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MAES Research, Extension Vital to State's Economy

A proposed $32 million state funding cut to Michigan State University's agricultural research and Extension programs would put a $500 million hit on Michigan and could cost an estimated 1,000 knowledge-economy jobs.

So argue Steve Pueppke, director of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station director and the MSU Office of Biobased Technologies, and Tom Coon, director of MSU Extension. They testified before the Michigan House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee on Feb. 23.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm's proposed fiscal 2010 budget calls for combining the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station with MSU Extension, and cutting their funding in half to $32 million.

Agriculture is a stabilizing influence on the state's battered economy, the directors told lawmakers -- at $71 billion in annual receipts accounting for a fifth of state economic output. Investments in the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station and Extension leverage $2.33 for every $1 the state invests, Pueppke and Coon said.

The programs also help drive Michigan's 21st century economy, including support for alternative energy and biofuels research, and food safety and security. Urban issues such as rehabilitation of brownfield sites, public health programs, entrepreneurial consulting and nutrition issues also are key.

Among the services provided to the state through the MAES and MSUE, the two directors cited:

  • Landing a large share of the U.S. Department of Energy's $135 million, five-year funding for the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, involving 36 key scientists, $900,000 in monthly research expenditures and potential renewal for an additional 10 years.
  • Studies showing new potential for Michigan's 10,000 acres of polluted brownfield sites, including reuse for wind energy and growing biofuel crops.
  • Research and Extension advisories that helped growers cut the amount of pesticides applied to Michigan apples by almost 6,000 pounds a year.
  • Engineering projects, including one group working with an Ann Arbor technology startup to improve the safety of leafy greens and other fresh foods by validating use of X-rays to kill bacterial pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella.
  • New techniques for the state's hard-pressed dairy farmers to increase conception rates in cows, allowing $150 more profit per head annually. That's $30,000 more per year for an average-sized, 200-head Michigan dairy operation.
  • Entrepreneurial support from the MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources, which in 2007 alone was responsible for total capital formation of $2.85 million and retaining or creating nearly 140 jobs.

Pueppke and Coon urged lawmakers to continue to support the programs, neither of which is funded with tuition dollars, to the same extent other higher education programs are supported.

Watch the directors' testimony online.

For more information on MAES, MSUE and other MSU budget issues, visit http://budget.msu.edu/.

MSU Study Shows 12 Percent Growth in Michigan Agri-food Industry

A new report from Michigan State University found one bright spot in Michigan's battered economy -- the food and agriculture industry.

According to the report from the MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan's second-largest industry experienced 12 percent growth in 2007, the year the study was conducted.

"Agriculture is a force for economic stability in Michigan, with yearly economic impact estimated to be $71.3 billion, on the basis of data from 2007," said MAES scientist Christopher Peterson, who serves as director of the MSU Product Center and is one of the study authors. "This represents a $7.6 billion increase from the $63.7 billion impact projected in an analysis of 2006 data released last year."

The study, "Second Interim Update on the Economic Impact of Michigan's Agri-food and Agri-energy System," considers economic contributions from agriculture, food and related industries, including nursery, turfgrass, ethanol, ornamental plants and food processing.

"Michigan's agri-food system represents almost 20 percent of the state's overall economic engine, making it the second-largest industry in Michigan, and it employs a quarter of the state's work force," said Don Koivisto, Michigan Department of Agriculture director. "This report further underscores the importance of this growing industry in rebuilding and diversifying Michigan's economy."

The study shows the agricultural economy expanding at a rate more than five times the growth rate of the general economy (11.9 percent versus 2 percent) between 2006 and 2007.

"If Michigan's agri-food sector appeared on the Fortune 500 list, it would rank 55th," Koivisto said. "To me, that speaks volumes about the vitality of the state's dynamic food and agriculture business sectors, and the intrinsic role it plays in our state's economic health."

Evidence also suggests that employment in the agri-food system has increased since the last economic census data was made available in 2004.

"Our last analysis showed Michigan's agri-food system accounting for 1.05 million jobs, both directly and indirectly," said William Knudson, product market economist for the MSU Product Center and the study's lead author. "We won't have updated job figures until 2010, but signs point to job growth putting Michigan jobs related to agri-food well over 1 million."

Knudson cautioned, however, that the agri-food industry may have hit its peak for the next few years.

