The National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (National C-FAR) has selected Laura Peterson of Laura Wood Peterson Consulting - as its new executive director. Peterson succeeds Tom Van Arsdall, who retired after nearly two decades of leading the organization. National C-FAR thanks Van Arsdall for his service and accomplishments and is confident that the organization is well-positioned to build off this great foundation under Peterson's guidance. (MORE)

USDA names key NRCS staff

USDA announced Wednesday the appointment of Meryl Harrell as deputy undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment and the appointment of Terry Cosby as chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. They will begin their positions on Monday, May 24.

Harrell most recently served as the executive director of the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards. She has also served as a consultant, advising non-profits, foundations and government agencies working to conserve America's public and private working lands. During the Obama-Biden Administration, Harrell spent eight years in the Office of Natural Resources and Environment at USDA, including serving as chief of staff and then senior adviser to the undersecretary. Harrell previously worked on public lands issues at The Wilderness Society in Washington, D.C.

Total red meat and poultry production is forecast to increase by less than 1% in 2022 compared with 2021, according to USDA’s latest “Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook.”

USDA forecasts pork production in 2022 will increase to 28.5 billion pounds, about 1%, as hog producers are expected to respond to favorable 2021 returns and anticipated continued-strong pork demand from economic expansion next year.

During the first-ever U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement Free Trade Commission meeting May 18, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katharine Tai met with her counterparts from Mexico and Canada as well as additional colleagues from USTR, Economía and Global Affairs Canada. They discussed a few pain points regarding Mexico’s trade barriers and Canada’s protections for the country’s dairy industry.

Tensions between the U.S. and Mexico have escalated the past few months over labor complaints on both sides, in addition to Mexican trade barriers that negatively impact American farmers.

Secure your seat today for the premier virtual global dairy science meeting! ADSA is working to prepare another world-class virtual meeting for 2021! Most live programming will happen between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (GMT/UTC -4), July 11 - 14. Need to miss a live event? Don't worry - most live events will be recorded and available for on-demand viewing.

The Graduate Student Division (GSD) and Student Affiliate Division (SAD) have also been hard at work adapting a schedule of activities to provide value to graduate and undergraduate students, including career workshops, competitions, mentoring sessions with professional members, as well as social events.

Check the meeting website https://www.adsa.org/Meetings/2021-Annual-Meeting  frequently as additional information and meeting details will be included as it becomes available.

Just a reminder discounted Annual Meeting registration is one of the many benefits of ADSA membership. The savings on annual meeting registration will largely cover the cost of membership so if you aren’t a member be sure to become one before registering and take advantage of this great benefit.

The ADSA Production Division Business Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 29, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. central time via Zoom. ADSA Production Division members should have recently received an e-mail with the information needed to connect to the meeting. Please save the date and plan to join us then. If your information did not arrive, please e-mail ADSA@assochq.org for the connection details.

Registration is open for 2 new webinars in the Journal of Dairy Science author webinar series.

Are you a dairy scientist interested in publishing in the American Dairy Science Association's Journal of Dairy Science (JDS)? Join us to hear a webinar about JDS, preparing manuscripts, and navigating the review process. These free workshops will be presented in Chinese by Diming Wang and later in Portuguese by Andre Brito to help you prepare for the publishing process. The webinars will focus on actionable steps you can take as an author to have a positive publishing experience. Whether you are a graduate student, a postdoctoral researcher, an assistant professor, or a relatively new author to JDS, this series will have something for you to take away and implement.

As a reminder, recordings of the previous webinars in the series (in English) are available at: https://www.adsa.org/Meetings/Webinars

Join us for the 40^th ADSA Discover Conference on NASEM Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle

American Dairy Science Association^® (ADSA) continues to adopt best meeting practices during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which includes plans for our 40^th ADSA Discover Conference: NASEM Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle. It will now be held as a hybrid conference August 30-September 2, 2021. Continued COVID-19 related travel and gathering uncertainties coupled with delays with the NASEM publication brought us to this decision.

Registration options include in-person participation at the Eaglewood Resort & Spa in Itasca, IL, virtual participation, and a non-participation option that simply gives registrants access to the conference recordings. Your registration includes 90 days of free access to ADSA’s Searchable Proceedings of Animal Conferences (S-PAC) and the opportunity to subscribe at ADSA member rates. For complete registration details, visit our web site at https://www.adsa.org/Meetings/40th-Discover-Conference

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM, previously known as NRC) anticipates the 2021 release of the eighth revised edition of “Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle,” the world’s most highly cited reference on dairy cattle feeding. This Discover^SM Conference will focus on the scientific advancements in dairy cattle feeding used to revise the 2001 edition. The NASEM subcommittee members will address the substantive changes in the nutrient requirements and the conceptual approaches used to make those changes. Participants will hear reports on areas with significant knowledge gaps that still prevent more accurate prediction of the nutrient requirements. Emphasizing the interactive spirit of Discover Conferences, the agenda will incorporate structured small group discussions, including a demonstration of the software and focused discussions with the speakers. The program will bridge the fundamental science to applied dairy cattle feeding.

Expanding to a hybrid conference format allows us to offer meaningful collaboration among our colleagues throughout the world in a manner that best meets individual needs. We hope that you will join us for this redesigned event and celebrate our collective resilience and dedication to forging connections without boundaries.

We look forward to welcoming you to the 40^th ADSA Discover Conference in August, and we are here to help you however we can with questions and requests for support. Please contact Molly Kelley, Conference Coordinator or Larry Miller, Conference Director, or visit our web site at https://www.adsa.org/Meetings/40th-Discover-Conference

Make your plans now to attend the 41^ST ADSA DISCOVER CONFERENCE^SM ON FOOD ANIMAL AGRICULTURE - Health Management of Calves: From Intrauterine Life to Successful Weaning. It will be a hybrid conference with the in-person meeting being held October 25-28, 2021. Registration options include in-person participation at the Eaglewood Resort & Spa in Itasca, IL, virtual participation, and a non-participation option that simply gives registrants access to the conference recordings.

Your registration includes 90 days of free access to ADSA’s Searchable Proceedings of Animal Conferences (S-PAC) and the opportunity to subscribe at ADSA member rates. For complete registration details, visit our web site at https://www.adsa.org/Meetings/41st-Discover-Conference

A poster session will be included to allow participants to share and discuss research findings. Further details are posted on the meeting site. 

Our ADSA Linked In group now includes 1,962 members from around the world, are you one of them? It’s a great place to get information about ADSA and industry activities as well as to network with other dairy professionals from around the world. Check it out here.

While on “Linked In” check out the ADSA Graduate Student Division (GSD) as well. You can find their page at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12059336/profile