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| Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences VISION eXtra is e-mailed weekly to faculty and staff of Bumpers College and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Division of Agriculture. This service is primarily for timely announcement of news and events for the AAES and Bumpers College. Submit items to hmedders@uark.edu. You may also wish to submit items to headline@uark.edu for posting on "UA Daily Headlines" for campus-wide distribution. |
June 16, 2008 |
1. Leland Tollett Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory dedicated - PHOTOS
2. Free GPS/GIS training at forestry field day, Saturday
3. New faces in the dean's office - Photos
4. Summer and fall dedications and field days
5. Jobs for food technologists
6. Plant Doctor is 'In' - Photo
7. Rockefeller Institute to host tomato workshop, June 28
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1. Leland Tollett Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory dedicated - PHOTOS
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| Participating in the Leland Tollett Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory ribbon cutting were, from left, Milo Shult, U of A System vice president for agriculture; Don Tyson, retired chairman and CEO of Tyson Foods; Steve Breeding, DVM, laboratory director; Gary Murphy, chairman of the board of The Poultry Federation; Aileen Johnson, retired director of the Poultry Federation Laboratory; Jon Fitch, director of the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission; Leland Tollett, retired chairman and CEO of Tyson Foods; Marvin Childers, president of The Poultry Federation; Morril Harriman, chief of staff to Gov. Mike Beebe; John Tyson, U of A board of trustees and chairman of the Tyson Foods board of directors; and John White, chancellor of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. |
Laboratory Director Steve Breeding, DVM, (third from left) describes equipment in the necropsy suite, which includes a hydraulic table for large animals.. |
 Leland Tollett (left), Milo Shult and Don Tyson visit after the dedication program. |
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Leaders of the Arkansas poultry and beef industry were on hand for the June 12 dedication of the Leland Tollett Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, which is operated by the University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture. Director Steve Breeding said the laboratory will provide disease diagnostic services and animal health monitoring programs for the poultry and livestock industries, veterinarians and the public.
The program included remarks by Don Tyson and Leland Tollett, who are both retired chairmen and CEOs of Tyson Foods; Marvin Childers and Gary Murphy, president and chairman of the board, respectively, of The Poultry Federation; Milo Shult, U of A System vice president for agriculture, and Jon Fitch, director of the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission.
Funding for the $2.4 million facility included a $1 million donation from Tyson Foods. The 7,365-square-foot building, on Deane Street and Dvoracek Avenue, is part of the complex of Division of Agriculture facilities on the Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center. It replaces a lab in Springdale that has served the area since the early 1960s.
Architecture Plus of Fort Smith designed the building, and general contractor was SSI of Siloam Springs. The lab is staffed by Breeding, who is a board certified veterinarian, four laboratory technicians and a receptionist.
The new facility also houses the Poultry Federation Laboratory that performs serology testing for the Mycoplasma and Salmonella species monitored under the USDA's National Poultry Improvement Program.
An innovative feature of the laboratory is a drive-up window as a convenience that will complement animal disease prevention programs, Breeding said. "The ability to submit samples to the laboratory without ever leaving your vehicle is something everyone will benefit from, especially the poultry companies," he said.
Breeding said the laboratory's clientele includes the poultry industry, private veterinary practitioners, farmers, individual animal owners and university faculty. The lab receives direct submissions from Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma and mail-in submissions from several other states.
The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory conducts approximately 100,000 tests yearly to screen for avian influenza in cooperation with the USDA's National Poultry Improvement Plan. Other services include serology testing to monitor flock health and response to vaccination, diagnostic molecular testing for various diseases, bacterial culture and identification, antimicrobial sensitivity testing and equine infectious anemia testing. The lab also assists the Arkansas Department of Health with sample collection for Rabies and West Nile virus testing.
Breeding, a native of Conway, has B.S. degrees in poultry science and animal science, a master's degree in poultry science/physiology and a doctorate in veterinary medicine, all from North Carolina State University. He is also a diplomate in the American College of Poultry Veterinarians and has received USDA training in diagnosis of foreign animal diseases.
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2. Free GPS/GIS training at forestry field day, Saturday
A workshop on how to use a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit as a forestry management tool will be provided at a Forestry and Wildlife Field Day Saturday, June 21, at the Savoy Research Unit of the University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture west of Fayetteville.
Kyle Cunningham, of the Division of Agriculture's Arkansas Forest Resources Center at UA-Monticello, said the workshop will provide GPS and GIS (Geographical Information System) training that is available for a substantial fee from private firms.
