AnSci Connection
The newsletter of the Department of Animal Science

May 2007

Notes from the Department Head  |  News & Announcements  |  Graduate Student Profile  |  Congratulations
Recent Grants  |  Calendar of Events  |  Animal Science Seminars  |  External Employment Opportunities

The class of 2007 comprises the first graduates from CFANS (College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences). This year’s class of just over 400 seniors was about 100 students larger than in past years with the combining of the two colleges (Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, and Natural Resources). The Animal Science and Nutrition majors had the largest number of graduating seniors at about 65 and 75, respectively. With the addition of 13 Food Science majors, our college’s Division of Animal Science and Food Science-Nutrition accounted for 38% of the graduating class. This percentage is reflective of the overall CFANS undergraduate student population with the three majors (Animal Science, Food Science, and Nutrition) accounting for about 42% of the total undergraduate enrollment in CFANS this past year.  

Animal Science continues to home the largest number of undergraduates with over 350 students.  One reason for this is the excellent employment opportunities upon graduation. As with last year, almost every one of our graduating seniors has made a decision regarding their future. Some are going to veterinary school, most have either accepted employment or are considering employment opportunities in various segments of the agricultural industry, and several students are going back home to family farms. To all of these students, we wish them the very best. We thank them for choosing the University of Minnesota, and for the opportunity to be a part of their lives and future goals. The University of Minnesota is now their alma mater and we are very pleased to welcome them into our large family of Animal Science alumni.

Early summer also is a very busy time to welcome and prepare for this year’s incoming freshman class and transfer students. To all of these students, we say welcome and look forward to your arrival on campus. Be assured your educational opportunities will be the best available with outstanding faculty to learn from and work with during your college career. Outside the classroom, there are many opportunities including several species or interest clubs to join. Animal Science is home to the Gopher Dairy Club, Block and Bridle, Equestrian and Equine Club, Poultry Club, Pre-Vet Club, and a newly formed Pre-Pam (Production Animal Medicine) Club for those considering food animal veterinary medicine as a career. There is a need for more students interested in a food animal veterinary career, and the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Animal Science welcome more students to consider the Vet-FAST program for their pre-vet option. More information on all Animal Science programs and the Vet-FAST program can be found on our web site (http://www.ansci.umn.edu).
   

New Personnel, New Products Help Re-open Meat Lab Sales Room

Pete Nelson is the new supervisor of the Andrew Boss Laboratory/Meat Science. Mr. Nelson has several decades of experience in the meats field as well as having worked with University staff spanning several decades on various projects. He has worked with all of the 'traditional' species and also has worked with the School of Veterinary Medicine regarding exotic species (i.e., bison, ratites, cervidae). Nelson is also a member of  the Meat Processors Hall of Fame for his expertise with cured and smoked meat as well as sausage making. You can look forward to the opportunity to be tasting some new and flavorful specialty meat items in the months ahead.

Assisting Nelson is Michael Aggen from Harmony, MN. Mike will soon be graduating with his degree in Animal Science/Beef Production. Mike has worked in the meat lab for the past three years under former supervisor Dave Plath who joined the ranks of the retirement community last October.

Nelson and Aggen would like everyone to think of them when planning a pig roast for a big crowd or for a small group. "Check us out. We will work with you and offer helpful advice", said Nelson. "We want folks to also check out our new web page as well as be on the look out for some of our new items, like 'pig wings' or our Gopher Gold Signature Pork Fillets, or maybe you want some of our kabobs or one of our delicious seasoned top sirloin pork roasts. We also now have a grrreat deal on a 25-lb summer pork grill pak where the customer can save more than 25%."

Check out the Meat Laboratory web page (http://www.ansci.umn.edu/meatlab.htm) or give them a call at 612-624-9260.
 

Lukas and Reneau Among Finalists for Juran Fellowship

Asia Lukas and Dr. Jeff Reneau were among the six finalists chosen for the 2007 Juran Fellowships with the submission of their research proposal "Cows, milk and statistical process control: Using control charts in an early warning system for disease and estrus detection."

The Juran Fellowship is a very coveted award offered by the Juran Center at the Carlson School of Management. It is quite an honor to be in the finals for this award, which focuses on promoting research in quality improvement among Ph.D. students. Applicants come from a wide range of disciplines and universities from all over the U.S.

