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COLLEGE NEWS
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FREE PORK BURGERS AT AG DAY BARBECUE ON TUESDAY
The Agriculture Student Council’s National Agriculture Day barbecue will be held Tuesday, March 9, in the Farm Bureau Pavilion in Kildee Hall. A free pork burger meal will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
COLLEGE RECRUITMENT VISIT SET IN SIOUX CITY
About a dozen College of Agriculture faculty and staff will host a meeting Wednesday, March 10, in Sioux City for area high school counselors and science teachers. Tom Polito, director of Agriculture Students Services, said 26 counselors and teachers plan to attend. The trip is part of an effort to bolster College of Agriculture recruitment in more urban areas of the state. This joint effort between the College and the ISU Office of Admissions will include other visits to urban areas throughout the state over the next year. The meeting will update the counselors and teachers on the diversity of the College’s undergraduate programs. It will include a poster session to inform participants about career opportunities. College departments and programs participating include: agricultural education and studies; agricultural and biosystems engineering; agronomy; animal science; biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology; economics; environmental sciences; food science and human nutrition; horticulture; microbiology; and natural resource ecology and management.
CARET REPRESENTATIVES VISIT CAPITOL HILL
Last week Dean Catherine Woteki and Assistant Dean David Acker traveled with the Council on Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) representatives from Iowa to the CARET annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Iowa's CARET representatives are Connie Greig of Estherville and Donald Latham of Alexander. The trip included visits with elected officials and agriculture staff members in Congress. CARET's main messages to Congress included: restore funding to several CSREES programs affected by 10 percent budget cuts; restore funding and add support for the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, which helps low income families; support a Presidential request for additional competitive grant funding; and provide support for 1890 and 1994 institutions. CARET is a national grassroots organization that works to enhance national support and understanding of the land-grant university system's food and agricultural research, extension and teaching programs. You can see a PDF of Iowa State’s 2004 CARET report online.
AG COMM WORKSHOP TUESDAY ON VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS
Learn more about liabilities, warnings and cautions of using visual communications at the Tuesday, March 9, Ag Comm workshop. The meeting begins at noon in 8 Curtiss. A light lunch will be provided. RSVP to Cheryl Abrams, 4-5872 or cabrams@iastate.edu.
ISU MANRRS MEMBERS INVOLVED IN NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) members in the College of Agriculture have been involved in hosting the national conference to be held in Des Moines, March 25 to 27. Aaron Jeffries, agronomy, is campaigning to become president of the national graduate students organization of MANRRS. Dondra Bailey, biochemistry, will compete in the graduate research presentations. Toshiba Traynham, food science and human nutrition, Anton Roach, veterinary medicine, and Nina Grant, MANRRS advisor, will present workshops. MANRRS members invite College of Agriculture faculty, staff and students to register, volunteer or visit the conference at the Polk County Convention Center. ISU personnel visiting a few hours need not register; those needing meal tickets should contact Nina Grant at nina1@iastate.edu. Conference schedule and details are available at: http://www.manrrs.org (see conferences/2004 conference).
2004 ERRINGTON LECTURE ON LARGE CARNIVORES, NATURE’S BALANCE
James Estes, a U.S. Department of Interior research biologist, will deliver the 40th annual Paul L. Errington Memorial Lecture. The lecture is set for 8 p.m., March 25, at 1414 Molecular Biology Building. The topic of his speech will be large carnivores and nature's balance. He will also present a seminar on the historical ecology of kelp forest ecosystems at 10 a.m., March 26, in E164 Lagomarcino. Estes is an international expert on sea otter ecology and the role of predators in the marine environment. He has worked at the Western Ecological Research Center in Santa Cruz, Calif., for more than 20 years. The lecture is named for Paul Errington, a former ISU professor of wildlife biology.
NEW COUNTY SOIL SURVEY RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY
A ceremony celebrating the release of a $650,000 update of the Monona County soil survey was held Feb. 19 at the Onawa Community and Recreation Center, capping a 16-year effort to update the soil survey. The event is highlighted on the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service news website. Gerald Miller, College of Agriculture associate dean for extension and Tom Fenton, agronomy, provide leadership for ISU's soil survey efforts. The Monona County Soil Survey was last published in 1959. For the first time, a CD version of the soil survey will be available as well as a six-pound volume. The new Monona County soil survey was sponsored by the USDA-NRCS, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship-Division of Soil Conservation, Monona County Board of Supervisors, ISU Extension and the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station.
MEAT SCIENCE CLUB SELLING HAMS
The Meat Science Club is selling hams for the spring holiday season. The hams are fully cooked, bone-in, spiral-sliced and vacuum-packaged, and weigh 6 to 7 pounds. They were processed by Tyson Foods. The price is $3 a pound. Directions for cooking will be furnished. Orders may be placed by telephone, e-mail or by filling out an order form at the Meat Lab Sales Counter. Orders must be received by Thursday, March 11. Hams will be available for pick-up from 4 to 6 p.m., April 2 or 9, at the Meat Lab Sales Counter. Place telephone orders with Andrew Michaelsen, 173 Meat Lab, 4-1365, or e-mail holidayhams@hotmail.com.
COURSE HELPS JUMP-START PROFESSIONAL CAREERS
For the past 10 years, a course that helps prepare graduate students for publishing in plant science journals has been offered at Iowa State. Learn more in "Agriculture in Action."
ISU RECEIVES FUNDS IN FEDERAL BIOMASS RESEARCH EFFORT
Three Iowa State teams involved in biomass research projects recently received funding from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy totaling more than $4 million. Only 19 projects out of 400 applications were selected for funding.
