National Biodiesel Foundation to award student scientists

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Student scientists can quality for up to a $2,000 award through the new Beth Calabotta Sustainability Education Grant. The National Biodiesel Foundation (NBF) established the grant to help deserving full-time students interested in science, research and biodiesel sustainability.

Notable among her achievements are Calabotta’s dedication to biodiesel sustainability and indirect land use change (ILUC) research. “Beth was an advocate for student development and a supporter of biofuel sustainability. She had an unquenchable love for agriculture and life sciences,” said Tom Verry, NBF executive director.

To qualify, students must complete an application and if awarded the grant, commit to participate in the Biodiesel Sustainability Workshop and related activities, scheduled for Sept. 26-27 in St. Louis. Grant funds may be used for participation with the remaining funds applied toward academic expenses. Other eligibility requirements and full criteria are available at www.biodieselfoundation.org/home/get-involved/beth-calabotta-scholarship

Applications are due March 31. The grant winner will be announced April 30.

Purdue Veterinary Teaching Hospital ranked No. 1 in survey

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital scored the highest benchmark rating compared to 26 participating companion animal veterinary teaching hospitals across North America, according to the most recent CalPro Research Referring Veterinarian Survey.

To date, only one other college of veterinary medicine has achieved the same benchmark rating, called the Overall Hospital Rating. The national survey evaluates veterinary teaching hospitals on the basis of referring veterinarians’ feedback concerning such categories as responsiveness, communication, client and patient experience and quality of medicine.

Referring veterinarians described the high quality of medicine and the clarity of instructions for follow-up care as defining features of the Purdue hospital‘s patient services. It was ranked above average in almost every specialty service category surveyed.

Hospital Director Duncan Hockley said the survey results are a reflection of the consistent effort by dedicated faculty and staff. “I am proud of our veterinarians, veterinary technicians and supporting staff who work tirelessly to provide high quality, compassionate care to our patients and clients.”

The study has been conducted annually since 2012 with more than 11,000 primary care vets providing feedback for the teaching hospitals of veterinary colleges in the U.S. CalPro Research is a professional services company that is the veterinary industry’s leading provider of customer service metrics and industry benchmarks.

U of I receives grant to reduce nutrient loss in waterways

URBANA, Ill. — University of Illinois extension has received a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the Illinois EPA to help farmers and landowners reduce nutrient loss into Illinois waterways.

Extension will use the award to hire two watershed coordinators, who will work in high-priority areas and help producers implement best management practices identified in the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS).

The coordinators will focus on four watersheds beginning in early 2018. A coordinator in the Embarras River and Little Wabash River watersheds will work closely with farmers to reduce nutrient loss, with an emphasis on phosphorus. In the Lower Rock River and Mississippi North Central River watersheds of northwestern Illinois, a coordinator will work to reduce nutrient loss, with an emphasis on nitrogen.

Members of the agricultural community have already been heavily involved in nutrient loss education, reaching nearly 39,000 people at agricultural outreach events in 2016. According to the USDA, 70 percent of Illinois farmers were aware of NLRS conservation practices in 2016.

The grant also provides funding for an agricultural water quality science team composed of researchers from the U of I College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. The team will provide technical support and serve as a university resource to help develop new approaches for protecting water quality, and include faculty Laura Christianson, Reid Christianson, Cameron Pittelkow and Maria Villamil in the Department of Crop Sciences; Jonathon Coppess in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics; Paul Davidson in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering; and Suzanne Bissonnette, assistant dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources in extension.

Reinke scholarships training for manufacturing, irrigation

DESHLER, Neb. — Difficulty filling jobs is a major problem that faces the manufacturing and irrigation industry. Reinke is on the move to solve the problems of these shortages and create solutions with job training.

A skilled labor shortage is being addressed by providing student scholarships for workforce training for the manufacturing industry. It's crucial to bridge the skills gap, and that's where Reinke Manufacturing's partnership comes into play with the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) in Curtis.

Reinke has teamed with NCTA to offer an Irrigation Technician Area of Concentration. This 34-credit, hands-on program helps students obtain knowledge in electricity and mechanized irrigation systems. Reinke’s partnership offers access to the Reinke PLUS Certification program.

