11-98
Contact:
Steve Jones, News Service, (515) 294-4778
AGRICULTURE, VETERINARY MEDICINE AND NATURAL RESOURCES NEWS
FROM IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
AMES, Iowa --
PREDICTING SEVERITY OF CORN DISEASE IN IOWA FIELDS
Last winter, Iowa State University researchers predicted that
Stewart's disease would be a significant problem in cornfields
during 1998. They were right. The '98 growing season was one of
the more troublesome for Stewart's disease in recent years.
Stewart's disease can reduce yields, and many countries restrict
imports of seed corn produced from fields where the disease has
been detected.
ISU has been testing a computer model to forecast when Iowa fields would be at high risk for the disease. For the model, plant pathologist Forrest Nutter studied 26 years of data on the prevalence of the disease in Iowa seed-corn fields. Nutter will continue to fine-tune the model, but says seed companies could use the information to help decide where to plant, avoiding high-risk areas. "It also can help companies decide whether they need to apply insecticides to control flea beetles. And it should help them improve their management so they're only using chemicals when they're really needed, and only in high-risk areas," he said. Contact Nutter at (515) 294-8737 or Brian Meyer, Ag Information, (515) 294-0706.
NEW COURSE EXPLORES DISEASES, VETERINARY ROLE IN FISHERIES
INDUSTRY
The ISU College of Veterinary Medicine has launched a new course
to give veterinary students exposure to and training in aquatic
medicine. The one-credit course in aquaculture medicine is
offered in partnership with ISU's Department of Animal Ecology.
Fish farming is growing in Iowa and throughout the U.S.
Globally, fish production exceeds that of cattle, sheep, poultry
or eggs, and it is the biggest source of wild or domestic
protein in the world. However, the industry is in need of
veterinary health professionals. With the rapid increase in
production, intensive fish farming has led to many disease
problems. Veterinarians with an emphasis in toxicology play an
important role in addressing food safety issues related to the
fisheries industry and aquatic species.
Veterinary instructors say production medicine concepts for livestock herds and poultry parallel fish farming concepts. Diseases, poor nutrition and husbandry practices lead to major losses in productivity. Increasingly, veterinarians are developing aquatic health programs that include application of new drugs and vaccines, improved reproduction methods such as cryopreserving semen, and other health management strategies that improve production. Contact Eldon Uhlenhopp, associate dean and aquatics course coordinator, College of Veterinary Medicine, 294-7600; Bruce Menzel, chair, animal ecology, 294-7419; or Phyllis Peters, College of Veterinary Medicine, 294-4602.
LECTURER SHARES DANISH EXPERIENCE IN PORK PRODUCTION, FOOD
SAFETY
Iowa's pork industry may learn a few important lessons taken
from slaughterhouses in Denmark. Brent Nielsen, D.V.M., Ph.D.,
of the Danish Federation of Slaughterhouses in Copenhagen,
Denmark, will speak at noon Monday, Nov. 16, at ISU's College of
Veterinary Medicine. Nielsen will present the 1998 NOBL Lecture
in Swine Production Medicine. The public is invited to hear
Nielsen's lecture, "Danish experiences and vision for food
safety," in Room 2532 at the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Contact Patrick Halbur, College of Veterinary Medicine, 294-
1137, or Phyllis Peters, College of Veterinary Medicine, 294-
4602.
AG THINK TANK TO REVIEW GOALS NOV. 18-19
A think tank made up of representatives from all sectors of Iowa
agriculture will release its second annual report at a meeting
Nov. 18-19. The Iowa AgState Group (Agricultural Strategic
Thinkers Acting Together Effectively) was formed in the spring
of 1997. Last year, the group developed strategic plans for the
future of Iowa's agricultural industry. The group's 1998 report
will highlight recent successes plus new recommendations for
1999. Attending the meeting will be members of the boards of
directors of the 11 participating organizations. ISU's Center
for Agricultural and Rural Development and the ISU agricultural
economics department provide administrative support for Iowa
AgState. The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Gateway
Center in Ames, from 1 p.m., Nov. 18, to 1 p.m., Nov. 19.
Contact Craig Hill, Iowa AgState, (515) 961-5286; Keith
Heffernan, CARD, (515) 294-0670; or Susan Thompson, Ag
Information, (515) 294-0705.
CHECK THE WEB: AG OFF-CAMPUS COURSES OFFERED IN
SPRING
The College of Agriculture will offer 34 courses for spring
semester for those who can't get to Ames. Enrollment is open to
adults who want to keep up to date with changes in agriculture
or can't attend classes on campus, as well as to students
pursuing degrees. Courses are available over the World Wide Web,
Iowa Communications Network or on videotape. Weed science,
livestock nutrition, sustainable agriculture, agricultural
economics and vegetable production are among the subjects to be
covered. For example, Applied Agricultural Marketing provides
market information and price forecasting techniques. It can be
taken over the ICN or by videotape. Some courses include on-
campus labs. For a listing of off-campus courses or registration
information, check the Web at www.agde.iastate.edu or contact
Richard Carter, coordinator, off-campus agriculture courses,
(800) 747-4478.
STATEWIDE MEETING ON FARM MANAGEMENT IN VOLATILE
TIMES
Low prices may impact one or two of Iowa's major farm
commodities. But with this year's low market prices for corn,
soybeans, hogs and cattle, Iowa farmers face special challenges.
A daylong seminar on Dec. 17, entitled "Farm Management in
Volatile Times," is designed to help farmers meet those
challenges. ISU experts will conduct the seminar, broadcast to
19 sites on the Iowa Communications Network. The program runs
from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. In an afternoon workshop, participants
will be divided into teams to work through a case study of a
cash grain farm. An export update, price outlook, storage and
marketing loan strategies and a briefing on new crop insurance
alternatives for 1999 also will be covered. Contact Robert
Wisner, economics, (515) 294-6310, or Susan Thompson,
Agriculture Information, (515) 294-0705.
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Revised 11/12/98