North Central Regional Association

of

State Agriculture Experiment Station Directors

190^th Meeting

April 4-6, 2011

Embassy Suites Downtown, Indianapolis, IN

FINAL AGENDA and MINUTES (last edited 04/19/2011)

AGENDA BRIEFS:

Item 5.0: Science Roadmap comparing the Seven ESS Grand Challenges with USDA Goals

Presenters: Steve Slack, Arlen Leholm

I have created the below matrix that cross-references our 7 ESS Grand Challenges with the 12 USDA REE goals.  I think that the intersect between

the ESS Roadmap and the USDA Roadmap is consistent and strong.  Others may want to edit further.

We use "science gaps" and "research needs and priorities" to provide detail to the Grand Challenges whereas the USDA uses "strategies and actions"; the

net effect is similar.  I used a double-plus (++) to indicate direct linkage expressed in both plans and a single-plus (+) to indicate linkage expressed

in one plan or the other.

You can decide on whether or not to use the matrix approach to respond to the system but it seems to me to be a very direct, positive way to link the

two plans and the science objectives.  I would urge us to use some format like this along with a written statement for the April 19-20 meeting in

Washington in order to be sure the ESS Roadmap does not get lost in discussions; a lot of time, energy and talent went into the document.

Action Requested: As soon as possible, please send any comments, changes, or questions to Steve Slack for inclusion in a written report for the April 19-20 meeting in Washington, DC.

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Item 5.4: Mississippi River Sustainability Meeting (March 26, 2011)

Presenter: Jozef Kokini

(Below summary created by Dr. Robin Shepard, NCCEA)

Meeting Report: 

The Upper Mississippi River Sustainability

Multi-State Initiative Planning Meeting

Saturday, March 26, 2011 – Alton, IL [National Great Rivers Research Center]

This meeting was held at the newly completed National Great Rivers Research and Education Center on the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois.  The meeting was organized as a discussion about potential initiatives that might be of interest to the multiple universities/colleges/institutions in our region.  The meeting was designed to focus primarily on the upper Mississippi and the major rivers feeding into it (for example: the Minnesota, Ohio, Wabash, and Wisconsin). 

Goals of the Meeting

·         To share water related resources in the seven states along the upper Mississippi River.

·         To identify synergies among the water programs of the institutions.

·         To explore interest in planning and developing regional/national initiatives to address the sustainability of the Mississippi River system.

Hosts

Bob Hauser, Dean, University of Illinois, College of Agriculture

Dale Chapman, President, Lewis and Clark Community College

Gary Role, Executive Director, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center

Jozef Kokini, Associate Dean of Research and Director Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station

Location

The National Great River Research and Education Center is located near Alton, Illinois.  It is near the confluence of the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois Rivers.  At the heart of the facility is a partnership between Lewis and Clark Community College, the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability (formerly the Illinois Natural History Survey).  The Center is located adjacent to the Mississippi River, just south of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam.  It is a very impressive facility, constructed in the past 3-4 years and is an example of green construction and LEED certification.

Agenda (abbreviated)

·         The partnership between University of Illinois and Lewis & Clark Community College.

·         An overview of programs at the National Great Rivers Research Center.

·         Sharing by each state – descriptions of what is occurring within the state addressing water resource issues, with attention to the Mississippi River system.

·         Tour of the facility.

·         Identifying possible regional and multistate initiatives.

A “partial” listing of participants:

Ø      University of Illinois:  Denny Campion, Bob Hauser, Jozef Kokini and Mike Gray

Ø      Iowa State University:  Jerry Miller, Joe Colletti, and Louis Wright Morton

Ø      The Ohio State University:  Steve Slack

Ø      Purdue University: Ron Turco

Ø      Southern Illinois University:  Karen Jones

Ø      University of Minnesota: Fay Sleeper and Abel Ponce de Leon

Ø      University of Missouri: Marc Linit and Dan Downing

Ø      University of Wisconsin: Dick Straub, Anders Andren, and Tom Blewett

State Presentations

Each state took 10-20 minutes to provide an overview of some of the initiatives they are currently  involved in that are most relevant to Mississippi River sustainability and protection.  In the interest of being brief, some of those included:

Wisconsin:

·         The on-farm research and demonstration of Discovery Farms.

