November 12, 2010 | CAST provides Friday Notes as a benefit to its members. Please do not forward, edit, copy, or distribute the Notes in any form to nonmembers without the express permission of the CAST Executive Vice President (jbonner@cast-science.org). Instead, please encourage your colleagues to join CAST and thereby become eligible for all membership benefits (contact Melissa Sly, CAST Membership and Marketing Coordinator, at 515-292-2125, ext. 32 or msly@cast-science.org). Unless otherwise noted, photos courtesy of the USDA Agricultural Research Service Photo Gallery. |
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| | AgWorld Headlines | Bumper Crop of Ideas and Programs at the CAST Annual Board Meeting  See the lead story below to catch up on the events at the Fall Board Meeting in the beautiful farmland of central California.
Opportunities for Young Agriculturalists Story two contains information about the Agriculture Future of America 2010 Leadership Conference. Nominations Open for Prestigious Borlaug CAST Communication Award Information about the nominating procedures for the 2011 Borlaug CAST Communication Award is also available in the second article. News Link Leads Section two finishes with leads into the news links, and along with science, ag, and tech information, you might find out why whales get sunburned, why San Francisco Happy Meals are less Happy, and why the government wants you to say "Cheese." |
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| | CAST Annual Board Meeting | Meetings, Work Groups, and Tours Contribute to a Highly Successful Gathering Beginning on October 6, members of the CAST Board gathered in Sacramento, California, to convene the first meeting after the restructuring of the CAST organization. Representatives came not only from professional societies, but also from nonprofit organizations and commercial companies. Through general sessions, work group breakouts, informal discussions, and shared meals, the Representatives conducted business, exchanged ideas, and discussed publication proposals. Several proposals will move forward in the coming weeks through e-mail ballots. 
| One of many excellent speakers at the gathering, Dr. Neal Van Alfen recounted the history of UC-Davis and noted the important role of research universities in achieving agricultural sustainability. |
Numerous guest speakers addressed the group, and invited guests participated in work group breakout discussions. Tours to the University of California at Davis and through the Sacramento Delta region provided a first-hand look at California agriculture. The newly formed Board of Trustees convened for the first time, and the Board of Directors met in special session for one day before the start of the general meeting. Gale Buchanan chaired the Board of Trustees meeting, and attendees included Jim Borel, Claude Brown, Greg Coleman, Mark Hussey, Stanley Johnson, and Colin Kaltenbach. Three additional Trustees who will participate in this group are Chuck Conner, Bob Stallman, and Wendy Wintersteen. At the close of the General Session on October 7, Tom Redick became the President of CAST, while Todd Peterson became the Past President, and Nathaniel Tablante moved into the President-elect position. Outgoing Past President Henry Shands completed his years of service to the Board as a Representative and member of the Board of Directors. Before the Annual Meeting, Claude Brown said, "We have an exciting agenda of activities and scheduled speakers that we hope will illuminate the vitality of Central Valley agriculture and reinforce the value of CAST and the mission we serve." Apparently, hopes turned into reality as the gathering of CAST members succeeded on all levels. CAST's Chief Operating Officer, Linda Chimenti, compiled a detailed summary of the Fall Board Meeting. Click HERE to access the report. Photos of the event are also available HERE. |
Conferences, Awards, and News Link Leads | Conference Emphasizes Opportunities for Young Ag-enthusiasts "Agriculture needs strong people; people with passion and talent, who believe in themselves; who are committed to making a difference by embracing challenges; and finding solutions to complex issues of the 21st century." With this quote, K. Russell Weathers, President and CEO of Future of America, set the tone at the forum for young professionals in agriculture. 
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Agriculture Future of America (AFA) is an organization committed to creating partnerships with community leaders, business and corporate representatives, and educators from colleges and universities that identify the men and women who will be our leaders. AFA serves as a catalyst in the preparation of the next generation of agricultural leaders.
