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MAES Scientist Leads Discussion on Major U.S. Environmental Policy at AAAS Annual Meeting

A major piece of U.S. environmental legislation is nearing its 35th birthday.

At home, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) probably won't get a party for its 35th, and it's having something of a midlife crisis. Yet abroad it is revered and copied.

"Nobody's really revisited this statute since 1979; it's something of a forgotten environmental statute to many," said Daniel Bronstein, MAES resource development researcher. "But it really has changed everything, and it made us a leader in the world in environmental policy."

Bronstein led a panel discussion titled "The National Environmental Policy Act at 35 - Does it Have a Future?" at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Seattle in February. The group will examine how NEPA fits into current U.S. environmental policy.

NEPA was born in the Nixon administration in 1970 and gave the nation's citizens their first formal ability to have input in the decision-making process about projects that have environmental impact.

It was through NEPA that the environmental impact statement was born.

"Its original intent was to give the environment equal status to employment in the office of the president," Bronstein said. "It's never done that, but it has had major impact -- it forces an explicit statement of the environmental trade-offs you're making."

On the surface, NEPA's major milestones now seem routine. Newer legislation, such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, seems to have more impact.

But across the globe, Bronstein said, NEPA is a powerhouse. The concept of full study of the environmental consequences of governmental actions has been adopted on a national level in more than 100 countries, according to the International Association for Impact Assessment. Similar requirements at less than national levels bring the count of legal requirements to more than 200 countries.

Bronstein said NEPA's strength is in the power it gives groups to oppose local projects that may threaten the environment, such as highway development.

"We need to take our position as a world leader seriously," Bronstein said. "We give advice when asked, and we want it to be good advice."

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Future of Environmental Policy is in Interaction, MAES Scientist Says

They don't call it biocomplexity for nothing.

The future of environmental policy lies in embracing ambiguity - in the understanding that the days of dreaming of isolated fixes to problems are over. The future, an MAES ecology scientist told those at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Seattle, is all about understanding that there are no simple solutions, or at least none that isolated.

"It is necessary to focus on the interactions of different policies," said Jianguo "Jack" Liu. "Each policy may look really good, but if you put them together, they might have some unexpected negative impacts. We are learning to change the way we make policy and the ways in which we evaluate policy."

Liu told those attending the symposium "Frontiers in Biocomplexity Science: Reciprocal Interactions between Human and Natural Systems" that a major obstacle to effective environmental policy is myopia.

The environment, he said, is all about the big picture - not only about how humans have an impact on natural systems but on how changes to natural systems affect humans, and especially how policies affect one another. These types of complexity are not what traditional ecologists tackle.

Liu is not a traditional ecologist. He has spent nearly two decades juggling the complexities of human needs, wildlife necessities, political realities and technological potential. In a cover story in the British science journal Nature in January 2003, Liu and co-authors explored how increases in the number of households in 141 countries have a significant impact on wildlife and the environment, even where the population size declines.

Further work is showing the symbiotic relationships between humans and natural systems, and between one policy and another. Liu notes that though individual policies may elegantly work to solve an area's problems, they may over time conflict or create conditions that evolve into new challenges for both humans and nature.

At AAAS, Liu discussed the work that he and his collaborators had done at the Wolong Nature Reserve in the Sichuan Province of southwestern China, which is one of the largest homes to the endangered giant panda. In Wolong, the Chinese government has instituted three policies to preserve panda habitat: an eco-hydropower plant program to eliminate fuel wood consumption, a natural forest conservation program to prevent illegal forest harvesting and a grain-to-green program to return cropland to forest.

Liu said each program had been carefully considered, but already some policies are having unexpected effects now that people have started living them. For example, many new households were formed to take advantage of the natural forest conservation program because economic incentives from the government were provided on a per household basis. Furthermore, much of the money received from the natural forest conservation program was not used to buy electricity. As a result, most households continue to use fuel wood.

"We're finding that it's human nature to, if you have money, use it to buy what you like," Liu said. "Fuel wood is a common resource, and many people choose not to do what the policy intended."