·         The role of UWEX River Basin Educators.

·         The Regional Great Lakes Water Quality Team (Section 406 Regional Project successes).

·         Joint efforts with Wisconsin (state) Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

·         Regional priority setting by CES with its program logic models.

·         The Water Resource Center and Seagrant efforts in soliciting stakeholder input on Great Lakes Issues.

·         The need for a Water Portal, that identifies and provides access to programs and projects.

Minnesota:

·         An overview of the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory.

·         Efforts involving the Lake Pepin and implementation of TMDLs.

·         Statewide Ecological Ranking of CRP lands.

·         The Green Lands, Blue Waters Initiative.

·         Minnesota’s Water Sustainability Framework.

Missouri:

·         The Missouri Watershed Initiative.

·         Funding and support from the state’s parks and soils tax.

·         Collaboration with ARS in the Mark Twain Watershed.

·         A clearinghouse/document of university courses related to water resources.

·         Work by Southeast Missouri State University and the Delta Research Facility.

Iowa:

·         The Heartland Water Quality Team (Section 406 Regional Project successes).

·         NCRA/multi-state committees related to the Mississippi.

·         Integrated projects on:  cropping systems, drainage, placement of perennial vegetation, end of pipe (drainage) technology, and risk management.

·         A comparison of biofuels systems and drainage.

·         Soil and Water Conservation Education.

·         Buffer management.

·         Urban Natural Resources Research (e.g., Ames and Cedar Rapids).

·         Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy.

·         Work with ARS on bioenergy via the bioreactor.

·         The concept of a regional nutrient and runoff center.

Purdue University:

·         An overview of the Purdue Water Community that links 54 faculty and 27 staff working on water related issues.

·         An overview of projects associated with: Great Lakes, River Ecology, Climate Change, Water Supply, Sustainable Water Systems, Water Infrastructure, Public Health, and the intersection of ag and water.

·         An overview of the Wabash River, and how that has been a rallying point for the Purdue Water Community.

Illinois:

·         An overview of an NSF project on drinking water and water purification.

·         An overview of the work of the Illinois State Water Survey.  Various projects address: atmosphere, watershed, groundwater, chemistry and technology, and atmospheric deposition.

·         Southern Illinois University’s work on manure waste management, soil and water quality, watershed rehabilitation and health, riparian buffers and invasive.

Ohio:

·         Work on hypoxia.

·         Work on algal blooms (especially that occurring in the Grand Lakes – St. Mary’s area).

·         A description of the importance of the ESCOP Science Roadmap.

·         Collaboration with ODNR and Ohio Department of Agriculture.

·         An overview of the Olentangy Research Center and work on wetlands.

·         Other project overviews touched on Nutrient trading, watershed protection and drainage.

A Few Meeting Outcomes

·         A small group was identified to work on a short overview description/paper of the potential for greater institutional collaboration on research and programs effecting the Mississippi River.

·         A follow up meeting will likely occur that will help prioritize potential areas of collaboration and joint work among the seven (plus) states in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.  

·         Further exploration of Mississippi River priorities would evolve into a Multi-State North Central Development Committee.

·         Additionally some discussions also merit follow-up regarding a consortium like entity, similar to the North Central Bioeconomy Consortium (NCBC).