The Leaders Conference is one way AFA contributes to this preparation, and the November 4-7 gathering in Kansas City drew more than 500 young professionals from universities nationwide. Attendees work on career preparation, communication skills, and management techniques as they prepare for careers in agriculture-related fields.
The Alliance, an organization for men and women in the beginning years of their careers, is sponsored by the AFA, and the group awards annual sponsorships to two future leaders in agriculture. The CAST organization is proud to announce that Allyson Ladd, an administrative assistant at the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, earned one of the sponsorships. As the Iowa State University junior said, "The AFA Leaders Conference is a tremendous opportunity that I look forward to every year because it allows me to network with industry professionals and agriculture students from across the country." University students from throughout the United States left the gathering feeling motivated and more prepared to make an impact in the vast world of agriculture.
To visit the Agriculture Future of America website, click HERE. Nominations Open for Prestigious Borlaug CAST Communication Award  Nominations are now open for the 2011 Borlaug CAST Communication Award, an honor that recognizes professionals actively working in the agricultural, environmental, or food sectors who are promoting agricultural science in the public policy arena. This award has become an influential component in the efforts to keep agricultural issues and programs in the public eye and in front of national and world policymakers. It has also become a key annual event for the CAST community.
Organized by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, and sponsored by the CropLife Foundation, the award is dedicated to Dr. Norman Borlaug, author of the first CAST publication in 1973, and to Dr. Charles A. Black, the first President and Executive Vice President of CAST. Many prominent agriculture and science leaders have been honored, and the 2010 prize winner, Dr. Akin Adesina, has received extensive global coverage highlighting his eloquent speeches and his noteworthy accomplishments. Stakeholders in the CAST organization have special insights into the world of agriculture, and with this open nomination process, you have a chance to get actively involved in this prestigious award. When Dr. Adesina accepted the award at a breakfast ceremony at the World Food Prize, he pointed out that "his hero" Dr. Borlaug would tell him to get back to work in the fight against hunger. CAST welcomes your input in the effort to find those who effectively communicate Dr. Borlaug's call to feed the world. To access the nomination forms, click HERE. Surfing the Friday Notes Links
 This week's stories contain plenty of politics, science, and even "entertainment," but they all focus on agriculture. The Friday Notes site surfer will highlight a few of the stories to help you move through the waves of information.
*** Who Moved My Cheese?: Some might think the government is ambiguous when it comes to cheese. In the Animal Section, read why cheese is both promoted and "demoted." 
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*** Twinkies for Breakfast? A nutrition professor lost weight while pounding down junk food as you'll see in the Food Science and Safety Section. However, no one is actually recommending this as a "healthy choice" option. *** Birth Control for Pests: In the Plant and Environment Section, a link explains how resistant cotton and sterile moths help the crop in Arizona. *** Trade and Fish Tales: Several stories about global trade in the International Section, but things get a bit fishy in a story about black market tuna and disappearing jack mackerel.
*** Pig Whisperers: Two videos in the General Section deal with hogs. A short news report from New Zealand focuses on a couple of pigs with earthquake trauma, and a professionally produced video gives us a serious, insightful look at what it takes to be a pig farmer. *** A Matter of Taste: The General Section also features video and photo segments to remind us that one person's daily bread is another person's goat's head soup. Andrew Zimmern goes to extremes in his quest for bizarre foods, but in reality, people around the world might consider others' eating habits as "bizarre." From grain to bugs to any type of meat imaginable, agriculture takes on many forms, and recipes are concocted to embrace taste buds, availability, economic conditions, and social codes. Bon appetit. Once you have surfed through the items in the various sections, you can access other CAST material and services, including publications and videos, through the CAST Website (click HERE). CAST stays up to the minute on social media through its growing Twitter account (click HERE), and at the CAST Blog, (click HERE) where you can read about some of the current ag-issues .
To access the updated CAST Publications Catalog, click HERE. CAST has also maintained its focus on education. This online newsletter, Friday Notes, goes to many college and high school students through the Education Program. For membership information, click HERE.
