MAES News
February 1, 2008
- MAES Grant Writing Workshop Receives Rave Reviews
- Animal Agriculture Initiative Awards 2008-09 Research Dollars
- Sweden's Transition to Renewable Fuels: MSU Community Can Hear How It's Being Done
- MSU Researchers Receive Animal Welfare Planning Grant
- Entomology Doctoral Student Named Outstanding Ph.D. Student of 2007 by IOBC
- Research Shows Michigan's Agriculture and Food Economy Growing
- Enviro-Weather, Cherry Research Information Available
- New Faculty Members
- Wide Range of Programs on Tap for ANR Week
"Outstanding seminar!"
"Very helpful and enjoyable."
"Excellent."
"Great job!"
"Dr. Morrison provides a valuable service to the academic community. Thank you."
These were just a few of the enthusiastic evaluations of the MAES Preawards Office-sponsored "Write Winning Grants" workshop held Dec. 17. The sold-out workshop featured presenter David Morrison, of Grant Writers' Seminars and Workshops, who addressed both the practical and conceptual aspects of successful proposal writing.
"Dr. Morrison is an excellent presenter," said John Baker, MAES associate director, who helped plan the workshop. "He talked about things that professors need to consider when writing grants but don't always do, as well as the basics. While extremely appropriate for new faculty members, it was also valuable for senior faculty members. We [the MAES] were so pleased with the seminar and participant feedback that we've scheduled another workshop for Dec. 16, 2008. More details on registration will be available at the beginning of fall term."
Morrison, who received a doctorate in molecular biology and biophysics from Yale and served as associate director of research at the University of Kansas Medical Center Cancer Center and director of medical research at Saint Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, is a member of multiple national review panels and advisory groups and has a long history of writing successful grant proposals. He discussed how to write proposals aimed at reviewers and how to identify the most appropriate granting agency. Workshop attendees had the option of purchasing workbooks devoted to the grant subtleties of specific federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the National Institutes of Health, for additional self-study.
"I learned so much," said Kelly Sporer, postdoctoral researcher working in the lab of Gale Strasburg, chairperson of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. "I was struck by what Dr. Morrison called 'the importance of being first,' as in the first person to get an idea out to reviewers; no one remembers the second or third person to cross the Atlantic by plane. I also found it very interesting that the number of grant applications submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Institutes of Health increases every year as academic institutions expect their faculty members to find more extramural funding. However, the number of grants actually funded has decreased, increasing the margin between grants submitted and grants funded."
"I thought the workshop was well done and provided a lot of great insight into how to approach writing successful grants," said Dan Grooms, MAES large animal clinical sciences researcher. "I thought Dr. Morrison did a great job of logically explaining how to mold a grant that would be viewed favorably by reviewers. I certainly plan to try his approach. One thing I realized -- and probably already knew -- is that successful grant writing takes a lot of work and effort and does not come naturally for many of us."
Animal Agriculture Initiative Awards 2008-09 Research Dollars
Seven Michigan State University (MSU) animal agriculture research and Extension projects will receive $350,000 in funding approved by the Animal Agriculture Initiative Coalition (AIC) for 2008-09. From groundbreaking animal identification programming to innovative environmental protection strategies, the AIC-funded projects take an interdisciplinary approach to current and emerging issues for Michigan's $1.6 billion livestock industry.
Each year, state funding supports projects that are part of the Revitalization of Animal Agriculture in Michigan Initiative. The initiative, commonly referred to as the Animal Agriculture Initiative (AAI), is Michigan's animal agriculture research, teaching and Extension initiative housed at MSU.
The seven projects were selected from approximately 20 proposals submitted to the AIC addressing challenges identified by livestock industry leaders as affecting livestock producers and their industries in the state. Proposals were ranked on the basis of the issues identified as high priority by industry leaders, MSU Extension area of expertise teams and the AIC.
"The AAI has a reputation for funding forward-thinking projects," said Mike Orth, MAES animal scientist and chairperson of the coalition. "This year is no exception, with the funds allocated to traditional challenges such as dairy cow fertility and new concepts such as analyzing the skeletal strength of turkeys commonly raised by Michigan farmers."
The AIC is made up of representatives from the MSU departments of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics (formerly Agricultural Economics), Animal Science, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Crop and Soil Sciences, Food Science and Human Nutrition, and Large Animal Clinical Sciences, the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station and MSU Extension. It provides program direction to applied research and Extension projects involving Michigan's beef, dairy, equine, poultry, sheep and swine industries, and works with various industry advisory committees to help establish research priorities for improving Michigan animal agriculture.
