MAES News
December 1, 2004
- New Pheromone Creates Buzz about the Clout of Older Bees
- Lighting Up Profits – MAES Scientists Brighten Up Greenhouses with Articles, Book
- MAES Research Shows How Common Soil Minerals Might Mop Up Pesticides
- Michigan Growers Venture into Spinach Industry
- Computer Program Helps Growers Manage Weeds, Save Money
- Genetic Quirk, Detective Work Yield New Bean
- MAES Forestry Scientist, Student Win Best Paper (Again)
- New MAES Faculty Members
- MAES Scientist to Lead American Society of Plant Biologists
- Project GREEEN Issues 2005 Request For Proposals
- New Members Appointed to USDA Advisory Board; CANR Dean Reappointed
- Veterinary College Dean Named to Institute of Medicine
New Pheromone Creates Buzz about the Clout of Older Bees
A recent discovery by an MAES scientist has unveiled the chemical secret that gives old bees the authority to keep young bees home babysitting instead of going out on the town.
A hard-to-detect pheromone explains a phenomenon that MAES entomologist Zachary Huang described in a paper 12 years ago – that somehow older forager bees exert influence over the younger nurse bees in a hive, keeping them grounded until they are more mature and thus more ready to handle the demands of buzzing about.
The work that identifies the chemical, “Regulation of Behavioral Maturation in Honey Bees by a New Primer Pheromone,” was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science Biological Sciences, Population Biology, Early Edition, the week of Nov. 29.
“If the older ones don’t keep them in check, the young ones can mature too quickly,” Huang said. “It’s kind of the same thing as with people -- you need the elders to check on the young. Even if the young are physically able to go out on their own, it’s not the best situation for the bees, and now we know how it works.”
Huang worked with a team from the United States, France and Canada to explain how the bees keep an exquisitely consistent balance between the ones that go out to collect nectar and pollen and defend the hive, and those that stay home and nurture the larvae. Huang had documented that this balance is controlled by the elder bees, those that typically spend the final one to three weeks of their five-week lifespan out in the field.
Experiments showed that if a significant number of forager bees didn’t come home, the young nurse bees would mature ahead of schedule and head out to become foragers themselves. If the older bees were kept inside more than usual – as in an extended rain shower – fewer young bees would mature but instead stick to brood care.
But the question was always why? Huang and his colleagues suspected a pheromone might be responsible. Pheromones are chemical signals emitted by animals, insects and humans. Some, called releaser pheromones, are like a quick conversation that changes behavior, such as those that inspire sexual attraction. Others, called primer pheromones, cause behavioral changes over a much longer time period, taking days or weeks to have an effect.
Because releasers change behavior immediately, they historically have been easier to identify. Hundreds of releaser pheromones have been chemically identified, whereas only four (including this new one) primer pheromones have been identified.
Huang and his associates spent years futilely searching for a primer pheromone. After many dead ends, the group came upon a crucial difference between forager bees and nurse bees: forager bees carry a large amount of the chemical ethyl oleate in the abdominal reservoir in which they store nectar.
That, Huang said, led them to identify ethyl oleate as a primer pheromone.
Forager bees load up on ethyl oleate when they’re buzzing about gathering food, but they don’t digest it. The forager bees then feed the chemical to the nurse bees, and it keeps the nurses in something similar to a teen-age state.
As the old bees die off, the chemical no longer is fed to the nurse bees. Eliminate ethyl oleate and the bees mature into foragers.
Huang said the system makes sense for the health of the hive. Young bees – those in the first two to three weeks of life – are biologically better suited for brood care, thanks to some boosted blood protein. Bees forced out too early aren’t great navigators, and because foraging is dangerous, they risk dying before their time.
“Our idea has never been disproved, but the lack of mechanism drove me crazy,” Huang said. “Now we know the specific chemical that controls the behavior of honey bees for the good of the whole population.”