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|  Friday Notes News Categories
Friday Notes news items are bundled for interest areas according to CAST's five Work Groups: Animal Agriculture and Environmental Issues, Food Science and Safety Issues, Plant Agriculture and Environmental Issues, International Topics, and General Items. Photos courtesy of (above) TopLatestNews; (below) the Agricultural Research Service (Animal Agriculture News and General News), the Food Safety and Inspection Service (Food Science News), the Natural Resources and Conservation Service (Plant Agriculture News), and SF Gate (International News); surfer photo from geneologygemspondcast.com.; top photo in lndia article from kodaikanal.com.
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 ANIMAL AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
| November 5, 2010: Faulty Computation? Canadian and Dutch researchers have shown that current equations to predict methane production of cows are inaccurate.
November 5, 2010: Meat Price Hike? It costs a lot more this year to feed meat animals corn and soybean meal than it did just a few years ago. By the end of 2011, meat eaters will also be forking out more money, according to a Purdue University agricultural economist. November 5, 2010: Hog Producers Dilemma: Since 1978, in Iowa, the number of hog farms has decreased by 86 percent even as the number of pigs raised in the state has gone up slightly. The consolidation has made for less expensive meat, but for hog farmers, it's meant making choices. November 5, 2010: Ironic Beef Production: This commentary considers the beef industry's seemingly contradictory move toward confined feeding and hormone use as it grapples with ways to make its product more environmentally sustainable.
November 7, 2010: Cooperative Moves: The global cattle industry and the World Wildlife Fund discussed issues surrounding sustainability in the world's beef system and overwhelmingly agreed that increased alignment is necessary and would be beneficial in key areas related to the environment, economics, and social issues. November 8, 2010: Last of the Lonesome Doves: For eight years, friends and neighbors in this Kansas community have helped moved cattle from summer to winter pastures, but this is the last cattle drive for this operation.
November 8, 2010: Got Cheese? According to many, government dairy policy has been successful at slowing the decline in milk consumption, particularly focusing on schoolchildren. It has also marketed cheese and pushed back against the Agriculture Department's suggestion that people eat only low-fat or fat-free varieties.
November 9, 2010: Pork Trade: The British government signed an agreement with Chinese authorities that recognizes export health certificates from the United Kingdom, opening the Chinese market to U.K. pork exports.
November 10, 2010: Exotic Livestock: Some U.S. farmers started raising emus as an alternative source of revenue when times turned tough in the 1980s. Far fewer are in the business today, but those who persevered expect sales of emu meat and emu oil to take off soon. |
 FOOD SCIENCE AND SAFETY
| November 7, 2010: Mutating Genes: An Uppsala University study shows that most mutations in the genes of the Salmonella bacterium have a surprisingly small negative impact on bacterial fitness.
November 8, 2010: Tea Time Probiotically: A probiotic strain that can survive being baked, boiled, and frozen is being launched on the U.K. market. It can be used in everything from hot tea to muffins, frozen yogurts, and cereal bars.
November 8, 2010: Food Insecurity and Disease: This study explores how technology advancement in the form of telemedicine can provide cost-effective ways to treat those with diabetes experiencing the devastating effects of food insecurity.
November 8, 2010: Faulty Inspection: Canadian Food Inspection Agency documents often painted an inaccurate picture of the conditions at some of Canada's meat and poultry plants where sanitation problems persisted, although this report notes the Canadian agency has taken significant steps to correct problems.
November 8, 2010: Twinkies Diet: For 10 weeks a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University ate a Twinkie every three hours. To add variety he munched on chips, sugary cereals, and cookies. Although he lost 27 pounds, he definitely does not recommend doing it.
November 9, 2010: Egg Recall Update: An egg producer in Ohio discovered during a recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection that 24,000 eggs tested positive for salmonella and had been mistakenly shipped to another distributer. The FDA announced in the wake of the Iowa egg recall that it will inspect the 600 largest egg operations nationwide.