"The coalition was very pleased to see MSU researchers partnering with Michigan producers to test their research theories on active operations," Orth said. "Three of the seven funded researchers have established agreements with local farmers to integrate their research methods into a farm's existing practices."
In addition to annual research project funding, the AAI invests in four industry-specific quarterly newsletters: Cattle Call, the Michigan Dairy Review, the Michigan Pork Quarterly and the MSU Equine Program Newsletter. More than 12,000 subscribers receive the AAI-funded newsletters, which feature research articles and opportunities for continued education through MSU Extension.
More than 180 research projects have been funded since the AAI was established in 1996. Projects funded for 2008-09 are:
- Establishing a USDA Process Verification Program: Capitalizing on Michigan's Leadership in Individual Animal Identification -- Dan Buskirk.
- Utilizing Wetlands for the Diversion, Retention and Natural Treatment of Tile-Line Effluent from Manured Cropland -- Tim Harrigan.
- Impact of the Variation in Egg Numbers on Fertility in Dairy Cattle -- James Ireland.
- Turkey Femur Integrity: A Structural and Functional Analysis -- Darrin Karcher.
- Developing an Integrated Animal Manure Operation to Produce a High-Quality and Large Quantity Lignocellulosic Feedstock for Bio-Ethanol Refinery -- Wei Liao.
- The Scoop Newsletter on Animal Agriculture and the Environment -- Wendy Powers.
- Boron Treatment of Stored Swine Manure Slurry to Reduce Hydrogen Sulfide and Conserve Ammonia Nitrogen and Sulfur on a Commercial Swine Farm -- Mel Yokoyama.
The AAI is a partnership between MSU, livestock producers and industry organizations and the Michigan Department of Agriculture.
Sweden's Transition to Renewable Fuels: MSU Community Can Hear How It's Being Done
In 1996, the southeastern Swedish city of Växjö pledged to become free of fossil fuels by 2050. Realizing that it couldn't reach such a lofty goal in one leap, the town established intermediate steps, such as halving carbon emissions per capita by 2010. So far, the city has reduced carbon emissions to 3.5 tons per person (a 25 percent reduction) and has the lowest level of any urban area in Europe.
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Steve Pueppke and Ray Miller examine a stand of willow trees in Växjö that are a prime source of woody biomass. Scientists are interested in how the Swedes efficiently cultivate and harvest the willow. |
How did Växjö do it?
On Feb. 28, the MSU community can learn more about Växjö's transition to renewable fuels at a seminar conducted by representatives of Sweden's energy, forest and bioenergy agencies, as well as private industry. The seminar, part of the Department of Forestry's Hanover Forest Science Seminar Series, will take place in 151 Communication Arts and Sciences Building at 4 p.m.
Växjö's wood-burning combined heat and power plant is a large part of the reason for the city's miniscule carbon output. Fueled by woodchips and other wood waste from area sawmills, the plant provides heat, hot water and electricity to 95 percent of the city's homes. The plant is highly efficient, and almost no wasted power goes up the smokestack in the form of chemical gas. As a result, there's no odor and only a wisp of steam.
"Everything relevant to the bioenergy chain can be found in and around Växjö, from the forest equipment to the combined heat and power plant," said Hans Gulliksson, project manager of the Energy Agency for Southeast Sweden, who is one of the presenters. "We firmly believe in what we are doing and are happy to talk to people about what we have achieved and how we have done it."
The seminar was organized by Raymond Miller, research forester and MAES Upper Peninsula forest properties manager, and is another benefit of Miller's August 2007 trip to Sweden with Gov. Granholm, Michigan Economic Development Corporation officials, Michigan Tech researchers and other MAES scientists. Miller and others met several times with Gulliksson while in Sweden.
There is no fee to attend the seminar, and no reservations are required. For more information, contact the Upper Peninsula Tree Improvement Center at uptic@msu.edu or Rich Kobe, MAES forestry researcher, at kobe@msu.edu.
Download a copy of the seminar flyer.
MSU Researchers Receive Animal Welfare Planning Grant
A $400,000 planning grant will bring together animal welfare experts from Michigan State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and several other universities to develop a proposal to establish the Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) for the Health and Welfare of Egg-Laying Hens.