JOHNSON ELECTED PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN OIL CHEMISTS’ SOCIETY
Larry Johnson, professor of food science and human nutrition and director of the Center for Crops Utilization Research, has been elected president of the American Oil Chemists’ Society. The society is an international organization consisting of more than 5,400 members from 108 countries who work with fats and oils and other related materials used for both edible and non-edible purposes. Johnson joined the Iowa State faculty in 1985.
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS PROSPECTS FOR AG EXPORTS
A weak dollar, high prices and global economic growth bode well for U.S. agricultural exports, according to the 10-year projections of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI), presented to Congress last week.
NICHE DAIRY PROCESSING WORKSHOP MARCH 16-17 IN AMES
Producers interested in on-farm or niche dairy processing can learn more at the Dairy Processing Workshop March 16-17. The first day of the workshop will cover what's happening in Iowa and look at the various dairy niche markets. The second day provides an in-depth review and training session for production of safe dairy products. Learn more: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/newsrel/2004/mar04/mar0402.html
COMMUNITY PHILANTHROPY WORKSHOP MARCH 29
A “Statewide Academy on Iowa Community Foundations and Philanthropy” will be March 29 at the Hotel at Gateway Center in Ames. The Community Vitality Center (CVC), housed in the ISU economics department, is organizing the event to discuss ways to encourage donors in Iowa and other states to make contributions to their hometown communities. Conference information is available on the CVC Web site at http://www.cvcia.org/content/conference/. Or call Mark Edelman or Becky Johnson, 4-3000.
DEADLINES AND REMINDERS
March 7-8: 2004 Biobased Industry Outlook Conference, Scheman Building
March 8-9: Ruth MacDonald, chair of the Department of Food Science at the University of Missouri, who will speak on March 8 at 8:30 a.m. in 1951 Food Science Building (CCUR Theater)
March 9: Ag Comm workshop on visual communications, noon, Room 8 Curtiss Hall, RSVP to Cheryl Abrams, 4-5872 or cabrams@iastate.edu
March 11-12: Campus visit of Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition chair candidate Sung Koo, head of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut, who will speak on March 11 at 8:30 a.m. in 1951 Food Science Building (CCUR Theater)
March 12: Deadline for nominations, Gamma Sigma Delta awards
March 12: Iowa Frame Builders Conference, Quality Inn, contact: Beth Weiser, 4-0557 or weiser@iastate.edu
March 25-27: 2004 national Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) conference March 25 to 27 in Des Moines, more: http://www.manrrs.org/conferences/index.asp?nav=upcoming
April 29: Connect with Iowa, College of Agriculture faculty visit to Manning
April 30: Deadline for registering for the College of Veterinary Medicine Pet Pig Symposium June 4-6, contact: Janean Berhow, 4-3837 or jaberhow@iastate.edu
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COMMUNICATION KIOSK
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DON'T CONFUSE ANY MORE WITH ANYMORE, ANYMORE
Here's a simple way to keep “any more” and “anymore” straight: If you can delete "any," and "more" alone makes sense, you need "any more", not "anymore." Example: "I hope the boss doesn't give me "any more" assignments." Use "anymore" -- an adverb -- when you mean "does no longer,” as in "Greg doesn't work here anymore." (Selling on Paper, The Writing Exchange Inc., 1996)
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INFOGRAZING
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WHAT IS CARET?
CARET (see item in College News) is dedicated to enhancing national support and understanding of the important role the land-grant colleges play in the food and agricultural system. It is a cooperative grassroots unit of the Board on Agriculture Assembly of NASULGC and serves as a means for citizens nationwide to be involved at the national level to identify priorities and programs in agricultural research, extension, and academic programs of the land-grant system. The organization works to stimulate cooperation and communication among citizens, user councils, and boards to achieve broad public awareness and appreciation of the land-grant system.
SOYBEAN PROMOTION BOARD SEEKS RESEARCH PROJECTS
The Iowa Soybean Promotion Board requests proposals for research to improve the profitability of Iowa soybean producers. Priority areas are increasing soybean yield, eliminating factors that reduce soybean yield and explaining hidden factors that slow the rate of yield improvement. Proposals will be accepted until May 1. Contact David Wright, (800) 383-1423 or dwright@iasoybeans.com, or Keith Smith, (573) 756-2284 or ksmith@i1net.
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EXTERNAL VOICES
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STAKES HIGH IN UNIVERSITY BIOTECH PATENT BATTLE
Scientific American columnist Gary Stix suggests that a fight over biotech patent rights "demonstrates that a university is as able as any corporation to do anything in its power to continue milking an intellectual-property cash cow. In devising a strategy to maintain a grip on its blockbuster [patent], Columbia University may even be able to teach corporate patent holders a few lessons." The battle is between Columbia, on the one side, and prominent U.S. biotech companies over a method for inserting human genes into hamster cells to identify cells that will produce large volumes of proteins from those genes. Stix notes that Columbia received $100 million in revenue from just one year (1999) -- nearly 25% of the university's entire research budget. He continues, "The Columbia patents go to prove that when the stakes are high enough, an institution of 'higher' learning can get down and connive with the best of them." (Scientific American, March 2004)
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MARGINALIA
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REAL GREEN EGGS AND HAM … SOMETHING TO AVOID
The 100th birthday of Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, was celebrated last week. The Institute of Food Technologists’ newsletter suggested some recipes for green eggs and ham, but couldn’t resist pointing out that “green rot in eggs is caused by Pseudomonas, especially P. fluorescens. Green discoloration of cooked cured meats, such as ham, is due to oxidation of the porphyrin ring by strong oxidizing agents, such as H2O2. This results in the production of the green pigment, choleglobin, while further oxidation ruptures the porphyrin ring which produces verdohaem, also a green pigment.”
Next issue: March 15
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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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