CSREES Update - April 23, 2008

CSREES Update, from the Office of the Administrator, is a biweekly newsletter for research, education, and extension partners at land-grant universities and other cooperating institutions.

In This Issue

CSREES

• Annual PILD Conference
• National Vegetable Crop Initiative Partners to Discuss Draft Strategic Plan
• CSREES Seeks Hatch Lecturer Nominations
• Call for CSREES Hall of Fame Nominations
• CSREES News
• CSREES Open Requests for Grant Applications

USDA

• Chile Approves Imports of U.S. Poultry
• USDA Implements Key Strategy from NAIS Business Plan
• USDA and Its Partners Declare Victory Over the Asian Longhorned Beetle

Partners

• Article Explores How Small Farm Clusters Promote Rural Community Sustainability
• SRDC Releases New Web-Based e-Commerce Curriculum

Opportunities

• Mitigating Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations Conference

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CSREES

Annual PILD Conference

The Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) Conference sponsored by the Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) is April 28-30 at the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, VA. Over 300 extension professionals, volunteers, and administrators will participate in the conference. This year’s theme is "Connectivity: Community to the Capitol." The program features breakout sessions that provide updates on changing public issues that impact communities and extension programming in Washington, DC, and on the local level. CSREES Administrator Colien Hefferan will welcome participants and provide an update on CSREES activities. Some 20 CSREES national program leaders will lead roundtable discussions on various topics. Participants may visit with their Congressional delegations. Breakout session topics range from connecting in Washington, DC, to delivering the extension message to decisionmakers. Visit the JCEP Web site for conference details.

National Vegetable Crop Initiative Partners to Discuss Draft Strategic Plan

About 60 leaders in the U.S. vegetable industry will meet in Denver, CO, May 12-13, for a workshop to examine the draft strategic plan created by the steering committee of the National Vegetable Crop Initiative (NVCI). NVCI is an emerging partnership amongst industry, academia, and government formed to develop a strategic research and extension plan for the continued growth and sustainability of vegetable crop production in the United States. Farmers, academia, and state and federal agencies are involved in the effort. A strategic plan will help address opportunities that may result from the creation of the Specialty Crop Research Initiative proposed in the current farm bill legislation. Tom Bewick, CSREES national program leader (NPL) for horticulture, along with Agricultural Research Service NPL Gail Wisler, have partnered over the past 2 years to strengthen the position of the vegetable industry in the United States. Contact Tom Bewick for more information.

CSREES Seeks Hatch Lecturer Nominations

CSREES has joined with the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) to sponsor the 2008 Hatch Memorial Lecture as a component of NASULGC’s annual meeting November 9–11 in Chicago, IL. The lecture commemorates the efforts of William H. Hatch, the Missouri congressman who promoted federal support for the Agricultural Experiment Station System. The lecture also celebrates the system’s accomplishments, which was created by the 1887 Hatch Act.

CSREES seeks your help to identify potential topics and a dynamic speaker who can provoke discussion among meeting participants and prepare a formal lecture, which may be read by those who do not attend the NASULGC meeting. In addition to seeking recommendations from those within the Land-Grant University System, please share this information with colleagues outside of the research, education, and extension system, including stakeholders, foundations, public interest groups, or international organizations.

Please submit ideas for potential topics and/or names of presenters before June 27, 2008, so we may complete our review and extend an invitation to the Hatch Lecturer. Electronically submit recommendations to Jim Spurling, CSREES assistant administrator for Public Liaison, at jspurling@csrees.usda.gov.

Call for CSREES Hall of Fame Nominations

CSREES in 2004 established the CSREES Hall of Fame. The CSREES Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have worked, coordinated, or supported activities exemplifying CSREES’ synergy of excellence in any combination of research, education, and extension approaches on local, regional, national, or international levels, and has demonstrated a measurable and positive impact on the agency. Recipients are inducted into the CSREES Hall of Fame during an annual awards ceremony, pending identification of one qualified nominee.

A committee will review the nominations and recommend nominees for final selection by the CSREES Administrator. Nominees may be living or deceased. Nominations are accepted from CSREES or CSREES partner organizations (land-grant and partner institutions), and individuals.

Click here to access nomination form. The nomination package should include two pages that describe how the nominee implemented, coordinated, or supported any combination of research, education, or extension approaches to impact citizens' lives locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally and demonstrated a measurable and positive impact on CSREES. Two letters of endorsement are also required.

Submit the nomination form and endorsement letters by 5 p.m. eastern daylight time, on August 8, 2008. E-mail submissions to jspurling@csrees.usda.gov or FAX them to 202–720–8987.

CSREES News

• CSREES Celebrates Financial Literacy Month in April
  

  CSREES will highlight its Financial Security program during the 2008 Financial Literacy Day, April 28, at the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Financial Literacy Day is part of April Financial Literacy Month. Honorary co-hosts include Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Representatives Judy Biggert (R-IL) and Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX). A mix of government, nonprofit, and corporate organizations will showcase exhibits that promote financial literacy across the country. Other participating organizations include the Jump$tart Coalition, Junior Achievement Worldwide, and the National Council on Economic Education. Visit the CSREES Newsroom to read the full story CSREES Celebrates Financial Literacy Month in April.

CSREES Lists Open Requests for Grant Applications

CSREES advertises all of its funding opportunities through "Find Grant Opportunities" on the Grants.gov Web site. This site is searchable and contains summary information on all federal funding opportunities with links to the full announcements. Users can search announcements by topic, funding agency, and date, as well as subscribe to an e-mail notification service based on these parameters.

