Inside Ag | January 2021
In this Edition:
- A Message from Dr. Bajwa
- Important Notes
- Upcoming Events
- New Grants
- Recent Publications
- Funding Opportunities
- Awards and Successes
- COA/MAES in the news
A Message from Dr. Bajwa
Dear COA/MAES Family,Happy New Year 2021 and welcome to a new spring semester! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones and found time to rest and relax after a hectic fall semester. I also hope your spring semester is to a good start.I had the opportunity during December and January to talk to several of our partner commodity groups, MAES advisory councils and some of our research centers. It is always a pleasure to meet with our stakeholders to hear their perspectives.The big thing happening now in Montana is the legislative session. The Governor's budget that came out in the first week of January included a reduction in the present law adjustment to our base budget. It also included our Long Range Building Plan (LRBP) request. MSU's first priority for LRBP was an $11 M request to the state, with authority to raise another $1.3 M for new chemistry and instrumentation labs at five of our research centers (NWARC, NARC, WTARC, CARC, SARC), a horticulture building at WARC, and a new wool lab in Bozeman. The legislative committee will be discussing the agency budgets, which includes MAES and MSU Extension, on Jan. 25, and LRBP on Feb. 3. We will know the final outcome of the legislative discussion on our budgets in April.In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I picked up a book to read. It is a book titled "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent" by Isabel Wilkerson. Some parts of the book are difficult to read but I highly recommend it to you. Each of us has a unique capability to promote equality in our world, and together there is much progress to be made.Wishing you a wonderful start to the spring semester,
Sreekala Bajwa
Notes
The COA annual impact report for 2020 is live on our website! You can view the report here.
A warm welcome to Quinn Bates in the Department of Ag and Tech Education! Quinn joined the department in December as Departmental Business & Operations Manager. Welcome, Quinn!
Welcome also to Hayes Goosey, new MSU Extension Forage Specialist! He begins February 1st, 2021.
MSU Farrier School will start a new session in February 2021 with new program director Diego Almeida. While students are in session, clients can bring horses to the school for discounted shoeing services. If you have questions or are interested or would like more information, contact Diego at diego.almeida@montana.edu or 708-297-7620.
Upcoming Events
Hosted by Dr. Kristen Intemann, How Will Climate Change Impact Health in Montana? will feature Dr. Alexandra Adams, Dr. Rob Byron, and Dr. Bruce Maxwell and will take place January 26, 7 pm. Tune in at http://www.montana.edu/stes/
The next seminar in the MonDak Ag Research Summit will take place on January 28 at 10 a.m. via Zoom. In his presentation "The Mechanical Aspects of Precision and Variable Rate Irrigation," Dr. Thomas Scherer will address methods for maintaining or checking mechanical problems that can hinder good irrigation management. Click here for the Zoom login.
MUS Teaching Scholar Meta Newhouse will offer a Faculty Learning Circle on "How to Diversify your Course," a weekly seminar from February 19-March 26. The goal will be to work toward diversifying courses that are already offered in the curriculum through subject matter, readings, assignments and discussion. To apply, send a short statement about why you would like to be part of the workshop, including the name/discipline of the course you want to adapt, and your contact information to meta.newhouse@montana.edu by January 29.
The Climate Change and Human Health in Montana webinar will take place February 17 at noon, featuring Drs. Alex Adams, Rob Byron, Lori Byron and Mari Eggers. Register via Zoom here.
Peer review grant panels have been scheduled for February 25 and March 31 from 9 a.m. to noon. If you are interested please email mburrows@montana.edu with your preferred time. A week prior to the meeting, participants will need to deposit the relevant RFA, an executive summary, and a list of objectives with a brief summary of methodology and expected outcomes to the Box upload homepage for their respective date. Those wishing for a full proposal review can make a connection at the training or ask Mary Burrows to facilitate a review. At the peer review meeting, primary, secondary, and tertiary reviewers will be assigned to your proposal. If you have any questions contact Mary Burrows, mburrows@montana.edu, 406-994-7766. Box upload and Webex information for February 25 meeting can be found here, and for the March 31 meeting here.
The MSU $50K Venture Competition will be a two-day virtual competition taking place April 7-8. Application deadline is March 7, and more information can be found at https://www.montana.edu/business/venture-competition/
For PIs, staff, students and administrators interested in more training on grants and their management, training is available online here. There will be two opportunities for a "PI Refresher Course" on March 23 for PSPP, DATE, ARS, LRES and Research Centers and March 30 for MBI. These courses will be interactive and focused on issues in the COA/MAES. Feel free to attend either session.