Lukas and Reneau received recognition at a luncheon earlier this month.
  

Animal Science Students Recognized

The Annual Animal Science Student Hog Roast and Introductory Animal Science Showmanship Contest was held Thursday, April 19 (4:30-8:00 p.m.) at the Livestock Pavilion with over 350 in attendance. The event includes recognition of Animal Science student club officers, judging teams, and American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) scholarship winners.

The ASAS Scholastic Achievement Awards are presented to students with at least a 3.5 GPA and outstanding citizenship and extra-curricular activities. The award includes a certificate and students are recognized in the July issue of the Journal of ASAS.

The Animal Science Academic Quadrathlon Team received their AQ plaques at the Animal Science recognition program.

Animal Science Academic Quadrathlon Team (L-R): Evan Dee, Colby Lind, Amber Hazel, Evan Van Beusekom, and Tony Seykora, Advisor.

Introductory Animal Science Showmanship Contest
  

ASAS Scholastic Achievement Awards winners (L-R): Olivia Lorello, Jennifer Becker, Amber Hazel, Tanya Merritt, Melissa Mussman, Jennifer Rule, Evan Van Beusekom, Bridgette Hemmesch.

Group Tours Cargill

A group of 12 Animal Science graduate students, an undergraduate student, and Dr. Jacquie Jacob visited the Cargill Innovation Center in Elk River, MN, on April 30th. The group was welcomed by Dr. Mike Craig, director of the Innovation Center, and after a brief presentation about the structure of the company, core values and research commitment, the group took a tour through the facilities. At each of the stops, the students met with the personnel in charge of the unit and were given a brief explanation of ongoing projects and research goals. The students were divided into two groups, which facilitated keeping the visit at an informal conversation level.  Plenty of questions were asked and a good discussion was generated.

The tour included stops at the dairy unit, the calf barn, the poultry unit, the aquaculture unit, the swine unit and the laboratories (including the NIR station). Students were exposed to some of the cutting edge research technology that Cargill Animal Nutrition utilizes, and heard about topics such as digestibility techniques in poultry nutrition, tilapia nutrition and production, NIRS and sampling analyses, current ethanol co-products issues, and ongoing research in swine and dairy nutrition. After the tour, students and Cargill staff had lunch together in a conference room where a general question/discussion session took place.   

This was an excellent opportunity for students to get to know more about one of the leading companies in animal nutrition and experience an enriching discussion in diverse topics such as global trends in food consumption, current ethanol issues, collaborative research opportunities, and use of antibiotics in animal agriculture. 

The students and assistant professor Jacquie Jacob are very thankful to Cargill Animal Nutrition for their hospitality and for taking time to show us their facilities and share some of their ideas.
  

Stern Presents Research at CGIF

The Conference on Gastrointestinal Function (CGIF) was established in 1951 to serve as a forum for academic and industry scientists to present current advances in the understanding of gastrointestinal microbioloby, immunophysiology and nutritional sciences in herbivores, both domesticated and non-domesticated. The scope of topics presented at the 2007 CGIF included studies on livestock and poultry species for biomedical research as well as a broader range of studies with direct relevance to human health and well being.

Dr. Marshall Stern attended the 2007 CGIF held in Chicago, IL, April 16-18, where he presented a poster that he co-authored with Martin Ruiz Moreno. The abstract was titled "Effects of rumen undegradable protein and Yucca schidigera extract on metabolism by ruminal microbes maintained in dual flow continuous culture fermenters."

The full abstracts from the conference are available at: http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/index/R7WX05608L131586.pdf.
  

It's A Picnic!

The Department of Animal Science will hold their annual picnic at the Livestock Pavilion on Wednesday, June 20, at noon. The picnic will be held outside of the Pavilion but in case of bad weather, the event will be moved indoors.

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.
  

Compost Barn Conference Registration Deadline Nearing

Hurry! June 4th is the registration deadline for the National Compost Dairy Barn Conference (June 21 and 22) at the Holiday Inn, Burnsville, MN.