November 9, 2010: A McBan on Happy Meals: A San Francisco law would bar toys from being given away with kids' meals unless those meals have fewer than 600 calories, contain fruits and vegetables, and include beverages without excessive fat or sugar.
November 9, 2010: Anti-antimicrobial?: Killing microorganisms has become a national obsession, but this expert takes a closer look at antimicrobial products and at the "myth" of a germ-free world.
November 11, 2010: E. coli Cheese Outbreak: Two new lawsuits were filed as the number of confirmed E. coli O157:H7 illnesses linked to a gouda-style cheese rose to 33.
November 11, 2010: Fishy Safety Practices? The FDA found serious violations of federal food safety regulations at three more seafood processing facilities in Puerto Rico, Georgia, and New York State. |
 PLANT AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
| November 5, 2010: Biofuel Update: According to ethanol proponents, it will not be possible to meet the 36 billion gallon renewable fuels production mandate relying solely on corn-based ethanol. The energy bill specifies 16 billion gallons must come from advanced biofuels including municipal solid waste, wood chips, wheat straw, switchgrass, and corn stover. November 7, 2010: Pest Birth Control: Planting pest-resistant cotton and releasing large numbers of sterile moths has virtually eliminated one of the world's most destructive cotton pests from Arizona. November 9, 2010: Yield Estimates Down: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has lowered yield estimates from October for the 2010 cotton, corn, soybeans, and rice crops, thereby lowering projected production for the four commodities. Check the related soybean story below.
November 9, 2010: Grain Bin Safety: Today's large grain augers can transfer from two to four times as much grain as augers of the past and a person can become completely submerged in about 8 seconds. This article outlines safety practices to avoid tragedy. November 10, 2010: Soybean Production Up: Aided by mild and dry conditions in October, U.S. soybean growers are forecast to set a new production record this year, according to the Crop Production report released by the USDA. November 11, 2010: Gene Discovery to Speed Plant Growth: Tinkering with a single gene may give perennial grasses more robust roots and speed up the timeline for creating biofuels, according to researchers at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy.
November 11, 2010: Weed Problem: A new study confirms that an invasive weed called medusahead has growth advantages over most other grass species, suggesting it will continue to spread across much of the U.S. West, disrupt native ecosystems, and make millions of acres of grazing land almost worthless. |
 INTERNATIONAL NEWS
| Global Agreement: Biodiversity Update: After more than six years of intense negotiations, parties to the Biosafety Protocol finalized the negotiation of a new treaty known as the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. November 7, 2010: Sushi Craving: A black market in tuna worth billions of dollars has formed because of the demand for sushi.
November 7, 2010: Open Door Policy? Acknowledging that its global economic status is declining, Japan's government indicates a desire to forge free trade agreements to boost its economic prospects. It says Tokyo will work to wrap up pending negotiations with Australia and Peru, resume suspended trade talks with South Korea, and seek new talks with other countries or regions. November 8, 2010: "Impact Investing": Investors eyeing agriculture in Africa, Latin America, and other global markets are increasingly merging their pursuit of profits with a philanthropic zeal that promoters say will pay benefits over the long term.
November 8, 2010: Revamped Trade Zone? Pacific Rim economies are debating whether to change the informal Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum so that it can negotiate a sprawling free trade zone.
November 8, 2010: Poultry Trade War? According to the China Post, Brazil will ask the World Trade Organization to open a dispute panel over European Union poultry regulations it considers illegal.
November 8, 2010: Scientists Recommend Cutting Fish Harvest: Over-exploitation of jack mackerel, the main commercial species of fish caught in Chile, has caused the decline of the Pacific Ocean species and a crisis in the fishing industry.
November 11, 2010: Global Partnership to Fight Hunger: One of the world's largest global scientific partnerships for sustainable agricultural development has launched a bold new research initiative that aims to dramatically improve the ability of rice farmers to feed growing populations in some of the world's poorest nations.
