|
|
|
|
|
|
| Names in the News |
|
|
|
| Lofton appointed to head Tenn. program
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dresden, Tenn., native Wendy Lofton has been named the state’s new Cattle Marketing Specialist. The position is part of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) cost share program for the state’s cattle producers.
As coordinator for the TAEP Cattle Improvement Initiative, Lofton will be involved with every aspect of the program, including the development of program guidelines, outreach to Tennessee cattle producers and application reviews and awards. She can take the latest program developments to producers and help them feel comfortable with the process so they can add facilities, improve herd genetics and increase the marketability of their animals.
This initiative is part of TAEP, a comprehensive agricultural development established by Gov. Phil Bredesen and supported by the Tennessee General Assembly with a $26 million state appropriation for the new fiscal year. The focus is to improve cattle production and facilities and to expand animal health services by providing cost share funds to farmers for such advancements.
Lofton is a recent graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and an MBA.
Bartholomew is agritourism coordinator
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Pamela Bartholomew has been named Tennessee’s agritourism coordinator. The post is a position with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Market Development Division at Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville.
Bartholomew, a native of Decatur County, is responsible for promoting agritourism operations and coordinating efforts to help the state’s farmers explore opportunities to increase farm income through tourism-related farm activities. “Agriculture is an evolving enterprise,” said Bartholomew, who received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education from the University of Tennessee-Martin.
“Farmers have always incorporated new crops, new equipment and changing consumer demands into their operations, and agritourism is just another logical step for farmers willing to share their way of life with non-farming neighbors.”
Holmberg appointed to market development
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kyle Holmberg, a native of Bolivar, has been appointed to the post of Agricultural Development Specialist with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Market Development Division.
Holmberg’s duties include international marketing, biofuel development and field verification for the state’s new cost share programs for Tennessee farmers. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and a master’s in agronomy from Mississippi State University, and a published author in a number of agricultural research and scholarly publications for his work in plant and soil science.
Holmberg works with the Southern United States Trade Association to coordinate and conduct foreign and reverse trade missions for a variety of Tennessee’s processed food products and commodities like lumber and nursery stock. He also visits farms across the state to verify the use of state funds awarded to producers as part of the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program.
Illinois animal scientists honored
URBANA, Ill. — Seven members of the University of Illinois Department of Animal Sciences received national awards at the 2007 joint annual meeting of several animal science associations in San Antonio, Texas.
Roger D. Shanks, a professor whose research focuses on breeding, received the J.L. Lush Award in Animal Breeding from the American Dairy Science Association. The award recognizes outstanding research in animal breeding and work that has the potential for improvement in dairy cattle. Shanks joined the department in 1979 and has served as editor for the genetics and breeding section of the Journal of Dairy Science.
Michael Hutjens, a professor and UoI extension dairy specialist, received the Land O’Lakes, Purina Feed LLC Teaching Award in Dairy Production in recognition of his “outstanding teaching of undergraduate students in dairy science.”
James Drackley, a professor of nutrition, won the Nutrition Professionals, Inc. Applied Dairy Nutrition Award for significant contributions to the dairy industry in the area of applied dairy nutrition.
Dave Fischer, a UoI extension animal systems educator based in Edwardsville, became the first recipient of the Hoard’s Dairyman Youth Development Award. He was recognized for his significant involvement in dairy-related youth activities and his role in increasing youth interest in the dairy industry.
Gilbert Hollis, retired UoI extension swine specialist, was presented a Fellow Award by the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) for distinguished service to animal science and the livestock industry over a long period.
Darrel Kesler, a professor of animal sciences, won the ASAS’s Distinguished Teacher Award for his accomplishments as a teacher of undergraduate and graduate courses in animal science.
The Poultry Science Association presented Chet Utterback, supervising foreman at the UoI Poultry Farm, with the Tyson Foods Support Personnel Award in recognition of his ongoing support of poultry research.
MSU student wins for methane research
EAST LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan State University doctoral student is the recipient of a National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) award for adding a tropical twist to dairy cow diets.
Marcus Hollmann was awarded the 2007 NMPF National Dairy Leadership Scholarship and the Murray Hintz Memorial Scholarship to advance his research into reducing methane production by supplementing feed with coconut oil.
According to MSU, methane emissions are one of the greatest contributors to the greenhouse effect, and lactating dairy cows produce the most methane of all livestock species. Hollmann’s research will focus on reducing methane and ammonia emissions on both ends of the nutrient cycle – feeding and excretion. Studies have shown the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil can reduce digestive tract methane production in cows by 68 percent.
The Animal Agriculture Initiative (AAI) housed at MSU, the C.E. Meadows Endowment for dairy nutrition and nutrient management and USDA are the primary sponsors of the research.
This farm news was published in the Sept. 5, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
| 9/5/2007 |
|
|
