CALS Online and Dean’s Message
July 12, 2021
Dean’s Message
I hope you had an excellent weekend and had a chance to get out and enjoy the outdoors. I expect many of you are just finishing up a week away or are heading out for vacation, and I wish you excellent rest and relaxation! We all need it from time to time. The year we’ve just been through with the COVID-19 pandemic and so many related stresses has been epic, and even as it seems to recede quickly into the past here in Iowa, it’s still very much in our psyches, and the disease still looms near and far. Keep diligent and take good care. It is wonderful to come into work and see the hallways and doorways filled with people and hear the chatter between meetings. If your work is like mine, it’s been busy. Busy catching up, getting ready and initiating new projects and lines-of-thought. Last week I was at the Northwest Research and Demonstration Farm with… More
Top Story
Iowa Cousins Pursue Similar Paths as Faculty Researchers
Brian Hornbuckle is a professor of agronomy and director of graduate education for agricultural meteorology at Iowa State. His cousin, Keri Hornbuckle, is the Donald E. Bently Professor of Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iowa. They both credit their public high school teachers with inspiring them to pursue scientific research, though with different areas of focus. More
Research
Oberhauser Discusses Implications of Falling Birth Rates
In a July 6 article in The Conversation, Ann Oberhauser, sociology, discusses the implications of declining birth rates in the United States and worldwide. More
Extension and Outreach
Structural Barriers Make Extended Crop Rotations Difficult to Adopt
New research shows farmers are interested in using extended rotations to improve soil health and manage pests and weeds, but adoption of these practices in Iowa and across the Midwest is low. Co-authors J. Arbuckle, sociology, and Marshal McDaniel and Matt Liebman, agronomy, examine farmer perspectives in a recent article in the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Letters. More
Water Rocks! Video Series Receives Iowa Motion Picture Awards
The Harmony Brook Watershed video series produced by Water Rocks! received two 2021 Iowa Motion Picture Association awards at the organization’s 30th annual awards ceremony. Harmony Brook Watershed is a web-based video series for early learners that delivers lessons about Iowa’s ecosystems, conservation and natural resources through a mixed format featuring animal puppets and their human counterparts. More
Fruit and Vegetable Field Day is July 22
The horticulture team with ISU Extension and Outreach will hold the 2021 Fruit and Vegetable Field Day on July 22 at the Horticulture Research Station. Topics will include new cultivars, integrated cropping systems, vineyard grapes and equipment demonstrations. Attendance is free, but registration is required. More
ANR Extension Staff Spotlight: Brett Ramirez
Brett Ramirez is an assistant professor in agricultural and biosystems engineering with a research and extension appointment. Through extension and outreach, he assists the livestock and poultry industries with engineering, design, management and troubleshooting of their facilities. More
Around the College
College BBQ Sept. 4 – Call for Volunteers and Invitation to Attend
Faculty and staff volunteers are needed for the traditional CALS barbecue, to be held Sept. 4 at the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center. Approximately 500 CALS alumni and friends are expected to attend this year’s event, which will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., prior to the ISU vs. UNI football game (kick-off is 3 p.m.). Complimentary lunch, parking and shuttle to the stadium will be provided. The first 20 volunteers who register will receive a CALS barbecue t-shirt in thanks for their service. Register to volunteer online or by contacting Haley Cook (hcook@iastate.edu) by Aug. 6. Volunteer opportunities include the following:
- Registration/Greeting (10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., 12:15 p.m. – 2 p.m.)
- Beverage service (10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., 12:15 p.m. – 2 p.m.)
- Tear down (2-3 p.m.)
CALS faculty, staff and guests are also invited to attend the barbecue as guests. Details are available on the CALS barbecue webpage. Registration required by Aug. 23.
Open Forums for Two Remaining Candidates for CALS Associate Dean for Research and Discovery
The two remaining candidates for the new position of CALS Associate Dean for Research and Discovery will be providing a public seminar and open forum this week on the topic of “Vision for the CALS Research and Discovery Enterprise: Short- and Long-term Goals and Strategies in a Land Grant Context.” All seminars and open forums will take place in 0118 Horticulture Hall. They will also be live-streamed. Zoom links to the forums and candidates’ application material is available online. Kendall Lamkey, chair of the Department of Agronomy, is chairing this search. The position replaces the associate director of research portion of the former senior associate dean position held by Joe Colletti.
- Tuesday, July 13: David Wright, department head and professor, Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science, South Dakota State University. Seminar: 9 a.m. Open forum: 10 a.m.
- Thursday, July 15: Andrew Rypel, associate professor, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis. Seminar: 9 a.m. Open forum: 10 a.m.
Construction Continues on Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex
Construction continues on the new Kent Corporation Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex, which is scheduled to be complete by September 2022. Located on the southwest corner of the Highway 30 and State Avenue intersection in Ames, the feed mill will be home to classes and short courses related to feed technology, grain science and animal nutrition. More
Calendar
July 14: Iowa Learning Farms Webinar
Including the stream channel in a comprehensive view of water quality is the focus of the Iowa Learning Farms webinar on Wednesday, July 14, at noon, presented by Billy Beck, extension forestry specialist.
Communications Kiosk
Species for Both Singular and Plural
Species is the same in singular and plural. Use singular or plural verbs and pronouns depending on the sense: The species has been unable to maintain itself. Both species are extinct. In scientific or biological names, capitalize the first, or generic, Latin name for the class of plant or animal and lowercase the species that follows: Homo sapiens, Tyrannosaurus rex. In second references, use the abbreviated form: P. borealis, T. rex. (The Associated Press Stylebook, 2019 edition, pgs. 266 and 122-123)
Infograzing
NPB Launches United States of Pork Campaign
The National Pork Board released results of a new consumer survey showing the top pork dishes in each state. The United States of Pork campaign celebrates the country’s most-loved pork dishes and shows off their local flair and charm. It also creates opportunities to share the U.S. pork industry’s farm-to-fork story with consumers. More
Marginalia
IBIC Holds Summer Grilling Coloring Contest
The Iowa Beef Industry Council is holding a summer grilling coloring contest. Download the coloring page from their website and enter a completed picture in one of four age categories. The winning picture from each category will receive a $50 beef certificate and age-appropriate summer grilling swag. Entries must be submitted by July 20.
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Julie Stewart, Editor
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
http://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/agonline
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online, the newsletter for faculty and staff in Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is published by email every Monday. The deadline for submitting content is 12 p.m. on Thursday.