AnSci Connection

February 2005

By F. Abel Ponce de León

In this article, I am highlighting some events that are directly or indirectly important for our Department.

Animal Genome Sequencing Projects: Three weeks ago I attended the Plant and Animal Genome XIII (PAG XIII) meeting inSan Diego. This was my third and last year as a member of the organizing committee representing the animal genome research community. At this meeting, we learned more about the 6X sequencing of the chicken genome and the advancements in the sequencing of the bovine genome at Baylor. We also learned that USDA undersecretary Joseph Jen announced that USDA will support the sequencing of the swine genome with about 10 million dollars distributed in two years through a USDA-NRI RFP to be announced sometime in March 2005. Likewise, Dr. Ronald Green from ARS announced the contribution of 1 to 2 million dollars from ARS to the swine genome sequencing effort. To the USDA-NRI and ARS resources, the Sanger Institute (UK) has pledged a 1:1 match. Other contributors to this effort are the National Pork Board, and North Carolina and Iowa pork producers as well as the Sino-Danish consortium.

USDA-NRI: USDA-CSREES administrators communicated, during the PAG XIII meeting and at the NCA-6 Department Head meetings, an increase of about 20 million dollars over the last fiscal year for the NRI program. Justification to continue the Genetics Tools and Reagents section of the USDA-NRI beyond 2006 is needed. Species coordinators of the NRSP8 technical committee will submit the justification.

NCA-6 Animal Production Administrators meeting: Every year during the last week of January or first week February, I attend the NCA-6 meetings. This meeting allows department heads to compare notes and assess the constantly evolving landscape where our units and we (faculty, students, and staff) dwell. We also review and make recommendations to Experiment Station Directors about the national and regional research projects. Here is a summary of what was discussed: 1) maintenance of animal research facilities continues to be a challenge for the majority of our departments, 2) overall decrease in research dollars from producer organizations, 3) some departments are starting to experience decreasing numbers of undergraduate students, 4) many more departments are considering the companion animals option for their programs, 5) most remain optimistic and expect that the commodity "check off" will not be declared unconstitutional. Instead, the court will determine the programs where the "check off" can be invested.

U of M Governor's Livestock Task Force Factor 4 action plan: At the request of the Governor's livestock taskforce, the U of M and MnSCU Farm Business Management program were to develop an action plan to support the recommendations of the Task Force that would help maintain and grow animal agriculture in Minnesota. The document describes: 1) an educational component for town and county elected officials, 2) the creation of a Center for Animal Agriculture Vitality (CAAV) to support research and development of technology, 3) the modernization of the turkey facilities at UMore Park and the development of a new modern dairy facility. At our last faculty meeting, I distributed the 4th draft of the action plan and asked for comments from faculty. Likewise, the draft document has been shared with producer organizations. Their comments have now been incorporated into the document as well as modifications requested by Dr. Charles Muscoplat and the College Executive Committee. I believe we now have, or are near having, a final version of this document.

National Cattlemen Beef Association (NCBA): The NCA-6 meeting was held in conjunction with NCBA meeting for the third contiguous year. Hence, I had the opportunity to attend some of the NCBA sessions. At the Elanco Extension dinner reception we learned that in the last 50 years, the beef industry has achieved the following: 82% increase in pounds of beef per head (137 lb in 1955 vs 253 lb in 2004) consequently only 95 million head are necessary to produce the 2004 beef supply and thereby freeing 442 million acres of land for other uses. In the last 50 years there has been a 700% increase in pounds of beef per acre of pasture and 218% increase per acre of corn. All of this has allowed beef producers to double production from 13.2 billion pounds in 1955 to 27 billion pounds in 2004 while decreasing the acreage and other needed resources. More information on these parameters can be found in Elam, T. and R. Preston "Fifty Years of Pharmaceutical Technology and Its Impact on the Beef We Provide to Consumers" http://www.beeftechnologies.com. In essence, the synergies developed in understanding food animal biology, animal production, pharmaceutical technology and the extension of knowledge to producers have been paramount to increasing the efficiency of the beef industry.
  

3rd Biannual W.E. Petersen Symposium

The theme of the 3rd Biannual W.E. Petersen Symposium is "Exploring Viable Dairy Alternatives for Minnesota". The symposium, which is open to the public, will be held on Monday, April 25, 1:00-5:00 p.m. in the Student Center Theater on the U of M St. Paul Campus.

