Join ASAS and the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) in July for a pre-conference symposium focused on “The Role of Animal Sourced Foods in Ensuring Food Security and National Security.” The day-long symposium will be held Saturday, July 8, in Baltimore, Maryland, prior to the ASAS-CSAS Annual Meeting & Trade Show, which takes place July 8-12 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

The pre-conference is a ticketed event, so please make sure to add it to your meeting registration. Cost is $150 for professionals and $35 for students.

Conference co-chair, Dr. Teresa Davis, will kick off the symposium with a presentation on the Nutritional and social importance of animal sourced proteins.

Invited speakers will explore the relationships between food security, nutrition and health, and political stability from a global perspective. Some of the speakers include:

Tyler is a senior earning a dual degree in animal science and agricultural communications and journalism at Texas A&M University.

Raised on her family’s commercial sheep and cattle operation, Tyler developed a love for agriculture at a young age. Growing up, she was heavily involved in both 4-H and FFA, showing lambs and competing in judging and leadership activities across the state.

Tyler continued her involvement in agriculture by participating in a variety of student organizations and activities at Texas A&M. During her three years at the university, she has been an active member of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council, Pi Beta Phi Sorority, Saddle & Sirloin, Aron and Mary Lois Savell Leadership Mentor Group, Study Abroad, and the 2016 Texas A&M Meat Judging Team. In 2015, Tyler testified to the Natural Resources Committee at the Texas State Capitol in Austin.

Register today to take advantage of the discounted meeting registration rates of up to $150 for the 2017 ASAS-CSAS Annual Meeting & Trade Show in Baltimore, Maryland, July 8-12, 2017. Rates will increase on May 26, 2017.

 

See you in Baltimore!

There are more than 15 symposia sessions taking place at, or in conjunction with, the 2017 ASAS-CSAS Annual Meeting & Trade Show, July 8-12, in Baltimore, Maryland. Here are just a few to check out!

Saturday, July 8: BOLFA Symposium: The Biology of Lactation – From Genes to Cells to Milk

Monday, July 10: Research Technology Symposium (focuses on ruminant and grazing research)

Monday, July 10:PANCOSMA Comparative Gut Physiology Symposium

The ASAS 2017 Strategic Planning Committee and the ASAS Board of Directors are excited to release our proposed FY 2017 – FY 2022 Strategic Plan to the ASAS membership for comment. This version of the strategic plan is the result of 2 committee retreats, a board survey, board review, input from over 30 external stakeholders (individuals and groups), countless member interviews, 10 focus groups, membership surveys, and sectional board input. ASAS prides itself in soliciting and using membership input to write and prioritize the future direction and goals for the Society.

Please send comments concerning the plan to stratplan@asas.org by June 9, 2017. This will give the committee time to adjust the plan if needed. The final plan will be presented to the membership at the 2017 ASAS Business Meeting with an electronic vote following the meeting.

 

Northeast members: This year, the Northeast ADSA/ASAS will be holding its first graduate student video abstract competition. These videos will allow graduate students in the Northeast to present their research in a non-traditional format, use creative techniques and new technologies, and practice their scientific salesmanship.

The five-minute videos should focus on an aspect of the student’s research, and educate the viewer on the importance of the work to the field of animal science. Students are encouraged to be creative! Full details and submission guidelines are available at: asas.org/membership-services/asas-sections/northeast-section/graduate-video-competition.

Videos must be submitted by midnight (EST) on June 5, 2017.

For additional details, contact Sarah Reed (sarah.reed@uconn.edu).

Here is an interesting development in the world of science: Mice have successfully reproduced after being implanted with bioprosthetic ovaries created with a 3-D printer, according to research published in Nature Communications.

Read a summary of the research in Mice Successfully Reproduce with 3-D Printed Ovaries in TheScientist online.

The research has important implications for cancer patients of child-bearning age whose cancer treatments have left them sterile.

Source: SmartBrief, Inc.

Several new articles have been added to the First Look section of the Journal of Animal Science.

First Look articles are posted immediately following acceptance to provide faster publication and better access to the newest research.

These articles are posted prior to technical editing, author proofing, and formatting.

