AnSci Connection
The newsletter of the Department of Animal Science

May 2006

Another school year has ended, as well as a chapter in the history of our college of agriculture. This spring’s class is the last to graduate from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (COAFES). Beginning July 1, we will officially be known as the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS).

The graduating of our seniors and the changing of the college name are similar in many ways. We are sorry to see our seniors leave. Over the past 4 to 5 years, we have built relationships with them, which have evolved beyond teacher–advisor–student relationships into true friendships. To our college, we have been loyal and proud of its accomplishments in providing an excellent education to our students, as well as the excellent research and extension activities conducted under its title. For both, there is sadness in seeing them go, but the excitement for their new beginnings and future quickly replaces any sadness.

For the school year of 2005/06, 53 students graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science and Science in Ag. Eight students officially graduated in December 2005 and 45 additional students this spring. It is interesting to hear about all the future educational and employment opportunities chosen by our students. Over 75% of the graduating students have made decisions regarding their future. Of the 45 students who graduated this spring, 12 are going on to graduate school, 8 to veterinary school, 3 back to family farms, and 18 have either accepted employment or are considering employment opportunities in various segments of the agricultural industry. To all of these students, we wish you the best; we enjoyed having you here and getting to know you over the last 4 years. Remember your alma mater, and thank you for attending the University of Minnesota.

As we say goodbye to this class, we prepare to welcome the class of 2010. Currently, over 90 students have committed to attending the University this fall and are majoring in Animal Science. Our expectation is that there will be over 100 new students in Animal Science by the first day of classes. To our new students, we say thank you for choosing the University of Minnesota. Be assured, you will receive the finest and best education and college experiences available. We eagerly await your arrival on campus!
  

Freshman Class of 2006 — Largest in 10 Years

The incoming fall class is very close to being set. At this time 100 freshman students have committed to the Animal Science major for fall 2006. It will be the largest freshman class in over 10 years. Fall enrollment for incoming freshman for the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS ) is also very strong with over 370 students committed. Orientation for these new students begins June 7th.

U of M Grad Named Sales & Marketing Director at Trans Ova Genetics
Source: Ed Peck, Filament Marketing, LLC

Former Animal Science undergraduate, Chris Sigurdson, was appointed to the position of Sales and Marketing Director for Trans Ova Genetics at the corporate headquarters in Sioux Center, IA.

Sigurdson will be responsible for developing the sales, marketing and client service process within the agricultural division of Trans Ova Genetics. As a member of the Executive Management Team, Sigurdson will focus on maintaining leadership and growth for Trans Ova Genetics in the areas of embryo transfer technology, sexed semen, in vitro fertilization, genetic preservation, cloning and other applied reproductive technologies in the beef and dairy industries.

With the expansion of service from the corporate headquarters in Sioux Center, IA, to nine additional locations in the states of Arkansas (Branch), Illinois (Mendota), Iowa (Grinnell), Louisiana (Maringouin), Missouri (Chillicothe), Montana (Belgrade), Ohio (Springfield), Oklahoma (Crescent), and Texas (Bryan), Sigurdson will be focused on the advancement of an integrated sales and marketing effort across locations, supervising sales managers and leading integrated marketing efforts between the business units and the firm’s marketing agency.

Trans Ova Genetics has focused its growth on providing dedicated and uncompromised, standardized service to cattleman and dairy producers across the U.S. “Chris Sigurdson is a great addition to our team and will provide great leadership experience to advance our service and customer-focus commitment,” says Dr. David Faber, president of Trans Ova Genetics. “The past 25 years have been exciting for our business, and experience like what Chris offers will help us take those years of success to a new level so that we can help our customers achieve their goals and genetic success.”

Before joining Trans Ova Genetics, Sigurdson was a Corporate Account Distribution Manager with Ecolab Inc., focusing on sales and profitability with the company's extensive line of dairy teat dips and equipment sanitation supplies. Prior to Ecolab, Sigurdson was the Animal Products Manager for ABS Global Inc., providing sales and management expertise and technical support to the company’s animal health product lines.