Lighting Up Profits – MAES Scientists Brighten Up Greenhouses with Articles, Book
Everyone knows that plants need light to grow, especially people who grow plants for a living. But until recently, there was no guide to greenhouse lighting that was appropriate for growers or undergraduate students. To correct this oversight and help greenhouse growers be more productive by using good lighting principles, MAES horticulture researcher Erik Runkle teamed up with Paul Fisher, at the University of New Hampshire, to coordinate and publish a series of 15 magazine articles and a book on greenhouse lighting.
“In general, many growers don’t really understand the concepts of lighting,” Runkle said. “So they don’t use lighting systems to improve their crop production.”
The articles appeared in Greenhouse Grower magazine from September 2003 to October 2004. The articles are the foundation for a book, edited by Runkle and Fisher, Lighting Up Profits, published by Meister Media Worldwide Publishing in July. The book includes additional grower case studies, problem case studies, conversion and summary tables, photographs, study questions, and a CD with conversion software and PowerPoint slides, which instructors can use as teaching materials. A portion of the book’s royalties will be given to the Floriculture Industry Research and Scholarship Trust (FIRST).
“Collectively, this book and accompanying CD are tools that we hope educators use in the classroom and growers use on their own,” Runkle said.
As developers of the project, Runkle and Fisher worked with researchers throughout the United States and Canada to draft the articles. MAES horticultural scientists Art Cameron, Royal Heins and Ken Poff contributed to the project.
“Our intended audience includes growers, industry technical staff members, and university horticulture students,” Runkle said. “With a circulation of more than 20,000, Greenhouse Grower magazine reaches the most floriculturists in the United States of all the floriculture trade periodicals.”
To help launch the book, Runkle and Fisher worked with the Ohio Florists’ Association and presented a lighting workshop at the 2004 Floriculture Short Course in Columbus in July. Workshop participants received a copy of the book and accompanying CD as part of their registration.
MAES Research Shows How Common Soil Minerals Might Mop Up Pesticides
New research by an MAES scientist suggests that dousing soils with solutions rich in everyday minerals and salts might help soils more effectively soak up pesticides and other organic contaminants.
The work, detailed in a recent issue of the journal Environmental Science & Technology, shows that the sponge-like properties of soil clays can be changed, especially by tweaking concentrations of naturally occurring potassium.
The new findings by Stephen A. Boyd, MAES crop and soil sciences researcher, and colleagues at MSU and Purdue University, may help build models that better explain the role of basic minerals in the spread of pollutants in soils. These, in turn, may lead to more effective phytoremediation – the use of plants to remove contaminants from the soil.
“This chemistry provides the basis to reliably and inexpensively control the leaching of important classes of contaminants and to improve the effectiveness of bioremediation technologies such as phytoremediation,” Boyd said.
This is how it works: The minerals in the soil initially soak up the pollutants. Over time, however, the minerals slowly release their grip on the pollutants. This slow release makes it easier for the plants used in phytoremediation to remove the contaminants from the soil.
In their research, Boyd and colleagues mixed common clay with varying potassium and calcium concentrations and then tested how the various recipes responded to three pesticides. Soil minerals interact with and bind to all sorts of chemicals, so it was no surprise that the soils with more ions did a better job of soaking up the contaminants.
What was surprising, Boyd said, were the differences between potassium and calcium in holding contaminants. Depending on the pesticide, potassium-soaked soil proved to have between four and 75 times the sponge-like ability of soil soaked with calcium.
“A little potassium goes a long way,” Boyd said. “Small increases in potassium concentration made the soil sample significantly more absorptive.”
X-ray diffraction helped explain why, he said. X-ray images show that, at low concentrations, potassium ions aren’t distributed evenly through the soil. When the concentration gets high enough, the miniscule spaces between soils’ basic building blocks become potassium-saturated, and soon the entire soil cross-section starts soaking up pesticide.
In their paper, the authors also describe several potential applications of their findings, including more environmentally friendly techniques to apply pesticides and more effective ways to clean up contaminated soil.
Michigan Growers Venture into Spinach Industry
Michigan agriculture is diverse, from cherries in northwestern lower Michigan, sugar beets in the Saginaw Bay and Thumb areas, and dairying in Clinton and Lenawee counties to spinach in Mason and Oceana counties.
