College News
March 24 Think Tank Tackles Issues and Opportunities in Research
Joseph Sebranek, university professor of animal science and food science and human nutrition, will lead the program at the next Think Tank on Animal Agriculture March 24. Sebranek's presentation is titled A "TOP 10 List" of Issues and Opportunities in Research on Animal Source Foods. To register, email Julie Roberts at jrober@iastate.edu before noon Friday, March 21. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. with social time, dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the program at 7 p.m. in the Cardinal Room, Memorial Union. Cost of the buffet will be $18, which is payable at the door.
Integrated Crop Management News Website Launched
The Integrated Crop Management News is now available exclusively at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews. The newsletter, which was produced weekly during the crop season, provides crop production information and updates. It was previously mailed to subscribers and had a web presence. The new web site is designed as an online source for crop production news and information and provides greater access to Iowa State University Extension resources.
Iowa Egg Industry Produces Nearly 14 Billion Eggs in 2007
Iowa leads the nation in egg production and processing, accounting for over $1.8 billion in total sales and $475.7 million in annual value-added activity. Nearly 7,600 jobs and $281 million in personal income were attributed to the egg production and processing sector, according to an Iowa State University report. The "Economic Importance of the Iowa Egg Industry" was written by economists John Lawrence and Dan Otto, and Shane Ellis, an extension program specialist.
Undergraduates Present Research at Annual Capitol Event
They've studied the location of Iowa's ethanol plants, the genetic relationships of bobcats in Iowa and surrounding states, immigration in rural counties from 1950 to 2000 and lots more. The 21 Iowa State University undergraduates had plenty to tell legislators and others during the third annual "Research in the Capitol" event March 10 in Des Moines. Students from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences included: Takiyah Abdulmalik, a senior in food science from Oxon Hill, Md.; Lucas Carlstrom, a senior in animal science from Eldridge; Priscilla Delgado, a junior in microbiology from Des Moines; Kok Keong Lim, a senior in microbiology from Selayang Baru, Selangor, Malaysia; and Mark Rosmann, a senior in agronomy from Harlan.
ISU Entomologist Top 10 Finalist in Tide Commercial Contest
Brendan Dunphy, a 2007 Iowa State graduate who earned degrees in zoology, entomology, and animal ecology, landed his first acting role in his junior year at Iowa State. Now he'd like to make his career in show business. He now sees a big opportunity as he stars in "The Marriage Proposal," one of 10 national finalists for a Tide To Go commercial contest. The entry, can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/mytalkingstain. Dunphy is the young man wearing the white shirt and red tie.
Botany Alum Helped Fight Hunger in Guatemala
Iowa State alumnus William Paddock, 86, a plant pathologist who developed a disease-resistant strain of corn high in Vitamin A, died Feb. 28 from complications of a stroke at his home in Antigua, Guatemala. Paddock first went to Guatemala in 1952 to serve as the director of the Iowa State College-Guatemala Tropical Research Center. He developed Tiquisate Golden Yellow, a strain able to resist disease and produce higher yields in the Guatemalan soil. The Minneapolis native graduated from Iowa State in 1943 with a bachelor's degree in botany and earned a doctorate in plant pathology from Cornell University. (Washington Post, March 13)
Angus Association Presents Certificates to McNay Farm
The American Angus Association has presented the McNay Research and Demonstration Farm its 2008 Pathfinder Cow Award Certificates for cows in the farm's Angus Breeding Project. The pathfinder program was established to identify superior cows. Ten cows received the 2008 Pathfinder Award up from four cows that received the award in 2007.
Alpha Zeta Seeks Recipes for Cookbook Fundraiser
Alpha Zeta, the professional agricultural fraternity, is producing cookbooks for a fundraiser and is asking faculty and staff for their favorite recipes. They can be for main dishes, breads, appetizers, desserts, etc. Your name will be put in the cookbook with your recipe. Send recipes to Missy Merwald at mmerwald@iastate.edu by April 4. They can either be scanned in or re-typed into a Word document to make sure there are no mistakes reading the measurements.
Deadlines and Reminders
April 4: Promotion and tenure workshop on the definition of scholarship, 3:10 to 5 p.m., CCUR auditorium, 1951 Food Sciences building
April 10: 44th Annual Paul L. Errington Memorial Lecture, 7:30 p.m., 1414 Molecular Biology
April 18: Promotion and tenure workshop on portfolio development, 3:10 to 5 p.m., CCUR auditorium, 1951 Food Sciences building
April 30: Promotion and tenure workshop for associate professors, 3:10 to 5 p.m., CCUR auditorium, 1951 Food Sciences building
Internal Voices
Sorting Out Food's Environmental Cost
"Very few studies support the idea that local-food systems are greener." --Rich Pirog, Leopold Center associate director, (Newsweek, March 17, http://www.newsweek.com/id/120092) The article went on to say, "When it comes to calculating the carbon cost of a certain dish, the method of transport matters as much as the distance from farm to fork. Sea-freight emissions are less than half of those associated with airplanes, trains are cleaner than trucks and a tractor-trailer can be a green machine compared with an old pickup."
External Voices
Essay Celebrates Ways Agriculture Touches Our Lives
"Agricultural products are used by each of us every day. When our alarm clocks ring in the morning, they are most likely made of a plastic derived from corn or soybeans. We then go to our closets and pick out our cotton clothing to wear. Next, it's breakfast. We grab the carton of milk and the box of eggs, which come from dairy and poultry farms. Soon, we hurry out the door to a vehicle powered by ethanol. At lunch, we open our lunch bags to pull out a bologna sandwich with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. At home, we make dinner, honey-glazed ham with beans, and sugar cookies for dessert. Everything we eat is an agricultural product. As the day ends, we crawl under our wool blankets and go to sleep not thinking that the many things we did today involved agriculture." --Katlin Wiest, eighth-grader at Upper Dauphin Middle School, Lykens, Pa., from her essay that won the 2008 Ag Day Essay Contest
Ag and Life Sciences Online
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