ARS and NIFA will host National Stakeholder Webinar Listening Sessions on January 27 and 28, 2021, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST each day. They are conducting an online survey January 11 – February 11, 2021, to gather input on animal production research priorities. The survey asks stakeholders to identify and rank important issues relative to animal production commodities and for input on impacts of current ARS and NIFA programs as well as future direction of the research programs.  Please assure that dairy and animal priorities are included. Provide your input by clicking on the following Survey Monkey link and completing the survey: 

 https://www.ssurveymonkey.com/r/99JLJW8

In public comments earlier this week, the current Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn says he would refuse to sign the memorandum of understanding between the FDA and USDA addressing gene-edited livestock shifting oversight to USDA. The statement again reveals the ongoing turf war between the two agencies and likely continued discussion as it moves to President-elect Biden’s administration.

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According to the new Quarterly report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, it will likely be summer before the economy really begins to gain steam, but the second half of the year should power the economy to annual growth of roughly 4.5%–5.5%.

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It is with great sadness that ADSA announces we have learned that ADSA Past President and former member of the ADSA Foundation Board of Trustees, Neal Jorgensen passed away on December 22. Dr. Jorgensen was professor emeritus of dairy science and former dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. After growing up on a dairy farm in Luck, Wis., Jorgensen earned his bachelor's degree in agricultural education from UW-River Falls. He later came to UW-Madison in 1960 to earn his master's and doctorate degrees in dairy science, also with a minor in biochemistry. Jorgensen joined the UW-Madison faculty as a dairy nutritionist in 1968, starting out in the former Department of Dairy Science, now the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences. He served as associate dean, executive associate dean and dean of the college throughout his career until 1998, when he retired. "Neal was a very hard working, thorough and detail-oriented person, and a planner," said Louis Armentano, professor emeritus of dairy science, who was department chair during part of Jorgensen's time in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. "He was also caring and fun, a nice guy to be around. His service ethic was second to none, and he really cared about Wisconsin, CALS, agriculture in general and the dairy industry in particular. We were lucky to have had him." Read more about Dr. Jorgensen’s legacy here.

Anyone who has ever suffered from jet lag knows you can’t disrupt your normal sleep schedule without physiological effects. New research in lactating dairy cattle demonstrates that changing natural circadian rhythms can cause decreased mammary development and increased insulin resistance, which may lead to lower subsequent milk yield. The research, presented in the February issue of the Journal of Dairy Science, is helping scientists better understand how circadian and metabolic systems are connected and mutually managed. Read more here..

American dairy consumers are often influenced by a variety of factors that can affect their buying habits. These factors include taste, preference, government information, cultural background, social media, and the news. In an article appearing in JDS Communications, researchers found that households that frequently bought food for children are interested in dairy as part of their diet and purchased larger quantities of fluid milk and more fluid milk with a higher fat content.

Special Announcement: 40^th ADSA Discover Conference on NASEM Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle Moves to August 2021with Hybrid Conference

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. The in-person conference planned for June 1-4, 2021 in Itasca, IL 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 will include both in-person and virtual participation options. Be watching the DC40 web site for the addition of virtual registration options coming soon. https://www.adsa.org/Meetings/40th-Discover-Conference

 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

ADSA is pleased to share webinars delivered through our partner, the Dairy Cattle Welfare Council. These one-hour webinars are available free of charge, but you must register in advance.

Speaker: Dr. Sandra Godden, Professor, University of Minnesota

Date & Time: January 20 at 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. CST

REGISTER HERE

The 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Dairy Science Association® (ADSA®) will be held as hybrid meeting with a virtual component and a corresponding in-person meeting in Louisville, Kentucky July 11-14. As always it will be the most comprehensive dairy science meeting in the world.

The abstract submission site for the 2021 ADSA Annual Meeting is open! You can now submit your abstract. Submission instructions, quality standards, answers to frequently asked questions, and student competition guidelines are available on the page. There is no abstract submission fee to submit an abstract to the ADSA annual meeting. The deadline for abstract submission is March 4, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. (CST).

The ADSA annual meeting in Louisville will be directly followed by the ASAS annual meeting. Make plans now to catch the shared programing day on Wednesday, July 14, and the shared social event later that evening. For more information about the meeting visit the 2021 ADSA Annual Meeting website. Visit often as it will be updated frequently as new information becomes available. 

ADSA members, did you choose to use your registration for the 2020 ADSA Annual Meeting to renew your ADSA membership? If so, Thank You. If not just a reminder that it is time for our annual membership renewal. Remember discounted Annual Meeting registration is one of the many benefits of membership. The savings on annual meeting registration will largely cover the cost of membership.

ADSA® asks: Did You Know ADSA Has a “You Tube” Channel?

One of the ways that ADSA is sharing information with the public and members is through our You Tube Channel “ADSANews”. It includes a combination of original videos provided by the Graduate Student Division and others shared by members. We provide a portal where information is available about dairy departments and clubs, the JAM and other dairy topics. We currently have 99 videos included in fourteen “Playlists”. Our current “Playlists” include

·      Dairy Clubs

·      Dairy Departments

·      Dairy Foods

·      Dairy Management

·      JAM 2013

·      Milk Quality

·      Antibiotic Use

·      GSD Dairy Tales

·      GDS Three-minute Thesis

·      GSD Pioneers in Dairy Science

·      GDS Webinar series

·      2017 Annual Meeting

Thanks to all who have shared their videos with us. If you have others you would like to have included, please contact Ken Olson Ph.D., PAS keolson@prodigy.net

 A reminder for all ADSA members, did you choose to use your registration for our 2020 ADSA Annual Meeting to renew your ADSA membership? If so, ”Thank you” for being a member of ADSA! If not, you can still renew your annual membership by following the link below. If you are not currently an ADSA member, why not join now and take advantage of all the Benefits of Membership. Remember ADSA Professional dues are only $110 per year. They have not increased since 2000 and are the lowest professional dues of all animal science societies. Click here to renew or join.

More than 250+ people attended the first Journal of Dairy Science (JDS) Author Workshop Webinar held on January 7. Sign up for the next two webinars in the series here as we dive into developing your best manuscript, the review process, and promoting your work: https://lnkd.in/eSqzCgR #dairyscience #research #science

Start making plans 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 held October 25-28, 2021 at the Eaglewood Resort & Spa in Itasca, IL The conference will explore the many changes in dairy calf management practices, and research conducted over the last decade.

•      Opportunities and Key Knowledge Gaps in Calf Management

•      Bull Calves & Dairy-Beef

•      Calf Housing and Behavior

•      Calf Immunology and Vaccines

•      Calf Nutrition Pre-weaning

•      Calf Welfare

•      Colostrum Management

•      Fetal Programming, Influence of Cow Stressors on Calf Development

•      Neonatal Disease Management

•      Transition to the Ruminant Calf: Weaning Strategies to Optimize Future Health and Productivity 

A poster session will be included to allow participants to share and discuss research findings. Details will be posted on the meeting site as they are finalized. 

Our ADSA Linked In group now includes 1,903 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