(Summary by R. Shepard, NCCEA 3/28/11)

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Item 6.0: ARS Report

Presenter: JL Willett

USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

Report to NCRA State Agriculture Experiment Station Directors

April 2011

Area Leadership

Northern Plains Area

            Area Director:  Will Blackburn

            Associate Area Director:  Michael (Mickey) McGuire

            Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana

Midwest Area

            Area Director:  Larry Chandler

            Associate Area Director:  Vacant (Harry Danforth retired April 1)

            Assistant Area Director:  J. L. Willett

            Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin

BUDGET

FY 2010 Appropriation

·    ARS Salaries and Expenses:  $1,179,639,000

FY 2012 President’s Budget Proposal

·    ARS  Salaries and Expenses:  $1,137,690,000

·    Program Initiatives:  + $55,723,000

o       Food Safety

o       Crop Breeding and Protection

o       Child and Human Nutrition

o       Animal Breeding and Protection

o       Bioenergy/Biomass

o       Plant, Animal and Microbial Collections

o       Production Systems for Sustainable Agriculture

o       Global Climate Change

o       National Agricultural Library

·    Elimination of Earmarks (- $41,889,000)

·    Termination of Extramural Research (-$20,122,000)

·    Laboratory/Location Closures (- $38,661,000)

·    Buildings and Facilities  (- $223,749,000)

Research Priorities and Initiatives

ARS research continues to address priorities in the following program area: Animal Production and Protection, Crop Production and Protection, Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural Systems, and Nutrition, Food Safety and Quality.

Future program initiatives addressed in the FY2012 President’s Budget include animal and crop breeding and protection, production systems to support sustainable agriculture, food safety, reducing world hunger, human nutrition, bioenergy, global climate change, and other critical areas.  These initiatives support Administration and Department priorities.

New Leadership and Vacancies

Midwest Area (MWA)

·         Illinois

o       National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (Peoria)

§         Bacterial Food-borne Pathogens Research Unit, New Research Leader Todd Ward

§         Bio-Oils Research Unit (Mike Cotta, Acting RL)

§         Crop Bioprotection Research Unit, New Research Leader Alex Rooney

§         Plant Polymer Research Unit (Sean Liu, Acting RL)

·         Indiana

o       Crop Production and Pest Control Research Unit (Christie Williams, Acting RL)
 

·         Iowa

o       National Animal Disease Center (Ames)

§         Ruminant Diseases and Immunology Research Unit, New Research Leader Eduardo Casas (effective June 2011)

·         Wisconsin

o       Dairy Forage Research Center (Madison)

§         Dairy Forage and Aquaculture Research Unit (Richard Muck, Acting RL)

Northern Plains Area

 ·         North  Dakota

o       Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (Mandan)

§         Natural Resources Management Research Unit, New Research Leader, Matt Sanderson. 

·         South Dakota

o       North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory (Brookings)

§          Integrated Cropping Systems Research Unit, New Research Leader Sharon Papiernik

·         Kansas

o       New Center Name: Center for Grain and Animal Health Research (Manhattan)

§         Arthropod Borne Animal Disease Research Unit was moved to Manhattan and completed in August 2010.  New Research Leader Scott McVey

 ·         Nebraska

o       Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research (Clay Center) 

§         New Center Director, E. John Pollak. 

·         Animal Health Research Unit, Acting Research Leader, E. John Pollak

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Item 9.0: MRC Review Table 2011 (New and Renewal Project Reviews)

Presenter: Dave Benfield, 2011 MRC Chair

Action Requested: Approve above MRC review recommendations.

Action Taken:  All MRC recommendations approved.

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Item 9.3:  Further Details on Specific NRSP Projects