"Food is a necessity, so the agri-food industry, unlike tourism and manufactured goods, may fare better than other industries in an economic downturn," Knudson said. "But the system is not immune to the impacts of the global recession."

The MSU data further support growth trends demonstrated in the recently released U.S. Department of Agriculture 2007 Census of Agriculture, which showed a $2 billion increase in farm gate sales since 2002.

The study is available online.

MAES Scientists Speed up Discovery of Plant Metabolism Genes

Rob LastMichigan Agricultural Experiment Station researchers are dramatically speeding up identification of genes that affect the structure and function of chloroplasts. Their work could lead to plants tailored specifically for biofuel production or plants delivering high levels of specific nutrients.

Chloroplasts are specialized compartments in plant cells that convert sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into sugars and oxygen ("fuel" for the plant) during photosynthesis. Chloroplasts also synthesize nutrients such as starch, amino acids, antioxidant vitamins and lipids, which are important to humans and other animals.

"We're using this advanced technology to capture information on almost 100 traits, with an emphasis on metabolism," said Rob Last, MAES biochemistry and molecular biology researcher. "We can then analyze that data and look for correlations that we wouldn't see using traditional genetic screening methods. Finding these correlations gives us a more complete understanding of the relationships between seemingly unrelated aspects of plant metabolism."

Last and his colleagues use high-throughput genetic screening and advanced analysis technologies for their research. He discussed that technology, as well as the possible biotechnological outcomes, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in February.

Manipulating plant metabolism to create crops with more biomass or improved nutrition has been hampered by limited information on how metabolism works - metabolic pathways are more complex than scientists realized. High-throughput genetic screening allows scientists to look at the effects of genetic changes with a much broader lens than traditional screening technology. Last said it's akin to looking at a traffic problem in a very small town compared with a big city.

"A genetic mutation is like a traffic jam," he explained. "If you block off Main Street in a rural area, there are a limited number of roads and possible detours, and it's likely that everyone will take the same detour. That's the way traditional screening looks at genetic changes, with a focused, close-up perspective," he explained. "But if you block off Michigan Avenue in Chicago, there are many detours people could take. Using high-throughput screening allows us to step back and look at all these detours rather than focusing in on just one. It gives us a more complete view of the effects a genetic change can have."

The knowledge that Last and his colleagues discover about the genes involved with plant metabolism may be used to create plants that have more biomass that could be used for biofuels, or plants that contain higher levels of beneficial nutrients such as unsaturated fats or fiber.

This research is funded by the National Science Foundation. Last's research also is supported by the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.

MSU Wins Rural Development Grant

Michigan State University is slated to be the focus of rural development research and education for the Midwest beginning July 1. The university recently won a competitive grant of nearly $2 million that will make it the host of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD) for the next five years.

The NCRCRD is one of four regional centers charged with strengthening the ability of the land-grant university system and its partners to help build rural community capacity, create vibrant and sustainable economies, and cultivate inclusive governance to enhance regional well-being. The Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, MSU Extension, and the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) will jointly administer the center, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.

"Because 59 of Michigan's 83 counties are considered rural, it is only natural that we are dedicated to helping rural communities thrive," said Frank Fear, senior associate dean of the CANR. "This opportunity allows our faculty and staff members to work with neighboring states to foster research and outreach efforts throughout the North Central Region."

The USDA North Central Region consists of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Scott Loveridge, MAES community and economic development scientist, will serve as the center's transitional director. He will chair a nationwide search to find a permanent director for the NCRCRD.

"The center was crucial in helping me launch my research program at the beginning of my career," Loveridge said. "I plan to help the center continue to play that role as we establish it here at MSU and seek a full-time director."

MAES Researchers Honored at Awards Convocation

Seven MAES scientists, whose research spans the smallest plant particles to the foods we eat, were honored at the 2009 Awards Convocation following President Lou Anna K. Simon's State of the University address.

Christoph Benning, MAES biochemistry and molecular biology researcher; Robert Hausinger, MAES microbiology and molecular genetics researcher; Sheng-Yang He, MAES plant biology researcher and member of the Plant Research Lab; Thomas Reardon, MAES agricultural, food and resource economics researcher; Joan Rose, MAES-affiliated water scientist; and J. Mark Scriber, MAES entomology researcher, received Distinguished Faculty Awards. Katherine Alaimo, food science and human nutrition researcher, received a Teacher-Scholar Award.