Liu said a solution is to consider the interactive effects of various policies rather than individual policies in isolation. This approach places different demands on policy-making, forcing experts to look beyond their own fields and requiring various government agencies to work together.

"To meet the challenges of environmental policy in business and government, we need a new kind of scientist," said Thomas Dietz, director of MSU's Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP). "They will continue to need the scientific depth and rigor that comes from traditional fields. But they also need a breadth of understanding that the traditional fields don't supply."

"Environmental problems don't come in neat boxes. Students have to be trained to think out of their disciplinary boxes," he said.

"Understanding the complex interactions between people and their natural and built environments requires scientific analysis and synthesis that engage scientists and engineers to think more broadly and innovatively than they have had to think in the past," said Tom Baerwald, a senior science adviser and program director at the National Science Foundation and co-organizer of the AAAS symposium. "We have evaluated many exciting proposals in recent biocomplexity competitions and Michigan State researchers have been among the leaders in this process, both as researchers proposing projects and as reviewers evaluating them."

Also presenting at the symposium were Marina Alberti, University of Washington; Patrick Kirch, University of California, Berkeley; Timothy Kratz, University of Wisconsin; Peter Deadman, Indiana University; and Alice Pell, Cornell University.

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Scientist Organizes International Food Safety Experts to Offer New Methods to Assess Risk

New methods to improve the safety of the world's food supply are in the pipeline, and the need is imminent, said the director of the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center at MSU.

Scientist Ewen C.D. Todd organized the symposium "Food Safety and Risk Assessment: New Approaches to Microbiological Problems" at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Seattle. Todd emphasizes that microbiological food-borne hazards such as listeriosis are cause for concern today because of many changes:

• The globalization and urbanization of developing countries, some without adequate infrastructure systems to handle food and water safety.
• A growing number of countries reporting increased numbers of food-borne illnesses through better surveillance systems.
• Problems with produce contamination, extending the scope of food risk.
• Concerns about bioterrorism and possible threats to food security.
• New patterns of food production, distribution and consumption, including increased travel, more meals eaten away from home and increased demand for a wide variety of foods.
• Recent recalls and industry losses such as the Pilgrim's Pride Listeria outbreak of 2002 and mad cow disease affecting Canadian and U.S. beef supplies in 2003 and 2004.

"Scientific risk-based policy is overtaking the cultural and political debate about food," said Todd, referring to the recent single case of mad cow disease in the United States. "Countries are creating policies based on risk, not on culture. The current systems of testing and release of products have not proven very effective in reducing food-borne illness."

Risk assessment requires gathering quantitative data on the prevalence and concentration of food-borne illness for specific foods. Modules from farm to fork help create a mathematical picture of risk for contamination. The resulting models can predict how many illnesses can occur and how managers can change parameters - and food safety strategies - to control the risk. The concept is relatively new for the food industry, so it is imperative that the global community understand the issue and methods, Todd said.

Todd gathered world expert speakers on risk assessment of food to hash out approaches for countries as diverse as Malaysia and the United States, which currently have different approaches to assess risk for food-borne illness. In addition to Todd, the speakers were:

• Jorgen Schlundt, World Health Organization. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, along with WHO, is drafting risk assessment strategies for 21 foods. (Todd co-authored the FAO/WHO assessment on Listeria monocytogenes.)
• Karen Hulebak, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hulebak will represent the Codex Alimentarius Commission from the perspective of the Committee on Food Hygiene.
• Karen Dodds, Health Canada. Canada has a management system in place, but factors such as bioterrorism and mad cow disease may affect food labeling and trade. (Todd was the head of the Contaminated Foods Section of Health Canada for many years.)
• Isabel Walls, International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), Risk Science Institute. ILSI is drafting a final report that describes risk to various types of populations, including the immunocompromised persons. They might require messages not to eat certain foods on the basis of risk assessment findings. (Todd serves on the expert team to reduce listeriosis.)
• Leon Gorris, Unilever. Gorris provided an industry perspective on risk assessment and how it can aid in product development and design.

