- Administrative changes in ag education & studies
- Spring convocation Jan. 22 in Sun Room
- Review the international strategic plan for 1998-2001
- Meeting the needs of disabled students
- Study abroad scholarships awarded to 108 students
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Is your computer a pain in the neck?
INFOGRAZING
- How much manure? Another perspective
- Other factors when you measure manure
- ISU Summer Job Fair set in February
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Consumers must weigh trade-offs on food choices
MARGINALIA
- Texas producers are not emused
C O L L E G E N E W S
ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES IN AG EDUCATION & STUDIES
Effective Monday, Jan. 12, several administrative changes take
effect in the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies.
Professor Robert Martin becomes interim head of the department,
with an office in 204 Curtiss. Department head Richard Carter
becomes director of the Brenton Center for Agricultural Instruction
and Technology Transfer, with an office in 4 Curtiss. Wade Miller,
director of the Brenton Center since it opened in 1995, returns
to teaching and research in the department, with an office in
217 Curtiss.
SPRING CONVOCATION JAN. 22 IN SUN ROOM
The College of Agriculture's Spring Convocation will be held at
4 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 22, in the Sun Room, Memorial Union. Refreshments
will be served at 3:30 p.m. and a reception will follow the convocation.
College awards will be presented, and faculty and staff who received
honors during the past year will be recognized. Faculty and staff
who retired in 1997 also will be recognized.
REVIEW THE INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN FOR 1998-2001
Faculty and staff are encouraged to review and comment on a draft
of a strategic plan for international programs in the College
of Agriculture for 1998-2001. The plan was developed with input
from DEOs, center directors, the International Agriculture Programs
advisory committee and Iowa businesses. Comments are requested
through January, and should be sent to David Acker, dacker@iastate.edu.
Find the draft at: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/international/programs/strategicplan.html
MEETING THE NEEDS OF DISABLED STUDENTS
One way ISU provides a supportive environment for students with
disabilities is to ensure that instructors respond appropriately
to requests for accommodations for their special needs. Tom Polito
of Student Services (4-2766) is the College of Agriculture's liaison
for students with disabilities, and can help instructors work
to meet students' needs.
STUDY ABROAD SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO 108 STUDENTS
Study abroad scholarships totaling $16,900 have been awarded to
108 students in the college. International Agriculture Programs
received three times the number of applications from a year ago.
Faculty and staff leadership of study abroad courses and increased
scholarship assistance is expected to result in a 50 percent increase
in the number of students going abroad this year. Last year, 87
agriculture students studied in 17 countries.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
Jan. 15: Deadline, registration for Spanish courses, 4-3972.
Jan. 22: College of Agriculture spring semester convocation, Sun
Room, Memorial Union, 4 p.m.
Jan. 30: Deadline, student study-abroad in China applications,
4-3972.
Jan. 31: Deadline, faculty development in China applications,
4-6614.
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
IS YOUR COMPUTER A PAIN IN THE NECK?
Or a pain in your eyes? As many as 75 percent of computer users
experience some type of eyestrain. Adjusting the monitor and light
sources and taking vision breaks may ease eyestrain. To help neck
pain, try putting documents in copy holders instead of laying
them flat. A recent issue of the ISU Computation Center Newsletter
has several ergonomic guidelines and tips. The articles are on
the Web:
Introduction and list of references:
http://www.cc.iastate.edu/olc_answers/newsletters/1997-10/section.3.html
Eyestrain:
http://www.cc.iastate.edu/olc_answers/newsletters/1997-10/section.4.html
Stretching:
http://www.cc.iastate.edu/olc_answers/newsletters/1997-10/section.5.html
Sitting:
http://www.cc.iastate.edu/olc_answers/newsletters/1997-10/section.6.html
I N F O G R A Z I N G
HOW MUCH MANURE? ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
Recent reports have stated that farm animals in the United States
produce 130 times more waste than people. That number has been
disputed by some livestock officials. Extension agricultural engineer
Jeff Lorimor did some number crunching of his own and reported
his findings this week in an e-mail message to ag engineering
and livestock specialists. His results: Livestock (beef, dairy,
swine, layers, broilers) produce about 1.1 billion tons per year.
People produce about 182 million tons. Using those figures, animals
produce 6 times as much waste as people.
OTHER FACTORS ON MEASURING MANURE
Other factors to consider on livestock wastes, according to Lorimor,
include: About 40 percent comes from cows and calves, most of
which would be on pasture or range. Significantly less manure
is produced by today's animals because of increased feed efficiency.
Also, fewer animals are being raised today compared to peak production
years (for example, U.S. cattle numbers peaked in 1975; hogs peaked
in 1942). And animal manure is handled totally differently than
human waste, so comparisons may not be meaningful. Lorimor says:
"We can't ignore the fact that stored manure can be accidentally
released and cause problems, and that it can be over-applied and
can cause problems . . . But let us try to keep things in perspective."
ISU SUMMER JOB FAIR SET FOR FEBRUARY
The ISU Summer Job Fair will be held Feb. 19 in the Memorial Union.
The fair, sponsored by ISU Career Services, is open to all students.
For more information: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~career_info/sjf98/sjf98.html
E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
CONSUMERS MUST WEIGH TRADE-OFFS ON FOOD CHOICES
From an op-ed written by California farmer Victor Davis Hanson
in the Jan. 8 New York Times, in which he responds to recent reports
that fruits and vegetables have been contaminated by E. coli O157:H7,
prompting calls for new food safety regulations: That the specter
of infection has been largely removed [from the consumption of
fruits and vegetables] is one of the great triumphs of our era.
Yet these accomplishments are not enough: we must now have a guarantee
of complete safety, which is impossible.. . . In the end, consumers
must decide what kind of food they wish and from whom they want
it. And they must realize there are trade-offs and consequences
in the choices -- ecological, material, social and economic. Consumers
cannot have everything. And that may be a truth they do not want
to hear.
M A R G I N A L I A
TEXAS PRODUCERS ARE NOT EMUSED
Texas beef producers are suing Oprah for defaming beef. In a less
publicized case, Texas emu ranchers are suing Honda Motor Co.
over a TV ad they say has caused them to be "exposed to the
hatred, contempt, and ridicule of the general public, as well
as of their friends and relatives." The ad features an old,
toothless rancher approaching a young man struggling over career
choices and offering emus as "the pork of the future."
Particularly offensive to the emu ranchers was the old-timer saying,
"Joe, let's not call it a pyramid scheme." (From Progressive
Farmer on-line)
