With National Ice Cream Day just around the corner, Americans are lining up at scoop shops and grocery checkout lines at near-record numbers to get their favorite flavors of ice cream. Recent data provided to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) show hard ice cream production for the first five months of 2021 running ahead of last year when hard ice cream production set a five-year high with more than 1 billion gallons produced. Through the first six months of 2021, just as the summer season kicked into high gear, retail ice cream sales (grocery) continued to flex their muscle and were slightly behind 2020’s record highs when shoppers couldn’t get enough of America’s frozen treat.

For the past several years, the Food and Drug Administration and USDA have battled in a turf war over which agency should be in charge of regulating gene-edited animals. New recommendations now call on updating the existing FDA regulatory framework and developing a coordinated and streamlined assessment and approval process between USDA and FDA.

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The agriculture industry’s labor situation has been a concern for many years, and currently large segments face a critical shortage of workers. This shortfall is exacerbated by the fact that the H-2A program is not working for all of agriculture, such as dairies and agriculture operations with multiple crops and harvests.

We hope that you were able to attend the ADSA 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting. While the oral and poster sessions and many of the symposia are complete the meeting is not yet over. Since it was a virtual meeting, sessions and abstracts were recorded. If you registered for the meeting you have access to these recordings for three months, so you can check any that you missed or review any that you found important as frequently as you would like. Another reminder, your registration also included 90 days of complimentary access to S-PAC (the Searchable Proceedings of Animal Conferences). Use the credentials used to register for the meeting to access S-PAC. If you were already a subscriber, your subscription will be extended by 90 days.

In reality, the meeting is not yet complete either. Six symposia that were planned for the meeting will be presented as webinars this fall and your registration included access to them. They are:

·      Dairy Foods Webinar: The Future of Probiotics

·      Equids Milk Production: Scientific Challenges and Perspectives

·      Forages and Pastures Symposium

·      Lactation Biology Webinar

·      Production, Management, and the Environment: Advances in Enteric Methane Mitigation in Dairy Cattle - The Last Decade and Future Prospects

·      Special Session: FASS Scientific Policy Committee

We also want to say Thank You again to our great team of writers from the Graduate Student Division as well as two undergraduate students who provided highlights from many of the sessions in our Special editions of this newsletter. I think you will agree they all did a great job. Here are the writers:

Arup Ratan Sen, University of Tennessee

Conor McCabe, University of California-Davis

Caitlin Zaring, University of Tennessee

Leoni Ferreira Martins, Penn State University

Sheetal Jha, South Dakota State University

Rahul Venkatram, The Ohio State University

Aakash Varsha Swaminathan, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Katelyn Goldsmith, Michigan State University

Lucas Lopes, University of Guelph

Maria Elisa Montes Gonzalez, Purdue University

Sonali Raghunath, University of Minnesota

Loren Foley, University of Tennessee

Abby McCalmon, University of Tennessee

Mark your calendar and begin making plans to join us in Kansas City June 19-22, 2022 for the 2022 ADSA Annual Meeting. See you there!

Consumers may have less trust in food processes that they don’t understand, and animal-based foods may be subject to more uninformed scrutiny than other foods due to consumers’ perception of higher risk. Dairy producers can benefit from understanding how consumers interpret unfamiliar terms and claims on dairy product labels. In a new study appearing in the Journal of Dairy Science®, scientists from North Carolina State University conducted interviews and surveyed more than 1,200 consumers regarding their knowledge of and attitudes toward dairy processing terms that may appear on product labels.

Only about a third of respondents reported that they always or often read labels before purchasing dairy products; however, product labels are the primary source of information about food purchases used by consumers. This is reflected by the fact that only 24 percent of respondents were familiar with microfiltered milk, and no respondents could recall seeing the term on dairy product labels. Despite this, 20 percent expressed a negative opinion of it. (MORE)

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

Due to continued COVID-19 related travel and gathering uncertainties coupled with delays with the NASEM publication the dates for this 40th ADSA Discover, NASEM Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle, were changed to August 30-September 2, 2021. The conference is being held as a hybrid program. Interest has been very high and both the in-person and virtual participation options have sold out. A waiting list is being maintained for both live in-person and live virtual participation registrations, but we encourage all potential registrants to consider the Recordings Only option. This provides convenient access to recordings of speaker presentations for viewing on your own schedule. Click here for “Online Registration” and current options. We are looking forward to having you participate in our August program. We are here to help you however we can with questions and requests for support. Contact conference coordinator Molly Kelley or conference director Larry Miller with questions.

