Highlights and Special Requests for Abstracts from Program Committees

2000 Joint Meeting of ADSA and ASAS - Baltimore

 

The following program highlights are planned.  To build an outstanding program, in addition to the General Call for Abstracts, the Program Committees request special abstract submissions (see bold italics below) from the memberships for the following topics.  Please refer to the accompanying list and the meeting Web site (http://www.baltimore2k.org ) for contact information of the 2000 JOINT PROGRAM COMMITTEE CHAIRS if questions arise or more information is desired.  Also, check the Web site periodically for updates and more details about the meeting.

 

Animal Behavior and Well-Being

A full-day symposium, “Livestock Transport: Industry Issues and Research Challenges” is planned to focus on: Bringing Livestock Transport into Y2K Compliance (morning) and Livestock Transportation: Research Challenges for the New Millennium (afternoon).  The symposium is co-sponsored by the Contemporary and Emerging Issues Committee and the NCR-131 Committee (Behavior of Domestic Animals).  Abstracts are enthusiastically solicited to complement the themes of behavior and well-being of animals as influenced by environment and transportation.

 

Animal Health

A half-day symposium “Nutritional and Environmental Factors Influencing the Immune System” is planned.  Complementary abstracts related to this topic are requested.  This Committee also will co-sponsor a symposium on “Lameness and the Environment” with the Production and Management Committee.

 

Beef Species Committee

“Tools Needed to Formulate Sustainable Integrated Beef Production Systems” is the title of a symposium with sub-topics of “Systems that Utilize Early Weaning to Reduce the Feed Costs for the Cow” and “Implant Strategy in a Totally Integrated Beef Production System to Maximize Efficiency and Carcass Quality”.  The Committee will select five to six at-large abstract submissions to complement these topics in the symposium; everyone is encouraged to submit abstracts, others will be placed in additional sessions and the Industry/ Technology Forum.

 

Breeding and Genetics

“A Tribute to A. E. Freeman, Iowa State University” will be the focus of a series of nine presentations on genetic improvement of livestock by former PhD students of Freeman; a dinner and roast to honor Dr. Freeman will take place at the conclusion of this all-day session.  Other symposia include: “Inbreeding in Animal Agriculture” (at-large abstracts are solicited for this multi-species session) and “Genetics of Carcass Merit” (abstracts on selection, gene mapping, and QTS for carcass traits are requested).  Abstracts also are requested for an interactive software session in the Cyber Café to showcase “Statistical, Decision-Support, and Teaching Applications for Animal Breeding and Genetics”.

 

Contemporary and Emerging Issues

Two timely symposia are planned by the Committee and co-sponsored by the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS): “The Future of Animal Agriculture in Supplying Food for the World”; and, “Genetically Modified Organisms in the Global Marketplace”.  The symposium on “Livestock Transport: Industry Issues and Research Challenges” also is being co-sponsored with the Animal Behavior and Well-being Committee.

 

Dairy Species Committee

“Endocrinology and Metabolism of Transition Dairy Cows”, is the theme of this Committee’s symposium, and complementary at-large abstracts are enthusiastically encouraged.

 

 

Dairy Foods

The ADSA Foods Division has an exciting, integrated program planned which will be of interest to many among both organizations involved in food production and processing.  A symposium, “Small Ruminant Dairy Research”, will highlight hot topic considerations related to milk production and dairy foods from goats and sheep.  Another symposia, “Lactobacilli” will address the therapeutic use, metabolic diversity, bacteriocins, and effects on cheese production; at-large abstracts are urged on lactobacilli.  Emerging food safety issues will be the focus of a symposium co‑sponsored with the Food Safety Committee.  At‑large abstracts to support this symposium on pasteurization alternatives, risk assessment and science‑based policy, U.S. Cheese Standards, and Codex Hygiene Standards (and setting international standards) are highly encouraged.  The ADSA Foods Division’s Enzyme and Proteins Nomenclature Committee has planned the symposium, “Biologically Active Peptides and Proteins in Milk”; complementary abstracts are encouraged.  “Educating Dairy Foods Scientists for the 21^st Century”, will be presented in a roundtable discussion format to address the shortage of faculty positions and trained dairy foods graduates in food science and animal science departments.  A major highlight of this year’s meeting will be the pre-conference educational workshop to focus on the role of lactic acid bacteria in cheese flavor development.  The major intent, beyond the science, is to showcase industry and university research leaders as role models for graduate students and industry personnel.

