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COLLEGE NEWS
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SPONSORED FUNDING BRINGS $7.2 MILLION IN MAY
Competitive funding awards administered by the College of Agriculture and the Experiment Station totaled 35 grants in May, worth $7.243 million. Thirteen federal grants accounted for most of the funding or $6.9 million. The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded nine with the National Science Foundation contributing three and the Environmental Protection Agency one. Businesses added another 13 grants, amounting to $133,841. A university grant accounted for the next largest amount at $72,177, followed closely by commodity group funding at $68,389. The list of May's sponsored funding awards is online.
IOWA PORK PRODUCERS DONATE $100,000 FOR ANIMAL SCIENCE FACULTY
The Iowa Pork Producers Association recently donated $100,000 to help fund start-up expenses for a new animal science faculty position at Iowa State. The gift enabled the animal science department to hire Ken Stalder whose extension program will focus on environmental education and refining management practices of Iowa pork producers. Stalder began his duties as assistant professor July 1. Details: http://www.foundation.iastate.edu/whatsnew/new.html
ISU STUDY SHOWS BENEFITS OF HOGS/GRAIN COMBINATION
There is a trend towards larger, more specialized farm operations and towards fewer farms with livestock. To determine the impact of these trends, a recent Iowa State University study compared the economics of an integrated operation that includes both hogs and grain production with farms where only hogs or only grain are raised. John Lawrence, ISU livestock economist, says the study showed integrated operations have a cost advantage. Learn more in "Agriculture in Action."
WURSTFEST TO CELEBRATE 25 YEARS OF MEAT SCIENCE EXTENSION
This week’s Annual Sausage and Processed Meat Short Course marks 25 years of service and training provided by meat science extension to more than 10,000 professionals in the meat-processing industry. The Wurstfest, held at the close of the annual course, will celebrate the milestone beginning with a reception Thursday at The Hotel at Gateway Center.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
July 14: Muscatine Island Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 4 and 6:30 p.m., near Fruitland
July 16: NSF workshop on Complexity in the Environment, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 220 Scheman
July 18: Deadline to identify spring semester off-campus courses, contact: Neena Bentley, 4-1862 or nbentley@iastate.edu
Aug. 16: Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm specialty field day on grapes, 8:30 a.m., near Nashua
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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WRITING REVISION STRATEGIES OFFERED
Chip Scanlan, a former newspaper reporter, said he used to think that having to rewrite meant he had failed, but experience has taught him differently. Scanlan has nine strategies he uses to revise his writing. These include writing the first draft early so he can see the holes that need filling, marking up his work on paper and diagnosing problems before treating them. His article at the Poynter Institute website also lists links to other writers' techniques on revision. (Writing That Works, June 2003)
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INFOGRAZING
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BOVINE SEQUENCING APPLICATIONS DUE AUG. 20
Applications for the National Research Initiative Bovine Genome Sequencing Program are due Aug. 20. The Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service program will support sequencing of the bovine genome. The goal of this program is to contribute to a working draft sequence of 90 percent of the bovine genome. Optional letters of intent must be received by close of business on July 23. The program description and application forms can be found online.
TASK REPORT AVAILABLE ON INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) has released a new task force report called Integrated Pest Management: Current and Future Strategies. The report provides an analysis of the issues involved in pest control and offers policymakers, opinion makers and educators an overview of the changing nature of their choices. A task force of 20 academic contributors examined the availability of new pest management tools and considered how integrated approaches will maximize their benefits. The new report may be ordered by contacting the CAST office at (515) 292-2125. Online purchase and viewing are available at: http://www.cast-science.org.
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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SAVING LIVES AND THE EARTH
“… Helping African agriculture to prosper is not merely a humanitarian issue -- it's a matter of enlightened self-interest. Smallholder African farmers, after all, are stewards of one of the earth's major land masses. And as the Kenyan paleontologist Richard Leakey once said, "You have to have at least one square meal a day to be a conservationist." Aiding African farmers will not only save lives, it will also, in a uniquely literal sense, help to save the earth.”
--Norman Borlaug, Nobel laureate and professor of international agriculture at Texas A&M University (New York Times, July 11)
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MARGINALIA
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RENT A COW, GET ITS CHEESE
Swiss dairy farmer Paul Wyler is offering his cows for rent on the Internet, with all the cheese they produce. Until now, prospective renters have had to go to the Alpine pastures to choose their cows, but Wyler is taking photographs of his animals so people can choose them directly from the Internet. Cows cost $276 for the summer. Wyler looks after the animals and makes cheese from their milk. Each cow produces 154-264 pounds of cheese -- soft and hard varieties -- which the renter of the cow can collect in September and either sell or use as gifts for family and friends. Renters also are required by contract to visit their cow at least once and spend four hours working in the fields. Wyler owns 15 cows, but his plan has been so popular that other farmers are joining in. (Associated Press, July 14)
Next issue: July 21
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AG ONLINE
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EDITORS
Ed Adcock, edadcock@iastate.edu, and Brian Meyer, bmeyer@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-5616 Web site: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/
SUBSCRIBE
Ag Online, the newsletter for faculty and staff in Iowa State University's College of Agriculture, is e-mailed every Monday. To subscribe, send your name, e-mail address and the message "Ag Online subscribe" to edadcock@iastate.edu. To unsubscribe, send "Ag Online unsubscribe."
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability or status as a U.S. Vietnam Era Veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the Director of Affirmative Action, 1031 Wallace Road Office Building, Room 101, (515) 294-7612.