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ANR in the News
It’s Monday, August 31, 2009
Welcome to the ANR News, a weekly update of news and events about Agriculture and Natural Resources at MSU. The following are recent stories naming MSU ANR [CANR, MAES, MSUE] people and programs in major national, regional, and local media outlets
August 25, 2009
Michigan Farmer
Swine Jobs School to Train Students for Jobs
Recognizing the need for skilled employees to meet the technical needs of the Michigan pork industry, the Michigan State University Pork Team will blend classroom instruction and hands-on experience to train students for daily work with swine producers in the state. The program's focus will be on students who have varied educational backgrounds and are looking for new employment opportunities. Swine Jobs School is designed to teach the skills needed to work with pigs as well as teach job and interpersonal skills needed for employment. "Swine Jobs School will provide a pool of trained potential employees," say Gerald May, Extension educator in Gratiot County. "The program will help students looking for employment to find good paying jobs. It also provides producers with employees who have some training."
http://michiganfarmer.com/story.aspx?s=31028&c=9
August 24, 2009
Daily Press
Ladies Day winning recipes announced
More than 700 women took part in Thursday's Ladies Day activities at the U.P. State Fair. A major attraction of the event was the annual recipe contest. The judging panel for the contest consisted of the following area individuals: U.P. State Fair Maintenance Supervisor Herb Pomeroy, Warren Schauer of MSU Extension, Jim Wayne of OSF St. Francis Hospital and Sue Harris of the Island Resort & Casino. The panel convened behind closed curtains to sample the edible entries of area cooks and bakers, while the ladies were entertained by speakers and enjoyed free doughnuts and lemonade. The ensuing announcement of winning recipe entries was then announced. http://www.dailypress.net/page/content.detail/id/514442.html?nav=5001
August 24, 2009
Lansing State Journal
Diseased trees dotting mid-Michigan landscape
Charlotte resident Duane Willett first noticed browning pines last summer. A few weeks ago, he found them on his own property northwest of the city. "I see the trees getting bad and I think, 'Isn't anybody asking questions?' What's going on?" he said. "It's not just my trees. It's all over the county." The culprit in this case is called diplodia tip blight, also known as sphaeropsis. It's a fungus commonly found on Austrian, Scotch and red pine trees. The fungus has become a problem throughout mid-Michigan, targeting trees weakened by age and severe weather, said George Silva, agriculture and natural resources educator at the MSU Extension in Eaton County.http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20090824/NEWS01/908240340/1001/NEWS
August 23, 2009
Mlive.com
Planning board information course offered
The county's Michigan State University Extension service will be offering a Citizen Planner course this fall for people who are serving or are interested in serving on local city or township planning boards. The program offers land use education and training for planning officials, and county officials say it has helped foster a greater awareness of the importance of land use decision-making. The seven-week course will be offered Thursday nights from Oct. 1 through Nov. 12, with classes each night from 6:30-9 p.m. at the county's administration building, 12220 Fillmore in West Olive.http://www.mlive.com/news/chronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-17/12510225137220.xml&coll=8
August 23, 2009
Mlive.com
Meeting offers education on wind energy use
Area residents interested in harnessing wind for electrical use for their home or farm are invited to an informational meeting next month at Montague High School. Specialists from Michigan State University, MSU Extension and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will lead the discussion about installing wind-energy units and answer residents' questions. The availability of loan and grant programs to help offset the cost of a wind-power investment also will be a focus of the event. http://www.mlive.com/news/chronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-17/1250970311285600.xml&coll=8
August 23, 2009
Chicago Tribune
Michigan State opens experimental dairy to public
Michigan State University has opened an experimental dairy with the latest technology, including a system that allows cows to milk themselves. Cows step into the system when they feel a need to release milk -- or when they want food the machine dispenses as treats. The machines use laser monitors to recognize cows and position suction cups to their teats. "Cows ... come and go as they choose," said Mat Haan, operations manager at the Michigan State dairy. "If a cow decides she wants to milk at two o'clock in the morning, she can, as opposed to the farmer bringing the whole herd together and working them through the parlor in one big group." http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-mi-greendairy,0,4902597.story Related: http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20090822/NEWS06/908220321, http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-mi-roboticdairy,0,2019125.story, http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/53729617.html
August 21, 2009
Science Daily
Research Supports Calls to Study Health Benefits of Nitrate, Nitrite
A Michigan State University researcher is challenging health standards that consider nitrates and nitrites in food to be harmful. Norman Hord’s research suggests that although there are negative health effects associated with the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers and excessive nitrates in groundwater, nitrates and nitrites -- as they occur in plants -- may actually provide health benefits. Hord’s group’s study was funded by the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, MSU and the American Heart Association.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820175859.htm
August 21, 2009
Capital Press
Perennial wheat in the works
Researchers are working to develop wheat that doesn't have to be planted each year. "It's like a perennial in your flower bed: It comes back every year," said Sieg Snapp, a Michigan State University agronomist and associate professor in soil and cropping systems ecology. "We don't know for how long, but we think for three to four years, so far." Snapp's research efforts recently received $1 million in USDA grant toward research for organic farming systems. The perennial wheat would be available to all farmers, Snapp said. The four-year study is being conducted at Michigan State University's W.K. Kellogg Biological station, in Hickory Corners, Mich. Snapp, a graduate of Washington State University, is working with wheat lines that are crossbred with perennial wheat relatives in Washington by former WSU winter wheat breeder Stephen Jones.