November 11, 2010: Beyond Poppies: Afghanistan pomegrantes head to international markets for the first time in decades as officials hope to revive the historic capability of Kandahar to export fruit and create a sound economy. |
 GENERAL INTEREST
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Video Highlight: Pig Therapy: In this 2-minute video from New Zealand, we find out about two pigs suffering "psychological problems" since a recent earthquake.
Video Highlight: Hog Production Done Right: Animal production operations provide a great opportunity for those interested in working with animals and people, and this video from Feedstuffs takes us to a farm in Indiana to learn about those who are making a career out of caring for pigs.
Video Highlight: Bizarre Foods: Andrew Zimmern will apparently eat anything, and in this 8-minute segment from his Travel Channel show, he leads us through the markets of Morocco on a culinary tour that might stretch your menu ideas and possibly test your gag reflexes.
Photo Highlight: Leapin' Lizards: It may be an old menu standby to Vietnamese diners, but it's turned into a smorgasbord of discovery for scientists. Researchers have identified a previously undocumented species of all-female lizard in the Mekong River Delta that can reproduce itself by cloning.
November 8, 2010: Disaster Funds: USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said that farmers and ranchers will receive additional Emergency Conservation Program funds to repair farmland damaged by natural disasters in 2010.
November 8, 2010: Luring in Consumers: Some grocery stores are getting wise to shoppers' desires to eat better, so they are using the same marketing tricks the large food companies and restaurants have used for years. The bonus for them is that they can sell more and waste less.
November 9, 2010: A Whale of a Sunburn: Most of us reach for a bottle of sunscreen to protect us from the sun's ultraviolet radiation, but whales don't have those luxuries, and researchers have found numerous cases of sunburned and blistered skin on whales in the wild.
November 9, 2010: Gone Fishin': Ohio agriculture officials are encouraging more people to go into fish farming as the demand for fish grows, and some fish farmers are hoping the state will help with grants and low-interest loans.
November 10, 2010: Unwired Farmers: Increasingly "wireless" is showing up on the farm to help produce better crops, net more money for growers, and land a superior product in stores for consumers.
November 10, 2010: Farmers Market, Local Market? Many consumers seem to like the idea of getting fresh local produce straight from farmers, but shopping a farmers market isn't always that straightforward.
November 10, 2010: Urban Cowboy? A family ranch west of Houston is more than cattle and crops, it's a way of life. With encroaching urban sprawl, it is a struggle to be a true steward of the land.
November 12, 2010: Farm Bill Cut? The White House's bipartisan deficit-reduction commission is considering a proposal to slash farm spending by $3 billion a year. This article takes a first look at this controversial issue. |
Meyers and Associates Report |  November 12, 2010
With the House and Senate in recess, The Meyers Report will resume later this month. FRAN BOYD, Meyers and Associates, Washington, D.C. |
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SERVING ON THE CAST BOARD OF REPRESENTATIVES | American Academy of Veterinary and Comparative Toxicology/American Board of Veterinary Toxicology * American Association of Avian Pathologists * American Association of Bovine Practitioners * American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators * American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, Committee on Agricultural Management * American Dairy Science Association * American Farm Bureau Federation * American Forage and Grassland Council * American Meat Science Association * American Meteorological Society, Committee on Agricultural Forest Meteorology * American Society for Nutrition * American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers * American Society of Agronomy * American Society of Animal Science * American Society of Plant Biologists * American Veterinary Medical Association * Aquatic Plant Management Society * Council of Entomology Department Administrators * CropLife America * Elanco Animal Health * Land O'Lakes * Monsanto * National Cattlemen's Beef Association * National Pork Board * North Central Weed Science Society * Northeastern Weed Science Society * Novus International,Inc. * Poultry Science Association * Society for In Vitro Biology * Society of Nematologists * Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. * United Soybean Board * Weed Science Society of America * Western Society of Weed Science |
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The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology
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