The USDA announced plans to deploy qualified personnel across several states to assist in the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. In a notice to stakeholders, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Acting Administrator Mike Watson says APHIS has deployed 119 employees to assist in efforts to increase the number of vaccinations given.

“We are fortunate to have many highly skilled veterinary medical officers and animal health technicians who have the proper training, experience and certifications to help accomplish this life-saving task, and we expect more deployments in the coming days,” Watson wrote Feb. 17.

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There are signs that the food inflation that’s gripped the world over the past year, raising prices of everything from shredded cheese to peanut butter, is about to get worse.

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Texas has been impacted the most by the recent winter storm that made its way across the United States this week, but logistical and operating issues, as well as energy shortages, are impacting agriculture in many key agriculture regions, panelists said this week during a Feedstuffs 365 livestream. From commodity transportation to feedlot and hog finishing operations to hog and cattle processing plants, the supply chain is experiencing numerous setbacks and delays due to the extreme cold, ice, and snow.

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Organic Valley is launching a pilot program that uses satellite photography to measure pasture health on its dairy farms, providing its farmers with nearly real-time feedback every week to support dairy herd nutrition, protect and improve their pastures, and benefit the environment.

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40^th ADSA Discover Conference on NASEM Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle Moves to August 2021with Hybrid Conference – Here are the Details

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 which simply gives registrants access to the conference recordings. 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. 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.

· Feed Intake, Fats, Carbohydrates, and Energy

· Proteins and Amino Acids

· Minerals, Vitamins, and Water

· Dry Cows, Calves, and Replacement Heifers

· Using the Model

· Application of the New Requirements

Expanding to a hybrid conference format allows us to offer meaningful collaboration among our colleagues throughout the world in the 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

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 in-person registration fee includes the Opening Reception, coffee and pastries during morning poster sessions, afternoon ice cream breaks in the exhibit hall, our always-popular ice cream social, a meeting with really nice people, and the best dairy science you will find in the world!

The Overall Program Committee is planning to have a robust in-person program AND an in-depth online meeting, including virtual events live from Louisville, that enable scientists from around the world to join us virtually if they are unable to travel to Louisville. We are very excited to be able to plan a hybrid meeting and expand the reach of our science! While the deadline for requesting a ticketed event has passed, there is still time to request a spot for “All Other Events”. That deadline for non-ticketed special events is Thursday, April 1, 2021. Click here for details.

Annual Meeting Call for Abstracts – DEADLINE IS MARCH 4

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 at the same location. 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.  

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 deadline for nominations is April 1, 2021.

Procedures: Nominations should be submitted on the FASS Awards website.

Deadline: All nominations must be submitted on the website no later than April 1, 2021, 11:59 pm CDT.

Instructions: Guidelines for the FASS-AFIA New Frontiers in Animal Nutrition Award are posted here. Nominators are encouraged to review the instructions carefully and to follow these guidelines strictly to avoid rejection of the nomination.

If you require any assistance during this submission process, please contact Cara Tharp, FASS awards coordinator, at 1800 S Oak St, Ste 100, Champaign, IL 61820, carat@assochq.org, 217-356-2426.

Are you or your employer looking for the best and the brightest to fill a job, assistantship, or internship? The resource you need is myDairy Career, a complimentary online job resource center created by the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) Graduate Student Division, where employer needs and student interests are matched instantly. Your next employee, graduate student, or intern could be searching for your open position, so don’t delay.

Sign in at https://careers.adsa.org/ to post job, assistantship, or internship opportunities and gain access to high-quality undergraduate and graduate dairy science students in both dairy foods and dairy production. And did we mention myDairy Career is FREE of CHARGE!

Once you are on the myDairy Career website:

If you have any questions about myDairy Career, and the potential benefits to you and your company, please feel free to contact the ADSA GSD gsd@adsa.org

Have you missed either of the first two webinars in the Journal of Dairy Science (JDS) Author Webinar Series? This three-part author workshop series, presented by Paul Kononoff, Editor in Chief of Journal of Dairy Science, will better prepare you in the publishing process. The first two recordings in the webinar series are now available here. Make your plans now to participate in the third webinar “Reviewers and revisions” that will be held on Thursday, March 18; 9:30 - 10:30 am central time. Information and registration is available at https://www.adsa.org/Meetings/Webinars

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 1,939 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