As part of its reconciliation bill for additional coronavirus aid, the House and Senate each released details of the $16 billion for the agricultural portion of the bill. In an 8 hour-long business meeting Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee began markup of the bill that revealed the lack of bipartisan support for the bill to provide direct payments to farmers of color, enhanced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and rural health funding. The committee advanced the final package on a party line vote late Wednesday evening.

In a Wyoming federal district court, Harriet Hageman, senior litigation counsel for the New Civil Liberties Alliance, filed an opening brief related to R-CALF USA's Federal Advisory Committee Act lawsuit against the USDA regarding its mandate of radio frequency identification eartags. In addition to R-CALF USA, Wyoming ranchers Tracy and Donna Hunt and South Dakota ranchers Kenny and Roxy Fox are plaintiffs in the case.

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Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture account for 9.9% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and come from livestock such as cows, agricultural soils and rice production, according to the latest update for the 2018 year. A new analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data highlights agricultural emissions reductions and the importance of developing new research and technologies to capture more carbon in cropland and pastureland.

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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

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.

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 Annual Meeting that will be held  as a hybrid meeting July 11-14, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky.  It’s win-win-win. For more information about services offered by FASS, click here.

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

·      Feed intake, Fats, Carbohydrates, and Energy

·      Protein and Amino Acids

·      Minerals, Vitamins and Water

·      Dry Calves and Replacement Heifers

·      Using the Model

·      Application of the New Requirements 

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 1,935 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