The Ag e-Dispatch http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/ The newsletter of the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences en Copyright 2009 Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:09:36 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Students counsel academics iconOn Wednesday, Feb. 18, there will be a town hall meeting for all SAES students from 6 to 7:30 in the Webb Hall Auditorium. Dr. Donald McDowell, the SAES’s interim dean, will have his mind open and students will be welcome to voice their concerns and questions. Suggestions from students regarding new student activities will also be welcome.

Ambassadorial shindig

On Friday, Feb. 20, the SAES Student Ambassadors will host their annual “Student Extravaganza” from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Webb Hall lounge area on the first floor. The 2009 Extravaganza will be replete with fashion and talent shows, music, food, games and fun. The SAES Ambassadors have the welcome mat out for all their colleagues.

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/students-counsel.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/students-counsel.html Academic Departments Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:09:36 -0500 Registration deadline for Small Farms Week is March 13 Registration is now under way for the Small Farms Week (March 22-28) kickoff, workshops and luncheon. The kickoff program will be at the historic Poplar Grove Plantation near Wilmington on Monday, March 23. Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and other facets of farm-to-fork precautions for preventing food-borne illnesses will be the nexus for workshops on campus March 24 and 25. Just before the annual Small Farmers Appreciation Luncheon on the 25th, The Cooperative Extension Program at A&T’s multi-media annual report, Solutions for North Carolina, will have its public premiere. And at the Small Farmers Appreciation Luncheon, the 2009 Gilmer L. and Clara Y. Dudley Small Farmer of the Year will be announced.

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/registration-deadline-for-smal.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/registration-deadline-for-smal.html Cooperative Extension Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:08:33 -0500 ARD attendees have five deadlines to keep in mind research iconFeb. 18 is the pre-penalty registration deadline for faculty, staff and students who will be going to Atlanta for the Association of (1890) Research Directors 15th Biennial Research Symposium March 28 - April 1. SAES students, faculty and staff gearing up for the research symposium are responsible for completing their own registration forms. For those who miss the Feb. 18 deadline and incur the $50 late fee, the surcharge will be an out-of-pocket expense.

SAES faculty, staff and students also need to get online to make hotel reservations if they are headed to Atlanta. The cutoff date for hotel rooms at the group rate is March 7. For those who miss the cutoff and find the only room available is at a higher rate than the group rate, the added cost will be out-of-pocket or on-the-credit-card.

The Agricultural Research Program will provide charter bus service to Atlanta, departing the C. H. Moore Agricultural Research Station at 7 a.m. on Sunday, March 29. The homebound charter will be leaving the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta on Wednesday, April 1. SAES faculty, staff and students who elect to travel by air, personal vehicle or any other means of transportation will NOT be reimbursed for travel costs.

SAES faculty, staff and students planning to rely on the large format printer at C. H. Moore for a poster that’s going to be presented at the Biennial Research Symposium should follow the four-step guidelines for getting a poster into the online queue for the large format printer, and do so by Friday, March 13.

Students and scientists who will be making oral presentations at the symposium have a March 20 deadline for submitting PowerPoint presentations via e-mail. The PowerPoint presentations should be e-mailed to Terrence Wolfork.

For persons having difficulty emailing their presentations, they could send on any of the following media: CD R disc, flash drive, memory mtick etc. They should make sure it reaches Terence Wolfork or Paul Johnson before March 15. They should also bring a copy with them to the conference.

Terrence Wolfork
Fort Valley State University 1005 State University Drive
Fort Valley, GA 31030

Paul Johnson
Prairie View A&M University, P.O. Box 519 MS 2009
Prairie View, TX 77446

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/ard-attendees-have-five-deadli.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/ard-attendees-have-five-deadli.html Agricultural Research Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:07:58 -0500 Small ruminant teams now have SAES connectivity At the Southern Section of the American Society of Animal Science’s (ASAS) annual meeting in Atlanta in early February, Dr. Niki Whitley, animal science specialist for The Cooperative Extension Program at A&T, moved into new leadership roles for both a USDA multi-state small ruminant initiative and one of the ASAS Southern Section’s primary program committees. Whitley is now president-elect for the “SCC081: Sustainable Small Ruminant Production in the Southeastern U.S.” project, which is tying together land-grant research scientists and Extension specialists who have been working to assist goat and sheep producers. Whitley is also now the chair-elect of the ASAS Southern Section’s Small Ruminant Production Committee, one of the Southern Section’s eight program committees.