Sigurdson holds an MBA from Carlson School of Management and is a 1992 graduate of the U of M. As an undergrad in the Department of Animal Science, he was a member of the U of M Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Team (fall 1990), treasurer of the Gopher Dairy Club (1990-91), a member of DTS fraternity, and his major was Agricultural Industries and Marketing with a Dairy Industries emphasis. Raised on a farm in east-central Minnesota, Sigurdson and his wife, Kristen, have three sons.

Trans Ova Genetics currently helps create more than 25,000 elite embryos annually, with the capacity to house more than 1,000 donor cows “in clinic” as well as moving nearly 5,000 recipients through its facilities on a yearly basis. In addition, the IVF capabilities, cloning technologies, live calf delivery and cell line storage are rapidly growing service categories uniquely offered by Trans Ova Genetics.

Founded in 1980, Trans Ova Genetics is dedicated to the development and implementation of technology, supported by outstanding customer service, to advance bovine genetic improvement.
  

Schefers Ranked #1 Dairy Student in the U.S. by NDS

Word on 2006 recipients of numerous student recognition awards presented by National Dairy Shrine (NDS) has begun to be released. So far, we have learned that Jonnie Schefers, a graduating senior in Animal Science with a Dairy Production Emphasis placed 1st in NDS's Student Recognition Contest. This is the second year in a row that a U of M student has placed 1st in this competition — last year, Sarah Olson Schmidt placed 1st.

Furthermore, Jonnie Schefers received one of two Kildee Graduate Studies Scholarships ($3,000) awarded by National Dairy Shrine. This fall, Schefers will begin graduate work in dairy cattle genetics at the U of WI-Madison. One year ago, Abby Anderson Barberg, currently an Animal Science graduate student at the U of M, received one of the two Kildee Graduate Studies Scholarships.

At the U of M, Schefers was Vice President of the Gopher Dairy Club, President of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, a member of the Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Team that placed 3rd overall in the national contest, and a member of Dairy Challenge Team that received Gold recognition in national competition.
  

Seykora Inducted Into MN FFA Hall of Fame

Dr. Tony Seykora was presented with a plaque and inducted in the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame on April 24th at the Annual Awards Night held during the 2006 State FFA Convention. Tony was selected for this honor based on his long-standing commitment to agriculture, and for his contributions and service to agriculture, and education in agriculture and FFA.

Tony's involvement in FFA began while he was a student at Owatonna High School. He attended the state greenhand camp, the state convention, an FFA leadership camp, and he judged at the National FFA Convention.

For most of his working years, Tony educated those interested in agriculture. After graduating from the U of M in 1975, he worked for the U of M Extension Service in Houston Country for 3 years. He spent the next 4 years studying dairy cattle genetics and earning his doctorate at North Carolina State University.

Later, Tony returned to Minnesota and taught dairy related courses at the U of M-Waseca campus for 10 years where he ran the FFA Dairy Products and Dairy Cattle Judging Contests. When the Waseca campus closed in 1992, Tony joined the Department of Animal Science on the St. Paul campus. Tony teaches four different undergraduate courses, coordinates the U of M undergraduate animal science program, and serves as co-advisor to the Gopher Dairy Club.

During his career, Tony has stayed involved in FFA. He's one of the judges for the FFA state science fair held annually in March, and he helps conduct three FFA Dairy Judging Contests each year. The State Fair dairy judging contest attracts about 75 FFA members, another contest held on the St. Paul campus in October attracts about 300, and the state dairy judging contest brings about 250 FFA members to the St. Paul campus to compete during the state convention.

Tony will be working with several high school ag ed teachers in the coming year to bring ANSC 1101 Introductory Animal Science to high school students as part of the University's College in the Schools program.
  

Kraut and Lutefisk for Hansen

Germany and Norway were on the travel itinerary for Dr. Les Hansen in March (11th-19th) and April (22nd-27th), respectively. In Germany, Hansen met with the Angler Cattle Breeders Association (a red breed of dairy cattle based in northern Germany). The Angler breed shares ancestry with Danish Red, and both breeds have made the decision, partially based on Hansen's advice, to tie their breeds more closely with the Swedish Red breed and eliminate Red Holstein influence over time. This will permit these breeds to have a greater potential role for crossbreeding programs internationally. While in Germany, Hansen also met with the upper management of Rinderzucht Schlewsig-Holstein, the major A.I. cooperative for northern Germany, and provided advice on their genetic improvement programs for the Holstein breed.