Distinguished Faculty Awards are presented in recognition of a comprehensive and sustained record of scholarly excellence in research and/or creative activities, instruction and outreach. Teacher-Scholar Awards are presented to faculty members who early in their careers have earned the respect of students and colleagues for their devotion to and skill in teaching and who have shown scholarly promise.

Christoph BenningChristoph Benning, internationally recognized as one of the leading scientists in the area of plant lipid metabolism, has pushed the boundaries of the fundamental understanding of lipid synthesis and function in plants. He has made major breakthroughs in lipid trafficking, transcriptional control of lipid metabolism and deciphering the role of lipids in photosynthetic membranes that together have shaped the way scientists think about lipids in plants.

In recent years, Benning has pursued applying the fundamental information obtained in his lab to engineering and developing the next generation of agricultural crops for use as biochemical feedstocks and biofuels. His research has been documented in 50 peer-reviewed publications and 26 reviews, and through his filing of 10 patents. Numerous leadership roles -- including service as associate editor on a myriad of journals, on national and international grant panels and review teams, and as editor-in-chief of The Plant Journal -- exemplify his service to the international plant biology community.

"I am honored to receive this award and am happy for the members of my lab, as the award provides acknowledgement of their accomplishments as well," Benning said. "Going where no one has gone before provides the thrill of science, but training young scientists and seeing them advance to their first jobs is just as satisfying. Being a faculty member at MSU has allowed me to pursue these two ideals, and I am grateful for the opportunity."

Robert HausingerRobert P. Hausinger's international reputation initially derived from his seminal contributions to metal ion homeostasis in biology. His research group has defined the assembly of nickel into the enzyme urease, which is responsible for urea metabolic breakdown, and the foundational understanding of nickel trafficking for specific reconstitution of apo forms of proteins in cells. As the leading expert in this field, he was selected to write an authoritative review on metallocenter assembly. Additionally, his pioneering work on a second class of metalloenzymes, the Fe(II) hydroxylases, is receiving international attention. This class of enzymes carries out hydroxylation at non-activated carbon sites of substrates, which is ecologically central to microbial degradation.

Hausinger has served on numerous editorial advisory boards and has been a grant review panel member for the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He is the elected chairperson of the Division of Microbial Physiology and Metabolism of the American Society for Microbiology.

"I'm very honored to be selected for this award, which, in part, reflects the outstanding efforts of the many undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral researchers who have been associated with my laboratory," Hausinger said. "I am extremely fortunate to have worked with, and learned from, my superb colleagues in microbiology, biochemistry, quantitative biology and other programs at MSU."

Sheng-yang HeSheng-Yang He is an internationally recognized leader in research on plant-pathogen interactions. He has made numerous seminal contributions to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens infect plants and by which plants resist pathogens. He and his colleagues were the first to demonstrate that bacteria have a specialized bacterial appendage, called the harp pilus, which they have used to inject essential virulence determinants into plant cells. His work has been published in major peer-reviewed journals, including Science, Nature and Cell.

His research program is funded by major grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He has served as panel manager of the USDA competitive grants program and is an honorary scientist of the Rural Development Administration of the Republic of Korea. He was elected to the board of directors of the International Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions.

"I feel very honored to receive this award," He said. "For the past 13 years, I have had the privilege of working with many talented students, post-docs and collaborators who really deserve all the credit for the work in my lab. MSU provides a particularly stimulating environment for our research because we study both plants and microbes. MSU has exceptional faculty in both disciplines. I am also very happy that my colleague Christoph Benning receives this award this year."

Tom ReardonThomas Reardon investigates international agricultural development and agrifood market transformation in developing countries. He is known globally for his contributions regarding the rise of supermarkets in developing countries and their impact on agrifood systems and small farmers, the transformation of global horticultural markets and the development of the rural nonfarm economy. This research influences development assistance programs in Asia, Latin America and Africa. In 2007, he co-founded the MSU/International Food Policy Research Institute Joint Program on Markets in Asia.

He has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator for $4 million in grants and has managed a further $10 million. He has published 89 journal articles, 13 special issues of academic journals, four books and 138 monographs and reports.

"It's a pleasure and honor to receive this award," Reardon said. "I am grateful for the mentorship I have received from Carl Eicher since I arrived in 1992 with his vision of long-term commitment to hands-on field research and dedicated direct collaboration with developing country research institutions. I am grateful for the encouragement and unflagging support from Steve Hanson, chairperson of our department, who has recognized the value of diversity of approaches and who encourages faculty through constant listening combined with his vision. I owe much of the success I have enjoyed to those two persons and honor them here."

