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Baker Named MAES Associate Director

John C. Baker, who served as acting director of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station from Nov. 1, 2004, to Nov. 30, 2005, has been named associate director of the MAES, effective June 1.

Baker will serve as a second MAES associate director; Doug Buhler continues to serve as an MAES associate director and College of Agriculture and Natural Resources associate dean for research.

In his role with the MAES, Baker will serve as the MAES liaison to Michigan animal commodity groups and the Animal Agriculture Initiative (AAI). The AAI is a partnership of Michigan livestock producers and affiliated organizations, the Michigan Department of Agriculture, and two colleges and five departments at MSU that identifies and prioritizes industry research and education needs. Baker also will serve as MAES liaison to the FACT (Families and Communities Together) Coalition and will provide leadership as the MAES moves forward with its biomedical research portfolio.

"I'm delighted that John is returning to MAES to be part of our leadership team,” said Steven Pueppke, MAES director. “He has the respect of all the MAES-affiliated units and brings a wealth of experience and understanding of the Michigan food, agricultural and environmental system."

Baker, who has been with the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) for 22 years, began his career in 1984 in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. He served as section head for Food Animal Medicine and Surgery and as acting dean of the CVM. He is currently CVM associate dean for research and graduate studies, director of the University Research Containment Facility and CVM Vivarium, and a professor of large animal clinical sciences.

Baker is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. He serves in numerous professional societies concerned with veterinary medicine, research and large animal industries, and has served on many college and university committees. He was honored in 2004 by the Association for Women Veterinarians with the group’s Distinguished Service Award. Baker received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctor of veterinary medicine degrees from Ohio State University. He served a clinical internship and clinical residency at the University of Minnesota, and he received a second doctorate in large animal clinical sciences from the University of Minnesota.

“The MAES has a national stature,” Baker said. “I look forward to working with Steve and Doug to continue to make the MAES a model of what an agricultural experiment station should be in the 21st century.”

MSU Helps Bring Bioeconomy Boom to Southeast Michigan

Michigan is advancing the new bioeconomy in the heart of the automotive industry, with a company fueled by MSU patents announcing the intention of joining with Wayne County to develop a biotechnology park.

Michigan State University, Wayne County and Diversified Natural Products (DNP), which is based in Scottville, have signed a letter of understanding to collectively develop and construct a biotechnology park to produce succinic acid and ethanol.

Succinic acid has enormous global demand for everything from industrial solvents and biodegradable polymers to airport runway de-icers. The international market for succinic acid, which is traditionally derived from petroleum production, is in the billions of dollars. Fifteen of DNP's patents have sprung from the research of MSU distinguished professor and MAES scientist Kris Berglund.

The company’s technology to make succinic acid is notable because it’s “green.” Instead of petroleum, DNP's succinic acid is made from natural sugars, such as those in Michigan corn. It serves as a starting point for chemicals that can:

Lower the freezing point of water and be used to make environmentally friendly engine coolants and jet runway deicers.
Be used in biodegradable industrial solvents that pose little threat of air pollution or ozone damage.
Make biodegradable polymers for car parts such as dashboards.

Jointly, Wayne County, MSU and DNP will be working to attract interested investors -- from automakers to chemical and pharmaceutical companies -- to make the company’s biorefinery the foundation for a major industrial biotech park in Wayne County.

"The proposed biorefinery complex in Wayne County will offer improved economics over an ethanol plant by producing a diverse array of fuels and chemicals with a broader set of replacement opportunities for petroleum," said Berglund, who is also DNP's chief science officer.

"The bioeconomy is particularly important for Michigan because of our economic situation," said Steven Pueppke, director of the MSU Office of Bio-based Technologies and MAES director. "We also have the prerequisites in place for a vibrant bioeconomy. Michigan has an abundance of raw materials -- wood and crops that could be used as biomass. We have natural resources that could support the growth of dedicated biomass crops. We have strengths at MSU and at other universities in plant breeding and raw material processing. We have firms such as the automotive and furniture industries that want to incorporate more biobased materials into their products."

Robert Ficano, Wayne County executive, understands the pressing need for Michigan to diversify the economy into the biotech market. Last month in his state of the county speech, he said: “Wayne County will pursue the first urban Agricultural Renaissance Zone in Michigan. I want to announce that in partnership with Michigan State University, Diversified Natural Products is prepared to build its first U.S. biorefinery right here in Wayne County.”

“Wayne County and the state of Michigan offer unique opportunities for the creation of the biorefinery model,” said Paul Jacobson, CEO of Diversified Natural Products. “The county executives understand the need to bring the various technological, corporate and government interests together to work toward reducing the use of petroleum.”