 

FASS Program Committees

The Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) Committees (Food Safety, Environment, and Animal Care), in cooperation with the Contemporary and Emerging Issues Committee are co-sponsoring the symposium on “Genetically Modified Organisms in the Global Marketplace”.  The FASS Committees often rapidly develop programs on timely, hot topics for our meetings.  If you have suggestions between now and April 1, please contact Dr. Barbara Glenn (bglenn@FASEB.ORG).

 

Food Safety

“Farm-to-Table Food Safety - Knowledge Gaps and Lessons Learned”, will be the central theme of a symposium, co-sponsored with the Dairy Foods Committee, addressing current and emerging issues about food borne diseases, lessons from the BSE story, Johnes’ (Mycobacterium paratuberculosis) disease, HACCP plan development and implementation in beef feedlots, transmission of antibiotic resistance, risk assessment and science-based policy of food borne pathogens, food safety issues in ready-to-eat meats, pasteurization alternatives, and national surveillance systems.  Related at-large abstracts addressing any of these topics are strongly encouraged.

 

Forages and Pastures

Two symposia, “Protein Nutrition in Forage-Fed Ruminants” and “Energetics and Forage Utilization” will be sponsored jointly by the Forages and Pastures and Ruminant Nutrition Committees.  Also, at-large abstracts are encouraged to supplement invited papers on: standardization and consistency of forage analyses; quality, yield and establishment advances in hybrid Bermuda grasses; transgenic advances for improving alfalfa and other forages; and, antioxidant properties of seaweed fed to ruminants grazing endophyte infected Tall Fescue.  If you are submitting abstracts be sure to indicate Forages and Pastures as first choice instead of Ruminant Nutrition.

 

Graduate Student Paper Contests (ADSA Foods and Production Divisions)

Both divisions encourage enthusiastic participation in this exciting and educational program for 2000.  Please be sure to check the joint meeting Web site (http://www.baltimore2k.org) for graduate student paper contest rules, information and score card.  Additionally, the ADSA Production Division in sponsoring a 1-hour mini-symposium and luncheon for all undergraduate and graduate students entitled, “Surviving Your First Job Interview”.

 

Goat Species Committee

This Committee is sponsoring a symposium on “Goats for Vegetation Management”, and is co-sponsoring with Dairy Foods the symposium on “Small Ruminant Dairy Research”.  Related at-large abstracts on vegetative management by goats are strongly encouraged and discussion on the topic is planned following invited presentations.

 

Growth and Development

The Growth and Development Committee has formulated a program which will feature a full-day symposium on “Functional Genomics”, a mini-symposium on “Mechanisms of Hormone Action” (at-large abstract submissions are urged to supplement this mini-symposium).  Additionally, a session of oral presentations will focus on “Appetite Regulation” and one invited talk followed by a series of at-large oral presentations requested from and submitted by members of ASAS and ADSA.  The central theme, “Impact of Clinical/Subclinical Disease in Animal Growth” will be the topic of another oral session, anchored by an invited presentation; submission of at-large abstracts related to this theme are highly encouraged.  Two general poster sessions on growth and development will round-out this program.

 

Horse Species Committee

“Horse Programs in Animal Science – A Curse or a Blessing?” is the topic of a symposium with a subsequent panel discussion.  At-large abstracts related to this topic are encouraged.

 

Industry/ Technology Forum

Topics and sessions from various Program Committees especially relevant to members working in commercial animal science and agriculture will be clustered for easy accessibility.  Practical applications (From Research to Innovation) involving various species will be highlighted.  If you have additional topics or material that would be applicable please contact one of the ADSA Program Co-Chairs or the ASAS Program Chair.

 

International Animal Agriculture

A half-day mini-symposium, “Converting Research to Application in Tropical and Subtropical Animal Production and Processing Systems” is planned.  The other half day will be devoted to oral and poster presentations on tropical and subtropical animal agriculture, and submissions along this general theme are highly encouraged.

 

Meat Science and Muscle Biology

“Ante-mortem Manipulation of Meat Quality” is the title of a symposium which will include a roundtable discussion with five invited speakers addressing: livestock handling for quality assurance; influence of nutritional therapy; manipulation of antioxidant status; influencing tenderness via calcium metabolism and vitamin D; and, potential influence of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on meat quality.  At-large abstracts for posters to support the ante-mortem management of meat quality symposium are requested..

