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COLLEGE NEWS
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DICKSON NAMED INTERIM DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTE FOR FOOD SAFETY AND SECURITY
Jim Dickson, animal science professor, has been named interim director of Iowa State's Institute for Food Safety and Security. Established last fall, the institute is dedicated to protecting Iowa's and the nation's investment in agriculture. Faculty and researchers from the colleges of agriculture, veterinary medicine, family and consumer sciences and liberal arts and sciences will be affiliated with the institute. Dickson replaces Catherine Woteki, dean of the College of Agriculture, who had served as interim director since last November. Dickson also serves as director of Iowa State's component of the three-university Food Safety Consortium.
SEPT. 3 BARBECUE TO WELCOME NEW STUDENTS
New College of Agriculture freshmen and transfer students are invited to a free barbecue set for 5 to 7 p.m., Sept. 3 in the Agronomy Hall Courtyard. In case of rain, it will be held in the Iowa Farm Bureau Pavilion, adjacent to Kildee Hall. Student clubs will have displays and representatives at the barbecue to promote their organizations.
AG450 FARM TO CELEBRATE 60TH ANNIVERSARY
The first student-run farm in the nation will celebrate its 60th anniversary with an open house Oct. 4 during the ISU Family Weekend. The farm was founded by William Murray to offer students an opportunity to learn farm management skills through hands-on experience. Larry Trede, professor-in-charge of the farm, said visitors attending the open house will view a program outlining changes at the farm since its start and future plans for the farm. The AG450 Farm is an educational laboratory operated by the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies. The name comes from the AGEDS 450 course students take to participate in the management of the farm. The open house is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. with a short program at 2 p.m. and a lunch following the program. If you plan to attend, contact Jean Bessman, 4-6924 or jmbessm@iastate.edu. For more information: http://www.ag450farm.iastate.edu.
IOWA STATE TAKES PART IN FARM AND FIELD FEST
The Iowa Farm and Field Fest runs this week, Aug. 26-28. ISU Extension will have a hoop building filled with exhibits, including two from the College of Agriculture about livestock odor management and food safety and security. Several College faculty will make presentations at the event, including Dean Cathie Woteki, who will speak on biosecurity and food safety Wednesday. A schedule of speakers is available online. The show will take place between Ames and Boone at the intersection of highways 30 and 17.
ONLINE RESOURCES TO GET UP TO SPEED WITH COLLEGE CHANGES
College of Agriculture faculty and staff have online resources to help them prepare for the new academic year. Changes in academic departments and administration are reflected in the College’s updated organizational chart, which is available as a PDF. The College’s directory of key administrative staff in departments and centers also has been updated. Important dates and deadlines for the College for the academic year can be found online.
MILLER SPEAKS AT RATHBUN LAKE DEDICATION
Jerry Miller, associate dean — extension programs and outreach, participated in a dedication ceremony Aug. 21 launching a Rathbun Lake watershed project. Iowa State is one of 33 partners in the project. A dozen funding sources have dedicated nearly $5 million for the first three years of this multi-year project. Areas of the Rathbun Lake watershed are targeted for specific best management practices to improve water quality through reductions in sediment, phosphorus and other pollutants. Rathbun Lake is in a primarily agricultural area, and supplies drinking water to 17 counties in Iowa and Missouri.
AGRIBUSINESS, ACADEMIA MEET TO DISCUSS HUMAN RESOURCES
More than 100 participants from industry and academia met Aug. 13-14 in Des Moines to discuss human resource issues related to agriculture, food, natural and life sciences. The College's Career Services office was part of the initial organizing committee with Jobhog, the meeting sponsor. The roundtable addressed the pipeline of talent into the agriculture industry, trends in student recruitment, minority recruitment and retention and understanding today's generation of student. The meeting took place at Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.'s Carver Center.
ISU SPONSORS WORKSHOP FOR CROP ADVISERS
Several Iowa State presenters are scheduled to speak Aug. 27 at the ISU Integrated Crop Management (ICM) Workshop being held in conjunction with the Agribusiness Today 2003 North American Expo and Conference. The workshop provides training for certified crop advisers. ISU faculty scheduled to speak are Greg Tylka, plant pathology; Elwynn Taylor, Palle Pedersen and Mike Owen, agronomy; and Jerry Dewitt, entomology. The expo and conference runs Aug. 27-28 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
SPANISH SHORT COURSE APPLICATIONS DUE SEPT. 15
A Spanish language intermediate short course will begin Sept. 16 for College faculty and staff. Applications are due Sept. 15 for the course, which is scheduled from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays through Nov. 5 in 307 Curtiss. The cost of the course is $50. Contact Eduarda Becerra, 4-3972 or ebecerra@iastate.edu.
ENTOMOLOGIST FIGHTS ROOTWORMS IN CROATIA
Jon Tollefson began his freshman year at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota majoring in biology. But a 1964 summer job in some Minnesota cornfields got him interested in insects. Tollefson, an entomology professor at Iowa State, is known for his expertise in managing corn rootworms. This summer Tollefson took that expertise to Croatia. Learn more in "Agriculture in Action."