Michigan can function as a model for industrial biotechnology because it is one of the few places that has both the agricultural and the industrial bases necessary for achieving low-cost alternatives to oil.

The first phase of the project is to include:

Establishment of a biotech park.
Development of biorefineries for producing biobased chemicals and alternative fuels, in addition to ancillary non-petroleum-based products.
Creation of a research, training and development facility.

"Technologies developed by Michigan State University researchers are playing a key role in promoting the post-petroleum bioeconomy throughout the state," said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. "In that spirit, MSU is pleased to assist Wayne County in attracting a truly pioneering biorefinery, the first of its kind in the state – and the first of many we believe will convert Michigan farm and forest products into the advanced materials Michigan needs for its automotive and other manufacturing sectors."

Optimism and Misperception a Recipe for National Confusion about Food Safety

Americans are confident about their ability to keep the food they eat safe, but a new survey funded in part by the MAES shows they don’t trust their neighbors, and they don’t really have a good feel for how widespread food-borne illness is.

Survey results released in Washington, D.C., in April by the MSU Food Safety Policy Center show a country in cuisine conflict. The center seeks to understand U.S. attitudes about food safety -- who we think should be responsible for it, who we think is most at risk and even how severe we think the risk might be.

The survey showed that only 10 percent of Americans reported they had had food poisoning in the past year, yet statistics (from 10 years ago) say a quarter of Americans suffer food-borne illnesses each year.

“We get sick -- by and large, we know we get sick -- but we don’t know if it’s food-borne illness,” said Craig Harris, MAES sociologist and study director of the Food Safety Policy Center. “We can see that Americans tend not to attribute as many of our illnesses to food as we should.”

“People who got sick probably didn’t know that the foods they ate were unsafe,” added Andrew Knight, a visiting professor in the center. “When you tell them how much food-borne illness there is out there, they find it unacceptable.”

Harris said there is little information even tracking how much of a toll food-borne illness takes on the nation. The latest study, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicates that food-borne illness sends some 325,000 people to the hospital each year and kills 5,000 people, but he noted that that estimate comes from data gathered in the early 1990s.

“We don’t know who is getting sick, and we don’t know if food-borne illness is evenly distributed across the United States or whether some groups are more able to protect themselves or are more protected against food-borne illnesses than other groups,” he said.

The survey was created by the Food Safety Policy Center, whose mission is to promote the development and implementation of food and water safety policies that will ultimately improve human health by more effectively and efficiently reducing food- and water-borne illnesses.

The information was collected in telephone interviews with 1,014 adults in the United States between Oct. 31, 2005, and Feb. 9, 2006. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent. The survey was paid for by the Food Safety Policy Center.

Food-borne illness springs from a complex web that encompasses farm and field, processing and distribution channels, as well as restaurants, kitchen tables and lunch bags left out of the refrigerator too long.

Harris said the survey sought to discover Americans' food-related values. What surfaced are dichotomies: confidence and optimism sometimes outpace the statistical reality of how widespread food-borne illness is. Trust in the federal government is high, but half of Americans say they don’t want the government to ban foods that may be unsafe but are also highly valued. Harris points to foods such as raw milk fresh cheese or unpasteurized apple cider as examples of these dichotomies.

"We are all complex and we all have a combination of expectations,” Harris said. “On one hand, we want the federal government to make the food supply as safe as possible, but sometimes we’re quite happy to accept unsafe food because it’s fresher, because it tastes better or because it’s part of our ethnic identity. We want the freedom and autonomy to choose bundles of goods, positives and negatives.”

Among the survey findings:

Ninety-six percent of Americans trust themselves to ensure the food they eat is safe. But when asked if they trust others to handle their food, the confidence rate dropped to 62 percent. And despite this high self-confidence, only 58 percent say they know a lot or quite a bit about food safety.

“The data show that people feel very comfortable with their own practices and their own behaviors,” said Michelle Worosz, a research associate in the center. “There’s a high level of belief in themselves.”

Sixty-three percent of Americans say they are very or fairly concerned about the safety of the food they eat. Fifty-four percent say they think about food safety when grocery shopping, and 46 percent say they consider it when eating out at a restaurant.

Some Americans are willing to put their money where their mouths --and digestive tracts -- are. Eighty-four percent said they’d be willing to add $270 a year to their food bill (the equivalent of paying 5 percent more) if food-borne diseases could be reduced by 50 percent.