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Integrated Manure Management Systems Provide New Opportunities for Dairy Producers

Integrated manure management systems that reduce nutrients and possibly eliminate pathogens in the manure stream will change the way dairy farmers handle manure on the farm. What was once a relatively simple task of hauling and spreading manure on farm fields is evolving into a highly sophisticated process involving treatment and other operations that grant farmers flexibility and generate the potential for new profit centers.

MAES agricultural engineering researchers have been at the forefront of developing manure management systems in this country. The first component they developed for dairy farms was a sand-manure separator to take sand used for bedding out of the manure. Removing the sand allowed more flexibility in manure handling. And because the separator also rinses the sand, farmers can reuse it.

"Michigan dairy farmers have identified manure management as one of the most important challenges they face today and expect to face in the future," said William Bickert, MAES agricultural engineering scientist. "We are continuing to look at new ways to help farmers meet these challenges."

A component of the integrated manure management system being investigated by MAES researchers is a fixed-film anaerobic digester, which is used to convert the biomass into an energy source. The fixed-film digester has the advantage of a shorter retention time -- four days compared with 21 or more days in a plug flow system - so it requires a substantially smaller digester volume and can be built at a lower cost.

"Unlike the plug flow systems operating in Michigan 20 years ago, the fixed-film digesters offer new opportunities for treating animal manure, especially manure streams with higher moisture contents," Bickert said. "When used in conjunction with other manure treatment processes, the digester reduces odors and pathogens, generates energy and sets the stage for removing nutrients from the manure stream."

In spring 2004, Bickert and his colleagues in the MSU Department of Agricultural Engineering will install the first anaerobic digester on a Michigan dairy farm in 20 years.

Funding for the digester comes from the Animal Agriculture Initiative and the Michigan Biomass Energy Program. In addition, Wirth and Fedewa Construction and MPC Cashway Lumber have provided a building for laboratory equipment and instrumentation. Green Meadow Farms in Elsie, Mich., is providing facilities and assistance with construction.

The digester will be one component of a complete integrated manure management system installed on the mid-Michigan dairy farm. If the trial is successful, researchers expect to see more digesters in place around the state.

"Anaerobic digestion is the cornerstone of an integrated manure management system in which successive treatments may lead to a zero effluent discharge manure system," Bickert said. "For example, phosphorus separation technologies and other innovative manure treatments benefit from the stable and consistent effluent stream produced by an anaerobic digester."

The anaerobic digester also can destroy pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella that may be present in the manure.

The first step in the process is the removal of sand and grit from the manure. The digesters used in the past were unable to handle manure with sand in it. The development of the sand-manure separator makes the digester a viable concept again.

From the sand separator, the manure stream travels on through a grit removal system that removes fine sand and grit particles, further reducing problems in the digester. Once the grit is removed, the manure stream goes through a grinder, then through a heat exchanger and then to the anaerobic digester.

"Through this process, all the biosolids in the manure will be included in the digestion process, increasing biogas production and reducing the stream of unprocessed biosolids," Bickert explained.

The liquid and biosolids leaving the digester will then pass through a struvite reactor, where the phosphorus is removed in a sludge that can then be land applied or composted. The sludge and resulting compost can be sold as fertilizer. The struvite reactor is being constructed with a grant from the National Center for Manure and Wastewater Management.

The liquid leaving the struvite reactor, with very low concentrations of biosolids and nutrients, will then be directed to a constructed wetland.

A team of researchers from the departments of Agricultural Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering will evaluate the integrated manure management system at each step in the process. Samples from each process will be collected and tested to determine the effectiveness of the complete system.

Jim Wallace, a graduate student in biosystems engineering, is studying the use of an anaerobic membrane as a part of the system to determine the impact on digester efficiency and reduction of pathogens.

"Integrated manure management systems can be tailored to individual farms, depending on the needs and goals of the operation," said Dana Kirk, graduate assistant in biosystems engineering. "Individual farm operations may not need every possible treatment component but may implement those that are useful on their farm."

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MAES Scientists Honored at Annual MSU Awards Convocation

An MAES entomology researcher was one of eight MSU professors receiving Distinguished Faculty Awards during the annual universitywide Awards Convocation in February.

An MAES agricultural engineering scientist received one of six Teacher-Scholar Awards at the ceremony.