USDA

Chile Approves Imports of U.S. Poultry

WASHINGTON, April 10, 2008 − Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today announced that Chile's Livestock and Agricultural Service approved the U.S. inspection, control, and certification systems for poultry, allowing these products to enter the Chilean market, effective immediately. "This agreement represents a strong foothold for U.S. poultry exports to South America," said Schafer. "Without the benefit of the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement, the common ground for expanding U.S. poultry exports to Chile would have been weakened. Trade agreements not only increase two-way trade by providing duty-free access and sharing of standards among the United States and our trading partners, these agreements also open new markets for U.S. farmers and ranchers. I applaud the hard work done by U.S. and Chilean officials to gain this eligibility." Visit the USDA Newsroom to view Chile Approves Imports of U.S. Poultry.

USDA Implements Key Strategy from NAIS Business Plan

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2008 − The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service today announced that it has implemented a key strategy from its Business Plan to Advance Animal Disease Traceability by providing National Animal Identification System (NAIS) compliant "840" radio frequency (RF) eartags to animal health officials for use in the bovine tuberculosis (TB) control program. "Using NAIS-compliant tags with RF technology establishes a consistent data format across our animal disease programs. It will also increase the efficiency and accuracy of the on-ground animal health task force conducting bovine TB testing and response," said Bruce Knight, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. "This effort supports a key strategy outlined in our business plan and is another step toward reaching NAIS' ultimate goal of 48-hour traceability." Visit the USDA Newsroom to view USDA Implements Key Strategy from NAIS Business Plan.

USDA and Its Partners Declare Victory Over the Asian Longhorned Beetle

CHICAGO, April 17, 2008 − The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the City of Chicago today announced the official eradication of the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) from Illinois. The event was held in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood, where the pest was found almost 10 years ago. This makes Illinois the first state fighting active ALB infestations to declare victory over the invasive insect. "This successful eradication would not have been possible without the solid partnership between federal, state, and local governments fighting ALB in Illinois," said Bruce Knight, Under Secretary for USDA's Marketing and Regulatory Programs. "Eliminating the ALB involved the innovative use of resources, open lines of communication between government agencies and the public and a united commitment to decisive and results-oriented actions." Visit the USDA Newsroom to view USDA and Its Partners Declare Victory Over The Asian Longhorned Beetle.

Partners

Article Explores How Small Farm Clusters Promote Rural Community Sustainability

"Small Farm Clusters and Pathways to Rural Community Sustainability" was published in the fall issue of the Community Development Society Journal’s special edition on sustainable development. The authors examine the ways in which agricultural clusters lead to more viable farms and sustainable rural communities. Recent research recognized the importance of industry clusters to regional development, competitiveness, and innovation. The research described in the article takes several lessons from industrial cluster research and applies them to small farm clusters in Northeast United States. This study is part of a research and extension project funded through the Agricultural Prosperity for Small and Medium-Sized Farms Program of the National Research Initiative (NRI) at CSREES. Contact Siva Sureshwaran, CSREES national program leader (NPL), Competitive Programs unit, for more information on the NRI Agricultural Prosperity program. For more information about the article or the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, contact Sally Maggard, CSREES NPL, Economics and Community Systems unit, or Stephan Goetz, director of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development.

SRDC Releases New Web-Based e-Commerce Curriculum

Expanding awareness and adoption of Internet-based technologies by farm managers is the focus of a newly released curriculum, "Internet Strategies to Improve Farm Business Management," by the Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC). Authored by Sarah Roth, Jeffrey Hyde, and Ellie Hollobaugh Vranich of Penn State University, the curriculum focuses on six major topics including The Internet as a Communications Tool; Business Planning and Market Research on the Internet; and Developing and Maintaining Your Web Site. The curriculum is the result of a grant from the SRDC as part of its leadership for the National Rural E-Commerce Extension Initiative. To view the new e-commerce product, visit the SRDC Web site. Contact Sally Maggard, CSREES national program leader for Economic and Community Systems, or Lionel "Bo" Beaulieu, director of the Southern Rural Development Center, for more information.

Opportunities

Mitigating Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations Conference

Iowa State University is hosting the Mitigating Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations Conference at the Hotel Fort Des Moines in Des Moines, IA, on May 19–21. The conference will provide practical information related to mitigation of air emissions for technical service providers, extension personnel, industry consultants, and facility owners and operators. As interest in mitigating air emission from animal feeding operations increases, practical mitigation options need to be readily available to producers. Some 60 technical papers are scheduled for presentation, including discussions of regulatory trends and the state of the science in both the United States and Europe. Proceedings for the technical presentations will serve as a practical reference on currently available mitigation options. Attendees may discuss specific equipment and technology applications with industry suppliers and service providers during conference breaks and receptions.  For registration and hotel details, visit the conference Web site.

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For a plain text copy of this newsletter, please contact Judy Rude. CSREES UPDATE is published biweekly. The next regular issue is planned for May 7, 2008. Submit news items to newsletter@csrees.usda.gov by April 30, 2008.

Editor: Judy Rude, writer-editor, CSREES Communications Staff. If you have questions about Update, please contact him at jrude@csrees.usda.gov.

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Back issues of CSREES UPDATE are available on the CSREES Web site.

Colien Hefferan, Administrator

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Last Updated: 04/23/2008