Spinach?
Yes, spinach. A growing interest in healthier foods among governmental agencies and industry and consumer groups is creating greater demand for fresh and frozen spinach as an ingredient for soups, salads and entrees.
Fewer than 100 acres of spinach were grown in Michigan in 2003. In 2004, 300 acres of this new specialty crop were grown in the state, bringing new revenue of more than $150,000 into the state’s gross farm economy.
Responding to the consumer shift toward healthier eating habits, Chase Farms, Inc., of Walkerville, in northeastern Oceana County, has ventured into the spinach market.
“We have received a number of requests for a chopped frozen spinach product,” said Sid Whitaker, raw product manager at Chase Farms, Inc. “The spinach market is creating a lot of opportunity for farmers in the area.”
Because spinach is perishable, growers must be located reasonably close to processors to generate a profit. Proximity to processors -- in addition to desirable soil types and climate conditions -- opens the door for farmers located along the western Michigan shoreline to grow spinach and make a profit.
“Spinach grows best on well-drained soils such as sandy loam soils,” said Darryl Warncke, MAES crop and soil sciences researcher. “The soil must be dry enough for the grower to get equipment into the field to harvest the crop.”
Farmers have always been able to grow spinach in sandy soils, but what they needed was a market for their crop.
Jim Breinling, Mason County MSU Extension director, said spinach can be a profitable commodity for farmers because the crop can be planted three times a year, as a spring, fall and overwinter crop, and it fits well as part of a crop rotation.
“Another advantage to growing spinach is that farmers have been able to reduce their expenses because the processor -- not the grower -- is responsible for harvesting the crop,” he adds.
Warncke is lead investigator on a project to devise crop production management practices for a Michigan spinach industry. The work is supported by Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs), the state’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU, and the MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Warncke noted that further research projects need to be conducted -- on evaluating spinach varieties, establishing proper planting dates and preparing management strategies for certain weather conditions -- to help farmers grow spinach profitably.
“Right now the potential is quite promising for developing a profitable Michigan spinach industry,” Warncke said. “If we develop strategies for managing weeds, insects and diseases, it’s possible that Michigan could someday establish a 1,500-acre spinach industry.”
A 1,500-acre spinach industry would generate a gross farm gate profit of $750,000 for Michigan growers. Processing would add additional value and income to the state’s economy.
Computer Program Helps Growers Manage Weeds, Save Money
Weeds are one of the biggest headaches for growers -- they have to consider not only the cost of control strategies but also a variety of crop, economic, regulatory and environmental factors.
One tool that growers can use to help reduce herbicide costs is WeedSOFT, a computer program designed to assist growers, crop consultants and Extension agents in making weed management decisions.
On-farm research trials conducted by MAES researchers and supported by Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs), the state’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU, determined that WeedSOFT-recommended herbicide selections controlled weeds as effectively as traditional grower-selected herbicide treatments in corn with no adverse effect on yield.
“Many growers commonly use weed control guides to compare the efficacies for different products,” explained Christy Sprague, MAES weed scientist. “WeedSOFT gives growers another tool to compare the effectiveness of products and the net return from different treatments. WeedSOFT looks at the bioeconomics of the different treatments by determining how weed competition affects yield in different cropping situations before and after the treatments are applied.”
Growers achieved 96 percent or higher weed control when implementing the WeedSOFT-recommended herbicide selections in field studies, and they saved on average $6 to $15 per acre in herbicide costs. For a 100-acre field, herbicide savings could range between $600 and $1,500. If WeedSOFT-recommended herbicide selections were implemented on one-third of Michigan’s corn acreage, savings could total $4.14 million to $10.35 million per year.
The MSU field trials were conducted on actual grower fields – on farms owned and operated by members of the Capitol Area Innovative Farmers (CAIF). CAIF is a group of mid-Michigan-area farmers who explore ways to increase the profitability of farming.
