequently.  The value of S-PAC increases every time a conference and a set of proceedings is added. If one can't attend the multitude of conferences that S-PAC covers, S-PAC is the next best thing to being there! Not sure yet, then try S-PAC risk free with our "5 days for $5 offer."  Visit http://spac.adsa.org  for details. 
Thank you for being a member of ADSA!  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.
If you forgot to renew your ADSA membership you can still do it.  To continue to receive all your member benefits throughout the coming year click to renew 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  benefits. In order to serve our members, and potential members more efficiently, we are continuing to offer online dues renewal. We look forward to your membership and participation through the coming year. Click here to join or
 

 
Join us for the LDHM Conference
The "Large Dairy Herd Management" (LDHM) book has been a trusted resource for dairy producers and advisors for decades and a staple in universities' upper level dairy management courses.   The last update, released in 1992, is still a good resource, but dairy production practices and management tools have changed significantly since that time.  In view of continuing interest in the 2nd edition (1992) of LDHM and requests for an update, the ADSA� Foundation has undertaken publication of a 3rd edition (eBook) of LDHM led by Dave Beede.
As a first step in creating this comprehensive and essential resource, dairy experts from around the world have been selected to prepare and present chapter papers at the LDHM Conference that will be held May 1-4, 2016 at the Hilton Oak Brook Hills Resort and Conference Center, Oak Brook IL. Final publication of the e-Book is anticipated in 2017. We invite and encourage you to be a part of this important project that will benefit the dairy industry years for years to come.
The Conference is designed to provide an opportunity to share information on the topics in the e-Book and for authors to obtain feedback on the chapter papers they have developed. The program is designed so attendees will be able to participate in the sessions of most interest to them.  The format will be different from your typical conference in that there will be multiple concurrent sessions organized around the e-Book sections topics (click here to see the list of sections).
Why should you attend?
  • You will learn about the views of other industry leaders on the future of large dairy herd management as you help shape an important educational tool for the dairy industry.
  • Conference/ e-Book topics are applicable to producers/managers of large dairy herds and you will be the first to see the information. 
  • You will have access to global experts on 96 large herd topics (click here to see the list of topics) during the 2 1/2-day Conference including the opportunity to ask questions, provide suggestions and engage in discussions during sessions and breaks.
  • You will have opportunities for discussions and interactions with other large dairy herd producers and professional advisors from around the US and the world.
  • There will be opportunities to visit with representatives of major global dairy support businesses and technical services.
  • ADDITIONAL BENEFIT - The ADSA Foundation has just added another benefit for attending.  Included with your registration will be a free 90 day trial of S-PAC. For current subscribers, you will have 90 days added to the length of your subscription
Remember, the program is designed so that you can participate in the sessions of greatest interest to you, selecting from among the 8 concurrent sessions that will take place.  The whole content from the Conference will be organized into an e-Book available from ADSA to the global dairy industry in spring of 2017.
Registration and more information is available on the conference website  http://adsa.org/Meetings/LargeDairyHerdManagement.aspx .  Register soon as the deadline for early registration discounts is March 15, 2016.
 
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 1,496 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�.

Diamond V Mills 
Kent Nutrition
Grande Cheese Co.
Darling International Research
Quali Tech
Zook Nutrition & Management
DuPont Pioneer
Zoetis
West Central
Lallemand Animal Nutrition
Ag Processing
Renaissance Nutrition
Global Agri-Trade Corp.
Masters Choice
Papillon Agricultural Co.
Nutriad 
Western Pacific Oils LLC 
Calendar of Events
Feb 15-17, 2016  Florida Ruminant Nutrition Symposium*,  Gainesville, FL, For more information click here.
 
Feb 16-18, 2016  Preventive Controls Qualified Individual Training - Preventive Controls for Human Food, Stocking Hall Conference Center, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, For more information contact:  Kim Bukowski, Ph 607-254-3313 or Louise Felker, Ph 607-255-7098
 
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, Tempe, AZ, For more information click here
 
Feb 17-19, 2016     VSFA Convention and VT DASC "Cow College"*, Roanoke, VA, For more information click here
 
Feb 23, 2016  Vermont Dairy Producers Conference, For more information click here
 
Feb 23-24, 2016     Specialty Cheese Course, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, NY, For more information contact Rob Ralyea 607-255-7643 or Louise Felker 607-255-7098 to register, click here.
 
Feb. 25-26, 2016      USDA Ag Outlook Conference - Transforming Agriculture: Blending Technology and Tradition, Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel,  Arlington, VA,  for information about the Forum and to register, go to www.usda.gov/oce/forum/.
 
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 1-2, 2016   The High Plains Dairy Conference*, Overton Hotel, Lubbock, TX, For more information, click here.

Mar 7-8, 2016
     NYS Cheese Manufacturers' Association Meeting, Double Tree Hotel, Syracuse, NY, For more information contact  Janene Lucia, Ph 607-227-5833

March 7 to May 8, 2016   Dairy Production and Management MOOC (massive open online course) presented by Penn State's departments of animal science, veterinary and biomedical sciences, plant sciences and agricultural economics. For more information and to register visit the course's website: https://www.coursea.org/course/dairy 

Mar 8-9, 2016  The Southern Dairy Conference*, Atlanta, GA. For more information, click here.
 
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
 
Mar 22-23, 2016  FRI Better Process Cheese School, Microbial Sciences Building, 1550 Linden Dr., Madison, WI. For registation information, click here.
 
