Deadline for National Jersey award noms is next week</p><p>REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — Jan. 15 is the deadline for nominations for four awards to be presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Assoc. (AJCA) and National All-Jersey, Inc. (NAJ) in Asheville, N.C., on June 24-28.</p><p>
The Master Breeder Award is bestowed annually upon a living AJCA member, family, partnership or corporation who, in the opinion of the board of directors, has bred outstanding animals for many years and thereby has made a notable contribution to the advancement of the Jersey breed in the United States.</p><p>
The Distinguished Service Award is bestowed upon as many living AJCA members and/or members’ families who, in the opinion of the board, have rendered outstanding and unselfish service for many years and thereby have made a notable contribution to the advancement of the Jersey breed in the U.S.</p><p>
The Award for Meritorious Service is bestowed annually upon a living individual who, in the joint opinion of the boards of the AJCA and the NAJ, has made a notable contribution to the advancement of the Jersey breed and the livelihood of Jersey owners in the U.S. through research, education, development, marketing or other significant activities of the allied dairy industry.</p><p>
The Young Jersey Breeder Awards are bestowed annually upon as many living AJCA members and/or members’ families, who, in the opinion of the board, merit recognition. Nominees must be active members of the AJCA and must be at least 28 years of age but not more than 40 as of Jan. 1 of the recognition year. Selection is based upon expertise in dairy farming and Jersey cattle breeding, participation in AJCA and NAJ programs and leadership in Jersey and other dairy and agricultural organizations.</p><p>
Any lifetime member of the AJCA can nominate qualified people for these awards. Nomination forms may be requested by contacting Paula England in the AJCA office at 614-861-3636, ext. 332, or by e-mailing pengland@usjersey.com</p><p>
Forms are also available for download from the AJCA at www.usjersey.com/ Reference/calendar.htm and all materials must be received on or before Jan. 15, 2008.</p><p>
Researcher to lead UT dept.</p><p>
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A veteran professor in the University of Tennessee Department of Food Science and Technology has been appointed head of the department. Dr. Michael Davidson is a microbiologist who specializes in food safety, specifically the study of antimicrobials to combat well-known bacterial pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, salmonella, and listeria.</p><p>
Davidson’s appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2008; however, he has been serving as interim head of the department since Dr. Charles Goan was appointed to serve as interim dean of UT extension in October 2005.</p><p>
Davidson’s goals are to continue to raise the profile of the department’s research and outreach efforts while attracting talented students. He holds a Ph.D. in food science and technology from Washington State University, an M.S. in food science and human nutrition from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. in bacteriology from the University of Idaho.</p><p>
He is a fellow in both the American Academy of Microbiology and the Institute of Food Technologists. He has served on the editorial boards of numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications and is scientific co-editor of the Journal of Food Protection. In 2002-03, Davidson was a reviewer for the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine.</p><p>
OSU prof wins recognition</p><p>
COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio State University extension specialist has been recognized by the Assoc. for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) with its Outstanding Consumer Financial Information Award.</p><p>
Sharon Seiling, associate professor in the Department of Consumer Sciences in the College of Education and Human Ecology, won the recognition as part of the leadership team involved in a national effort, “eXtension Financial Security for All.” Seiling also has a research appointment with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.</p><p>
eXtension (pronounced “e-extension”) will be formally launched at the USDA Ag Outlook Forum in Crystal City, Va., on Feb. 21-22. It is designed to be the Cooperative Extension System’s Web resource of current research-based information and educational resources.</p><p>
The project is organized by communities of practice, in which experts from across the country work together in specific topic areas. They assemble information from extension services across the country to give United States consumers research-based information on a variety of issues.</p><p>
The personal finance portion of the eXtension website at www.extension.org/personal_finance centers on topics about financial information for individuals and families. It includes learning lessons, calculation tools, nearly 1,000 frequently asked questions, current news, upcoming events and the opportunity for consumers to ask questions and receive answers from extension personal finance experts.</p><p>
The USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), along with state extension services (including OSU) and partner organizations, provide funding for eXtension. CSREES also provides significant national leadership.</p><p>
CLA nominates Vroom to FACA</p><p>
WASHINGTON, D.C. — CropLife America (CLA) Chairman Eric Wintemute has nominated CLA president and CEO Jay Vroom to the new agricultural advisory committee being formed by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).</p><p>
In his nearly 20-year service as CEO of CLA, Vroom has served on the EPA’s Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee and numerous advisory committees established to support the Food Quality Protection Act. His family farm was one of the first participants in the soil conservation programs established by the federal government in the last century and Vroom has seen to the continuation of these farming practices today, as the principal owner of that Illinois farmland.