The first day of the conference offers an optional tour of three compost dairy barns. On day two, conference presentations will cover topics on composting dynamics, bedding material options, layout and design of compost barns, pack management, cow comfort and performance, economics, use of finished compost, and more. The program will also include a producer panel of three dairy producers with compost barns.

Detailed information about the tour, the conference agenda, speakers, and registration may be found on the web at: http://www.ansci.umn.edu/compostbarnconf.htm.
   

Novell File Services Migration Must be Completed by June 30th

As previously announced, CFANS-OIT is migrating from the collegiate Novell file services to centrally managed Microsoft Active Directory (AD) file services. The migration must be completed by June 30, 2007.

Those of you who are still on the Novell system will be contacted to schedule a time to migrate to the new Active Directory system, or you may call or email Faraz Shaukat (tel: 612-624-3435; email: mian0005@umn.edu) with a preferred time.

The migration may take from 45 minutes to an hour, and the user needs to be present. Any questions about this process may be directed to Faraz.

Ag Awareness 2007 — A Memorable Event for Kids

This year's Ag Awareness event was held May 15th and 16th at the Beef Barn facility on the U of M St. Paul Campus. We had three schools in attendance this year (Forest Elementary, St. Anthony Park, and Zachary Lane) for roughly 300 kids on campus with numerous questions and an eagerness to learn!

Kids in grades 2 through 5 learned about dairy, sheep, swine, beef, poultry and agronomy while spending roughly 12 minutes at each station. Graduate students ran the booths and, in a fun way provided the kids with information about each animal or plant in hopes of teaching them the importance of these things in their every day lives! The kids seemed to really enjoy themselves this year and hope to be able to come back next year.   SEE PHOTOS

A new idea that we implemented this year was a transportation scholarship to one school to try to boost the attendance of the event. The scholarship was awarded to Forest Elementary from Robbinsdale.

Thank you to all of those who helped make Ag Awareness a successful event and a memorable experience for the kids. It would not be as successful without the continued support of the faculty, staff, graduate students, and the student organizations that sponsored our event! Thank you to Lambda Delta Phi and Block and Bridle for their continued support! It is very much appreciated!!

—Melissa Thrune, Ag Awareness 2007 Co-Chair
  

State 4-H Project Knowledge Bowl - 2007

Minnesota State 4-H Project Knowledge Bowl competitions were held on Saturday, April 21st in Foley, MN. This yearly event challenges teams of 3 to 6 youth on their knowledge of a 4-H project area. There are seven different bowls: Dairy, Dog, General Livestock, Goat, Horse, Poultry, and Rabbit. Each bowl has two divisions: Junior (4-H members in grades 3 through 8) and Senior (4-H members in grades 4 through 12+1). State Bowl winners in dairy, general livestock, horse, and poultry will go on to compete in national contests at various locations across the country.

Animal Science faculty and staff who contributed their time and expertise included Dr. Jacquie Jacob who served as a co-coordinator of the Poultry Knowledge Bowl, Dr. Tony Seykora who served as the coordinator of the Dairy Knowledge Bowl, and Mr. Kyle Rozeboom and Dr. Jerry Hawton who served as judges of the Livestock Knowledge Bowl. Dr. Lee Johnston coached the Stevens County Senior Team in the Livestock Bowl. The team, Justin Johnston, Tyler Evink, Carter Smith, and Jeff Knoblock, won first place in the competition and will go on to represent Minnesota at the National 4-H Skill-a-Thon at the International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, KY, this November.

All the results of the State 4-H Project Bowls are available online at: http://www.fourh.umn.edu/projectbowl/results-2007-state.html.
  

CDEs at State FFA Convention

Over 3,000 high school students came to the U of M St. Paul Campus for the 77th Annual Minnesota State FFA Convention held April 22-24, 2007. Convention activities include Career Development Events (CDEs), which were held on April 23rd. CDEs allow FFA members to build career skills by competing in one of the following events: Agricultural Mechanics, Agribusiness Sales, Crops, Dairy Cattle Evaluation and Handling, Dairy Foods, Farm Business Management, Fish and Wildlife Management, Floriculture, Forestry, Horse Evaluation, Livestock Evaluation, Meat Evaluation, Nursery and Landscape, Poultry Evaluation, Small Animals, and Soils.  