MSU Extension continues to offer MontGuide Mondays 10 to 11 a.m. Mondays through February via WebEx. Sessions are hosted by Marsha Goetting and run like a book club, where participants will read a MontGuide and take part in a virtual discussion. Registration can be found here.
Also from MSU Extension, Tuesday Tips seminar series on estate and legacy planning continues Tuesdays from 10 to 10:45 am through February, followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. Marsha Goetting and Emily Standley will host. Registration can be found here.
New Grants
Center for Native American Environmental Health Equity Research. Sub-award to MSU Bozeman (Eggers, PI) from University of New Mexico, Award 9P50MD015706-06 from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities, NIH. ~ $247,000.
Dan Bigelow, David Lewis: How Do Urbanization and Other Large-Scale Drivers Affect Timberland and Farmland Markets? A Parcel-Level National Econometric Analysis, NIFA. $499,686.
Recent Publications
Yale Insights highlighted Mark Anderson's paper "The Federal Effort to Desegregate Southern Hospitals and the Black-White Infant Mortality Gap," in a recent article. Read Yale's coverage of Dr. Anderson's excellent work here.
Limede, A. C., R. S. Marques, D. M. Polizel, A. A. Miszura, J. P. R. Barroso, A. S. Martins, L. A. Sardinha, M. Baggio, and A. V. Pires. 2021. Effects of supplementation with narasin, salinomycin, or flavomycin on performance and ruminal fermentation characteristics of Bos indicus Nellore cattle fed with forage-based diets. Journal of Animal Science. Doi:10.1093/jas/skab005
Van Emon, M.; Sanford, C.; McCoski, S. Impacts of Bovine Trace Mineral Supplementation on Maternal and Offspring Production and Health. Animals 2020, 10, 2404. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122404
Adams A, Byron R, Maxwell B, Higgins S, Eggers M, Byron L, Whitlock C. 2021. Climate change and human health in Montana: a special report of the Montana Climate Assessment. Bozeman MT: Montana State University, Institute on Ecosystems, Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity. 216 p. https:// doi.org/10.15788/c2h22021.
Martin, C., Simonds, V., Young, S.L., Doyle, J., Lefthand, M., Eggers, M.J. 2021. Our Relationship to Water and Experience of Water Insecurity among Aps?alooke (Crow Indian) People, Montana. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. In press.
Carrera, M., Lawler, EC, White, C: Population Mortality and Laws Encouraging Influenza Vaccination for Hospital Workers, Annals of Internal Medicine. https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/full/10.7326/M20-0413
Upcoming Funding Opportunities
- The WSARE Graduate Student Call for Proposals is open until February 9. Full-time graduate students who are conducting research in sustainable agriculture in the Western region are eligible. This program funds up to $30,000 to conduct research and outreach on sustainable agriculture during one or two years.
- Student opportunity: A new microbiology program including Frank Stewart, Eric Boyd, Mari Eggers and Zoe Pratte has been funded by the NSF. The Microbiology of Low Oxygen Ecosystems REU is a paid undergraduate summer research program. Please encourage interested undergrads with a passion for microbiology to consider applying. This is a 10-week research experience with a generous stipend, social activities, housing and a meal plan included. Deadline for application is February 15.
- NIH Outstanding New Environmental Scientist Award: LOI due January 26, application due February 26.
- USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative: Pre-application due January 26.
- NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Track 4: EPSCoR Research Fellows (RII Track-4): MSU LOI due February 26, Application due May 28
- NIH Team-Based Design in Biomedical Engineering Education (R25): MSU LOI due February 26, LOI due April 26, Application due May 28
Awards and Successes
- ARS's Amanda Bradbery has been invited to serve as a Clinician in both the Latin American and Australasia-Africa 2021 Virtual Summit hosted by American Quarter Horse International. She will speak on Equine Nutrition and Management to producers and veterinarians from around the world including China, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil. Congratulations to Amanda and thank you for being a wonderful MSU ambassador to agriculturalists around the world!
- Congratulations to Uta McKelvy, MSU Extension Field Crop Pathology Associate Specialist, on receiving the "Outstanding Doctoral Student Award" from the International IPM Symposium! Read more in the "News" section.
- Molly Masters, Big Horn County Agent, is being recognized for her outstanding pesticide education/outreach with the Pesticide Education Early Achievement Award from the MSU Extension Pesticide Education Program. Congratulations, Molly!
- COA alumnus Miles Maxcer, who graduated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies in May, was one of two MSU students selected for a fellowship program designed to increase the impact of their startup businesses. You can read more about Miles' company, The Ant Network, here.
Don't forget to email reagan.colyer@montana.edu with news and developments, including grants, awards, recognitions and research projects you'd like to see featured.
COA/MAES in the News
MSU agriculture initiatives buoyed by $2 million gift