Each Distinguished Faculty Award recipient receives a stipend of $3,000. The award is presented in recognition of a comprehensive and sustained record of scholarly excellence in research and/or creative activities, instruction and outreach.

Teacher-Scholar Awards, which carry a $2,000 stipend, are given for devotion to and skill in teaching and scholarly promise.

The Awards Convocation followed President Peter McPherson's State of the University speech.

Richard W. Merritt, MAES entomology researcher, received the Distinguished Faculty Award. One of only eight officially certified forensic entomologists in North America, Merritt conducts research in the biology and ecology of aquatic invertebrates, their roles in organic matter cycling and species of medical importance. He is dedicated to transforming fundamental research into technology that benefits society. Examples include his integrated stable fly management program for Mackinac Island and numerous mosquito and black fly control initiatives and Lyme disease projects.

Merritt is the author of An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America, frequently referred to as the bible of aquatic entomology. His forensic entomology course, "Bugs and Bodies," is renowned, and his students find positions throughout the world as respected scientists, teachers and outreach specialists. Merritt's own outreach contributions include programs for communities and consultation to government and industry. He is in great demand by the legal profession for his expertise in forensic entomology and is valued for his thorough assessment of forensic entomological evidence in high-profile homicide cases.

Bradley P. Marks, MAES agricultural engineering researcher, received the Teacher-Scholar Award. Marks is nationally recognized for his teaching and research in biosystems engineering and food safety. His colleagues and peers appreciate his blend of high standards and great caring manner. He is the departmental leader in curriculum improvement and instructional innovations and has been called "a teacher of teachers."

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$10 Million Sought to Fight Crop Disease to Stem Crisis Hitting 29 States

Researchers from Michigan, North Carolina and Georgia have asked their members of Congress for $10 million to find a remedy to a crop disease that has spread to 29 states and threatens the vegetable industry.

"This has wreaked such havoc, it's unlike anything I've dealt with," said Mary Hausbeck, MAES plant pathologist.

Nationwide, the soil-borne fungal disease caused by Phytophthora threatens almost 1.3 million acres of vegetable crops worth nearly $4 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The disease, which causes vegetables to rot either in the field or after harvest, affects cucumbers, eggplants, gourds, cantaloupes, peppers, pumpkins, summer and winter squash, tomatoes, watermelons, zucchini, snap beans and lima beans.

If nothing is done to stop the disease's spread, processors such as pickling plants that cannot depend on a steady supply of local vegetables eventually will either move or contract with foreign producers, according to the USDA.

The researchers, who have received $1.5 million in grants to work on the disease since 1996, say they are close to a solution -- if they can get more money.

"We are poised to come up with a strategy that should make this problem manageable," Hausbeck said.

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Program Diversity Marks Agriculture and Natural Resources Week

Programs on farming, managing natural resources, growing plants, showing animals and enjoying the outdoors will once again highlight Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Week, March 5-13 at Michigan State University.

Educational programs will focus on topics ranging from barn preservation, equine lameness, small flock poultry, goats, bats and beekeeping to wildflowers, herbs, perennial plants and biological control of purple loosestrife.

Environmental education programs to be offered include Project WILD, Project FISH and Project Learning Tree. During these programs, teachers, youth group leaders and parents can discover how to help young people appreciate, value and understand natural resources.

A number of organizations will also hold meetings during the week, including the Michigan Audubon Society, the Michigan State Rabbit Breeders Association, the Michigan Chapter of the Walnut Council, the Michigan Centennial Farm Association, the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Michigan FFA.

New this year, high school students, parents, teachers and counselors can learn about the diverse majors offered by the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources during a one-day workshop March 12.

For more information about dates, times, locations and registration for ANR Week activities, visit http://www.canr.msu.edu/anrweek/.

To receive a free program book, contact program coordinator Sandi Bauer at 517-353-3175 (e-mail bauer@msue.msu.edu).

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Witter Named Interim Chair

Scott Witter, MAES scientist, has been named interim chairperson of the Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies (CARRS). He was chosen following a process that included input from faculty and staff members, students and stakeholders of the new department. He replaces Janet Bokemeier, who was named chairperson of the Department of Sociology.