 

Milk Synthesis

The Committee solicits at-large abstracts for a companion poster session related to its major symposium, ”Physiology and Economics of Alternate Methods for the Initiation of Lactation”.  Short Q & A and a longer discussion session will enhance assimilation of information on topics of: induction of lactation in heifers; efficacy and economics of steroid-induced lactation in cull cows; effects of milking interval on mammary function and shape of the lactation curve; delayed breeding in cows receiving bST; and economics of atypical milk production.

 

Nonruminant Nutrition

Cost-effective nutritional programs will be the focus of a mini-symposium, “Back to Basics: Defining and Exceeding Customers’ Nutritional Needs”.  The formal presentations will be followed by panel discussion with a facilitator to address this important issue given the recent and current financial crisis in the swine industry.  Nutritional research lessons from the poultry industry will help integrate this topic.  At-large abstracts for posters and oral sessions on all aspects of nonruminant nutrition are strongly encouraged and “what did we learn” summaries will be given by individuals at the end of several oral sessions.

 

Physiology

Four mini-symposia will anchor the Physiology Committee’s program this year.  In each case, at-large abstract submissions from the membership for poster and oral presentations are encouraged to complement main topics: luteal cell interactions and function; regional projects associated with reproduction; regulation of feed intake; and, genomic markers for reproduction and milk production traits.  The last two topics also will be co-sponsored by the Growth and Development Committee and Dairy Species Committee.

Production and Management

A real-life case study, “The Effects on Profits of (1) Adding Cows or Herds Versus (2) Adding Technology to Increase Efficiency and to Increase Production Per Cow” will be highlighted.  Additionally, symposia will focus on: “Effects of Anabolic Implants on Carcass Yield Grade and Quality” (co-sponsored with the Beef Species Committee); “Lameness and the Environment” (jointly sponsored with the Health Committee); and, “Management of Dairy Herds for 40,000 lb milk/ year”.  Abstract submissions on these themes as well as other livestock production and management topics are encouraged strongly!

 

Rabbit Species Committee

The 2000 ASAS Rabbit Symposium will focus on “Value-Added Rabbit Production”.  Topics will include: how to feed the rabbit gastrointestinal tract; processing rabbit meat to increase profits; deboning rabbit meat for value-added production; how to add value to rabbits marketed to research labs; and, processing Angora rabbit fiber and Internet marketing.  At-large abstract submissions on these and other topics of rabbit production are strongly encouraged!

 

Roche Beef Cattle Nutrition Symposium

The Roche Beef Cattle Nutrition Symposium will focus on “Beef Cattle Behavior”.  Topics addressed will include: technology and methodology for assessing cattle behavior; behavioral characteristics affecting performance of grazing cattle; electronic monitoring of eating behavior of feedlot cattle; and, managing feedlot cattle behaviors that affect performance and health. Symposium will be co-sponsored by the Production and Management and Beef Species Committees.

 

Ruminant Nutrition

Symposia will focus on: “Starch Utilization by Ruminants” and “Protein Nutrition in Forage-Fed Ruminants” (co-sponsored with the Forages and Pastures Committee).  Additionally, invited presentations addressing ionophores in diets of lactating dairy cows, and the effects of animal grouping on feeding behavior and feed intake will anchor oral abstract sessions on these topics.  At-large abstract submissions on all aspects of nutrition of beef and dairy cattle, and sheep are strongly encouraged for poster and oral sessions.

 

Sheep Species Committee

“The Compelling Need for Value-Based Marketing” is the subject of the symposium to address new initiatives being undertaken to improve the international competitiveness of the U.S. sheep industry.  The purpose of the symposium is to discuss relevant issues to implementation of a value-based marketing system.

 

Undergraduate and Graduate Education

A half-day symposium on “Methods to Enhance Systems-Based Thinking in Animal and Dairy Science Teaching Efforts” is one attraction of this program.  Additionally, a workshop “Equipping Graduate Students for the Faculty Workplace” will be held on the afternoon prior to the opening session.  A panel and roundtable discussion on “Development of Teaching Portfolios” presented and lead by departmental administrators and successful teachers is planned.  At-large abstracts on all facets of undergraduate and graduate education are encouraged.  Additionally, again this year a fee-based workshop on “Mixed Models for Experimental Scientists in Animal and Dairy Science” will be presented by R. J. Tempelman (Michigan State University) and L. W. Douglass (University of Maryland).

 

Women and Minority Issues in Animal Agriculture

The Committee has planned a program to address the topic “How Do ‘We’ Fit Into ASAS and ADSA - Women, Minorities, and Internationals”.  The Program will be held in conjunction with a late afternoon social function.

 

See you in Baltimore!                                                                      July 24-28, 2000