Friday Notes is designed to enhance communication among various agricultural sectors, educators, students, and the public who are interested in a variety of plant, animal, food, and environmental issues. Friday Notes advocates the pursuit of credible, unbiased, science-based information. Material contained in linked articles is from the original authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of CAST.
CAST Updates
The Next Chapter
Caryn Dawson, CAST's student administrative assistant, began working with us in January 2018. She has been a great asset to the staff, but she recently graduated college and accepted a full time position in Michigan!

In our guest blog this week, she discusses how 4-H and FFA shaped her interest in agriculture and natural resources. Caryn added a few pieces of advice in her blog including "Always have a plan but be flexible and adaptable to change if the plan does not go accordingly" and "Be a lifelong learner."

Staff members and the CAST community wish this agriculturalist and world traveler well no matter where the roads may lead.
The Council for Agricultural Science & Technology
presents a free webinar on
The Role of Agricultural Science and Technology
in Climate 21 Project Implementation
The transition team for the Biden Administration introduced the Climate 21 Project as the blueprint for how the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) can help advance the role of agriculture and forestry to mitigate and adapt to climate change pressures. The key program recommendations and opportunities for the USDA signal climate change as a top priority for the department. This order from the Secretary directs the department to invest in natural climate solutions, incentivize climate smart agriculture and rural investment through financial tools, decarbonize rural energy and promote green energy and smart grids, and prioritize federal investment to address wildfires. Agricultural science and technology play a critical role in each of these priorities that the administration plans to implement in the first 100 days.
 
This report will summarize the key recommendations and priorities where current agricultural science and technology for plant and animal production can be applied and where new investments will be critical to meeting the goals of the administration.

This webinar is part of a series on climate change co-hosted by the National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (NC-FAR). 

It will take place on Tuesday, June 29, Noon Central; you can register for the free webinar here. A free download of this CAST Commentary will be available June 28 from the CAST website.
Animal Agriculture and Environmental News
World Pork Expo: The world’s largest pork-specific trade show focused on all things pork, including current issues like line speeds, Proposition 12, and export markets.  

Poultry Health: ARS researchers helped develop an oral solution to an antibiotic alternative that fights against poultry coccidiosis.  

Cattle Market Legislation Proposed: According to this NCBA article, many cattle producers, industry leaders, and Members of Congress question current market dynamics and the ability to sustain the beef supply chain.  

Hog Health: Along with the attention paid to the African swine fever (ASF), the swine industry is monitoring several domestic diseases for U.S. pork producers to battle.  

ASF (see above): This update looks at African swine fever prevention and chances for a vaccine in the United States.  
The salmon migration includes hitching rides on tanker trucks as California officials plan to move thousands of fish. The drought has dried up the usual passageways.
Food Science and Safety News
Science, Tech, and Food Safety: The chief scientists of FAO and WHO highlighted the role of science in keeping food safe while stressing the importance of technology, including the example of how genome sequencing can be used widely in food safety efforts.

Obesity Pill: The FDA approved a new weight-loss drug for people who are either obese or overweight and have at least one weight-related medical problem.

Fish and Nutrition: Researchers are involved in a study about how declining fish biodiversity affects human nutrition.

Anti-aging Substances? A University of Kentucky study focused on polyamines, the nitrogen-packed aliphatic molecules produced by our own cells and found in the foods we eat. 

How to Be a Flavorist: Using a sense of whimsy, a knowledge of chemistry, and an ability to taste foods, this “flavorist” helps create some of the foods we love.

Farm to Plate: A new study from Cornell University tracks food values from farm to plate globally.  
Using CRISPR, African researchers are developing disease-resistant banana varieties.

Two popular British chefs proposed recipes using banana peels.  
Plant Agriculture and Environmental News
Doubling Up: Double cropping means farmers harvest one crop, then plant and harvest a second crop in the same field.

Insect Pollinators: A new study involving an Iowa State University professor indicates that insects like honey bees sometimes do a better job of pollinating soybeans than the plants can do on their own.

Corn Report: The National Corn Growers Association released its U.S. Corn Sustainability Goals and its first U.S. Corn Sustainability Report. 

Grapes, Laborers, and Machines: Wine grape growers face increasing labor costs and severe labor shortages—machines might ease the problem.  

Water Quality: The Kansas Forest Service has been working on a $1.8 million grant focusing on water quality conservation practices.

Organic Farming and Climate: The Organic Farming Research Foundation and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research are continuing their partnership to fund on-farm research advancing the climate benefits of organic agriculture systems.  
A new trailer named “Marsh Madness” combines sight, sound, and science to engage Iowa audiences about the values of the state’s wetland ecosystems. 

UC Davis research is helping strawberries become disease resistant and adaptable to climate change. 
International News
Cattle in the Emerald Isle: In a column for the Irish Farmers Journal, Frank Mitloehner (UC Davis and 2019 BCCA) explains science-based information about cattle herds and carbon emissions.