ALTERNATIVE SWINE PRODUCTION HEALTH PROJECT FUNDED
A project to address the health issues of young pigs in alternative production systems has been funded by the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. Nearly $150,000 in funding will help farmers, field veterinarians and ISU scientists -- working together as a research alliance -- collect information, respond to problems and evaluate structural changes. Collaborating on the projects will be the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, the National Pork Board, Niman Ranch Pork Co., the Organic Valley Cooperative, the ISU Pork Industry Center, the ISU Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, ISU Research Farms and the University of Minnesota Swine Center.
IOWA ORGANIC CONFERENCE TO INCLUDE MARKETING SUCCESSES
The third annual Iowa Organic Conference is set for Nov. 17 at the Scheman Building. There will be sessions on production, marketing, new crops, farmer-chef connections, GMOs and world trade, and grant writing. Keynote speaker Theresa Marquez of the Organic Valley Cooperative will talk about marketing success stories for organic grain suppliers and livestock producers. The conference includes an organic lunch and trade show. ISU Extension and the Leopold Center are sponsoring the conference with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. For more information: http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/1103/organic.htm or contact Kathleen Delate, 4-7069 or kdelate@iastate.edu.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
Aug. 26-28: Iowa Farm and Field Fest, near Boone
Aug. 26-28: Manure application and calibration demonstration activities as part of Iowa Farm and Field Fest, near Boone
Aug. 26: Western Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 1 p.m., near Castana
Aug. 28: 4th Annual Farms Food & the Future Conference, Scheman Building, http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/803/farms.htm
Aug. 28: McNay Research and Demonstration Farm garden field day, 5 & 6:30 p.m., near Chariton
Sept. 3: Northeast Iowa Manure Application Field Day, near Tripoli
Sept. 4: National Workshop on food policy councils, Drake University
Sept. 5: Second Iowa Food Policy Conference, Drake University
Sept. 4: Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 1:30 p.m., near Nashua
Sept. 10: Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 1 p.m., near Crawfordsville
Sept. 11: Northern Research and Demonstration Farm field day, 9:30 a.m., near Kanawha
Sept. 15-16: Iowa Food Security Conference, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, West Des Moines, http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/903/security.htm
Sept. 18: Northwest Iowa Manure Application Field Day, near Doon
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COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
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AFFECT VS. EFFECT
The verb “affect” means to influence: The game will affect the standings. Avoid using “affect” as a noun. It occasionally is used in psychology to describe an emotion. “Effect,” as a verb, means to cause: He will effect many changes in the company. “Effect,” as a noun, means result: The effect was overwhelming. (Associated Press Stylebook, 2002)
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INFOGRAZING
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REGISTRATION OPEN FOR EXTENSION’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Sept. 15 is the registration deadline for ISU Extension’s annual conference, which is set for Sept. 29-30. The theme is "All Aboard the Extension Express." The event will celebrate extension’s past and map its future.
NEW BIOETHICS DIRECTOR DISCUSSES PROGRAM
Clark Wolf, associate professor of philosophy and religious studies, is the new leader of Iowa State’s bioethics program. Wolf, who was formerly at the University of Georgia, replaces program creator Gary Comstock. "I am most interested in those issues in bioethics that touch on concrete tools of policy and decision analysis, and which bring to bear current work in ethical theory and political philosophy," he says.
FOOD SAFETY CONFERENCE TO LOOK AT PRODUCTION PRACTICES
The Center for Science in the Public Interest will sponsor a one-day conference Oct. 2 about how crop and animal production practices affect foodborne illnesses. The conference, "Clean Plants, Healthy Animals: Farm-Based Solutions to Food Safety Problems," will include government officials, industry representatives, health advocates and academics in discussions of how on-farm practices can reduce human pathogens in animals, whether regulatory agencies need greater authority and what farmers can do to improve the safety of fruits and vegetables. The conference will be at the National Press Club in Washington.
CONSUMERS REPORT CONVENIENCE DRIVES FOOD PURCHASES
Convenience is the top consideration behind food purchases made by families with children, according to a report from the Food Marketing Institute, “Healthy Lifestyles: From Parents to Kids.” Most consumers would like more information about eating a balanced diet the study found. The report is one section of the 2003 Shopping for Health report that will be released by the institute and Prevention magazine in October. Healthy eating is a challenge for many consumers, with 74 percent of households with children and 63 percent of households with no children reporting their diets could be somewhat or a lot healthier.
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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OBESITY, A PROFOUND MEDICAL CRISIS
"The word 'epidemic' doesn't even do this justice. It [obesity] is one of the most profound medical crises we've had in generations. We are at the point now where it is so profound we have to be creative, and we can't take decades to fix this because it's happening so fast."
--Eric Topol, chief of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, in a story on public policy targeting obesity in the Aug. 10 Washington Post
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MARGINALIA
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WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, SEEDED WATERMELON?
David Margolick, contributing editor at Vanity Fair, lamented the demise of the seeded watermelon in a New York Times op-ed piece today. A lot of flavor disappeared with the seeds, he maintained, as well as the lack of objects to spit as part of any number of summertime rituals. He hoped farmers looking for a niche market would still grow them. “Perhaps Restoration Hardware will carry them, alongside the likes of Ovaltine and Ipana toothpaste. Or they will be featured in those tiny advertisements in the backs of glossy magazines, like Omaha steaks or Mackinaw fudge, available for overnight delivery. But who among us will be able to afford the postage?”
Next issue: Sept. 2
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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/
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