Americans identify the federal government most often -- 38 percent -- as the entity they expect to keep food safe. Most people (88 percent) say they think the government -- most notably the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) -- are capable of keeping food safe, but only 49 percent say they feel the government has enough resources to do the job properly.

The survey also raised some warning flags about how race and class affect food safety issues. The survey indicated higher levels of concern about food safety among people with lower education levels and lower income levels, and among African Americans.

“It’s quite possible one of the things we don’t know is whether persons in these groups have the same access to safer foods,” Harris said. “It may be that some groups are more exposed to out-of-date food or contaminated food than people in other areas.”

The Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station provides support for the Food Safety Policy Center.

Project GREEEN Awards Research Dollars for 2006

Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Environmental and Economic Needs), Michigan’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU, recently awarded grants for 65 research projects for fiscal year 2006. Almost $2.2 million was available in Project GREEEN grant money this funding cycle, of which approximately $1.7 million was appropriated to new projects. The remaining dollars were directed toward projects that started in 2004 or 2005. All projects target priority issues affecting Michigan’s plant agriculture industries.

A total of 94 new project proposals and 22 continuation proposals requesting approximately $4.3 million were received for consideration in this year’s selection process.

Research projects were funded in the categories of basic research, applied research and Extension/education/demonstration. New projects were funded across the spectrum of Michigan’s plant agriculture industries, on topics ranging from identifying effective treatment options for managing the emerald ash borer and restoring community landscapes devastated by the beetle to assessing plant species for use in green roof applications to developing new orchard design and harvest technologies for the state’s cherry industry. Other research topics funded by Project GREEEN in 2006 include finding ways to enhance the profitability and competitiveness of the state’s floriculture industry through alternative energy sources, evaluating corn hybrids for ethanol yield variability and optimizing bee nesting resources to increase pollination of Michigan specialty crops.

A complete list of newly funded and continuing Project GREEEN research projects is available online.

The project funding cycle begins with each plant commodity group identifying industry priorities. Researchers draft their proposals in response to these industry needs. A review panel consisting of researchers, Extension representatives and commodity representatives recommends proposals for funding and presents its recommendations to the Directors’ Action Team (DAT). The DAT then makes final funding decisions.

The main criteria used to evaluate the 91 new proposals for funding were their relationship to the Project GREEEN mission and Michigan plant agriculture priorities, scientific soundness and appropriateness of methodology and multidisciplinary linkages, leverage of funds, potential for future external funding and the feasibility of completing the objectives within the proposed time frame. Mechanisms to deliver information to Michigan’s plant agriculture industries, the multidisciplinary and integrated nature of the proposal, and the extent of partnering with and the potential impact on Michigan plant agriculture industries are also considered.

“The research and outreach projects selected for Project GREEEN funding address industry-identified priorities and have met the rigors of scientific peer review,” said Doug Buhler, coordinator of Project GREEEN and MAES associate director. “These research and outreach projects reflect the partnership and cooperative relationship that exist between the plant industry groups, agribusiness, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Michigan State University.”

MAES Scientist Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship

MAES scientist Jianguo “Jack” Liu, who holds the Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and directs the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, is one of two Michigan State University professors among 187 winners of 2006 Guggenheim Fellowships, awarded to artists, scholars and scientists for distinguished past achievements and exceptional promise of future accomplishments.

The other MSU recipient is Kay Holekamp, professor of zoology.

Liu will use the award to write a book titled “Pandas, People, and Policies” that will synthesize his 10 years of research in China’s Wolong Nature Reserve.

Liu’s research interests include conservation and landscape ecology, systems modeling and simulation, and the effects of human population and activity on endangered species such as the giant panda in China. He is keenly interested in integrating ecology with socioeconomics as well as human demography and behavior for understanding biodiversity across ecosystems.

He has been on the MSU faculty since he completed his postdoctoral study at Harvard University in 1995. In recognition of his efforts and achievements in research, teaching and public service, Liu has been given a number of awards, including NSF's CAREER Award, the Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship from the Ecological Society of America, a Lilly Teaching Fellowship and MSU’s Teacher-Scholar Award.

Fellowship winners of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation competition were selected from 3,000 applicants for awards totaling $7.5 million. Since 1925, the Guggenheim Foundation has granted more than $247 million in fellowships to more than 16,000 individuals. The grants are made freely with no special conditions so that fellows can work with as much creative freedom as possible.

Michigan Tourism Industry Expected to Grow Modestly in 2006

After moderate growth in 2005, Michigan’s tourism industry is expected to grow by about 2 percent this year, according to a forecast presented at the Driving Tourism 2006 Conference.