In Norway, Hansen was the guest speaker at the annual meeting of Geno, the national A.I. cooperative for the country. He spoke on the potential role of the Norwegian Red breed for crossbreeding programs and the importance of using three breeds for rotational crossbreeding systems in dairy cattle. Also, Hansen met with board of directors of Geno, provided his vision for the breed, and answered genetic questions posed by the farmer-directors.

These two European trips were the 4th and 5th by Hansen since November. For 2-1/2 weeks in November and December, Hansen provided educational programs on crossbreeding of dairy cattle throughout the U.K. (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland). In early January, Hansen was in Denmark and spoke on breeding a more functional dairy cow for dairy producers attending the Agromek Exposition. Later in January, he traveled to Sweden to speak to dairy producers at five locations in that country, including the winter meeting of the Swedish Holstein Association.

Over the summer, Hansen will be an invited speaker in Italy (June), Colombia (July), and Brazil (August).
  

Mark Your Calendars Now!

  
Don't miss the Annual Department of Animal Science Picnic and Awards Ceremony on Thursday, June 22 at noon outside the Livestock Pavilion on the St. Paul campus.

Awards will be presented to the Outstanding M.S. Student, Outstanding Ph.D. Student, Outstanding Graduate Faculty, and to Clerical Support/Barn Unit staff for Outstanding Service.

For information about submitting an award nomination, please contact Dana Souther at 612-624-7453 or south005@umn.edu.

Poultry Responds to ABC Bird Flu Movie
Source: Yvonne Vizzier Thaxton for Meatingplace.com, May 10, 2006

ABC managed to reach a new level of sensationalism with its made-for-TV movie "Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America", which aired last night. A friend suggested that "bird flu" could become the new darling of the 24-hour news stations, replacing often run stories like the tragedies of Natalie Holloway and Jon Benet Ramsay. I fear she is right, and ABC did much to set the stage.

I watched the movie in the company of six friends that know little about the poultry industry, microbiology or epidemiology. That is significant when you consider that they were disturbed by the lapses in simple sanitary procedures by the movie's characters. That aside, my friends' general consensus was that the movie was just plain bad and so deliberately sensational and, thus, completely unbelievable. I wish that would be the consensus of the viewing public, but instead, I expect that an upsurge in fear of the flu.

In case you didn't see the movie or read any of the preview material, the movie follows an outbreak of the H5N1 avian flu virus from its origins in a Hong Kong market through its mutation into a pandemic virus that becomes readily transmittable from human to human and rapidly spreads. The movie portrayed an absolutely catastrophic pandemic that was much worse than most health officials think likely. There was some truth, however, to shortages of supplies and services. We've already seen examples of those implications with labor strikes and tough flu seasons in the 1950's and 1960's. In the movie these shortages resulted in starvation and death from lack of medicine. For example, the governor of Virginia's son dies from lack of insulin. That is about where the truth ends and exaggeration takes over.

Scenes such as the human landfill, the subway station hospital and a brutal autopsy were extreme and contrived rather than a part of a seamless story. One of the people viewing with me compared the hospital scene to the train station scene in Gone with the Wind. There were references to hurricane Katrina, and, indeed, many of the looting and food shortage scenes seemed to be taken from similar occurrences on the nightly news from New Orleans last summer. One character commented that it would be like "hurricane Katrina in every town in America." That was certainly a comment designed to strike fear in the hearts of anyone who was in the United States last summer. The depiction of the flu was an issue. One patient vomited blood on a hospital employee and nose bleeds were very early symptoms. The disease was shown to spread by an olive in a martini, handshakes, sneezing and through the air. The fact that not everyone is equally susceptible was demonstrated by a sick father sharing a soft drink with his daughter. Influenza is passed by airborne droplets that reach the eyes, nose or mouth. And it can also spread by touching contaminated surfaces and then rubbing your eyes or touching the mouth. The use of surgical masks by virtually everyone was not a bad idea, but the inconsistent use of biohazard suits was somewhat confusing.