This year's speakers and their topics include Steve Harsh, Professor of Economics at Michigan State University, who will discuss the economic aspects of different dairy systems; Bob Milligan, former Economics Professor from Cornell and current Senior Consultant for Dairy Strategies, will speak on the impact that alternative dairy systems have on human resources and operation system management; speaking about how alternative dairy systems affect the family will be Sharon Danes, U of M Professor in Family and Social Science; Neil Hansen, Associate Professor in Soil and Crop Science at Colorado State University, will discuss the environmental aspects of dairy systems. The final speaker of the afternoon will be Dan Weary, Industrial Chair in Animal Welfare from British Columbia University, addressing the impact that different systems have on animal welfare.

Professor W.E. Petersen, for whom the symposium was named, was a highly influential dairy scientist at the U of M in the mid-1900s. In his honor, Dr. Petersen's family established a fund with the Department of Animal Science for the purpose of sponsoring dairy related symposia. The first symposium, on dairy genomics, was held in 2001. In 2003, the topics centered around reproduction.

For more information or to register for the 2005 symposium, please contact Dana Souther at 612-624-7453 or south005@umn.edu.
     

Former Animal Science faculty Dr. Chuck Christians (professor emeritus) and Dr. Ed Graham (deceased, 1991) along with Hereford producer Mark Frederickson will be honored by the Minnesota Livestock Breeders' Association (MLBA) at their annual banquet and awards program on Thursday, March 10, 2005. For their significant contributions to Minnesota's livestock industry, Christians, Graham and Frederickson will be inducted into the MLBA Hall of Fame. The MLBA Hall of Fame, located in Haecker Hall, recognizes producers in beef, sheep, swine, dairy, horse and goat as well as individuals who served and made a positive impact on the state's livestock industry.

The meeting of the MLBA Board of Directors will begin at 10:00 a.m. in Room 365 Haecker Hall. The banquet, which will be held in the North Star Ballroom at the U of M St. Paul Campus Student Center, will begin at noon (check in as early as 10:30 a.m.). The program will immediately follow the banquet. Anyone with an interest in livestock is welcome.

Banquet tickets are $20 per person. Make your reservations by March 3rd. Register by mail: MLBA, 18950 Langly Avenue N., Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047. For more information or to register by phone, contact Steve Pooch, MLBA Secretary-Treasurer, at 651-288-4314 or 651-433-4323.
  

Ag Awareness is May 17-19, 2005

The 2005 Ag Awareness event will be held from May 17th through the 19th at the Livestock Pavilion on the St. Paul Campus. Ag Awareness is an annual program coordinated by graduate students of the Animal Science and Applied Plant Sciences departments at the U of M. Each spring graduate students from the two departments team up to organize this 3-day event. The event is designed to expose urban and suburban elementary students to agriculture and give children a better understanding of Minnesota's agricultural community as well as enhance the importance of agriculture in their everyday lives. Many of the students that attend Ag Awareness have had little or no exposure to agriculture. Ag Awareness is a "hands on" learning opportunity. A different agricultural theme or livestock species is incorporated into several learning stations. In 2004, the learning stations gave students the opportunity to hold baby chicks and see newborn lambs as well as see a dairy cow, a cannulated steer, and pigs. Additional information can be found at http://www.ansci.umn.edu/ag-awareness/index.htm. There is no admission fee for schools or students that choose to participate in the event.

The Ag Awareness committee will be looking for volunteers to help facilitate students from station to station. If you are interested in being a volunteer, please contact either Beka Gill (gillx018@umn.edu / 612-624-3073) or Jeff Griggs (grig0039@umn.edu / 612-624-1086).
  

New Housing Opportunity for Pre-Vet Students

Pre-Vet Medicine House is a living, learning community for students interested in animals and becoming veterinarians. A floor in Bailey Hall will be designated for pre-vet students. This community will strive to build friendships among students while facilitating their academic success and will offer an array of social and professional programs geared toward helping students learn more about animal-related careers and educational opportunities. When students fill out their housing contract for the fall, they will have the opportunity to choose this house to live in.

The VetFast program is for students interested in being food animal veterinarians. Freshman students in Animal Science have the opportunity to receive an admissions decision from the University's College of Veterinary Medicine at the end of their first year of undergraduate study. Up to five students will be selected each year. To complete the VetFast program, the student must continue to take animal science courses, complete all pre-vet coursework, and maintain at least a 3.4 GPA. Upon completion of these requirements, the student will start the DVM program.

This year in the College of Veterinary Medicine there are nine students that came from the Department of Animal Science. Of those students, two are in the VetFast program and seven were admitted to CVM as juniors.

Any questions about these opportunities for pre-vet students may be directed to Sharon Thielen, Animal Science Admissions and Advising Counselor, at 612-624-9786 or sthielen@umn.edu.
  