“CAIF is respected for the quality of its on-farm research projects,” said Betsy Dierberger, MSU Extension agriculture and natural resources agent. “CAIF members put WeedSOFT to the test in 2003 by comparing the WeedSOFT recommendations to their regular herbicide programs. Many field trials conducted over many counties provide a good look at how using WeedSOFT will work for farmers on a statewide basis.”
The precursor to WeedSOFT was HERB, a computer program used in North Carolina to estimate soybean crop losses to weeds, evaluate the return earned from using postemergence herbicides and select the optimal economic control strategy. University of Nebraska researchers adapted HERB to Nebraska field conditions, eventually expanding the program to include post- and preemergence weed control treatments for corn, sorghum, sugar beets and winter wheat. Since its release in 1996, WeedSOFT has been updated each year to reflect changes in herbicide prices and labels.
Computerized programs such as WeedSOFT offer growers the opportunity to make weed management decisions on the basis of real-time information. Using recommendations supplied by a computerized program to achieve weed control can help reduce the amount of herbicides growers need to apply to control weeds and reduce crop losses to weeds. Programs must be customized because weed species, populations and control strategies differ state by state.
Seven Midwest land-grant universities -- Michigan State University, the University of Nebraska, Purdue University, Illinois State University, Kansas State University, the University of Missouri and the University of Wisconsin – came together under an umbrella research project funded by the USDA Risk Avoidance and Mitigation Program (RAMP) to tailor the WeedSOFT program to each state’s conditions. State-specific versions of the WeedSOFT program became available in each of the participating states in January.
“By collaborating with other land-grant universities, we have come a long way toward expanding and improving the program,” said Jim Kells, MAES weed scientist. “These universities have tailored the program to fit the conditions of their specific states.”
“WeedSOFT provides Michigan growers with another option for managing weeds and shows how they can affect their bottom line,” Sprague said. “The program has an educational component -- developing weed management strategies based on program recommendations helps to improve the grower’s confidence in his decision-making skills.”
WeedSOFT 2004 costs $50 and can be purchased by mail order from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln or online at http://weedsoft.unl.edu. Order forms will also be available at MSU Extension-sponsored winter grower meetings. For additional information on program updates or ordering information, call 402-472-1547 or e-mail weedsoft2@unl.edu.
Genetic Quirk, Detective Work Yield New Bean
Don’t let the name fool you — the new Redcoat bean is mostly white. More interesting than Redcoat’s moniker, however, is how researchers from the MAES sleuthed to Texas and back and delved into DNA to discover it. Because of their work, dishes from vegetarian chili to bean burgers might have a new, lighter look in the future.
“The opportunity to commercialize a mutant bean which we would never have worked on directly is a nice surprise, given that bean variety development is usually a 10-year program,” said Jim Kelly, MAES crop and soil scientist. Kelly is co-author of two papers describing Redcoat development that will appear in the journal HortScience early next year.
The Redcoat bean is part of the family of Soldier beans, so named because their red markings look like the uniforms worn by 18th century European soldiers. Redcoat is an addition to the Michigan dry bean market, which also includes navy, small white, black turtle, pinto, cranberry and yellow eye beans.
Collectively, these beans are big business in Michigan. The Great Lakes State grows more dry beans by weight — nearly 400 million pounds per year — than any other state except North Dakota. Over the years, work done by the MAES has led to new disease-resistant bean varieties that thrive in Michigan’s sometimes harsh climate.
In 1999, MAES scientists obtained seeds for basic red kidney beans from a Texas supplier. Researchers planted the seeds in northern Michigan, and most of the plants did, in fact, produce the promised red beans. However, a small fraction produced beans with striking white splotches.
The researchers first suspected that the coloring had a prosaic explanation — perhaps stray seeds from white bean plants had gotten mixed in with the seeds in Texas, or cross-pollination had occurred with fields of white bean plants in the nearby area.
However, when the MAES team searched the area in northern Michigan where the new red and white bean turned up, they found no cross-pollination suspects, such as other Soldier bean varieties. And when they infected the plants with two common bean diseases, the Redcoat beans behaved more like other red kidney beans than white beans.