The articles below were added to First Look between May 8 and May 11. Access the full text of each article in First Look. To view articles, you must have a current subscription to the Journal of Animal Science.

Some important deadlines are approaching for the 2017 ASAS-CSAS Annual Meeting & Trade Show, July 8-12, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Registration rates increase after May 26!

Housing is filling up. Please make your reservations by June 19!

Access more important deadlines, as well as the Draft Schedule and Abstracts.

The American Feed Industry Association is hosting a webinar series, beginning May 18.

The first webinar in the series will focus on “How to Communicate with Consumers.” The webinar will begin at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 18. It will take a look at the latest Center for Food Integrity research to uncover what information consumers are seeking, specifically about GMOs, antibiotic use and animal well-being.

Register for the consumer communications webinar!

 

As a member of the American Society of Animal Science, you have the opportunity to vote for President-Elect and three Directors-at-Large to serve on the Board of Directors of ASAS. The term of office for each will be three years. You also have the opportunity to vote for a Graduate Director to serve on the ASAS Board for a two-year term. Terms for these offices begin at the conclusion of the 2017 Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD.

Click here to Vote

For the 2017-2018 election cycle, the ASAS National Board seeks to fill the following positions:

President-Elect:

A recording of the Western Section ASAS (WSASAS) Teaching Webinar is now available online. Hear the audio and view the slides at your leisure!

During the webinar, guest speaker Loren Baranko, lecturer and internship coordinator in the Department of Animal Sciences at North Dakota State University, discussed:

Dr. Alvin Warnick, a longtime ASAS member and pioneer in beef cattle reproduction, died Sunday, May 7, at the age of 96.

Dr. Jack Payne, Senior Vice President of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Florida, paid tribute to Dr. Warnick in the Florida Cattleman & Livestock Journal upon Dr. Warnick’s induction into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame. That tribute is as follows:

Alvin Warnick was rousted out of his bunk at 2 a.m. and summoned to a tarmac to check radio equipment on planes.

The planes participated in the D-Day invasion. Warnick remembered that every single one of his planes and pilots returned to base in England safely.

How many cells are in this bovine embryo? The answer lies in the Animal Science Image Gallery.

If you need to know now… This is a bovine embryo with about 16 cells, as it would appear in the uterus of a cow about 4 days after ovulation. The diameter of this embryo (about 0.1 mm) likely changed little from that immediately after fertilization. Credit for this image goes to Dr. Harold Hafs and Hoard’s Dairyman. Dr. Hafs has been a longtime advocate of the Gallery and played an integral role in the development of the Gallery several years ago.

Search the many categories available in the Gallery and download or submit images today!

Photo Credit: Harold Hafs

A team of researchers in the Texas Tech University College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources is working to reduce the effects of social, environmental and nutritional stressors on young piglets by showing how the anti-inflammatory drug cortisol and its analogs can regulate a pig’s immune system, allowing it to grow normally.

To that end, assistant professor Anoosh Rakhshandeh and his collaborators, professor John McGlone and research assistant professor Arlene Garcia-Marquez, all from the Department of Animal and Food Sciences, received a grant for $296,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

The funded research proposal focuses on the use of cortisol analogs (CA) as an alternative to antibiotics. “We hypothesized that cortisol analogs mitigate the negative effects of immunological stress and improve digestive physiology and overall productivity and robustness of the newly weaned pigs,” Rakhshandeh said in this press release. “In addition, we will explore the underlying mechanism through which cortisol analogs improve the productivity and welfare of piglets.”

The goal is to minimize the impact stress has on newly weaned pigs, which could lead to the production of a more robust and resilient pig. Read more about the research.

Western Section Members:

For the 2017-2018 election cycle, the Western Section must fill positions for Secretary-Treasurer and Western Section Graduate Director. The election ballots will close at 11:59 pm CDT on June 1, 2017.

This year’s candidates are:

Secretary -Treasurer – Dr. Reinaldo Cooke (to serve a four-year term, which includes one year as Secretary-Treasurer, one year as President-Elect, one year as President, and one year as Past President)
Western Section Graduate Director – Kathryn Smith and Maggie Weinroth (one candidate to serve a two-year term)