Animal Science faculty and staff who served as CDE faculty chairs this year were Dr. Jacquie Jacob (Poultry Evaluation), Dr. Tony Seykora (Dairy Cattle Evaluation and Handling), Dr. Marshall Stern (Small Animals), Mr. Kyle Rozeboom (Livestock Evaluation), and Mr. Dave Plath (Meat Evaluation).

In addition, the Block and Bridle Club contributed to the Convention by sponsoring a Beef barbecue on April 23rd.

The results of the Minnesota State FFA CDEs may be found online at http://afee.coafes.umn.edu/ffacon/cderesults.htm.
  

Fulbright Grants Available for 2008-09

Competition for Fulbright Grants opened May 1st for U.S. students for the 2008-09 academic year. Fulbright Full Grants provide support for study, research, or creative work in more than 140 countries, and Fulbright Teaching Assistant Grants are available in 26 countries. Approximately 1,300 grants will be awarded for 2008-09. Those eligible to apply are college students who will graduate by Spring 2008, recent college graduates, and current graduate students.

Candidates must be U.S. citizens with an undergraduate degree completed before the beginning of the award period, and should have strong academic records. Some countries have language proficiency requirements. The U of M-Twin Cities conducts an application review and interview process in September for Fulbright candidates who are enrolled U students.

The U of M-Twin Cities campus deadline for submitting a Fulbright application is September 10, 2007. Candidates are encouraged to begin working on the application well before the deadline and to make use of campus Fulbright advising resources. Undergraduates and recent graduates should contact Sally Lieberman, Associate Director for National and International Scholarships, 20 Nicholson Hall, for further information and application materials (email: liebe001@umn.edu; tel: 612-624-0399; web: http://www.honors.umn.edu/scholarships/). Graduate and professional students should contact Alison Skoberg, Associate Program Director, Graduate Fellowship Office, 314 Johnston Hall (email: skobe001@umn.edu).

Learn more about the Fulbright Program at the Institute of International Education web site (http://www.iie.org/).
  

Mondale to Teach Undergrad Course

This fall semester, former Vice President Walter Mondale will be teaching an undergraduate course with political science professor Lawrence Jacobs. Mr. Mondale has invited some amazing people to join him. This is the only time this course will be offered.

Topics in Social Policy: America's Constitutional Crisis (PA 1490) will investigate the constitutional battle between the President of the U.S. and Congress over who controls the most vital decisions impacting the country. This 3-credit course (S-N basis only) will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:45-11:00 a.m. in 270 Anderson Hall on the West Bank. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors are all welcome to take the course.

Don't miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity to take a course from a former U.S. Vice President. For additional information, please contact Rose Miskowiec, Undergraduate Advisor, Department of Political Science (tel: 612-624-8517; email: r-misk@umn.edu).
  

2007 MN Nutrition Conference Scheduled

Mark your calendars for the next edition of the Minnesota Nutrition Conference. This year’s conference will be held September 18-19 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis Hotel North. This is a new venue that conference organizers are very excited to use. The hotel is located at Interstate 694 and Shingle Creek Parkway.

The conference will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 18 with the University of Minnesota Research Update Session: Modern Concepts in Livestock Production for 2007. In 2006, we included the U of M update session, which was well received by all attendees. This year’s update session will include short presentations on topics such as: gestation housing for sows, economics of corn demand and feed prices, poultry nutrition, DDGS and pork fat quality, and feeding antibodies for disease control. All topics and speakers will present work conducted at the U of M. The Tuesday afternoon program will focus on “Meeting the Energy Needs of Livestock in the Age of Biofuels”. Speakers will discuss energetics for the practicing nutritionist, feed processing to maximize animal performance, and practical aspects of energy nutrition of cattle, poultry and swine.

On Wednesday, the conference will be divided into Ruminant and Nonruminant sessions. In the Ruminant track, some of the topics will include: protein nutrition of feedlot cattle and lactating dairy cows, managing sulfur concentrations of ruminant diets, dairy heifer feeding programs, and managing feed intake of freestalled dairy cattle. On the Nonruminant side of the program, speakers will address optimizing skeletal health, vitamin E and fat to optimize egg production, purchasing and using animal by-products, and fiber nutrition of swine. 

