Ah, spring . . . the season that brings with it the hope of warm weather and new beginnings.  And at The Animal Science Monitor, we’re beginning something new this month.  We’re offering new content, partly because we’ve deemed April to be “Dairy Month” within the pages of The ASM.  We’ve devised this content to make your reading experience more enjoyable and to complement our regular columns, “Tips for the Boss” and “Managing Your Career.”  We hope that you enjoy this issue of our newsletter, as well as the allures of the spring season.

—Dan and Don

>What’s Going on at . . . the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association
>Species Focus: An Interview with Dr. Bill Weiss
>Upcoming Industry Events
> Introducing The ASM ‘Video Link of the Month’
>Coming Up Next Month . .

Species Focus: An Interview with Dr. Bill Weiss

Since April is Dairy Month within the pages of The Animal Science Monitor, we thought we’d kick off our “Species Focus” series of feature articles with Dr. Bill Weiss, a Dairy Nutrition Specialist at Ohio State University.  Our goal with this feature is to highlight and promote prominent individuals and programs within the animal science and nutrition industry.  We’d like to thank Dr. Weiss for allowing us to feature him and OSU’s animal science programs.  If you’d like to be featured in The ASM, or if you’d like to suggest somebody, send an email to matt@animalsciencemonitor.com.

What’s your particular area of specialty?
Dairy cattle nutrition in general.  My emphasis areas include 1) trace mineral and vitamin effects on cow health, 2) energy metabolism by dairy cows, 3) nutrient digestibility by cows, and 4) forage evaluation.

What are the different roles you fill at the university?
My main role is to conduct research on dairy cattle nutrition, which includes training graduate students.  I also conduct extension and outreach programs in dairy cattle nutrition and management.  I have a limited role in formal classroom teaching—a few lectures in dairy nutrition class and about a third of a graduate class in energy and fat metabolism.

In your opinion, what are the exciting trends in the industry right now?
Because of the high cost of feed, we are seeing renewed interest in increasing efficiency, and diets fed to dairy cows are becoming more diverse to take advantage of local feed markets.  We no longer just consider corn silage/alfalfa/corn grain/soybean diets.  We have to figure out how to feed diets with large concentrations of distillers, or wheat midds, or any other byproduct that may be reasonably priced.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the industry?
Consumers do not understand agricultural production and we (the people involved with conventional agriculture production) have done a very poor job of educating them.  We need to show consumers that the use of technology to increase food production can be a good thing.  We need to show them that we can provide food at reasonable prices while treating animals correctly and not causing excessive harm to the environment.  Because of increased consumer concerns about food costs, this is an ideal time to get our message out.

What can you tell us about the university’s graduate-level program in the area of animal science and nutrition?
At OSU, we have a strong graduate program in nutrition and physiology.  We can train students in very basic animal science or in applied animal science.

What animal science and nutrition events does the university hold (meetings, conferences, etc.)?
The Tri-state Dairy Nutrition Conference.  (Editor’s Note: This conference is a collaborative effort between Ohio State University, Michigan State University, and Purdue University.  Click here for more information about this year’s event, scheduled for April 22-23.)

What does the job market look like right now for students pursuing careers in animal science?
I am not involved with undergraduate students, so I can't comment on their job market.  For students with either an MS or PhD, the market is very good.  I get at least one call per month concerning employee opportunities for graduating MS and PhD students, especially for students with some training in applied nutrition.

At The Animal Science Monitor, we’re advocates of continuous education and the promotion of industry events such as conferences and conventions.  The training and networking opportunities that exist at these events are extremely valuable and can pay dividends in a number of different ways.

That’s why we run a regular column devoted to upcoming events in the animal science and animal nutrition industries.  And as always, we value your input.  If there’s an industry event that you believe we should promote through our newsletter, please email your information to matt@animalsciencemonitor.com.

The ASM is pleased to highlight these upcoming industry events:

April

‘New Horizons in Johne’s Disease Control’
Date: Friday, April 18
Location: The Henry Center on the campus of Michigan State University
Description: This is a special industry workshop for veterinarians, extension workers, producers, and other interested professionals.  It’s being held in conjunction with the Fourth Annual Conference of the Johne’s Disease Integrated Program (JDIP).  JDIP, a consortium of top Johne’s researchers and other interested parties from across the country, has a primary objective of shortening the interval between discovery research and field application of results.  This workshop will highlight field application of some of the cutting edge research that is being done through JDIP to help producers control and prevent Johne’s disease.
Registration: To register or for more information, click here.  You can also contact Ken Olson at keolson@prodigy.net.

Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference
Date: Tuesday, April 22 and Wednesday, April 23
Location: Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Description: This 17th annual event is designed for feed industry personnel, nutrition consultants, extension specialists, veterinarians, and producers.  This year’s conference will focus on a wide range of animal health and animal nutrition topics relating to the dairy industry.  Those topics include, among others, “Understanding Cow Behavior from a Nutritional Perspective,” “Optimizing Transition Cow Diets,” and “Managing Measures of Feed Costs.”  There will also be presentations honoring graduate students' research efforts.
Registration: To register or for more information, click here.

Introducing The ASM ‘Video Link of the Month’

There’s no doubt that we’re living in a YouTube world.  With that in mind, The Animal Science Monitor is now providing links to humorous (and appropriate) videos regarding any aspect of the animal science industry.  For example, for our inaugural offering, we have this clip involving a pair of renegade cows.

We’d like you to send us your favorite animal science video clips.  Send an email, with your link included, to matt@animalsciencemonitor.com, and your clip might be included in a future issue of the newsletter.  If your clip is included, we’ll also publish your name as its contributor.

Coming Up Next Month . .

We hope that you enjoyed our new format, but don’t forget that Dan and Don will return with their columns in the next issue of The Animal Science Monitor, scheduled for publication on Monday, April 29.  They will tackle the issue of reference checks from both the side of the hiring manager and the candidate.  So be on the lookout for that issue in your inbox, and we hope that you enjoy a great two weeks!