There were multiple references to closing the borders and quarantining areas to prevent the spread of the virus. Isolating the governor of Virginia and imposing quarantines in many neighborhoods served to demonstrate what can happen when people are not completely informed. There was an underlying message that isolation is ineffective in the case of an airborne disease and that it could actually cause deaths rather than prevent them. Nevertheless, I suspect that there will be more interest in increased border control from many as a result of fear of the spread of the virus.

The movie was poorly scripted, the dialog trite and the characters predictable. There entertainment industry has shown that its desire for money outweighs the need for social responsibility. There was a disclaimer at the beginning and the end of the movie, but even that was couched so as to create doubt. We will have more questions to answer and, I fear, more reluctance on the part of the public to eat poultry as a result of this ill-timed movie.

FACTS:

• There is no influenza pandemic in the world at this time.
• H5N1 avian influenza is almost exclusively a disease of birds and it never been isolated in the U.S.
• The isolation of H5N1 virus in the U.S. would not mean the start of a pandemic.
• Unlike the pandemic of 1918, we would be aware of the situation world-wide as a result of technology and the rapid spread of information. That would facilitate people taking precautions to protect themselves and thus limit the spread.
• Remember that influenza can be prevented or at least minimized by frequent hand washing and covering your mouth and nose when sneezing, etc.

As indicated at the end of the movie, there are Web sites with information about the situation, such as http://www.pandemicflu.gov.
  

Kids Bring Lots of Questions to Ag Awareness

Ag Awareness (May 16, 17, 18) went off without a hitch again this year and the weather was beautiful!! This was the first year that it was held at the Beef Barn Facility instead of the Livestock Pavilion as in previous years. We, as a committee, felt the Beef Barn better suited the number of children we had attending the event, as well as gave the children a more “farm” type feeling while learning about the various livestock species as well as the importance of agriculture in the Upper Midwest. Also, the Beef Barn gave us a chance to have some livestock species outside, as well as the Agronomy booths, thus spreading out the fun! See photos from Ag Awareness-2006.

We had a total of four time slots filled by three different schools, and were able to educate close to 350 kids!! Zachary Lane and St. Anthony schools returned in full force this year, always bringing smiling faces and LOTS of questions! It always puts a smile on our faces to see how excited the children are to see the animals that they may have never seen before, and to help expand their learning!

We definitely would like to thank all the faculty and staff that came down to assist with Ag Awareness this year and their continued support, as well as the various organizations that helped contribute financially to make this event a successful one! Thanks for all the hard work that was contributed by the Animal Science Graduate Club as well as the Agronomy department!

Thank You!
from the 2006 Ag Awareness Committee
  

New Fall Course: Mechanisms of Hormone Action

ANSC/CMB 8344: Mechanisms of Hormone Action (2 cr) will be offered on Mondays and Wednesdays (9 a.m.-11 a.m.) for a half semester from September 6 to October 30. The goal of this new course is to introduce the mechanisms of hormone/cytokine action with a focus on the major signal transduction pathways activated by these factors in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. The course is designed to present a unique blend of topics incorporating the pharmacology, biochemistry and cell biology of hormone action in the context of relevant physiological systems. Basic principles will be discussed in lecture format followed by specialized lectures and discussion of primary scientific literature.

Course objectives: 1) to give students an understanding of how hormones modulate cell function, starting from hormone-receptor interactions through the mechanisms of signal propagation to the final regulation of a specific cellular process; and 2) to relate these cellular mechanisms to the function of a physiological system, emphasizing the relevance of these mechanisms in healthy and diseased states.

Prerequisites: Enrollment in a Biology, Biomedical, or Agricultural graduate degree program with course background in biochemistry and/or cell biology.