“We’re upbeat but cautious,” said Don Holecek, MAES scientist and director of Michigan State University’s Travel, Tourism and Recreation Resource Center, who spoke at the conference.

“The continuing economic woes in the state and the troubles facing the domestic automakers are weighing on tourism, but the growing baby boomer retiree segment of the population is showing a tendency to travel more,” Holecek said.

A research team led by Holecek projects that the number of travelers in 2006 will increase by 1 to 2 percent over last year, and travelers’ spending will increase by 4 to 5 percent. The team reviewed many factors known to influence travel activity in Michigan and surveyed industry leaders across the state.

Because travel prices are projected to increase only modestly -- 5 to 6 percent -- Michigan travelers can expect to receive a high value at a very reasonable price again this year.

The weaker U.S. dollar may encourage more Canadians to travel in Michigan this summer. And it’s the first year Michigan schools will be required to extend summer vacations through the Labor Day weekend, Holecek noted.

“Many travelers used to wrap up vacations by mid-August,” Holecek said. “With summer officially extending through Labor Day, we’ll be watching closely to see what impact this new law will have on the state’s tourism industry.”

Because of economic conditions, many people will have less money to spend on leisure than they’ve had in the past, and that uncertainty might make them reluctant to spend what they do have on vacations, Holecek added.

“But with gas prices staying relatively high for the foreseeable future, travelers from Michigan and nearby states will be more likely to travel by car and stay close to home,” he said.

The conference was organized by the Michigan Hotel, Motel & Resort Association in partnership with Travel Michigan and MSU.

New Faculty Member

The MAES is pleased to welcome a new faculty member with an MAES appointment.

Brad Day was named assistant professor of plant pathology March 1. His research focuses on the molecular and genetic basis of disease resistance in plants. Day studies how plants recognize and respond to microbial infection and how the presence of pathogens activates disease resistance signals.

From 2002 to 2005, Day was an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. From 1999 to 2001, he was a postdoctoral fellow with the National Science Foundation at the Science and Technology Agency of Japan, where he conducted research in Tsukuba City, Japan, focusing on fungal pathogens of rice. The author of numerous book chapters and journal articles, Day received his doctorate and his bachelor's degree, both in microbiology, from the University of Tennessee in 1999 and 1994, respectively.

MSU Helps Spur Southeast Michigan Agricultural, Economic Development

Concerns about agricultural economic development in five southeastern Michigan counties have resulted in the creation of the Food System Economic Partnership (FSEP), a regional urban/rural food system partnership.

Community leaders in Wayne, Washtenaw, Lenawee, Monroe and Jackson counties joined farm organization leaders, food industry heads, community groups, and food system and economic development experts and resource providers to design a plan to identify the agricultural products being grown in these counties. Group organizers will work to improve marketing and value-added development opportunities for both producers and county residents.

Each county government has contributed $15,000 per year for two years to help link urban communities with local producers. They will work together to create new processing, food distribution and marketing ventures with the aims of stimulating job creation, increasing consumer access to local farm products and bolstering farm profitability. Examples of potential new products include sausages, fruit beverages, cereal bars and dairy foods.

Mike Score, MSU Extension agriculture and natural resources educator for Washtenaw and Lenawee counties, said the group was formed primarily to build on momentum from recent agricultural development initiatives such as the new ethanol facility in Riga to stimulate spin-off businesses and promote other new ventures through a systemic approach.

Score emphasized that new food system businesses need to fit into the established regional economy. The end goal is a net gain in economic growth, not the creation of new ventures at the expense of established enterprises.

Score determined that some sort of organization was needed after farmer members of the Riga Township ethanol plant cooperative approached him about the possibility of a new biofuel plant being opened by an external group, competing with the Riga plant and potentially flooding the local market.

Thanks to the five-county initiative, farmers in these counties will know what their counterparts are growing, and consumers will know where they can purchase locally grown products. The program will also provide citizens with a chance to learn about the local agricultural industry and where potential career opportunities exist.

Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs), Michigan’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU, provided funding for FSEP research. Funding will be used to measure the potential for expanded processing of locally grown grains into fuel and food products that can be used to meet the needs of Michigan consumers.

USDA Releases National Animal Identification System Implementation Plan

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released an implementation plan that outlines timelines and benchmarks for the establishment of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), along with a plan for the initial integration of private and state animal tracking databases with NAIS.

"Developing an effective animal identification system has been a high priority for the USDA, and we've made significant strides toward achieving a comprehensive U.S. system," said Mike Johanns, secretary of agriculture. "We recognize that this represents one of the largest systematic changes ever faced by the livestock industry, and we have welcomed suggestions from stakeholders to ensure that we continue to gain momentum."