Over the years, red kidney beans have been bred to resist the diseases picked by the scientists — common mosaic virus and anthracnose. Redcoat proved immune to infection as well, even though these diseases are often lethal to plants producing other Soldier bean varieties.
“Redcoat has the best yield potential of any Soldier bean,” said Greg Varner, research director of the Michigan Dry Bean Research Board and co-author of one of the HortScience papers.
What about the possibility of a mix-up in Texas? The MAES team inquired and learned that the Texas supplier had hand picked the beans sent to Michigan. The entire batch contained nothing but beans with the familiar, uniform red coloring.
It’s uniformly true that most living organisms carry two copies of each gene. With other explanations ruled out, MAES scientists began suspecting that one copy of the bean color gene had mutated. They thought that the other gene had remained normal and still contained instructions for making red beans. Often, one normal gene is enough to mask the effects of a mutation. This would explain why all the Texas seeds were red.
Random mutations, changes in DNA structure in the cells of a living organism, happen all the time. Most mutations have no effect on the organism or its offspring, and some prove harmful to the organism. Only a small fraction of mutations turn out to be advantageous. In this case, the big advantage is for bean lovers who might see a kidney-bean-flavored red and white bean in their local markets within the next few years.
It took several years’ work in campus greenhouses, but the MAES scientists finally confirmed their suspicions. The new coloring was indeed the result of a rare beneficial mutation of a single gene in the bean’s DNA.
“The single gene mutation of seed coat color pattern means that an entirely new class has the same valuable attributes present in the commercial red kidney class that breeders have worked on for more than a hundred years at MSU,” Kelly said. The mystery is solved and the new bean is now available under license from MSU.
Recipes for Michigan-grown beans, including one for a spicy bean burger, are available from the Michigan Bean Commission.
MAES Forestry Scientist, Student Win Best Paper (Again)
MAES researchers have taken a close look at the wood and plastic goo that goes into making today’s wood substitute building materials. What they learned might soon improve the durability, safety and price of everything from backyard decks to window blinds.
The scientists, MAES forestry researcher Laurent Matuana and doctoral student Bhavesh Shah, studied how various recipes of chemicals and wood particles affect the finished quality of increasingly common wood/plastic composites. Matuana and Shah presented their results at the May 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers annual conference in Chicago, where Shah won the best student paper award in the society’s vinyl division. The paper was published in the September issue of the Journal of Vinyl & Additive Technology.
Interest in wood/plastic composites is on the rise because of new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on pressure-treated wood. As of Dec. 30, 2003, the once common chromated copper arsenate, or CCA, can no longer be used to treat wood that’s used near homes. EPA regulators are concerned that arsenic in CCA, which slowly seeps from wood over time, may pose health risks. Children, especially, could be at risk because they spend more time outside than adults do and more frequently put unwashed hands into their mouths.
“Currently, there are 45 companies producing wood/plastic composites (WPCs) in North America, and almost 12 percent of this production takes place in Michigan,” Matuana said. “One of the biggest producers of WPCs, CertainTeed Corp., is located in Jackson.”
The CCA-free composites are made by squirting heated mixtures of wood/plastic products and chemicals into molds of various shapes. This is much like making a gelatin wreath by following the recipe on the box and then pouring the contents of your mixing bowl into a donut-shaped tin.
Matuana and Shah measured the wood/plastic mixture directly as it was being processed or squirted. This online measurement gives the most accurate picture yet of properties of the wood/plastic mixtures. Understanding these properties, including the mixtures’ viscosity and tendency to expand, is key to improving the quality and lowering the price of the finished composite materials.
Matuana seems to have figured out the key to writing up his research, too. It’s the fourth time he and a student have received the award from the Society of Plastics Engineers.
The MAES is pleased to announce the appointment of the following new faculty members.
Katherine Alaimo was appointed assistant professor of food science and human nutrition in July. Her research focuses on hunger in the United States and its consequences for children; community food security; the benefits of urban agriculture/community gardening for public health, neighborhood social capital and urban redevelopment; promoting healthy eating and physical activity through policies and environments; and community-based participatory research.