Funded by the American Egg Board (AEB), the CAP planning grant comes amidst mounting consumer and food retailer concerns about animal production practices -- concerns that are often narrowly targeted toward a specific practice or behavior rather than examining a proposed change with respect to the entire system.
"Approval of this planning grant by the American Egg Board extends beyond the funding dimension," said Janice Swanson, MSU animal welfare researcher and planning grant leader. "Supporting this groundbreaking project sends a very clear signal that the egg industry is open to a systematic social and scientific examination of U.S. egg production."
In addition to Swanson, a professor in the MSU colleges of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture and Natural Resources, other planning project leaders are Joy Mench, an internationally recognized poultry scientist from the University of California, Davis, and Paul Thompson, MAES researcher, who holds the W.K. Kellogg Chair in Agricultural, Food and Community Ethics. The project coordination team includes scientists from Purdue University, Iowa State University, Washington State University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Other institutions and stakeholders will participate through expert study groups.
The planning will be conducted in two phases. The first will identify key issues, formulate the study questions and develop research priorities. During this phase, the project coordination team will conduct two-day workshops on the effects of egg production system changes on hen health and welfare; food safety, security and quality; human health; the environment; and economics, labor and the supply chain.
The team also will examine public attitudes toward egg production practices and the shaping of constructive public discourse and action.
"Although consumer attitudes play a major role in shaping public policy, there has been very little scholarly attention paid to U.S. public attitudes toward laying hen housing systems," Thompson said.
In the second phase, a multi-institutional team will write the CAP proposal and then submit it to the USDA for funding.
During both planning phases, key stakeholders will be involved, including representatives from animal protection, environmental and consumer organizations.
If the proposal is approved by the USDA, the CAP will support research to create an integrated model in which proposed changes to egg production systems can be evaluated to predict potential effects on the entire system. This integrated egg production practices model could possibly be modified and used in other animal production systems.
"Many factors can affect the well-being of laying hens and the sustainability of egg production systems," Mench said. "To appropriately assess and advance this area, an integrated approach that evaluates all factors from the farm to the consumer must be considered. We have not developed an integrated systems model of U.S. egg production that will allow us to adequately predict the effects of a change on all components of the system."
Entomology Doctoral Student Named Outstanding Ph.D. Student of 2007 by IOBC
Studying beneficial insects from a landscape perspective earned Mary Gardiner, an entomology Ph.D. candidate who works in the lab of MAES scientist Doug Landis, Outstanding Ph.D. Student of 2007 honors from the International Organization for Biological Control of Noxious Animals and Plants-Nearctic Regional Section (IOBC-NRS).
Directing a team of scientists from Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, Gardiner studied how landscape structure affected biological control of soybean aphids. She found that as landscape diversity went up, biological control of the aphids in soybean fields increased. When landscapes were less diverse -- dominated by corn and soybean fields -- there was less biological control of soybean aphid. The difference is probably because diverse landscapes mean that more natural enemies of soybean aphids, such as lady beetles, have access to soybean fields.
If natural enemy numbers are high enough, farmers don't have to use pesticides to control the aphids. When the landscape around a soybean field includes highly diverse habitats such as forests, houses, cropland, pastures and other features, it provides increased food and shelter for natural enemies.
"Mary's work demonstrates the potential for farmers to manage landscapes to enhance beneficial insect communities and reduce the need for pesticide applications," Landis said. "Her research is changing the way we think about pest management in agriculture. By showing the overriding importance of landscape in driving biocontrol outcomes, Mary's work forces us to think beyond field and farm borders to design farming systems at landscape and regional scales.
"The IOBC award is wonderful recognition of the excellence that Mary brings to everything she does," he added.
"It was very exciting to receive this award," Gardiner said. "I know several of the people that have received this award in the past, and I'm honored to be in that group."
In addition to her research, Gardiner also teaches graduate and undergraduate courses at MSU, as well as through the MSU Extension Master Gardener program. She also developed the pocket field guide "Identifying Natural Enemies in Crops and Landscapes." The guide has been invaluable in training field scouts, Extension educators, growers and homeowners to identify beneficial insects that are natural enemies of pest insects. Since its release in 2006, it has sold more than 3,000 copies in 24 states and three provinces.
"I really enjoy working directly with growers and Master Gardeners through the MSU Extension program," Gardiner said. "I want my research work to have components that can help people right now as well as in the future."