Course topics include:

• Basics of Hormones, Receptors & Signaling
• G-Protein Receptors & Endocrine Function
• G-Protein Receptors & Calcium Signaling
• G-Protein Receptors & Ion Channels
• Hormone Action by Proteolysis
• Cell Cycle Regulation
• Signaling in Immune Function
• MAPK and Tumor Progression
• Signaling in Pathogen Defense

Mechanisms of Hormone Action is a team-taught course that includes faculty within the Animal Sciences, Comparative and Molecular Biosciences, and Environmental Health Sciences graduate programs. For more information, please contact Course Director Laura J. Mauro (mauro002@umn.edu).
  

8th Annual U Staff Day is June 6

The 8th Annual University Staff Day, for civil service and bargaining unit staff members, will take place on Tuesday, June 6th. There will be three events at two times on two campuses:

• St. Paul Campus: St. Paul Student Center Terrace & Patio, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
• Minneapolis Campus: Coffman Memorial Union Riverbend Plaza, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
• Event event on Minneapolis Campus: Coffman Memorial Union Riverbend Plaza, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The Staff Day celebration offers food, music, information tables and gifts. Staff should have already received a coupon, which must be presented to receive a gift and a chance to enter a raffle. If you have not received a coupon card, contact Mary Austin at 612-626-9462.
  

Four-State Dairy Conference to be Held in June

Leading experts in the dairy industry are coming together to present the 2006 Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference on June 14 and 15 at the Grand River Center in Dubuque, IA. Producers, dairy industry professionals and university students are invited to attend.

Jan Shearer, University of Florida, will discuss topics on lameness in dairy cattle and managing foot problems. Lon Whitlow, North Carolina State University, will address issues on mycotoxins and feeding management to avoid spoilage. Extension dairy specialists from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and a panel of industry professionals will also cover a number of related dairy herd topics including hoof care, dry period length, calf feeding economics, reproduction, milk fever prevention, rumensin feeding tips, long day effect on heifers and 1st lactation cows, and feeding heifers efficiently.

The seminar starts at 8:30 a.m. on June 14 with a morning pre-conference symposium sponsored by Alltech. The symposium topics include mycotoxins in dairy cattle, dealing with pathogens and toxins, and the role of selenium as an antioxidant.

Following the 11:45 a.m. adjournment on June 15, participants can stay and attend one of four in-depth workshops from noon to 3 p.m. The four topics include dairy ration formulation; dairy labor management; dairy financial analysis; and measuring dairy production parameters. During these “hands-on” workshops, producers and industry representatives will get individualized help on such tasks as balancing dairy cattle rations or writing a labor contract and work schedule.

For registration and program information, visit (http://www.ansci.umn.edu/dairy/calendar/2006-4state_brochure.pdf) or contact Marcia Endres, 612-624-5391. 
  

On-farm Euthanasia and Carcass Disposal Topic of Upcoming Poultry Workshop

Rapid response to an emergency disease situation such as avian influenza is critical in the control and eradication of a disease outbreak. Euthanasia and Disposal Procedures For Catastrophic Poultry Disease Events (June 20, 2006) will address procedures for on-farm biosecurity, human health issues, use of personal protection equipment, and options for euthanasia and carcass disposal of infected meat-type poultry and layer flocks.

The morning session, conducted by Dr. Bud Malone, University of Delaware, and Dr. Nathaniel Tablante, University of Maryland, will cover cost considerations, material, equipment and labor needs. Detailed procedures on how to implement options, and in-depth instructions on in-house composting as a preferred method for containment and inactivation of virus from infected flocks will be provided. In addition, a case study designed to allow attendees to develop their own emergency responses will be presented.

In the afternoon, Dale Lauer, Minnesota Board of Animal Health, will present a review of Minnesota's planning efforts, and Dr. David Halvorson, University of Minnesota, will give a review of biosecurity in light of disease threats.

The program will take place at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Willmar, MN (2100 Hwy 12 East). The fee is $40 per person and includes lunch and handout materials. Registration is required before June 13th. For more information, please contact Sally Noll (612-624-4928 or nollx001@umn.edu) or visit http://www.cvm.umn.edu/outreach/events/poultryeuthanasia.html.
  