The Minnesota Nutrition Conference would not be possible without the generous support of many industry sponsors. In 2007, Diamond V Mills and Degussa Corporation will once again be major sponsors. For more information and registration details, visit the conference web site at: http://www.cce.umn.edu/MNnutrition
  

Hot Off the Press: MN Grown Directory
Source: MDA Marketing Minute, MDA Ag Marketing Division

The 2007-'08 Minnesota Grown Directory was officially released at the Living Green Expo held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on May 5 and 6. Published by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), the popular Directory lists more than 660 locations (a new record) where consumers can 'Buy Local'. For example, the 2007-'08 volume includes 85 public farmers' markets, 83 places to find fresh strawberries in season, and almost 100 apple orchards.

This marks the 27th annual printing of the Directory. MDA has printed 175,000 copies this year and roughly half of that printing has already been distributed in bulk to realtors, tourist information centers, listed farms, libraries, extension offices, and other contributing distributors.

MDA Ag Marketing Specialist Brian Erickson said the Directory is popular because it brings consumers together with growers. "Buying local is a hot topic because it involves benefits for the consumer, the environment, small farmers and ranchers, and local economies," Erickson said. "Because the Minnesota Grown Directory is so comprehensive, consumers can be confident they will find the nearest strawberry patch or apple orchard when using the publication," said Erickson. 

Consumers can receive a complimentary copy of the Minnesota Grown Directory by calling Explore Minnesota Tourism at 1-888-TOURISM (1-888-868-7476). The guide is also offered online as a searchable database at http://www.minnesotagrown.com.
  

John Garbe

John Garbe grew up on a dairy and crop farm with two older brothers just across the border in Hudson, WI. He completed his undergraduate degree at Macalester College in St. Paul with a major in Computer Science and a minor in German Studies. After graduation, John worked for Dr. Yang Da as a software developer writing software for linkage analysis, QTL mapping and pedigree visualization.

Upon succumbing to wanderlust after three years of office work, he signed up with the United States Antarctic Program and worked two summer seasons at research stations in Antarctica. The first season, he worked as a fuels operator at McMurdo Station on the coast working with the station's bulk fuel storage and delivery system as well as aircraft refueling. The second season, John worked as the fuels foreman at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station at the geographic south pole where he managed the station's fuel storage facilities and aircraft ground support operations.

With wanderlust temporarily assuaged, John returned to Minnesota and started working with Dr. Scott Fahrenkrug on the Spring Point Project, a non-profit developing high quality source pigs for islet xenotransplantation for diabetes treatment.

John is now a first year student in the Ph.D. program studying animal genetics and bioinformatics, and working in Dr. Fahrenkrug's lab on the genetics of porcine islet tissue.

John is an avid traveler, with trips in the last year to Alaska, Austria, New Zealand, Thailand and Utah. He is looking forward to a trip to Tanzania this summer to visit friends and climb Mount Kilimanjaro. John also enjoys alpine skiing, Boundary Waters trips, brewing, wakeboarding, and helping out on the family farm.
  

Effective July 1st, Senior Associate Dean Ann Hill Duin will leave CFANS to become the Associate Vice President and Deputy CIO of the Office of Information Technology (OIT) where she will be responsible for Academic and Distributed Computing Services (ADCS) and Network Telecommunications Services (NTS).

Crystal Lehnertz, who recently graduated with a B.S. degree with major in Agriculture Food Business Management, is moving out of her position as Student Office Assistant to Principal Accounts Specialist effective May 17th.

Animal Science Farm Animal Attendant Nduka Omeoga will begin a MPA (Masters of Public Administration) program at the Humphrey Institute in September 2007.

Melissa Thrune will be starting her new career at SPF North America on June 18th in Mondovi, WI. SPF North America is a division of SPF-Diana (http://www.spf-diana.com), which is based out of France, and a leader in the pet food industry. As a Junior Sales Account Manager, Melissa will be in charge of traveling to large pet food companies to sell palatability and flavor enhancers. In the fall, the new headquarters for SPF North America is moving to Greenwood, SC, where Melissa will relocate to finish up training for a year. After training, Melissa will most likely return to Minnesota and work from a remote home office with travel required over 50% of the time.
  