"If you learn hands on, this is an awesome program for you," said Collin Overmann, NCTA student in Curtis. "There's always different companies calling our program expressing their need for technicians, so placement is pretty good."

For details, see https://ncta.unl.edu/irrigation-technician-certificate

USDA names 2018 Student Diversity Program winners

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The USDA announced the selection of 30 university students who attended its 2018 Agricultural Outlook Forum in February as winners of the USDA Student Diversity Program.

Now in its 11th year, the Student Diversity Program gives undergraduate and graduate students real-world learning opportunities in contemporary agribusiness, scientific research and agricultural policy. The program selects 20 undergraduates and 10 graduate students based on essays on agricultural careers and challenges.

These students major in agriculture-related studies, including business, economics, communications, nutrition, food science and veterinary studies. Finalists are selected from land-grant universities, Hispanic-serving institutions and non-land-grant colleges of agriculture.

Undergraduate winners include, from the Farm World region, Caitlinn Lineback from Purdue University and Haylee Zwick from Ohio State University. Graduate winners include Kanita Hutchinson from Tennessee State University and Kenton Sena from the University of Kentucky.

Non-thesis U of I master of animal sciences degree available

URBANA, Ill. — This fall, the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois will enroll students in a new project-based master of animal science program. The program is intended to serve students for whom the traditional thesis-based masters’ degree is not desired.

“We expect to have applicants who currently work in industry and want to advance their career without the time and resource demands of thesis research, for example, or baccalaureate graduates that want to continue coursework to enhance their competitiveness when applying to veterinary school or entering the job market,” said Sandra Rodriguez Zas, professor and director of graduate programs in the department.

The program requires a total of 32 credit hours, which can be completed in as little as two semesters or longer, depending on the needs of the student. The program requires six hours towards a capstone project that helps students understand the scientific method and develop science communication skills. This can be a research project or internship experience, in some cases initiated during the undergraduate program, that will culminate in a graded written report.

Students can work with animal sciences faculty across the many disciplines represented in the department: nutrition, genomics, reproduction, bioinformatics, microbiology, immunology, behavior, meat sciences and physiology. Prospective applicants can learn more about the program and apply at http://go.illinois.edu/MAS

AGCO opens Acceleration Center at University of Illinois

URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Illinois and AGCO on Jan. 25 announced the opening of the AGCO Acceleration Center at the U of I Research Park. The Acceleration Center will advance technology innovation for AGCO’s grain, seed processing, swine and poultry production equipment brands, which include GSI, Cimbria, AP and Cumberland.

At the Center, undergraduate and graduate students will be employed year-round to further the company’s capabilities in areas such as data science, Web and mobile development and machine learning. It will focus on developing new-to-market solutions and advanced technologies to help farmers protect their harvest and their animals to feed a growing world population.

The Center opens with seven highly-skilled student interns and two full-time employees working to advance the use of mixed reality technology in the agriculture industry, and bring next generation monitoring and management tools to market for grain and livestock producers.

“Not only will the Acceleration Center explore new ways to help farmers build smarter, stronger farms, but it also provides students with a valuable growth opportunity to work on real-life projects with a global agriculture company,” said Lena Swearingen-Head, Center site director. AGCO will continue to recruit university talent and full-time staff as additional projects come to fruition.

Jackwood receives Beard Research Excellence Award

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TUCKER, Ga. — USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation are proud to recognize Dr. Daral Jackwood as the 2018 recipient of the annual Charles Beard Research Excellence Award.

Jackwood is a professor in the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine at The Ohio State University and is stationed at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster. The award is named in honor of Dr. Charles Beard, former director of the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory and former vice president of research at USPOULTRY.

The USPOULTRY Foundation Research Advisory Committee selected Jackwood based on his exceptional research on infectious bursal disease. He is recognized for his contributions to the understanding of the genetic diversity of infectious bursal disease virus, the genetic basis for antigenic drift in the virus, development of detection methods for very virulent infectious disease virus and development of a genetic classification system for infectious bursal disease virus variants.

“Dr. Jackwood’s research program is a great example of how USPOULTRY research funds can be directed toward important applied research to find solutions to current problems faced by the poultry industry,” said Dr. John Glisson, vice president of research programs for USPOULTRY.