Beef Team Offers Hands-on Training

The U of M Beef Team is planning the North Country Cattlemen's College, which will take place at seven sites across Minnesota June 21-29:

North Country Cattlemen's College will feature hands-on training in animal ID technologies, informational talks on the national animal identification system, and process and source verification. The College will also include pasture tours with discussions about forage growth, measuring pasture production, and grazing, water and fencing systems.

Featured speaker Jo Fife of Rocky Mountain Range Riders in Idaho will give a stockmanship clinic on "Livestock Handling Techniques to Manage Grazing Lands".

This day-long program will take place on beef producers' ranches so that a true hands-on approach can be utilized. The Minnesota Board of Animal Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Minnesota Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils are helping to sponsor this event.

For additional information, check the U of M Beef Industry web site (http://www.extension.umn.edu/beef) or contact Denise Plonis at 218-327-4490.
  

Department Celebrates With Stern

The Department of Animal Science honored Dr. Marshall Stern at a reception on April 25th to celebrate his latest achievement — the 2005-2006 Horace T. Morse Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education.

Each year since 1965, the U of M has recognized a select group of faculty members for their outstanding contributions to undergraduate education. This honor is awarded to exceptional candidates nominated by colleges in their quest to identify excellence in undergraduate education.

It was announced in March that Marshall would be a recipient of this prestigious award. The award was formally presented to him at a ceremony on April 24th.

The reception hosted by the Department was well-attended by faculty, students and staff (photos below).

Asia (Stachowaik) Lukas

Asia was born in Gdansk, an old Polish city at the Baltic Sea. Being just a young child, she only has a vague memory of forming of Solidarity, the strikes, and the transformation of Poland from a Communist country into a Democratic Republic. Rather, thanks to her father’s love of sailing and her mother’s attraction to the mountains, Asia and her family spent summers hiking in Southern Poland or sailing on the lakes in the North East. Wanting to expose them to the world on the other side of the iron curtain, her parents brought her and her sister to the U.S. for 2 years when she was 8 and put them in a classroom in Park Place Elementary School in Houston, TX, and hoped they would be okay. That's how Asia learned to speak English among other survival skills.

Asia finished her elementary and high school education in Poland. And then, to the bewilderment of all her high school friends and joy of her “farmer at soul” father, she chose to study Animal Science. Asia wrote her Masters while digging for data in the archives of the Polish Sheep Association and eating lamb roast with the breeders. Then, she came to the U.S. again, this time to the more tamed environment of Goodhue, MN, to milk cows as an exchange student. Now, 5 years later, she has a Czech husband (Jan), two children (Klara and Filip), and a third child to be born in July.

Thanks to the full cooperation of her family and the motivation, understanding and support she receives from her advisor, Dr. Jeff Reneau, Asia earned her Masters in November 2003 and passed her written preliminary exams last month. Although her husband has a hard time believing it, Asia used to like to swim, hike, bike, camp, ski and many other outdoor activities. Now Asia gets her share of activity from trying to chase after her children. Recently, she has also made some hopeless attempts to take up gardening. Yet it seems that the only plot in CTC that nothing can grow on is in front of her house!!!
  

Nicolas Di Lorenzo passed his oral preliminary examination on May 10th. On his Ph.D. committee are Drs. Hugh Chester-Jones, Alfredo DiCostanzo, Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, and G. Cliff Lamb.

Jeffrey Griggs was wed to Shannon Gabriel on May 20th. Jeff is working on his M.S. under Dr. Jacquie Jacob; he's writing his thesis while attending vet school at Iowa State University.

Angela Huber successfully defended her undergraduate thesis entitled "In vitro protein digestibility of puppy formula dog foods" on May 10th.
  

Dr. Samuel Baidoo, PI, was awarded $25,000 from the Minnesota Pork Producers Association. Title: Dietary evaluation of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) in lactating sows. Period: 05/01/2006 - 12/01/2007.

Dr. Lee Johnston, PI, was awarded $25,000 from Minnesota Pork Producers Association. Title: Agents to improve flowability of DDGS in commercial systems. Period: 05/01/06-12/01/07.
  