Sea Snot Congestion (video): A thick layer of sea snot is spreading in Turkey’s Sea of Marmara. The threatening sludge thrives on pollution and warm temperatures.  

A Whale of an Event (video): Scientists used drone footage to study a large group of whales off the New South Wales coast—the unusual event featured the "bubble-net" feeding behavior whales sometimes use.  
  
Health, Welfare, and Nutrition: Two European feed organizations held a virtual conference titled “Animal Health and Welfare: What Role for Animal Nutrition?” 

Food Safety Trends: British research shows that trends in food safety and hygiene behaviors in the home remained stable during the coronavirus pandemic. 
For years, a heroic rat worked the fields of Cambodia, sniffing out land mines and saving lives.    
General Interest News
Farmworkers and Safety: This article says California’s Salinas Valley—and the many farmworkers there—went from a COVID hot spot to a model for vaccination and safety.

Oil Pipeline Halt: A Canadian pipeline company said it was formally ending its bid to build the Keystone XL pipeline project, ending the controversial proposal that involved developers, environmentalists, and politicians.  

Eliminating Health Disparities: These University of Nebraska–Lincoln initiatives are focused on nutrition, health, and wellness for Native Americans.   

Shoo, Fly: North Carolina State University researchers were involved in findings that might help produce ecologically safe traps to reduce sand fly populations

Farmbot in the Garden (video): This community is using a Farmbot robotics gardening device to help elderly gardeners. Another video shows some of the capabilities of the device.  
Gamers—and some farmers—are finding community, appreciation for agriculture, and maybe even a paycheck in Farming Simulator

Check here for photos of the recent “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse.
Photo Credits
P. 1 climate pic from arbor-analytics.com, genome collage from genome.gov and ucsantacruz.edu, and taco pic from usatoday.com. P. 2 climate collage from slate.com and ncbiotch.org. Animal Sec. salmon collage from kcra.com and ibtimes.com. Food Sec. banana cartoon from pinterest.com. Plant Sec. trailer pic from youtube.com. Inter. Sec. rat pic from npr.org. Gen. Sec. video game pic from stlpublicradio.org. Unless otherwise noted, photos courtesy of the USDA Agricultural Research Service or CAST.
Societies, Companies, and Nonprofit Organizations Serving on the CAST Board of Representatives
* Agricultural & Applied Economics Association 
* American Association of Avian Pathologists 
* American Association of Bovine Practitioners 
* American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy, & Resources-Agricultural Management   
* American Dairy Science Association 
* American Farm Bureau Federation 
* American Meat Science Association 
* American Meteorological Society, Committee on Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
* American Seed Trade Association 
* American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
* American Society of Agronomy 
* American Society of Animal Science  
* American Society of Plant Biologists                                    
* American Veterinary Medical Association
* Aquatic Plant Management Society
* BASF Corporation
* Cal Poly State University 
* Corteva Agriscience  
* CropLife America
* Crop Science Society of America 
* Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy  
* Bayer
* National Cattlemen's Beef Association, a Contractor to the Beef Checkoff 
* National Corn Growers Association/Iowa Corn Promotion Board
* National Milk Producers Federation
* National Pork Board
* North Central Weed Science Society
* Northeastern Weed Science Society       
* Poultry Science Association
* Rural Sociological Society
* Society for In Vitro Biology
* Soil Science Society of America 
* Syngenta Crop Protection 
* The Fertilizer Institute
* Tuskegee University    
* United Soybean Board 
* University of Nevada-Reno 
* U.S. Poultry and Egg Association  
* Weed Science Society of America 
* Western Society of Weed Science
CAST, through its network of experts, assembles, interprets, and communicates credible, balanced, science-based information to policymakers, the media, the private sector, and the public.  
Members of CAST's Education Program
* Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo
* Cornell University
* Iowa State University 
* Kansas State University
* Mississippi State University
* North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University    
* North Carolina State University 
* Penn State University 
* Texas A&M University College of Ag & Life Sciences  
* The Ohio State University 
* Tuskegee University
* University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture 
* University of California-Davis  
* University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences 
* University of Kentucky 
* University of Missouri-Columbia  
* University of Nebraska Agricultural Research Division                                   
* University of Nevada-Reno College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources
Dan Gogerty (Communications and Friday Notes Editor) 
dgogerty@cast-science.org
Dylana Luett (Communications and Social Media Specialist) 
dluett@cast-science.org  
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology
4420 West Lincoln Way
Ames, Iowa 50014-3447
Phone: 515-292-2125
 
** With assistance from Megan Wickham (Scientific Editor) and Colleen Hamilton (Membership Specialist)   
 
CAST provides Friday Notes as a benefit to its members. Please do not forward, edit, copy, or distribute the Notes in any form to nonmembers without the express permission of the CAST Executive Vice President Kent Schescke (kschescke@cast-science.org). Instead, please encourage your colleagues to join CAST and thereby become eligible for all membership benefits. Contact Colleen Hamilton at 515-292-2125 or chamilton@cast-science.org, or CLICK HERE for CAST membership information.