Your registration includes 90 days 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. The expectation is that final release of all chapters will be after this conference. 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.

Please note: ARPAS will allow up to 15 Continuing Education Units based on contact hours and content for ARPAS members participating in this Discover Conference®. Participating ARPAS members may obtain credit for their participation by using the ARPAS website.

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

Conference Reminder -  join us for the 41st Discover Conference: “Health Management of Calves: From Intrauterine Life to Successful Weaning”

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 at Eaglewood Resort & Spa in Itasca, IL. Registration options include in-person participation at the Eaglewood Resort & Spa, virtual participation, and a non-participation option which simply gives registrants access to the conference recordings.

The call for abstracts is open on the DC41 website. Deadline to submit a title and brief abstract: 11:59 p.m. CDT on August 1, 2021.

Abstract presentations are limited to in-person attendees and will take place in poster format on Tuesday, October 26. This will be a unique opportunity for scientists and allied industry worldwide to interact and discuss the latest scientific findings without boundaries. Abstracts should consist of original, completed work that has not been accepted for publication in a journal, but prior presentation as either an oral or poster presentation within 12 months of the start of the Discover 41 meeting (October 2021) is acceptable. Additional details on abstract submission are available on the website.

 Your registration includes 90 days free access to ADSA’s Searchable Proceedings of Animal Conferences (S-PAC) and the opportunity to subscribe at ADSA member rates. Early Registration Deadline: September 24, 2021 Registration fees increase by $100 after September 24. Visit .https://www.adsa.org/Meetings/41st-Discover-Conference

Please note: ARPAS will allow up to 18 Continuing Education Units based on contact hours and content for ARPAS members participating in this Discover Conference. Participating ARPAS members may obtain credit for their participation by using the ARPAS website.

Our ADSA Linked In group now includes 1,997 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

July 26-29, 2021     Certified Milk Inspectors School, Cornell In-person training: Location TBD, Click here for more information

Aug 10-13, 2021     Preventive Controls for Human Food, Cornell Live instructor-led video conference, Click here for more information

Aug 16 -20, 2021     ADPI/ABI Virtual Joint Annual Conference. For registration and conference information, click here

Aug 23-26, 2021     Implementing SQF Systems, Cornell Live instructor-led video conference, Click here for more information

Aug 27, 2021          SQF Quality Management Systems, Cornell live instructor-led video conference, Click here for more information

Aug 30 - Sept 2, 2021       40th ADSA Discover Conference on NASEM Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle* – A hybrid conference to be held on-line and at Eaglewood Resort & Spa in Itasca, IL, For more information click here

Aug 30 – Sept 3, 2021      72nd Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP). Davos, Switzerland, For registration and more information click here,

Sept 21- 23, 2021 Cultured Dairy Products Short Course, Erickson Food Science Building, Penn State University, Click here for more information and registration

Sept 28-Oct 2, 2021          World Dairy Expo, Alliant Energy Center - Madison, WI, For more information click here.

Oct 19 - 21, 2021    83rd Annual Cornell Nutrition Conference for Feed Manufacturers*, Click here for more information.

Oct. 25-28, 2021    41st ADSA Discover Conference - Health Management of Calves: From Intrauterine Life to Successful Weaning*, – A hybrid conference to be held on-line and at Eaglewood Resort & Spa in Itasca, IL For registration and more information click here

Oct 26 - 28, 2021    Pasteurizer Operators Workshop (POW), Erickson Food Science Building, Penn State University, Click here for more information and registration

Oct 27-28, 2021     Pennsylvania Dairy Cattle Nutrition Workshop*, Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pa, For more information click here.

Nov 1-4, 2021        2021 Western Dairy Management Conference, Peppermill Resort Spa Casino, Click here for more information

Oct 31 – Nov 3, 2021        The 2021 Symposium on Gut Health in Production of Food Animals. the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, Click here for information and registration.

November 8 - 11, 2021, 7:45 AM-4:30 PM       The Science and Art of Cheese Making Short Course, Rodney A. Erickson Food Science Building, University Park, PA, Click here for more information

March 1-2, 2022     2022 High Plains Dairy Conference, Embassy Suites, Amarillo, TX, Click here for more information

March 29-31, 2022 Central Plains Dairy Expo, Sioux Falls, SD. For more information click here.

June 19-22, 2022 ADSA Annual Meeting, Kansas City, MO, Details to come at www.adsa.org

August 2-3, 2022   Mid-South Ruminant Nutrition Conference, Grapevine TX, Click here for more information

August 2024 International Symposium on Ruminant Physiology*, For symposium information visit https://www.isrp2024.org/