Mar 30-31, 2016     Pathogen Environmental Monitoring Workshop, Cornell University.  For more information contact Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098
 
April 5-7, 2016     Membrane Filtration, Separation, and Concentration Technologies, Cornell University, For more information contact Steve Murphy, Ph: 607-255-2893 or Louise Felker, Ph: 607-255-709
 
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
 
April 12-14, 2016     (HTST) Pasteurizer Workshop in Association with NYS Agric. & Markets, Cornell University, For more information contact Steve Murphy, Ph: 607-255-2893 or Louise Felker , PH: 607-255-7098
 
April 8 - 20, 2016     Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference, Grand Wayne Center,  Fort Wayne, IN, For more information click here
 
April 25-29, 2016    World of Cheese from Pasture to Plate, Babcock Hall, Room 2015, UW-Madison, Madison, WI. For more information click here

May 1-4, 2016
     Large Dairy Herd Management (LDHM) Conference, Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort and Conference Center, Oak Brook, IL, For more information click here 
 
May 3, 2016   Wisconsin Cleaning & Sanitation Workshop, Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison, Wis. For more information,
click here.

May 4, 2016    HACCP Workshop, Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison, WI. For more information, click here
 
May 10-11, 2016   Applied Dairy Chemistry, Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison, WI. For more information, click here.

May 24-25, 2016     Basic Dairy Science & Sanitation Workshop, Online and Cornell University,  For more information contact Kim Bukowski Ph: 607-254-3313 or Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098
 
June 7-8, 2016     Science of Yogurt & Fermented Dairy Products Workshop (Basic), On-line and Cornell University, For more information contact Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098
 
June 7-9, 2016   Cheese Grading Short Course, Babcock Hall, 2605 Linden Dr., Madison, WI. For more information, click here.

June 15-16, 2016     4-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference, Grand River Center, Dubuque, IA, contact
Jim Salfer, U of MN, [email protected]
 
June 20-24, 2016 13th International Colloquium on Paratuberculosis*, Nantes, France, For more information click here
 
June 21-23, 2016  Precision Dairy Farming 2016, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. 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 3-8, 2016     World Buiatrics Congress 2016, Convention Centre Dublin, Ireland, For more information click here.
 
July 12-14, 2016     High Temperature Short Time (HTST) Pasteurizer Workshop in association with NYS Agriculture and Markets, Cornell University, For more information contact Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098
 
July 18-21, 2016     Certified Milk Inspector's School in Association with NY State Agriculture & Markets, Cornell University, For more information contact Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098, Course Syllabus  , Required Course of NYS-CMIs
 
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
 
Aug 2-3, 2016  Milk Pasteurization, Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison, WI. For more information, click here.

Aug 15-18, 2016     Food Safety Systems (HACCP) and Implementing SQF, Cornell University, For more information contact
Kimberly Bukowski Ph: 607-243-3313 or  Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098
 
Sept 11-13, 2016     NYS Cheese Manufacturers' Assoc. Annual Fall Meeting, Harbor Hotel, Watkins Glen NY, For more information contact Janene Lucia, Ph: 607-227-5833
 
Sept 13-14, 2016   Master Artisan Short Course Series, Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison, WI. For more information, click here.

Sept 14-15, 2016     Advanced Fluid Milk Cornell University, For more information contact
Kimberly Bukowski Ph: 607-243-3313 or  Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098
 
Sept 20-22, 2016      NYS Association for Food Protection Annual Conference/FDA NE Regional Update, Doubletree Hotel Syracuse, NY For more information contact Janene Lucia, Ph: 607-227-5833

Oct 3-7, 2016   Cheese Tech Short Course, Babcock Hall Room 205, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison, WI. For more information, click here.
 
Oct 4-8, 2016     50th World Dairy Expo, Madison, WI. For more information click here
 
Oct 11-12, 2016  Dairy Ingredient Manufacturing, Babcock Hall, Room 2015, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison, WI. For more information, click here

Oct 11-13, 2016     High Temperature Short Time (HTST) Pasteurizer Workshop, Cornell University, For more information contact
Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098
 
Oct 19-20, 2016     Advanced Cheese Making, Cornell University, For more information contact Rob Ralyea Ph: 607-255-7643 or Louise Felker Ph:  607-255-7098
 
Oct 20-26, 2016     120th IUSAHA- AAVLD Annual Meeting , Greensboro Sheraton Hotel. Greensboro, NC, For more information click here
 
Oct 25-26, 2016     Vat Pasteurization/Basic Cheese Making Workshop, On-line and Cornell University, For more information contact Rob Ralyea Ph: 607-255-7643 or Louise Felker Ph:  607-255-7098
 
Nov 1-4, 2016    31st ADSA Discover Conference: Big Data Dairy Management,  Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort and Conference Center, Oak Brook, IL, For more information click here

Nov 2-4, 2016   Cheese Grading Short Course, Babcock Hall, Room 205, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison WI, For more information
click here

Nov 10-11, 2016     2016 DCRC Annual Meeting, Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel, Columbus, Ohio, For registration and more information click here

Nov 14-16, 2016  Symposium on Gut Health in Production of Food Animals*, St. Louis, MO. For more information and registration click here.

Nov 30-Dec 2, 2016   Ice Cream Makers Short Course, Babcock Hall, Room 205, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison WI, For more information
click here

Dec 6-7, 2016    
Food Safety Plans for Artisan and Farmstead Processors, Online & Hands-On Location TBD, For more information contact Kimberly Bukowski Ph: 607-243-3313 or  Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098
 
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