Witter has more than 10 years of college-level administrative experience in the MSU Institute of International Agriculture. He served as associate chairperson of the Department of Resource Development and as acting chair since 2000. Witter also has more than 20 years' experience conducting research, outreach, consulting and teaching activities related to international and domestic watershed management issues. He holds a doctorate from MSU in resource development/watershed management, a master's degree from the University of Alberta in watershed management and a bachelor's degree from South Dakota State University in urban planning.

A national search will be conducted to select a permanent chairperson.

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Spartan Innovator Award presented to University Farms Service Center

Tony Boughton, assistant farm manager for the University Farms Service Center, accepted the 2003 Spartan Innovator Award from Ben Darling, assistant director of the Land Management Office, at the 23rd Annual Farm Manager Seminar in February.

Boughton received the award on behalf of all University Farms staff members for ingenuity and innovation in designing and implementing a new manure tank power washing station. This new station provides a more automated system, making it easier to clean the exterior of the tanks without ladders or climbing.

This award recognizes the outstanding efforts, positive contributions and achievements in the field by farm, station and property staff members to meet the changing and growing challenges of regulations, technology, research and funding.

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MAES Scientist Honored

Brenda Sternquist, MAES merchandising management researcher, is the first professor to be honored as Retail Educator of the Year by the National Retail Federation, in partnership with J.C. Penney Co. and the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M University.

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Water Scientist Appointed to Michigan Environmental Science Board

Joan Rose, MAES-affiliated scientist who holds the Homer Nowlin Endowed Chair for Water Research at MSU, was one of four people appointed to the Michigan Environmental Science Board by Gov. Granholm in February.

According to the governor's statement, Rose was appointed to represent individuals with expertise in microbiology for a term expiring Aug. 6, 2006. She succeeds Ronald H. Olsen whose term expired.

The other appointees are:

• Michael Barcelona, professor and chairperson of the Department of Chemistry at Western Michigan University, who was appointed to represent individuals with expertise in chemistry for a term expiring Aug. 6, 2006.
• Gerald Keeler, professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan, who was appointed to represent individuals with expertise in atmospheric sciences for a term expiring Aug. 6, 2006.
• Nicholas Mercuro, professor in residence at MSU-Detroit College of Law, who was appointed to represent individuals with expertise in economics for a term expiring Aug. 6, 2006.

The board is an independent state agency established in 1992 to provide scientific and technical advice to the governor on matters affecting the protection and management of environmental and natural resources.

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Michigan Family Farms Conference Explores Strategies for Small Farmers

The first Michigan Family Farms Conference, set for March 26-27 in Lansing, Mich., will offer farmers alternative strategies and opportunities to help farmers address risk management issues and move toward more viable agricultural operations in the 21st century.

The conference theme is "Successful Strategies for Small and Limited-Resource Farmers, Ranchers and Entrepreneurs." The event will include breakout sessions on preserving the family farm, resources for risk management, value-added agriculture, and production and marketing for small farms.

John Ikerd, professor emeritus from the University of Missouri, will give the March 26 keynote address. Ikerd has more than 30 years' experience working on issues related to sustainable agriculture. His talk, "Reclaiming the Family Farm," will focus on the roles that family farms will be called on to play in sustaining American agriculture in the future.

MAES scientist Michael Hamm, holder of the C.S. Mott Chair for Sustainable Agriculture, will discuss the impacts of the changing food system on the health and well-being of current and future generations in a talk titled "Michigan's Food: Risk Management in a Sustainable Context."

Will Allen, a farmer, community activist and director of Growing Power, Inc., of Milwaukee, Wis., will draw from his experiences in building sustainable and community-based food systems for his talk, "Family Farms: Alternatives and Opportunities."

The conference registration fee is $100 before March 5 and $125 after that date. It includes all meals and materials. The registration deadline is March 12.

For more information and registration forms, contact Michigan Integrated Food & Farming Systems at 517-432-0712 or visit http://www.miffs.org/.

The Michigan Family Farms Conference is coordinated by Michigan Integrated Food & Farming Systems and the Farm Research Cooperative, with support from the USDA-Risk Management Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources.