Dr. Willie Willis of the Department of Animal Sciences serves as the SAES’s program representative and he requests that any A&T students interested in the application process begin their quest by first contacting him, either by e-mail or with a call to his office, 336.334.7786.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/11/application-deadline-for-vet-s.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/11/application-deadline-for-vet-s.html Academic Departments Animal Sciences Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:04:45 -0500 Two SAES Animal Sciences undergraduate students and four graduate students put together poster presentations covering their research projects for North Carolina Alliance to Create Opportunity Through Education (NC OPT-ED) Alliance day in October. The SAES Alliance Day Animal Sciences student researchers making presentations were: 
•  Erin Barnes, an undergraduate whose research into “Isolation and Purity of DNA from Goat and Swine Blood Collected on FTA Cards” was guided by Dr. Millie Worku;
•  Carresse Gerald, a graduate student working under the guidance of Dr. Jenora Waterman, whose research project was “Swine Confinement Facility Dust Induces NF-kB and iNOS Expression in Airway Epithelial Cells In Vitro”;
• La'Toya Lane, a graduate student whose research mentor was Dr. Millie Worku, whose research was into “Identification of the Putative Ligand-Binding Region of Caprine Toll-Like Receptor-4(TLR4) from a  Spanish Goat”;
• Melody Robinson, a second year master's student advised by Dr. Radiah Minor, whose research was into "The Effect of B-glucan on the Allergic Immune Response to Chitin”;
• Savannah Schepis, a graduate student whose research advisor for a “Sequence Comparison of Human and Bovine Small Heat Shock Proteins” was Dr. Millie Worku;
• Dez-Ann Sutherland, an undergraduate whose research was an “Evaluation of the effects of Nutraceutical Grade of Colostrum on the growth of C.elegans” that was guided by Dr. Millie Worku.

Melody Robinson’s research NC OPT-ED Alliance day presentation was also accepted for presentation at the Annual Biomedical and Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in Phoenix, Ariz., the first week of November. ]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/11/animal-sciences-students-resea.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/11/animal-sciences-students-resea.html Academic Departments Animal Sciences Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:57:46 -0500 The journal Creative Nonfiction is soliciting essays about the emotional, ethical, biological and physical bonds between humans and animals. Among the particulars on the editorial staff’s wish list are memoirs and personal essays that explore the ways in which wild and domestic animals affect and enrich human existence. Another editorial goal for the issue is to include work by writers representing a wide variety of personal and professions.

Creative Nonfiction will be distributing a total of $1,500 in prize money to authors of essays accepted for its “Animals” issue. There is a $20 minimum reading fee for each submission, but for submissions that arrive with a $25 reading fee, the payment will cover a four-issue subscription to the journal.