http://www.capitalpress.com/orewash/mw-Perennial-wheat-082109-art
August 21, 2009
Ludington Daily News
Help wanted for county boards, commissions
Each year the county advertises the positions with terms expiring on Dec. 31 of that year. For terms beginning Jan. 1, 2010 there are 37 positions open on 13 boards or commissions, including 14 positions on the Mason County Solid Waste Management Planning Committee, seven on the Mason County Council on Aging and three on the MSU Extension Board. http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/news.php?story_id=45579&newsgroup_id=
August 21, 2009
Detroit News
Michigan apple harvest quite the treat
Branches of Michigan apple trees are bowing under the weight of the healthiest crop in at least 10 years. Ideal weather conditions -- cool temperatures and lots of rain -- have apple growers anticipating one of the state's best seasons since the 1990s, according to the Michigan Apple Committee, and that could mean lower prices at the grocery store. Growers across the state are enjoying a plentiful harvest, said Bob Tritten, a fruit educator at the Michigan State University Extension. The storms this month tipped over some apple trees north of Grand Rapids and blew the fruit off the branches, but the precipitation helped in other locations where it hadn't rained for several weeks. http://www.detnews.com/article/20090821/BIZ/908210338/1001
August 20, 2009
Lansing State Journal
Ag offices may close to save $600,000
The Michigan Department of Agriculture would close all five of its regional offices statewide Oct. 1 under a proposal to shave $600,000 in next year's budget. The proposal is not expected to reduce staffing of the agency's central office in downtown Lansing, and officials say it's possible an undetermined number of regional employees could be relocated to the Lansing headquarters. The move also is not expected to affect the ability of mid-Michigan farmers to receive regional services, officials said. Farmers in Ingham, Clinton, Eaton and surrounding counties now visit the downtown Lansing office for those services. http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20090820/NEWS01/908200329/1001/NEWS
Related Story: http://blogpublic.lib.msu.edu/index.php/2009/08/20/michigan-department-of-agriculture-propo-000?blog=5
August 20, 2009
Ypsilanti Courier
County eyeing deep budget crisis
The county is going to balance its budgets for the coming fiscal year. The only question is "how?" Last week, Washtenaw County Administrator Bob Guenzel presented a framework for cutting an additional $11.7 million from the budget representing some 181 full-time positions drawing payroll indirectly from general fund money. Originally, the county had thought it would face a $26 million structural deficit in 2010-11, but that deficit increased Aug. 3 to $30 million or more. http://www.ypsilanticourier.com/stories/082009/loc_20090820004.shtml
August 19, 2009
Battle Creek Enquirer
CHC Obstetrics and MSU Extensions team up
Breast is best when it comes to feeding your newborn infant. That's the message that has reached the majority of women who now nurse their babies at least for the first weeks or months following delivery. Governor Granholm proclaimed that August is Breastfeeding Awareness month. This is also the message that the Community Health Center of Branch County's (CHC) OB Unit and Michigan State University Extension office promoted during Breastfeeding Month at the 2009 Branch County 4-H Fair.
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20090819/NEIGHBORHOODS12/908190335/CHC+Obstetrics+and+MSU+Extensions+team+up
August 19, 2009
DVM 360
Couple establish new equine residency at Michigan State
There's a new equine medicine residency at Michigan State University (MSU), thanks to an endowment from an alumni couple. Robert and Kay Ritchie of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., are funding the Equine Medicine Residency Endowment at MSU’s Department of Large Animal Clinic Sciences. The endowment includes funding for an unspecified number of “equine clinical scholars.” “We really hope we can fund more and more people coming out of [MSU] that will stay in the academic professional arena,” said Robert Ritchie. “We hope our endowment ... will benefit Michigan and the greater equine medicine area.”
http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Veterinary+Equine/Couple-establish-new-equine-residency-at-Michigan-/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/620379?contextCategoryId=378
August 19, 2009
Detroit News
State fair charges on despite uncertainties
This year, the fair also will heavily promote Michigan's $64 billion agriculture industry -- and the increased popularity of urban gardening -- with the Great Lakes Gardens, created for less than $1,000 by Ryan Rowinski, 32, a graduate of Michigan State University's crop and soil science program. He said the garden, planted seven weeks ago on fairgrounds land, has since yielded 300 pounds of food. Rowinski said the fair is just as important to the state as other major events. "The state is not thinking about cutting the auto show to fix the budget, but they are talking about cutting this event, which promotes one of Michigan's largest industries," Rowinski said. http://detnews.com/article/20090819/ENT05/908190317/1422/ENT05/State-fair-charges-on-despite-uncertainties
August 19, 2009
Times Herald
Local 4-Hers clean up at statewide rabbit competition
This annual 4-H State Rabbit and Cavy Expo was held on June 13 at Anthony Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, with one hundred and nine participants from eighteen counties exhibiting at the expo. The 4-H youth competed in quiz bowl, virtual rabbit judging, educational posters, skill-a-thon, rabbit fitting and showing, cavy fitting and showing, breed identification, quiz contest, virtual cavy judging and crafts.http://www.thetimesherald.com/article/20090819/NEWS05/90819006/Local-4-Hers-clean-up-at-statewide-rabbit-competition
August 18, 2009
WWMT
Inmates growing their own food in Kalamazoo Co.
"Primarily the work is being done by the trusties, the residents here, the inmates of the jail," said Grace Anne Kalafut, Director of Community Corrections. "The whole effort will save money, but it's also teaching some skills to the inmates, the inmates have been incredibly excited to be out here." So, exactly how much could the jail save if all the food grown in the garden were added to inmate meals. "This is about an eighth of an acre, so we could produce about a ton of food off of it," said Mark Thomas of MSU Extension. "A ton, each family would eat about 400 pounds of vegetables, so it would be the equivalent of feeding five families.
http://www.wwmt.com/articles/kalamazoo-1365976-own-inmates.html
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