She received her doctoral and master’s degrees in community nutrition from Cornell University in 2002 and 1997, respectively, and her bachelor’s degree in nutritional science from Cornell in 1991.
Jose Cibelli, who has been at MSU as professor of animal science physiology and endowed chair for large animal biotechnology since January 2003, received an MAES appointment in July 2004. An internationally recognized expert on stem cell research, Cibelli focuses on embryonic stem cell cloning from animals, but he has expertise in all areas of cloning. In February, he helped validate groundbreaking research of scientists in Korea who created human embryos through cloning without fertilization. The results were published in the journal Science. In April, he was part of a briefing in Geneva organized by Italian members of the European Parliament and the Luca Coscioni Association for Freedom of Scientific Research and Treatment, a group of scientists and activists concerned that the United Nations would vote to ban human stem cell research for therapeutic purposes.
Cibelli was part of the team responsible for the generation of the world’s first transgenic cloned calves, the first embryonic stem cells by nuclear transfer and the first embryonic stem cells by parthenogenesis in primates. He has published in Science, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Medicine and PNAS. He has testified about nuclear transfer and stem cells in public forums sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Academy of Sciences, the Canadian House of Commons and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cibelli is also the editor of the book Principles of Cloning published by Academic Press in 2002.
From October 1999 until December 2002, Cibelli was the vice president for research at Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Mass. He did his undergraduate work in his native Argentina and received a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of La Plata in 1989 and a doctorate in reproductive physiology from the University of Massachusetts in 1998.
Ning Jiang was named assistant professor of horticulture and affiliated MAES scientist in August. Her research explores the function of transposable elements – the “jumping genes” of plants – to understand the forces underlying genome diversification. She co-authored a paper in the Sept. 30 edition of the British science journal Nature on mutator-like transposable elements (MULEs). Of those, she has found that some carry fragments of cellular genes with them -- dubbed pack-MULEs. The first pack-MULE she found in a piece of rice sequence was carrying the gene that triggers cold responses in a plant. Jiang is continuing to look at pack-MULEs to try to better understand their role in evolution. She also will explore other questions, such as the common use of MULEs in gene tagging, the process of interrupting a gene to understand its function.
Jiang received her doctorate in plant biology from the University of Georgia in 2002, her master’s degree in plant physiology from Yangzhou University, China, in 1986 and her bachelor’s degree in plant physiology and biochemistry from Nanjing University, China, in 1983.
Ryan Warner was named assistant professor of horticulture in September. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms plants use to tolerate stress – specifically, how flowers tolerate high temperatures. This area is part of his broader research goal, which is to improve production efficiency in greenhouse crops.
Warner received his doctorate in applied plant sciences and his master’s degree in horticultural science, from the University of Minnesota in 2004 and 1999, respectively. He received his bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Michigan State in 1996.
MAES Scientist to Lead American Society of Plant Biologists
Michael Thomashow, MAES plant molecular biology researcher and University Distinguished Professor, became president-elect of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) on Oct. 1. Thomashow was elected to the post by his peers in ASPB, a non-profit science society of nearly 6,000 members.
Thomashow is internationally recognized for his work on the molecular mechanisms of cold acclimation in plants. His research on plants’ tolerance to extreme temperature holds promise to improve not only the cold tolerance of plants but also tolerance to other environmental stressors such as salt and drought. In 2001, he was awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Award, and in 2003, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Project GREEEN Issues 2005 Request For Proposals
Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Environmental and Economic Needs), the state’s plant agriculture initiative at Michigan State University, has issued its request for proposals (RFP) for fiscal year 2005.
Project GREEEN is seeking projects that will benefit Michigan’s plant-based agriculture industry in response to critical priorities identified by the state’s plant commodity groups. Proposals will be accepted in each of the following program areas: basic research, applied research and Extension/education/demonstration. Proposals must clearly identify how projects will affect the economic and environmental aspects of Michigan agriculture and respond to Michigan plant industry priorities.