The research was funded by a $1.5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Avoidance and Mitigation (RAMP) grant and the collaborating universities. Other MAES scientists involved in the project include entomologists Christina DiFonzo and Michael Brewer and agricultural economist Scott Swinton.
Established in 1955, the IOBC is a global organization affiliated with the International Council of Scientific Unions. The IOBC promotes environmentally safe methods of pest and disease control. One of six regional sections, the NRS encompasses the United States, Canada and Bermuda.
Research Shows Michigan's Agriculture and Food Economy Growing
Though much of Michigan's economy has foundered for the past 3 years, there has been a bright spot: the state's agri-food sector has continued to grow.
A new analysis by agricultural economists in the MSU Product Center in the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources shows that Michigan's agri-food and agri-energy system had an estimated total economic impact of $63.7 billion per year, based upon data primarily from 2006. This represents an increase of approximately $3.6 billion above the $60.1 billion impact projected in an analysis of 2004 data released 2 years ago.
MAES scientist Christopher Peterson, director of the Product Center and lead researcher, said the report, "Update on the Economic Impact of Michigan's Agri-Food and Agri-Energy System," considers economic contributions from agriculture and related industries, including leather, nursery, turfgrass, ornamental plants and food processing, as well as economic contributions from ethanol production. The study shows the agricultural economy expanding at a rate more than a full percentage point above the growth rate of the general economy (5.9 percent versus 4.8 percent) between 2004 and 2006.
"The original study, done 2 years ago, was based on data through 2004. It has had such widespread use by public and private decision makers that we knew an update would be appreciated," Peterson said. "Don Koivisto, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture, asked us to put together an update, and we were happy to respond. We were able to update some significant pieces of the original data through 2006 and look at ethanol production numbers for 2007."
All of the updated numbers are advisory estimates only. A full analysis can only be done every 5 years as agricultural and economic census data are collected and released, Peterson explained.
The study analyzed both the direct and indirect economic impacts of producing and processing agricultural and food products. The direct economic impact of the agri-food system is estimated to be $38 billion, and the direct impact of the agri-energy system -- primarily the production of ethanol -- is estimated to be $378 million. Ethanol production has become a far more significant economic activity in Michigan since 2004, with a dramatically increased economic impact due to the increase in the number of ethanol plants in the state from just one in 2004 to five today.
"This study only underscores the importance of the agri-food business to Michigan's economy," Koivisto said. "Though the state's economy has struggled, Michigan agriculture continues to see growth, and I believe it will be a cornerstone to diversifying Michigan's economy in the future."
The earlier study showed the potential for considerable economic growth and employment within the agri-food system. The agri-food system employs nearly 24 percent of all employed Michiganians, with more than 725,000 of these workers directly employed in the industry and others employed indirectly in related sectors, such as transportation. Agri-food is the state's second largest production sector, behind the automotive industry.
"The agri-food and agri-energy system is critical to the state's economic health, contributing a total of $63.7 billion annually," Peterson said. "The system is growing at a robust rate of 5.9 percent for the 2-year period from 2004 to 2006, led by farming (6.4 percent increase) and ethanol production (692 percent increase). Overall, the state's economy grew only 4.8 percent for that same period."
"The Update on the Economic Impact of Michigan's Agri-Food and Agri-Energy System" will be online at http://www.aec.msu.edu/product/strategic.htm.
Enviro-Weather, Cherry Research Information Available
The latest information on Michigan's Internet-based agricultural weather system and tart cherry integrated orchard management is now available online.
Available at http://www.enviroweather.msu.edu/news/Enviro-weatherReport2007.pdf, the first Enviro-weather report details the components of the project, as well as how information from Enviro-weather has been used to help fruit, vegetable and potato growers and turfgrass managers.
Enviro-weather is funded by Project GREEEN, the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, MSU Extension and private contributions.
The latest tart cherry integrated orchard management project (known as TC RAMP) research update is available at http://ipm.msu.edu/pdf/RAMPcherry08.pdf. Reports on progress on insect control with reduced-risk pesticides, plum curculio biology and management, cherry fruit fly management, fungal disease control, breeding and other research are featured.
The TC RAMP project, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2003 to 2007, received a 1-year extension to September 2008. Because of the effectiveness of the first project, a second TC RAMP project was funded from 2007 to 2010. TC RAMP is a collaboration between scientists at MSU, the University of Utah and the University of Wisconsin.