Submissions for Creative Nonfiction’s “Animals” issue must be postmarked no later than Nov. 13, and "Animals" must be clearly indicated on envelopes and cover letters. ]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/10/zoo-stories.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/10/zoo-stories.html Animal Sciences Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:58:10 -0500 A team of SAES researchers has had its evaluation of the potential for using sorghum inoculated with mushrooms to induce molting in laying chickens published in the journal Poultry Science. Their research into an alternative to withholding feed to induce molting in poultry has significant potential for egg production. Research faculty on the team that submitted the A&T-based study of “Utilizing fungus myceliated grain for molt induction and performance in commercial laying hens” are Drs. Willie Willis, Omon Isikhuemhen and John Allen. Filling out the team were Andrea Byers and Kristen King, SAES research assistants, and a former Animal Sciences student now at the College of Veterinary Medicine at N.C. State, Carla Thomas. Thomas was a member of the project team while taking undergraduate courses taught by Willis.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/10/egg-production-research-gets-f.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/10/egg-production-research-gets-f.html Academic Departments Animal Sciences Natural Resources and Environmental Design Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:55:39 -0500 The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) established a program three years ago that recognizes livestock producers who observe the organization’s standards with the Animal Welfare Approved seal, which also informs consumers with food labeling that indicates producer compliance with animal husbandry and slaughter standards.  Last year AWI achieved financial footing that will allow the program to offer Good Husbandry Grants — of up to $5,000 — to farmers with ideas for projects that will improve farm animal welfare. Among the proposals awarded grants last year was  a low-stress loading facility that a group of Midwestern farmers now shares, and a mobile processing facility for a group of North Carolina poultry producers. Grant applications are now being accepted for the 2009 Good Husbandry Grants, and the application deadline is Oct. 1. The selection committee’s four areas of specific interest for the 2009 funding cycle are genetics, outdoor access (mobile housing in particular), welfare improvements in the slaughter process and non-lethal predator control.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/funding-program-for-livestock.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/funding-program-for-livestock.html Animal Sciences Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:48:26 -0500 The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), a non-profit founded in 1951 “to reduce the sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by people,” established Animal Welfare Approved in 2006 to provide livestock producers and consumers with food labeling that promotes adherence to animal husbandry and slaughter standards.  Last year AWI achieved financial footing that will allow the program to offer Good Husbandry Grants — of up to $5,000 — to farmers with ideas for projects that will improve farm animal welfare. Examples of proposals that secured grants last year include a low-stress loading facility that a network of Nebraska farmers now share, and a mobile processing facility for a group of North Carolina poultry producers. Grant applications are now being accepted for the 2009 Good Husbandry Grants and the application deadline is Oct. 1. The selection committee’s four areas of specific interest for the 2009 funding cycle are genetics, outdoor access (mobile housing in particular), welfare improvements in the slaughter process, and non-lethal predator control.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/08/good-husbandry-grants-may-be-g-1.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/08/good-husbandry-grants-may-be-g-1.html Animal Sciences Cooperative Extension Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:15:22 -0500 Dr. Ralph Noble of the Department of Animal Sciences is assisting Operation Spring Plant (a nonprofit that provides technical and financial assistance to minority-owned and limited-resources farmers. The partnerships will be hosting one of six national listening sessions that USDA has scheduled for getting feedback from small-scale producers on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The listening session that the chair of the SAES’s Dept. of Animal Sciences and Operation Spring Plant are coordinating will be at the McKimmon Center on the N.C. State University campus in Raleigh on Thursday, June 25. Registration will start at 8 to 9 a.m. and the session itself will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Raleigh listening session is part of a second wave of six sessions that complements seven sessions in May and early June that were held at locations across the U.S. Although preregistration isn't required, livestock producers and other individuals planning to attend are nonetheless asked to preregister by sending USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) an e-mail or by giving the agency a call at 301–734–0799.  Preregistration is an especially good idea for those who are planning to present questions or concerns at the listening session. (In the subject line of the e-mail, please give your own name or your organization’s name, and indicate that you’ll be attending the Raleigh listening session. In the body of the message, give your name and organization name and indicate that you’d like to present comments or concerns at the listening session.)]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/06/livestock-producers-will-get-a.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/06/livestock-producers-will-get-a.html Academic Departments Animal Sciences Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:06:15 -0500 “Save-the-date” postcards for Small Farms Field day on Thursday, July 16, at the University Farm are ready for distribution.  Please feel free to pass along a printout or a .pdf to farmers and farm support agencies that might be interested in a quick look (8:30 a.m. to noon) at recent developments in horticultural, poultry, fruit and vegetable research.

Cooperative Extension agents, professionals from other agricultural support agencies and small-scale farmers are all welcome and there is no registration fee. Highlight items on this year’s program include test plots of: specialty vegetables growing on various mulches; raised-bed vegetable production without tillage; Asian eggplant (used in Chinese and Thai cuisine); Scotch bonnet peppers; cover crops; and amaranth greens. The Field Day itinerary also includes overviews of pasture-raised swine and poultry research. Other researchers who have been working to put the Small Farms Field Day program together are Drs. Ralph Noble, Willie Willis, Sang-Hyon Oh, Keith Baldwin and M. R. Reddy. The planning team also includes Teo Barrios of the University Farm staff, and Rickie Holness, an Extension associate, who is coordinating the 2009 Field Day at the University Farm. (Everyone planning to attend Small Farms Field Day should keep in mind that because of potential biosecurity concerns about the spread of swine flu, it’s going to be a good idea to check the SAES Web page before departing for any program or activity at the University Farm in the months ahead.)]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/06/frequent-flier-dividend-should.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/06/frequent-flier-dividend-should.html Animal Sciences Cooperative Extension Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:01:19 -0500 Dr. Ralph Noble, chair of the Department of Animal Sciences, is working with Operation Spring Plant, a nonprofit organization that provides technical and financial assistance to minority-owned and limited-resource farms, and the partnership’s next major undertaking is one of six national listening sessions that USDA has scheduled for getting feedback from small-scale producers on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The listening session that Noble and Operation Spring Plant are coordinating will be in Raleigh at the McKimmon Center on the N. C. State University campus on Thursday, June 25. Registration will be from at 8 to 9 a.m. and the session itself will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The Raleigh listening session is part of a second wave of sessions that has been scheduled to complement seven previous sessions, in May and early June that were similarly held at locations across the U.S. Although pre-registration is not a necessity, livestock producers and other individuals planning to attend are nonetheless asked to register by sending USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) an e-mail or by giving the agency a call at 301–734–0799.  Registration is an especially good idea for those who are planning to present questions or concerns at the listening session. (In the subject line of the e-mail, please give your own name or your organization’s name, and indicate that you’ll be attending the Raleigh listening session. In the body of the message, give your name and organization name, and indicate that you have  comments to present at the listening session.)