Whitley was also part of two research teams that made small ruminant research presentations at the ASAS Southern Section meeting in Atlanta. One project looked into  parasite resistance to anthelmintic drugs; another into the potential for using garlic as a dewormer.

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/small-ruminant-teams-now-have.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/small-ruminant-teams-now-have.html Academic Departments Animal Sciences Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:06:47 -0500 Dowdy duty time In October of 2007, Chancellor Stanley Battle announced a new scholarship program that was named to honor one of his predecessors, former chancellor Lewis Dowdy, and Dr. Dowdy’s wife Elizabeth, who was also an influential educator. The Dowdy Program has been established to award:
• Scholarships covering half the cost of tuition and fees to high school students with a GPA between 3.25 and 3.49, and a combined SAT verbal and math score between 1,000 and 1,099.
• Scholarships covering 75 percent of tuition and fees to students with GPAs between 3.5 and 3.79, and combined SATs  between 1,100 and 1,200.
• Full scholarships for tuition and feel, and room and board to students with combined SATs above 1,200 and a GPA above 3.75.

The application deadline for the 2009-10 academic year for the Dowdy Scholars Program is Friday, March 6.

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/dowdy-duty-time.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/dowdy-duty-time.html Academic Departments SAES University Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:04:05 -0500 SAES throwing out welcome mat during National FFA Week The Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education will be hosting its annual Ag. Literacy Barbecue Fest on Thursday, Feb. 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Stallings Ballroom in the Memorial Student Union Building. A contingent of teachers and students from area high schools have been invited to campus to learn about the academic programs and career opportunities in the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. The students visiting will also get overviews of research projects at the University Farm. 

The SAES Agriscience Education Program hosts the Ag. Literacy Fest each February as part of the national celebration of FFA Week. Established in 1928, the FFA has now grown into an organization with more than half a million members and $2 million in college scholarships awarded through the National FFA Foundation. The scholarship application deadline for 2009 is Feb. 17. The online application form matches applicants to all scholarships for which they are qualified.

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/saes-throwing-out-welcome-mat.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/saes-throwing-out-welcome-mat.html Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:03:24 -0500 Locavores to converge on Raleigh March 2 and 3 in Raleigh, the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) is coordinating a summit at the McKimmon Center on the N.C. State campus for North Carolinians ready to do more to nurture and develop sustainable delivery systems for locally produced foods. The Farm to Fork Summit will get started at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, March 2 and continue to 5:30 p.m. On Tuesday, March 3, the summit will reconvene at 8:30 and wind up at noon. At the core of conference breakout groups and strategy sessions will be input from stakeholders who presented their concerns and opinions at the three statewide meetings the CEFS conducted last fall. Support for new and transitioning farms, community gardens, and infrastructures for direct marketing are among the issues that were addressed by these reports. The registration fee of $35 covers both days for participants.

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/locavores-to-converge-on-ralei.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/locavores-to-converge-on-ralei.html Cooperative Extension Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:01:25 -0500 Application deadline for RAP 2009 is Feb. 27 The SAES will bring a select group of high school students to the A&T campus for the 2009 Research Apprentice Program, June 28 to July 24. If you know of a highly motivated high school junior or senior with academic and career interests in agriculture, environmental studies, or any of the food, family or consumer sciences, please pass along the link to application forms with a sense of urgency in the subject line.  The application deadline for RAP 2009 is Feb. 27.

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/application-deadline-for-rap-2-1.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/application-deadline-for-rap-2-1.html Agricultural Research Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:00:16 -0500 Inspection service has scholarship program and poultry biosecurity aids USDA's Animal and Plant health Inspection Service (APHIS) has a scholarship opportunity for students enrolled in many agricultural studies programs that has a March 1 application deadline. Eligibility requirements include sophomore or junior status, a 2.5 GPA and availability for work with APHIS during summers and holiday breaks. Students selected may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial assistance.

APHIS also has a Web page of interest to county Extension centers and other organizations working to increase public awareness of the biosecurity concerns that barnyard and backyard flocks of chickens and other poultry present to efforts to prevent outbreaks of avian influenza and other infectious diseases. APHIS has an online order form for an extensive array of educational materials — including brochures, posters and a 2009 Biosecurity for Birds Calendar. Most of the materials are available in Spanish as well as English, and some are available in Vietnamese.

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/inspection-service-has-scholar-1.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/inspection-service-has-scholar-1.html Cooperative Extension Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:57:02 -0500 Spring is in the air The Guilford County Extension Center will be accepting orders through March 2 for its annual 4-H plant sale. This year's offerings include blackberries, blueberries, fig trees, muscadine grapes and heritage apples.  All orders must be pre-paid, and then picked up  at the Guilford County Extension Center  March 12 or 13. Proceeds from the plant sale will go to reducing the costs for Guilford County 4-H'ers attending camp and National 4-H Congress.