Project GREEEN awarded $952,211 in grants for 38 new research projects for fiscal year 2004. Another $1.1 million was directed toward projects that started in 2002 or 2003. A total of 78 new project proposals and 36 continuation proposals amounting to nearly $3.6 million were received for consideration in fiscal year 2004.
An RFP application and a complete listing of updated plant commodity research and educational priorities can be found at www.greeen.msu.edu/rfp.htm.
Applications are due by 5 p.m. January 17, 2005. Awards will be announced in late March, with funds becoming available in April.
New Members Appointed to USDA Advisory Board; CANR Dean Reappointed
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman recently announced the appointment of 10 members to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board. Of these members, six are new and four are reappointed.
Jeffrey Armstrong, dean of the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, was reappointed to a three-year term on this important board, representing the National Food Animal Science Society. His term will expire Sept. 30, 2007. The advisory board meets twice per year.
Established by the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act in 1996, the board reviews and provides consultation to the secretary of agriculture and land-grant colleges and universities on long- and short-term national policies and priorities relating to agricultural research, extension, education and economics. This includes advising the secretary on USDA strategic planning activities for the research, education and economics mission area and its four agencies. The board also evaluates the results and effectiveness of federally funded agricultural research, extension, education and economics.
Each of the 31 total members represents a specific affiliation category. This ensures a balance of knowledge and expertise in food, fiber and agricultural areas that relate to research, extension and education, as well as balanced representation so that diverse stakeholders have input into the process.
Newly appointed members are:
- Joseph DiPietro, dean and professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville.
- Jeffrey Hamley, president, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College, Mount Pleasant, Mich.
- Mary Janice Hogan-Schiltgen, professor, Family Social Science Department, and consumer economist, University of Minnesota, St. Paul.
- Susan Stafford, dean, College of Natural Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul.
- Arnold Taylor, manager, Department of Natural Resources, Hopi Tribe, Kykotsmovi, Ariz.
- Alton Thompson, dean and research director, School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro.
Other reappointed members are:
- Walter Armbruster, president, Farm Foundation, Oak Brook, Ill.
- George Hoffman, president and CEO, Restaurant Services, Inc., Coral Gables, Fla.
Martin Massengale, president emeritus and director of the Center for Grassland Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Veterinary College Dean Named to Institute of Medicine
Lonnie King, dean of the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), an honor usually reserved for physicians and researchers who study human health issues.
King, a former large animal veterinarian who has led the CVM since 1996, was one of two veterinarians selected for membership in the IOM this year. He also is one of perhaps a dozen veterinarians who are members of the organization.
“I believe there is a new appreciation of veterinary medicine, especially as we see the convergence of human and animal health,” King said. “There is a new openness as new disciplines are brought in to solve new health problems, many of which have emerged from animals.”
King is a nationally recognized expert on zoonotic diseases – diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. He also is an expert on food safety and veterinary preventive medicine. He currently is serving on his fourth National Academy of Sciences panel, which is reviewing this country’s animal health disease preparedness.
The Institute of Medicine is a part of the National Academy of Sciences. Its members are elected through a highly selective process that recognizes people who have made major contributions in the fields of medical science, health care and public health.
King said his selection to the IOM is a reflection of the work that is done not only in his college but also across the university, including work with international health agencies.
“I’ve been given a lot of leeway and many opportunities outside the halls of this college that other institutions may not have allowed,” King said. “I could not have earned this honor without the support of this college and MSU.”
King is the third MSU faculty member to be elected to the IOM. The others are Myron Magen, professor emeritus and founding dean of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Howard Brody, professor of family practice and former director of MSU’s Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences.
Before coming to MSU, King was the administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), a post he held from 1992 to 1996. In that role, he provided executive leadership and direction to ensure the health and care of animals and plants, to improve agricultural productivity and competitiveness, and to contribute to the national economy and public health.
From 1976 to 1992, he held a number of positions within APHIS, including epidemiologist for veterinary services, chief of staff veterinarians for Animal Health Information Systems and deputy administrator.
From 1970 to 1976, he worked in private veterinary practice.