Department of Animal Science seminars are held September through May on Mondays at 3:00 p.m. in Room 365 Haecker Hall. Everyone is welcome. Please join us again in September.
  

June 2006

6 - Civil Service/Bargaining Unit Staff Day, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., St. Paul Student Center Terrace and Coffman Memorial Union Riverbend Plaza, Minneapolis. (Evening event: 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. only at Coffman Memorial Union Riverbend Plaza).

8-10 - Gopher Dairy Camp, U of M St. Paul Campus. Contact: Brad Heins 612-625-9294.

10 - Day on the Farm for Charity, Lee Thomas Organic Farm, 12506 20th Street N., Moorhead, MN. Contact: Moorhead Community Education, 218-284-3400.

12 - Summer Session Begins

14 & 15 - 4-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference, Grand River Center, Dubuque, IA. Contact: Wisconsin Agri-Service Association, 608-223-1111.

20 - Euthanasia and Disposal Procedures For Catastrophic Poultry Disease Events, Holiday Inn Conference Center, Willmar, MN. Contact: Sally Noll, 612-624-4928.

July 2006

4 - Independence Day Holiday - The U is Closed

9-13 - ADSA/ASAS Joint Annual Meeting, Minneapolis Convention Center.

12 - Minnesota Faculty & Alumni Reception at the ADSA/ASAS Joint Annual Meeting, Hilton, Minneapolis, MN. 5:30 p.m. Check your ADSA/ASAS Joint Annual Meeting registration materials to sign up for this event.

27-28 - Swine Breeding and Gestation Management Workshop, Southern ROC, Waseca. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541.

31-Aug 1 - Swine Alternative Breeding and Gestation Systems Management Workshop, West Central ROC, Morris. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541.

August 2006

4 - Summer Session Ends

17 - UMore Park Open House, Rosemount. Contact: UMore Park Administrative Office and Conference Center, 651-423-2455.

23-25 - 1st IFOAM International Conference on Animals in Organic Production, Continuing Education Center, U of M, St. Paul, MN. Contact: Neil Sorensen at n.sorensen@ifoam.org.

24-Sep 4 - Minnesota State Fair, Fairgrounds, St. Paul.

September 2006

4 - Last Day of Minnesota State Fair, Fairgrounds, St. Paul.

4 - Labor Day Holiday - The U is Closed

5 - Classes Begin (Fall Semester)

13-15 - 60th Annual NAAB Annual Convention and Biennial Technical Conference, Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Milwaukee, WI. Contact: NAAB, 573-445-4406.

14 - 5th Annual U of M Open House, Southern ROC, Waseca. For more information, call: 507-835-3620.

19-20 - 67th Minnesota Nutrition Conference, Holiday Inn St. Paul/ East Hotel on I-94. For more information, call 612-624-4000.

October 2006

3-7 - World Dairy Expo, Alliant Energy Center, Madison, WI.

November 2006

16-17 - Swine Nursery Management Workshop, West Central ROC, Morris. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541.

December 2006

5-6 - Midwest Dairy Expo, St. Cloud Civic Center. Contact: Eir Garcia-Silva, MMPA, 320-203- 8336, or Jim Salfer, U of M Extension Service, 320-203-6093.

14-15 - Artificial Insemination in Swine Training Course, Southern ROC, Waseca. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541.

February 2007

8-9 - Swine Wean to Finish Management Workshop, West Central ROC, Waseca. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541.

15-16 - Swine Wean to Finish Management Workshop, Southern ROC, Waseca. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541.

April 2007

19-20 - Farrowing Management Workshop, Southern ROC, Waseca. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541.

July 2007

26-27 - Swine Breeding and Gestation Management Workshop, Southern ROC, Waseca. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541.

December 2007

4-5 - Midwest Dairy Expo, St. Cloud Civic Center. Contact: Eir Garcia-Silva, MMPA, 320-203- 8336, or Jim Salfer, U of M Extension Service, 320-203-6093.

6-7 - Artificial Insemination in Swine Training Course, Southern ROC, Waseca. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541.