Jackwood earned a B.S. in animal science from the University of Delaware in 1978, an M.S. in infectious diseases from OSU in 1980 and a PhD in molecular virology from OSU in 1982. He joined the faculty at OSU in 1986. As the recipient of the award, he received a $1,500 cash prize.

UT AgResearch administrator honored by research center peers

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Research Center Administrators Society (RCAS) honored past president Barry D. Sims, associate director of University of Tennessee AgResearch, with its Distinguished Service award.

RCAS President Jeff Chandler made the presentation to Sims during the association’s annual winter meeting. Sims served as RCAS president from 2016-17 and also served as former president of the Southern Weed Science Society.

Sims was named associate director of UT AgResearch in 2016 after 18 years as center director of the Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center in Springfield, Tenn. As associate director he oversees the system’s 10 centers and coordinates faculty research at the centers.

Before joining UT AgResearch, he worked for the University of Missouri as an extension specialist and as a field research biologist in the private sector. He is currently the national president of the Research Center Administrators Society and a former president of the Southern Weed Science Society.

Sims, a native of Tennessee, earned his B.S. in plant and soil science from UT-Martin, his master’s in plant and soil science/weed science from UT-Knoxville and his PhD in agronomy and weed science from the University of Arkansas.

UT Agriculture selects Blasingame Chair of Excellence

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture welcomes Dr. Andrew Muhammad as the recently named Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural, Food and Natural Resource Policy.

Muhammad brings considerable experience and research to the position, where his focus will be assisting the state’s and nation’s agricultural decision makers in the evaluation of potential policies and programs dealing with agricultural commodities, food and nutrition, natural resources and international trade, as well as advocating for state and regional agricultural opportunities.

Previously serving as the associate director of the Market and Trade Economics Division and the chief of the International Demand and Trade Branch at the USDA Economic Research Service, he has developed a large network of trade policy experts and forged solid working relationships with decision makers in the public and private sectors.

Muhammad has written 49 refereed journal articles and approximately 30 reports and other publications, and has served as the principal investigator or co-PI on funded research and outreach activities totaling $2.7 million. His accolades include the professional contribution award from the Southern Agricultural Economics Assoc.

He earned his doctorate in food and resource economics from the University of Florida, a master’s of science in agricultural economics from the University of Missouri and a bachelor’s in agribusiness from Southern University. The Blasingame Chair of Excellence was made possible by Bernard and Margaret Blasingame who established the endowment in 1989.

UT gains first U.S. accredited wildlife, fisheries concentration

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Society of American Foresters (SAF) has granted accreditation to the wildlife and fisheries management concentration of study within the wildlife and fisheries science major in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.

This historic achievement represents the first and only time, nationwide, that a concentration of a wildlife and fisheries major has been accredited by a professional organization. Faculty overseeing the program are part of the Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries (FWF). The accreditation was granted by SAF under its Natural Resources and Ecosystem Management Standards.

Normally, wildlife and fisheries programs may provide an opportunity for their graduates to become a Certified Wildlife Biologist by completing a specified number of credit hours within a range of academic subject areas, combined with a minimum amount of professional experience. However, degree programs themselves are not certified, only the graduates of those programs.

The FWF curricula, including the Wildlife and Fisheries Management concentration, focus on a mastery learning approach that emphasizes practical hands-on experiences. FWF’s faculty, staff and students conduct research and educational outreach that advances the science and sustainable management of natural resources.

For more information about the FWF curricula at the University of Tennessee, go online to www.fwf.tennessee.edu

DCHA seeking applicants for annual scholarship program

MADISON, Wis. — The Dairy Calf and Heifer Assoc. (DCHA) is accepting applications for its annual scholarship program. The goal of this longstanding program is to invest in the future of the dairy industry by offering scholastic support to outstanding agriculture-focused students.

“Education is the foundation of a successful industry,” said Lane Sollenberger, DCHA president. “We are pleased to offer a $1,000 scholarship opportunity to the DCHA membership. The scholarship will support a student who strives to work in the calf and heifer segment after graduation.”

To view requirements and apply for the scholarship, visit https://calfandheifer.org/scholarship

Applications must be received by March 30. They may be emailed to info@calfandheifer.org