Joan RoseJoan Rose has advanced the field of water resources and human health by examining key microbes, parasites and viruses as waterborne pathogens, using innovative, advanced genomics techniques to decipher their fates and effects within an ecosystem as well as their effects on human populations. Her research has greatly enhanced understanding of the risk these pathogens pose and provided solutions for improving water quality and public health protection throughout the world. Her ongoing research and outreach programs have had local, national and international impact on water safety and global health, particularly a program in which she and her colleagues continually survey the health of our waters globally.

She is well-known for her studies of beach health, sewage-contaminated waters, water reclamation systems and drinking waters; her most recent studies examine the effect of climate change on water quality. In all her work, Rose has brought environmental monitoring into a risk- and evidence-based decision-making process to protect public health.

"At MSU I have had the opportunity to work with some of the best and most passionate scientists and engineers," Rose said. "Together, we have built a program that can help meet global water and health challenges as well as those we face in our own Great Lakes. Sometimes it occurs to me that what we do is save lives; if we can prevent one waterborne outbreak and prevent pollution, we can make a real difference in this world."

Mark ScriberJ. Mark Scriber's international reputation derives from his passion for studying, documenting and publishing how the genetics, morphology, physiology and behavior of the various North American lineages of swallowtail butterflies have diverged in the face of shifts in host plants, geography and climate. Through more than 300 publications, he has elevated this study into a classic model system, producing knowledge with implications across biology. His most recent work on how reproductively isolated recombinant hybrids can drive rapid evolution and speciation is another of his scientific contributions that will stand for all time.

Scriber has been a pillar of interdisciplinary collaborations at MSU, exemplified by the Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior program. During the 11 years he chaired the Department of Entomology, Katherine Alaimoit became one of the top five entomology departments nationally. He remains the driving force behind the Bug House outreach program and has served on countless committees for local, national and international science agencies.

"The high quality and uncommonly cooperative nature of the faculty drew me here 23 years ago to chair the Department of Entomology for 11 years," Scriber said. "Our students and staff have made it especially enjoyable. With these colleagues and friends, I have had the pleasure of enjoying research, teaching and outreach during and after my administrative tour of duty. My deepest thanks to all of you!"

Katherine Alaimo studies hunger in the United States and its effects on children. Her research also focuses on urban agriculture, community and school gardens, and community food security, as well as promotion of healthy eating and physical activity through policy and programs and community design.

2008 Spartan Innovator Award presented to Lake City Experiment Station

Using wireless video cameras to monitor cattle during the calving season earned the Lake City Experiment Station the 2008 Spartan Innovator Award. The award was presented during the 28th annual Farm Managers' Seminar in February.

Doug Carmichael and remote camera system

Doug Carmichael, manager of the Lake City Experiment Station, demonstrates the remote cattle monitoring system at the station.

Connecting the cameras to the Internet allowed Lake City Experiment Station staff members to check on the cows quickly and easily from any location and at any time. Before the cameras were installed, the cows were checked every three to four hours around the clock, requiring staff members to travel at night and through all kinds of weather. The Web camera monitoring system provides better coverage and significantly reduces the time and cost involved. The system paid for itself within the first year.

The Spartan Innovator Award recognizes the outstanding efforts, positive contributions and achievements in the field by MSU farm, station and property staff members to meet the challenges of regulations, safety, technology, research and funding.

"We have many conscientious, creative and talented people in the MSU/MAES farm, station and property family," said Ben Darling, assistant director of the Land Management Office. "This award is one small way to let them know that we notice and appreciate what they are doing and that it truly does make a difference. This award shares the best ideas with all the farm, station and property managers and enhances their ability to solve common challenges and issues."

MAES Scientists Honored by Weed Science Society

Two MAES crop and soil sciences researchers received awards from the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA).

Karen Renner was named a WSSA fellow, the highest honor bestowed upon WSSA members. To be named a fellow, members have to be part of the organization for at least a decade and have made substantial contributions to the field of weed science.

Christy L. Sprague received the Outstanding Early Career Weed Scientist Award. The award is given to a member age 40 or under who has demonstrated originality and creativity and has made a notable contribution to the discipline.

Last Updated: March 17, 2009
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