In floor action Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan by a vote of 66-34. During his confirmation hearing, Regan emphasized that the "RFS is definitely a priority for this administration" and also highlighted his track record of working with the agricultural industry to find workable solutions during his time as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

“We can’t regulate our way out of every problem we approach,” Regan says during his confirmation hearing.

Working with National Football League (NFL) players and Discovery Education, the dairy checkoff is unveiling initiatives that provide fresh opportunities for consumers and youth to engage with dairy and learn about the industry’s sustainability story.

The efforts include the Smoothie Blitz, created in partnership with the checkoff-led Fuel Up to Play 60 program, and a new Undeniably Dairy “Farming to the Future” Virtual Field Trip with Discovery Education. Both programs seek to highlight dairy’s unique health and wellness benefits as well as farmers’ commitment to the planet.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is reopening the public review and comment period for an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) regarding whether to establish regulations for the movement of certain animals modified or developed using genetic engineering.

– Recordings for Sessions 1 and 2 Now Available

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 for 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

ADSA joined other members of the Friends of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Coalition in a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations committees thanking them for their support in FY 2021 and urging a 5% increase in support for ARS in the FY22 Budget. This and past letters can be found in the advocacy area of www.adsa.org

Sad News about Todd R. Klaenhammer

It is with great sadness that ADSA announces we have learned of the passing on March 6th of Todd R. Klaenhammer. A native of St. Paul, MN, he received a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Minnesota followed by Masters and Doctoral degree, also at the University of Minnesota. He joined the faculty at North Carolina State University in 1978 Klaenhammer served as Director of the Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center for over 20 years. He was elected into the National Academy of Sciences in the "Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences" section and had an endowed professorship created in his honor, the Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professorship in Probiotics Research. He was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Academy of Microbiology, Institute of Food Technologists, and American Dairy Science Association. He was also a recipient of a Borden award from the American Dairy Science Association and the Nicolas Appert Award from the Institute of Food Technologists. You can read more of his accomplishments by clicking here. 

ADSA Partner Webinar: Dairy Cattle Welfare Council presents “Cognition and emotion in dairy cattle”

ADSA is pleased to share webinars delivered through our partner, the Dairy Cattle Welfare Council (DCWC). These one-hour webinars are available free of charge, but you must register in advance to attend. The next webinar is “Cognition and emotion in dairy cattle”, presented by Dr. Dan Weary, Professor, University of British Columbia. It will be held March 24 at 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (4:00 – 5:00 p.m. CDT). REGISTER HERE

DCWC webinars are geared toward dairy farmers, veterinarians, consultants, industry, Extension/academia, and government representatives interested in many aspects of dairy cattle welfare. Professional, undergraduate, and graduate students are strongly encouraged to participate. Continuing Education Credit is awarded on an hour per hour basis. Contact DCWCouncil@gmail.com to request Veterinary CE documentation.

Save the dates! The 2021 Dairy Cattle Welfare Symposium will be held virtually on May 25-27, 2021. Program agenda and registration information will be coming. 

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”. The deadline for non-ticketed special events is Thursday, April 1, 2021. Click here for details.

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 programming 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.

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 1,944 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