Some small-scale livestock producers have expressed concern at the costs and time and labor demands that the new system will mandate as part of a biosecurity system that will make it possible to trace the origins and travels of animals sick with hoof and mouth, mad cow or other infectious diseases.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/06/usda-responding-to-smallscale.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/06/usda-responding-to-smallscale.html Animal Sciences Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:05:14 -0500 The American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) and the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) will be holding a joint annual meeting (along with the Canadian Society of Animal Science) in Montréal July 12 to 16. For members of those organizations who register by June 10, the early bird discount registration fee is $375. After the June 10 cutoff, the registration fee will increase to $525 for members and $625 for nonmembers.  For graduate students who are members of one of the organizations, the registration fees are $75 before June 10 and $100 after the cutoff. For undergraduates who are members of the ASDA ($5 annually) or ASAS (no annual dues), there is no registration fee before June 10, and a $25 fee after the cutoff.

The opening session for the gathering of an expected 1,800 researchers, educators and Extension specialists involved in support for dairies and livestock production will be from 8 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, and the closing reception will be from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15. Among the program highlights in between are 40 symposia, devoted to such topics as zoonotic diseases, bioethics, exotic animal nutrition, and the roles of probiotics in animal health. ]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/05/animal-animus.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/05/animal-animus.html Animal Sciences Wed, 27 May 2009 14:52:43 -0500 An SAES graduate student whose project advisor was Dr. Osei Yeboah brought home third place honors in the graduate student research poster competition at the 24th Annual Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Conference in Indianapolis the third week of March. The poster on research into “U.S. Sugar Under CAFTA-DR Bilateral Trade” brought a cash award of $200 along with the third-place finish for Janine Parker, a graduate student in the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education. Parker also received guidance and assistance with the poster from Dr. Paula Faulkner of the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education.

Faulkner and Larry Hartsfield, USDA's 1890 liaison for A&T, assisted the SAES chapter of MANRRS’ faculty advisor, Dr. Tracy Hanner, by serving as co-advisors and chaperones for a delegation of nine SAES students who attended the 2009 MARNRS. The conference drew more than a thousand students from around the country for an annual gathering that now includes a career fair in addition to research competitions and opportunities to network with a number of USDA agencies.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/04/sweet-spot.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/04/sweet-spot.html Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education Animal Sciences Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:42:42 -0500 Tuesday, March 17, was Spring Honors Convocation at Harrison Auditorium, and four members of the SAES faculty received recognitions that merit repeating:

• For each academic year, one faculty member from each of the University’s seven schools and colleges is selected for a Teach of the Year Award, and Dr. Godfrey Ejimakor was the SAES recipient for the 2008-09 academic year.

• The Academy for Teaching and Learning at A&T named Dr. Rosemarie Vardell of the Dept. of Family and Consumer Sciences one of two recipients of its Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Awards for the 2008-09 academic year. Vardell shares the award with Dr. Jerono Rotich of the School of Education.

• Dr. Paula Faulkner of the Dept of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education and Dr. Jenora Waterman of the Dept. of Animal Sciences were among the A&T faculty that the Division of Research and Economic Development announced as selections for the Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. The program gives those faculty members selected the opportunity to focus on their research work for six weeks by working on a proposal, preparing an article for peer-reviewed publication or another research activity. ]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/03/saes-faculty-among-the-honoree.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/03/saes-faculty-among-the-honoree.html Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education Animal Sciences Family and Consumer Sciences Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:34:33 -0500 Dr. Tracy Hanner, the coordinator for the SAES Lab Animal Science Program, was presented the Iverson Bell Recognition Award by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges on March 13. The award is named to honor a pioneering African-American vet who graduated from Michigan State’s School of Veterinary Medicine in 1948 and went on to high level positions in both state and national associations committed to advancing veterinary medicine. The Bell Award is presented biennially to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to adding cultural diversity to veterinary medical education. Hanner joins a distinguished group. Past winners of the Bell Award include former Kansas State provost Dr. James R. Coffman; Dr. Halcyon Watkins, a professor and program leader at Prairie View A&M; and Dr. Alfonza Atkinson, former dean of the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health.

In presenting Hanner the Bell Award, the Association of American Veterinary recognized him “for his leadership and contributions in promoting opportunities for underrepresented minorities in veterinary medical education”. Hanner was nominated for the award by one of his former students, Dr. Allen Hill, who is now the assistant director for the Office of Laboratory Animal Care at the University of Tennessee’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The SAES will have to share a portion of pride in the honor Hanner has received with the College of Veterinary Medicine at N. C. State. Hanner was the first African American to receive a DVM from the N. C. State College of Veterinary Medicine.

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.