New Faculty Members
The MAES is pleased to welcome three new faculty members with MAES appointments.
Brenda
Alston-Mills, former assistant dean of diversity and professor of animal science in the North Carolina State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, was named associate dean and director of the Office
of Organization and Professional Development for Diversity and Pluralism within the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR). Her appointment began January 1.
Alston-Mills leads recruitment and retention efforts designed to achieve a more diverse graduate student body, as well as faculty and staff members within the CANR, MSU Extension and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station. She will promote multicultural values and practices through professional and unit-level organizational development and serve as a liaison between the CANR and the MSU Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives.
Alston-Mills was a member of the NC State Department of Animal Science faculty from 1990 to 2007 with a 1-year hiatus (2002-03), to server as visiting professor of pathology and laboratory science at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She previously held faculty posts in animal science at the University of Maryland, College Park, and in job training and career planning at Camden County College, Camden, N.J.
Alston-Mills received a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa., and both a master's degree and doctorate in zoology with an emphasis in endocrinology from Michigan State University. She is a member of numerous professional societies, including the American Dairy Science Association, the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Sigma Xi scientific research society, the Gamma Sigma Delta agricultural fraternity and Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society. She has published and presented her work on animal endocrinology in a variety of publications and has received many awards for teaching excellence at the university level. Her accolades include the 2005 National Role Models Faculty Mentor Award from Minority Access, Inc., the 2006 North Carolina State Student Diversity Council Award and the 2007 Award of Honor from the Alumnae Association of the Philadelphia High School for Girls. In 2001, she was the Lycoming College convocation speaker and recipient of the college's Outstanding Alumnae Achievement Award.
Dawn Reinhold was named assistant professor of biosystems engineering in January. Her research focuses on understanding removal processes in plant-based systems, particularly trace organic pollutants such as personal care products, pharmaceuticals and pesticides. Her research uses controlled laboratory-scale reactors to quantify and enhance the removal processes, as well as field applications to address water quality at MSU and the surrounding communities. Reinhold's research also is looking at the long-term fate of organic pollutants taken up by plants and the implications to ecosystem and human health, as well as using tissue culture to develop plants with enhanced capabilities to treat environmental contamination.
Reinhold received her doctorate in civil and environmental engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2007 and her bachelor's degree in biological and agricultural engineering from Kansas State University in 2002.
Janice
Siegford, assistant professor of animal science, became affiliated with the MAES in January. Her research examines the long-term effects of early environment and management practices on the behavior and welfare of domestic animals. She is particularly interested in how various weaning strategies affect cattle and swine behavior. She also is working to develop and validate automated, non-invasive ways to remotely assess the behavior and welfare of individual animals, particularly those typically housed in large groups, such as laying hens
Siegford came to MSU as a postdoctoral researcher in 2003 and then worked as a research assistant professor from 2005 to 2007. She received her doctorate in neuroscience from Washington State University in 2003, her master's degree in zoology from the University of Idaho in 1999 and her bachelor's degree in science communication from Cornell University in 1995.
Wide Range of Programs on Tap for ANR Week
Farmers, agriculturists, foresters and others interested in livestock, land and water are invited to Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Week, Feb. 29-March 8 at MSU. The annual event, formerly known as Farmers' Week, is hosted by the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, MSU Extension and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.
This year's events include educational programs ranging from forest stewardship training to a small flock poultry program and educational sessions focused on forage and grazing technologies. In addition, ANR Week is the setting for numerous annual meetings and conferences, including the Michigan State Rabbit Breeders (with meeting and shows Feb. 29-March 2), the Michigan Wildflower Conference (March 3), the 80th Michigan FFA Convention (March 5-7), the Michigan Barn Preservation Network Conference (March 8) and the Beekeepers Annual Conference (March 8).
Other events include the Michigan Organic Conference (Feb. 29-March 1), a horticulture therapy conference (March 7-8), Spring Goat Day (March 8) and the Quiet Water Symposium (March 1).
For a complete list of programs, conferences and educational opportunities, visit the ANR Week Web site or contact program coordinator Megghan Honke via e-mail or at 517- 353-3175, ext. 229.
Free ANR Week program guides with dates, times, locations, costs and event descriptions are available from any county MSU Extension office or the MSU Bulletin Office, 117 Central Services, MSU, East Lansing, MI 48824-1001; 517-353-6740.