The International Poultry Exposition is the largest poultry trade show in the world and is held in Atlanta, Georgia every January. Every segment of the poultry and egg industries is represented at the exposition—feed production, breed stock, live production, hatchery, processing, further processing, packaging, commercial egg production and marketing, and all related support activities. At the 2004 exposition, there were nearly 863 exhibitors filling more than 16 acres of trade show floor. Last year there were more than 18,000 attendees from around the world.

The U of M had a large delegation attend the 2005 International Poultry Exposition. Dr. Jacquie Jacob took four 4-H poultry leaders to the exposition as part of a U.S. Poultry and Egg Association recruitment grant. The leaders came from different areas of the state (Mille Lacs, Chisago, Beltrami and Wright counties) and are all active with 4-H poultry in their county as well as on a state level. The leaders were impressed with the size of the industry—and the variety of career opportunities available for graduating students. They were particularly impressed with the scope of the foreign involvement in the exposition—in both the exhibits and the participants.

Two undergraduates and two graduate students also attended the Expo. The College Student Career Program, hosted by the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association is an excellent opportunity for graduating students to interview for a wide variety of job openings. Chikako Abe, who will be graduating in May, took advantage of this opportunity and had several interviews. Undergraduates Hope Kassube and Blake Van Denburgh, as well as graduate student Claude Hebron, had an opportunity to network with personnel from the companies exhibiting at the exposition and get an idea of the possible career paths available to them upon graduation.

For more information on the International Poultry Exposition and the College Student Career program, contact Dr. Sally Noll (email: nollx001@umn.edu).
  

U of M Students Participate in the First Ever Midwest Dairy Challenge

In just three short years, the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC) has earned a reputation for attracting the top dairy students in the country. The three-day event is designed to introduce young people to the roles consultants play on dairy farms. With a national contest held each April, organizers decided to bring the event to the Midwest to show more students just what it's all about. Nine of our U of M students and coach Marcia Endres traveled to Iowa on January 27 to participate in this first Midwest event. Our participating students were Brent Czech, Amy Hazel, Dan Krekelberg, Maya Kuratomi, Nathan Mueller, Trent Olson, David Reimann, Andy Sheehan, and Erin Wacker.

The inaugural Midwest regional contest was held at the Dairy Center of the Northeast Iowa Community-Based Dairy Foundation and hosted by Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar. The contest, which ran January 27-29, 2005 featured 63 participants from eight different schools. Schools represented included Iowa State University, Michigan State University, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and Northeast Iowa Community College.

Working in four- or five-person, mixed university teams, students assessed all aspects of a working dairy farm and presented recommendations for improvement to a panel of judges and the participating farm families. Students were given one hour to evaluate one of two dairies located in the region.

After the farm visits, herd owners entertained questions from both students and judges about their farming operations. Armed with detailed production and financial paperwork from the farms, as well as their own observations, the participants developed a presentation about what they saw and made suggestions for improvement. The next day, teams were given 20 minutes to present their suggestions. A question and answer session followed, along with a critique of their presentation by a panel of judges.

Award levels are platinum, gold and silver. The judges chose three teams as platinum performers—the contest's highest distinction. Two U of M students (Erin Wacker and Maya Kuratomi) were members of a platinum team. Congratulations to all nine U of M students for a job well done!

To find out more about the Dairy Challenge, visit http://www.dairychallenge.org.
  

Pedro Urriola

Pedro Urriola was born in Valencia, a city located in north Venezuela (South America). His father worked in Protinal, the oldest animal feed mill in the country and owned a farm with a 500-sow herd where Pedro worked on weekends and school vacations. Working there got Pedro interested in swine production and management.

Pedro studied Veterinary Medicine at "Universidad Central de Venezuela" where he received a degree in August 2003. Two years before graduating, Pedro worked with two practitioners who offered him the opportunity to continue with them after he got his degree. In his desire to continue studying, he came to Minnesota in November 2003 where he met Dr. Jerry Shurson, Mindy Spiehs, Jeff Knott and Mark Whitney. Then Dr. Shurson made an offer to Pedro to work with him. Pedro's goal is to better understand how to use alternative feeds, such as distillers dried grains with solubles, and other health and management practices related principally to pork production.

In January 2005 Pedro was married to Maria Pieters-Silva, who is working toward a Ph.D. in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the U of M.
  

Chikako Abe successfully completed the requirements for her Masters degree on January 31, 2005.

Mary Hartman has accepted a job in the Pediatrics Department of the U of M Medical School. She'll be working in the payroll area on the 13th floor of the Phillips-Wangensteen Building on the East Bank Campus.

Asia and Jan Lukas' second child, a boy, arrived on Friday, February 4th. Filip weighed in at 5 lb 14 oz. Mother and son are both doing very well.
  

Doug Foster, P.I. Agency: MN Racing Commission; Title: UMEC Research Grants (2004-05); Grant #: MN Racing Comm/UMEC; Budget Period: 12/23/04-9/30/05.
  

