President Joe Biden does not have any plans to limit meat consumption as part of his broader climate plan, according to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. While speaking before the North American Agricultural Journalists annual meeting on Monday morning, Vilsack quickly downplayed the rumors.

“There is no effort designed to limit people’s intake of beef coming out of President Biden’s White House and USDA,” Vilsack says. 

Current Food and Drug Administration regulations define dairy products as being from dairy animals. Although existing federal regulations are clear, the FDA has not enforced these labeling regulations and the mislabeling of plant-based imitation dairy products as ‘milk’, ‘yogurt’ and ‘cheese’ has increased rapidly.

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President Joe Biden nominated Jenny Lester Moffitt to serve as undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs under Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

Moffit currently serves as undersecretary at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, where she previously served as deputy secretary from 2015-18. Prior, Moffitt spent 10 years as managing director at Dixon Ridge Farms, her family’s organic walnut farm and processing operation.

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The meeting will again be virtual. Details are still being finalized, but we are thinking creatively about how to make it a highly successful meeting. Our plan is to have recorded talks and live discussions at various times throughout the day. Some symposia will be converted to webinars that we will hold in the fall. Watch for updates in the coming days and make plans now to join us for the 2021 ADSA Virtual Annual Meeting. Registration will open soon.

If you have ideas on how to improve our meetings now and in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us at ADSA@assochq.org .

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.

Referrals are the most tried-and-true way businesses grow, and the same is true for FASS. Do you know a colleague working with an animal science group that is in need of high-quality, cost-effective support services? Help them out by referring them to Jeremy Holzner, FASS Executive Director at jeremyh@assochq.org .

Help them benefit from the shared resource concept and the 270+ years of collective experience the FASS staff have in working with non-profit animal science organizations. If your referral becomes a FASS customer prior to June 1, 2021, ADSA will comp your registration to the 2021 ADSA Virtual Annual Meeting that will be held as an online event July 11-14, 2021.  It’s win-win-win. For more information about services offered by FASS, click here.

Work on the Federal FY22 budget is progressing in several Congressional Committees.. ADSA has joined in several coalition letters advocating for research funding. Two recent letters are highlighted below that originated with the Animal Agriculture Coalition (AAC) that stress the importance of research and animal health programs. Additional letters are planned. Copies of these and past letters are available in the Advocacy section of www.adsa.org

The America Grows Act of 2021 – ADSA joined over 120 other organizations in a letter sent to the Leadership of House and Senate Agriculture Committees, Appropriations Committees, and Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees in support of The America Grows Act of 2021 (S. 1371) . Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), are the lead cosponsors. This bill is similar to the version introduced in 2019, but in light of the administration’s commitment to research there are slight changes to this version:

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 1,952 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