NRSP6 Agenda Brief

March 29, 2011 – Bamberg

Good progress has been made on several fronts.  From foreign genebanks, we acquired and increased 17 new accessions of S. microdontum, a species shown to be very rich in valuable traits.  We conducted a collecting expedition to Arizona finding 25 populations at never-before-documented sites, including at the lowest elevation ever reported for S. fendleri.  Over 400 clones of cultivated species were grown last summer in field plots for tuber samples.  An industry partner from the NCR tested these for satiety proteins, finding some with over four-fold the level of common potato.  Another NCR cooperator is screening these for unusual starch types.  Both of these efforts could lead to reduced obesity/diabetes.  With the help of a WR cooperator, a clone with phenomenal levels of phenolics was discovered, and we now have obtained a grant to test its ability to reduce lead toxicity in Peruvian children.  This year, we helped other WR cooperators discover or confirm elite germplasm with very high levels of thiamine, golden light-colored fries, and novel resistance to a devastating potato virus.  We used methods originally developed in the NER to discover exotic germplasm with remarkable resistance to tuber greening upon exposure to light.  Testing done with an SR cooperator has led to adapted hybrids with a potent anti-cancer compound not found in the common potato.   These activities reflect an increase in the mining of the germplasm resource, which parallels a near doubling of our annual germplasm orders over the past decade.  These activities demonstrate that the NRSP6 genebank provides a unique resource that underpins an interactive network of SAES, federal, and private germplasm users who are making breeding advances that are returning significant benefits with nation-wide impact.

Action Requested:  Recommend the ESCOP NRSP Review Committee approve NRSP6's FY2012 budget available at:  http://www.nera.umd.edu/March2011Meeting/NRSP6FY11-12AppendixF.pdf

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Iowa State University Contributions to the NCRPIS

¹       Benefits amount lower than originally projected due to position vacancies.

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Item 10.0: NCRA Nominations Committee Agenda Brief

Presenter: Doug Buhler

NCRA Officer nominations needed for FY2012 (starting 10/1/2011):        

·                New MRC member, Dave Benfield rotating out to become NCRA Chair-Elect

·                Resolutions Committee (Marc will serve again, unless someone else would like this role)

·                Nominations Committee, 2 year term

Other nominations requested:

·                NC rep for ESCOP budget committee

·                New AA for NC1187 (The Chemical and Physical Nature of Particulate Matter Affecting Air, Water and Soil Quality; replacing Ron Turco)

·                Others

Action Requested:  Nominations/volunteers to fill these roles

Action Taken: Deb Hamernik will join the MRC, Karen Plaut will become the second NC rep to the ESCOP budget committee

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Item 11.0:  ESCOP Science and Technology Committee

Presenter:  William Ravlin/Daniel Rossi

Background Information:

1.      Committee Membership:

• Chair
  • William Ravlin (NCRA)

• Delegates
  • John Liu (SAAESD)
  • John Russin (SAAESD)
  • Mike Hoffmann (NERA)
  • Tom Brady (NERA)
  • Steve Meredith (ARD) – Vice Chair
  • ____________ (ARD)
  • Larry Curtis (WAAESD)
  • ____________ (WAAESD)
  • Jozef Kokini (NCRA)
  • Abel Ponce de Leon (NCRA)

• Executive Vice-Chair
  • Dan Rossi (NERA, Executive Director)
• NIFA Representative

o       Muquarrab Qureshi

• ERS Representative
  • Terry Nelsen 
• Social Science Subcommittee Representative
  • Travis Park
• Pest Management Strategies Subcommittee Representative
  • Frank Zalom
• Liaisons
  • Cliff Gabriel (Office of Science and Technology Policy)
  • Edwin Price (ICOP)

2.      Meetings

The Committee met on November 15, 2010 in Dallas, TX.  The next face-to-face meeting of the committee has not yet been scheduled. A conference call will be scheduled for May to review and recommend a 2011 Multistate Research Award winner. 

3.      Multistate Research Award

The announcement for the next round of awards was sent out to directors and participants in the NIMSS System on December 10, 2010.  Nominations are due at offices of the Executive Directors on February 26, 2011.  The regional associations will review the nominations and forward their recommendations to the Committee by April 30.  The Committee will review the regional nominations and forward their recommendation for a national winner to the ESCOP Executive Committee by May 21.  The Executive Committee will forward their selection of the national winner to APLU by July 1 and the award will be made at the November APLU meeting.