The implementation plan calls for full implementation of the NAIS by 2009.

The USDA also released the general technical standards for animal tracking databases that will enable integration of private systems with the NAIS.

By early 2007, USDA expects to have the technology in place, called the Animal Trace Processing System -- commonly known as the metadata system -- that will allow state and federal animal health officials to query the NAIS and private databases during a disease investigation. The animal tracking databases will record and store animal movement tracking information for livestock.

The NAIS implementation plan, along with more information about the program, is available online.

MAES Scientists Honored

George Bird, MAES entomology scientist, received the Meritorious Faculty Award from the College of Natural Science in April at the college's awards ceremony. Bird's research focuses on nematodes and soil quality and has made significant contributions to nematology, plant pathology and sustainable agriculture.

The Meritorious Faculty Award is presented annually to a faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in teaching and research. Award recipients exemplify the MSU commitment to the land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach activities through their dedication to professional, community and MSU service.

Bill Taylor, chairperson of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, received the Ralph H. Smuckler Award for Advancing International Studies and Programs at MSU. This recognition goes to faculty members who have made significant and lasting impacts on the advancement of international scholarship, teaching and public service at MSU.

Kelly Millenbah, associate director of the Environmental Science and Policy Program and MAES fisheries and wildlife scientist, received the Outstanding Faculty Woman Award in April. The annual award, given by the Faculty-Professional Women’s Association of MSU, recognizes outstanding achievements of female faculty members.

2006 Ag Expo at MSU July 18-20

Farmers, educators and families are invited to Michigan’s largest agricultural equipment exposition July 18-20, the 27th annual Ag Expo at Michigan State University (MSU).

The exposition will feature a skid-steer ride-and-drive, zero-turn mower demonstrations, utility vehicle ride-and-drives, livestock handling demonstrations, an antique and garden tractor pull (July 19 only), a toy tractor show and an FFA tractor driving contest.

More than 250 commercial exhibitors -- including equipment, seed, fertilizer, building and service suppliers -- will be on site. Visitors can expect to see tractors, implements, trailers and other equipment, and can talk to representatives from manufacturers, dealers and agencies.

“This year’s Ag Expo will offer visitors the opportunity to see new equipment and demonstrations, and we’ve brought back the popular toy tractor show along with a tractor pull event,” said Kirk Heinze, Ag Expo director.

Ag Expo will also feature a number of educational exhibits from MSU units, colleges and departments. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources will host a tent with displays and information from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, the MSU Land Policy Program, the Animal Science Department, Project GREEEN (the plant industry initiative at MSU) and 4-H Youth Development.

Ag Expo features commercial farm equipment from throughout the Midwest and several Canadian provinces on the 35-acre main exhibition site and the 40-acre field demonstration area.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 18, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 19, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
July 20. Admission to the grounds and parking at Farm Lane and Mt. Hope Road are free.

For more information about Ag Expo, call 800-366-7055 or visit www.agexpo.msu.edu.

Fruit Growers Can Learn About Pollination at Blueberry Field Day

Fruit growers interested in learning more about the important role that bees play in the crop production cycle and how they can use these busy insects to increase yield are invited to attend the Blueberry Pollination Field Day May 17 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Trevor Nichols Research Complex in Fennville.

"Though the focus of this workshop will be on blueberries, any grower who is interested in maintaining an effective pollination strategy on his or her fruit farm should find this information valuable,” said Rufus Isaacs, MAES entomology researcher and one of the workshop presenters.

The workshop will be divided into indoor and outdoor sessions. Topics covered during the indoor classes are honeybees and blueberry pollination, using bumblebees for blueberry pollination, experiences with Osmia bees in cherry orchards, and cultural practices and use of gibberellic acid to improve blueberry fruit set. Participants will also hear an update on native bee research in Michigan blueberries.

During the outdoor portion of the workshop, participants will take part in assessing honeybee hive strength and health, identifying pollinators and assessing fruit set, and using native plants to attract bees and other beneficial insects. There will also be a bumblebee quad (field unit containing bee colonies) demonstration.

Other presenters from MSU include Eric Hanson, MAES horticulture scientist; Zachary Huang, MAES entomology researcher; and Nikki Rothwell, MSU Extension educator. John Wolfe, of Koppert Biological Systems, who produces bumblebees for pollination, will also be presenting.

A $10 per person registration fee is due before May 10. To get more information or to register, call Carlos Garcia-Salazar at 616-846-8250, or visit www.ipm.msu.edu/cat06fruit/pdf/PollinationDay2006.pdf to download a registration brochure.