Gerald Shurson, PI. Sponsor: Minnesota Pork Producers Association. Title: Assessment of the Energy Value and Nutrient Digestibility of New Distiller's Grains Co-Products for Growing Pigs. Period: 05/01/2007-12/01/2008. Award: $25,000.
  

- May 2007 -

1 - CFANS Solution-Driven Science Symposium: Biofuels: Economic Prospects and Environmental Implications (1:00-3:30 p.m.), 335 Borlaug Hall, U of M St. Paul Campus.

2-3 - Symposium to Honor of G. Edward Schuh: Toward a Global Food and Agricultural Policy for an Open International Economy, Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Center, Minneapolis.

12 - End of Spring Semester (Twin Cities Campus).

15-16 - Ag Awareness, Beef Barn, U of M St. Paul Campus. Contact Melissa Thrune for more information.

15-17 - Minnesota Dairy Health Conference, U of M St. Paul Campus. Contact: Veterinary Continuing Education, 1-800-380-8636 or 612-624-3434.

17 - Biofilter Design and Construction Workshop, Southern ROC, Waseca. For more information, call 507-835-3620.

17 - Retirement Reception in Honor of C. Eugene Allen (3:30-6:00 p.m.), Memorial Hall, McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak Street SE, Minneapolis. RSVP to: schla025@umn.edu.

21 - May Session begins (Twin Cities Campus).

28 - Memorial Day holiday (U of M is closed)

- June 2007 -

4 - Dairy Leaders Roundtable Meeting (9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.), Mississippi Room, Land O'Lakes, Inc., Arden Hills, MN (651-481-2222). For more information, contact Ed Frederick, 507-835-3422.

6 - Ninth Annual Civil Service and Barganing Unit (CSBU) Staff Day (11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.), Carter and Eckles Avenues, St. Paul Campus and Coffman Memorial Union Plaza, Minneapolis. Contact: Wendy Williamson.

7-9 - Gopher Dairy Camp, U of M St. Paul Campus. Contact: Brad Heins, 612-625-9294.

11 - Summer Session begins (Twin Cities Campus).

13-14 - 4-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference and Post-conference Workshops, Grand River Center, Dubuque, IA. Registration information: Wisconsin Agri-Service Association, 608-223-1111.

19 - Agronomy Field Tour, Southern ROC, Waseca. For more information, call 507-835-3620.

20 - Department of Animal Science's Annual Picnic and Awards Presentation (noon), Livestock Pavilion, U of M St. Paul Campus. Contact: Dana Souther, 612-624-7453.

21-22 - National Compost Dairy Barn Conference, Holiday Inn, Burnsville, MN. Program brochure. On-line registration (credit card only). Program information: Marcia Endres 612-624-5391; Registration information: Bonnie Rae 612-624-4995.

- July 2007 -

4 - Independence Day holiday (U of M is closed).

10 - Midwest Food Processors' Tour/Meeting, Southern ROC, Waseca. For more information, call 507-835-3620.

16 - DairyCOMP305 On-line Training Course offered by the Center for Dairy Health, Management, and Food Quality, U of M College of Veterinary Medicine. Contact: Dr. Paul Rapnicki, 612-625-8184.

19 - Disease and Insect Field Tour, Southern ROC, Waseca. For more information, call 507-835-3620.

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

- August 2007 -

23-Sep 3 - Minnesota State Fair, State Fairgrounds, St. Paul, MN.

- September 2007 -

Thru Sep 3 - Minnesota State Fair, State Fairgrounds, St. Paul, MN.

3 - Labor Day holiday (U of M is closed).

4 - Fall Semester Classes begin.

13 - U of M Open House, Southern ROC, Waseca. For more information, call 507-835-3620.

18-19 - 68th Minnesota Nutrition Conference, Crowne Plaza Minneapolis Hotel North (NEW LOCATION), I-694 to Shingle Creek Parkway.

- November 2007 -

22-23 - Thanksgiving holiday (U of M is closed).

- 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, 320-203-6093.

13-14 - Artificial Insemination in Swine Training Course, Southern ROC, Waseca. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541. (Note date change)

20 - Fall Semester ends.

24-25 - Christmas holiday (U of M is closed).