ESCOP received an inquiry concerning the 2008 winner - NC-229, “Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Disease: Methods for the Integrated Control, Prevention and Elimination of PRRS in United States Swine Herds.”  This team received $5,000 for travel to the APLU meeting but not the full $15,000 award as did the 2009 and 2010 winners; ESS had not yet decided to provide financial awards at that time.  The proposed retroactive addition of $10,000 was brought to a vote during the February 28, 2011 ESCOP/CARET business meeting held in Washington, D.C.  The proposal was not supported.

4.      Science Roadmap

The Science Roadmap for Food and Agriculture report is now complete and has been distributed electronically as links to a print-ready pdf on the ESCOP <http://escop.ncsu.edu/>, regional association and APLU websites.  A limited number of hard copies will be printed to stress the fact that the Roadmap should be a “living” document.  The leadership of the Science and Technology Committee is working with the Communications and Marketing Committee, John Scofield of Podesta, Hunt Shipman of Cornerstone and Simon Tripp of Battelle to develop a marketing strategy.  Elements of the marketing strategy under discussion include an article in Science; potential editorials; endorsements from the private sector; an executive summary; one-pagers for the overall document and each of the individual challenge areas; and coordination with NC-FAR to hold possible “Lunch~N~Learn’ Hill Seminars” around the challenge areas. 

Committee Chair Bill Ravlin and Executive Vice-Chair Dan Rossi also met with the ESCOP Social Science Subcommittee their involvement in marketing and the social science component of the seven challenges.  Members of the SSSC will review the entire document and identify opportunities for the social sciences.

We have received the final invoices for the editorial and design services used in the production of the Roadmap.  ESCOP originally approved $4,900 for those services.  However, the estimate was based on a 75-page document (Editorial services estimate - $4,900).  The final document ended up being 26 pages longer than estimated (Editorial services final - $6,599) and we will need to do a limited hardcopy edition (150 copies - $3,000) we requested an additional $4,700 to complete the Roadmap process.  The proposed addition of $4,700 was brought to a vote during the February 28, 2011 ESCOP/CARET business meeting held in Washington, D.C.  The proposal was approved.

Action requested: None, for information only.

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Item 20: ESCOP Communications and Marketing Committee Report

Presenters: Bill Ravlin and Arlen Leholm

The ESCOP Communications and Marketing Committee met on Sunday, February 27, from 4 to 6 PM in Washington, DC, as part of the CARET meetings. Given the projected austere federal budgets for Fiscal years 2011 and 2012, the focus of the meeting was on marketing strategies that would best meet the needs of ESCOP going forward, given the major change in Congress and its focus on deficit reduction.

The current focus on Op Ed articles has been successful with many key placements in the past year. The Communications and Marketing Committee recommended that some effort continue with placement of Op Ed articles. A discussion was held on the merits of using social media tools with carefully crafted messages as the new  primary focus to better meet the needs of the current fiscal environment in Congress. Key issues discussed at this meeting included:

·      A social media marketing strategy will take a coordinated effort from ESCOP, ECOP, and AHS.  Multiple marketing efforts can exist as long as there is a consistent message.

·      To help with consistent messaging, the ESCOP Communications and Marketing Committee will invite two Extension Directors to join the Committee as liaisons.

·      Closer coordination with university communication faculty.

·      Facilitate grassroots educational marketing campaigns with action outcomes.

·      Leverage Op Ed articles through social media outlets.

John Scofield of Podesta and Hunt Shipman of Cornerstone agreed to develop an implementation strategy document for a revised marketing effort. The draft strategy document will be shared with Jerry Arkin and Arlen Leholm and then the ESCOP Executive Directors. The strategy document will be reviewed by the ESCOP Communications and Marketing Committee on a conference call March 17.  The ESCOP Chairs Advisory Committee will act on the revised strategy document during their upcoming conference call. 

ESCOP approved this Communications and Marketing strategy/evaluation and development processes on February 28. 

 AHS members on the ESCOP Communications and Marketing committee discussed this new strategy at their AHS meeting on February 28 and concurred with the need for a revised  strategy.

Action requested:  None, for information only

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