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/spring-is-in-the-air.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/spring-is-in-the-air.html Cooperative Extension Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:56:31 -0500 Newest Farm Bill stipulated substantially more funding for specialty crops tractor iconUSDA received a considerable infusion of research funding for specialty crops from the 2008 Farm Bill: a $28 million allocation for a Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI).  The SCRI will also be funding marketing and promotion projects benefiting specialty crops.  The five focus areas for funding are  research in plant breeding and genetics; research work to counter pests and diseases; improved production efficiency; technological innovations; and detection and prevention of food safety hazards in the production and processing of specialty crops. Multistate, multi-institutional and trans-disciplinary will receive special attention. The SCRI originally had a late March deadline for notifications of intent to submit applications, and that deadline has now been moved back to March 2. The deadline for submitting completed funding proposals (via grants.gov) is April 15.

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/newest-farm-bill-stipulated-su.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/newest-farm-bill-stipulated-su.html Cooperative Extension Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:49:41 -0500 Energetic accomplishment Dr. Lijun Wang, an assistant professor of biological engineering in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, is the author of a reference book that the Taylor and Francis Group has recently released under its CRC Press imprint. Energy Efficiency and Management in Food Processing Facilities covers the fundamentals of engineering analysis and management in food processing. The textbook has five major sections, including one devoted to energy conservation technologies and another to converting food-processing byproducts to energy.

Energy Efficiency and Management in Food Processing Facilities is available at Amazon.com and other online retailers.

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/energetic-accomplishment.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/energetic-accomplishment.html Academic Departments Natural Resources and Environmental Design Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:48:58 -0500 Career steerage info iconA&T's Office of Career Services is bringing more than 100 corporate recruiters, and Human Resources representatives from government agencies and other employers to campus for the Spring Career Fair at Corbett Sports Center on Thursday, Feb. 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The faculty mentors of SAES students should note that the list of recruiters coming to campus includes a number of agribusiness firms, several state and federal agencies and food processing firms. Many recruiters will have internships as well as employment opportunities to discuss.

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/career-steerage.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/career-steerage.html Academic Departments SAES University Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:48:15 -0500 AAFCS 100th Annual Conference just down the road The American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) will be convening its 100th Annual Conference in Knoxville, Tenn. (less than a five-hour drive from Greensboro) from June 25 to 28.  The proposal deadline for undergraduate student research poster sessions is March 1. The cutoff for early bird registration is April 1. Until the end of March, the registration fee for AAFCS members and nonmembers alike is $365. The student registration rate is now $99. There is also an early bird $295 Saturday-only registration that includes a ticket to the AAFCS Centennial Celebration.

]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/aafcs-100th-annual-conference-1.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/aafcs-100th-annual-conference-1.html Academic Departments Family and Consumer Sciences Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:47:29 -0500 Three 10s to avoid PC Magazine has put out a list of the "10 most commonly used online passwords". (Top 10 to avoid unless you want to make it especially convenient for a hacker or good-guesser to get into your account.)
The bad choices are:
1. password
2. 123456
3. qwerty
4. abc123
5. letmein
6. monkey
7. myspace1
8. password1
9. blink182
10. (your first name)

The Michigan State University Libraries Web site has a list of the "Ten Most Common Reasons Grants are Declined". Topping the list are proposals that just don't match up to funding priorities. The second leading cause of rejection are proposals from outside the geographic area of funding; third are proposals that don't follow prescribed formats. Checking in at four are proposals "poorly written and difficult to understand"; fifth on the list are budgets not within the funding ranges; sixth is failure to establish credibility or expertise; seventh is the proposal without a clear impact; eighth is the proposal with unrealistic objectives; ninth is the proposal that arrives before deadline but after all fun ding has been awarded to proposals arriving earlier; and tenth is the proposal that doesn't have evidence it will lead to a program that will continue after grant money is spent.

A listing of the "10 most common typos in blogging" has circulated through the blogosphere. The listing is actually six pairs of words and four trios that are often confused (in e-mail, reports and other documents, as well as blogs):
1. Your - You're
2. Then - Than
3. Its - it's
4. To - Too - Two
5. Were - Where - We're
6. There - Their - They're
7. A - An - And
8. Off - Of
9. Here - Hear
10. Lose - Loose]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/three-10s-to-avoid.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/02/three-10s-to-avoid.html Communications Corner Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:46:30 -0500