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

Spring Semester 2005:

February

  7 - Byung-Whi Kong, graduate student,"Comparison of avian metapneumovirus propagated from turkey and monkey cell lines"
14 - Nicolas DiLorenzo, graduate student, "Effects of feeding polyclonal antibody preparations against Streptococcus bovis and Fusobacterium necrophorum on target bacteria and rumen fermentation patterns of steers fed high-grain diets"
21 - Rebeka Gill, graduate student, "The impact of feeding distillers grains on sensory traits and color stability of beef strip steaks"
28 - Jeff Griggs, graduate student, "Alternatives to antibiotics for organic poultry production"

March

    7 - Mariana Carriquiry, graduate student (title TBA)
  14 - NO SEMINAR
  21 - Si-Hung Wu, graduate student (title TBA)
  28 - Katie Schiller, graduate student (title TBA)

April

    4 - Luis Espejo, graduate student (title TBA)
  11 - Claudia Ariza-Nieto, graduate student (title TBA)
  18 - Claude Hebron, graduate student (title TBA)
  25 - Thomas Bakken, graduate student (title TBA)

• Go to the Start menu and click on 'My Computer'
• Right click on the drive you want to defragment; in most cases, it'll be the C: drive
  NOTE: NEVER TRY THIS ON A NETWORK DRIVE (i.e. H: drive)!
• Choose 'Properties' from the drop down menu
• Click on the 'Tools' tab
• Choose 'Defragment Now'

February

7-11 and 15-18 - Minnesota Cow Calf Days (offered at 10 locations).

14 - Happy Valentine's Day!

21 - Four-State Dairy Management Seminar at the Carver County Dairy Expo. Norwood Young America, MN. Contact: Laura Torbert 952-442-4496.

22 - Legislative Calling Night. Sign up at http://ga4.org/u_of_m_leg_net/events/cn2_22_05/details.tcl.

22 - Four-State Dairy Management Seminar, NE Iowa Dairy Foundation Center, Calmar IA. Contact: Dale Thoreson 319-267-2707.

23 - Four-State Dairy Management Seminar, Starlite Club, Kaukauna, WI. Contact: Zen Miller 920-832-5119.

23 - Maroon and Gold Day at the Capitol. For more information, see http://ga4.org/u_of_m_leg_net/events/mandgday/details.tcl.

Dave Fischer 618-692-9434.

March

2 - St. Paul Day at the Capitol. Sign up at http://ga4.org/u_of_m_leg_net/events/stpday/details.tcl or contact Sarah Hustoles 612-625-6710.

15-17 - 2005 Midwest Poultry Federation Convention, St. Paul RiverCentre, St. Paul, MN. Contact: Lara Durben, Minnesota Turkey Growers Association at 763-682-2171 or lara@minnesotaturkey.com.

18 - The U (Twin Cities) is closed (floating holiday).

29-April 1 - National Dairy Calf and Heifer Conference / Central Plains Dairy Expo, Sheraton Sioux Falls Hotel, 1211 N West Avenue, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Phone: 877-434-3377; e-mail: pdhga@pdhga.org; web site: http://www.pdhga.org.

April

2-5 - 10th DISCOVER Conference on Food Animal Agriculture: Improving Health Through Dairy Foods. Stone Mountain Inn, Stone Mountain, GA. Contact: ADSA DISCOVER Conferences at 217-356-5146.

25 - W.E. Petersen Dairy Symposium, St. Paul Student Center Theatre, U of MN St. Paul Campus, 1:00-5:00 p.m. Open to the public. For more information, contact Dana Souther at 612-624-7453 or south005@umn.edu.

24-26 - State FFA Convention, U of M St. Paul Campus. As part of the State FFA Convention, several Career Development Events (CDEs) will be held on St. Paul Campus. Faculty, staff and students from the Department of Animal Science will be involved with the following CDE events: Poultry, Dairy, Livestock, Horse, Meats, and Small Animal.

27-30 - 2005 World Pork Congress, Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel.

May

17-19 - Ag Awareness, U of M St. Paul Campus. Contact Beka Gill (gillx018@umn.edu / 612-624-3073) or Jeff Griggs (grig0039@umn.edu / 612-624-1086).

June

20-24 - Animal Science Summer Youth Program: Adventures with Food and Fiber, U of M St. Paul Campus - for ages 11+ years.

July

18-22 - Animal Science Summer Youth Program: Adventures with Food and Fiber, U of M St. Paul Campus - for ages 9-10 years.

25-29 - Animal Science Summer Youth Program: Adventures with Food and Fiber, U of M St. Paul Campus - for ages 7-8 years.