"Caroll Guffey (a Division of Agriculture forester) will demonstrate how to use GPS to mark boundaries and other points and how to use a forestry based GIS mapping program that you can downloaded free from the Internet," Cunningham said.
Other tour topics include a quail habitat restoration study and demonstration project, hardwood stand rehabilitation, managing small woodlots and chainsaw use and maintenance.
The field day begins at 8 a.m. and ends with lunch at 12:45 p.m. as part of the $10 registration. Register in advance to guarantee lunch availability at www.arkforests.org or contact Kyle Cunningham, 501-671-2145, kcunningham@uaex.edu.
The Division of Agriculture's Savoy Research Unit is on Washington County Road 845, about 1.3 miles west of County Road 31 (Harmon Road). Harmon Road intersects with Hwy. 16 from Fayetteville and Hwy. 412 from Springdale, about five miles west of I-540.
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3. New faces in the dean's office - Photos
Yahna Tucker started May 27 as assistant to the associate dean, with a wide range of duties to keep Dr. Donna Graham's office working smoothly. Tucker was a teaching assistant in the English department while pursuing a master's degree from 2007 to 2008. She was previously a legal assistant for the assistant general council at Cooper Communities in Rogers and prior to that was volunteer coordinator for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Little Rock. She has a master of science in education degree from Harding University and expects to complete requirements for a master's degree in English in May 2009. She is a native of Austin, Texas.
Michelle Chavez', administrative secretary in the dean's office, works with student records and provides administrative support. After she retired as training director for the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., in 2007, she joined her husband who had already moved to Fayetteville. Her government career of 34 years included executive management positions with the Bureau of Land Management in her native state of New Mexico. Chavez' has a B.A. degree from the University of New Mexico where she also completed post-graduate courses in public administration.
Ki Peppers started June 4 as an administrative secretary in the dean's office. He provides administrative support for Alice Griffin, coordinator of advising and retention, and assists with office operations. He was previously the library supervisor of the performing arts and media department in Mullins Library. A native of Glenwood, Peppers received a bachelor of music degree in theory and composition from Ouachita Baptist University in 1994.
Allison Harder started June 2 with the dean's office at the front desk providing support for all. She and her husband, Anthony, and two boys, ages 14 and 11, moved here from Minnesota. Harder has a degree in education, specializing in administration and management in recreation, parks and leisure. She has worked for the City of Minneapolis and several public and private schools.
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4. Summer and fall dedications and field days
June 21. Forestry Field Day at Savoy Research Unit west of Fayetteville.
June 24. Field Day and Building Dedication at Fruit Research Station, Clarksville.
July 24. Rohwer Research Station Field Day and Building Dedication.
August 6. Turfgrass Field Day at the Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Hwy. 112, Fayetteville. Details at: turf.uark.edu/education/field.html
August 7. Crops Field Day at the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station, Marianna.
August 13. Crops Field Day at the Rice Research and Extension Center, Stuttgart.
(Date to be announced). Southern Pea Field Day at the Vegetable Substation, Alma.
September 18. Forestry and Wildlife Field Day at the Southwest Research and Extension Center, Hope.
October 18. Forestry and Wildlife Field Day at the Pine Tree Branch Station, Colt.
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5. Jobs for food technologists
A national recruiting firm is seeking applicants with food science degrees from Bumpers College for food technologist positions in the southeast. For more information, contact Michael Van Wick, president, Management Recruiters - Rankin, Pearl, Mississippi, (601) 936-7900, mrvanwick@aol.com
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6. Plant Doctor is 'In' - Photo
The plant pathology and entomology graduate student clubs are staffing a Plant Diagnostic Booth at the Fayetteville Farmers Market. Plant diseases are being diagnosed the first and third Saturday of each month, and insect issues are being addressed the second and fourth Saturdays. The public is invited to bring samples that show plant symptoms.
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7.Rockefeller Institute to host tomato workshop, June 28
Boasting 20 varieties of tomatoes in its vegetable garden, the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute will host a "From the Seed to the Plate" workshop atop Petit Jean Mountain from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, June 28.
Throughout the day, Division of Agriculture horticulturalists David Hensley, horticulture department head, and Janet Carson, extension horticulturalist, will provide tours of the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute's vegetable garden. Faculty members Teddy Morelock and Steve Vann will present workshop sessions.
The program will include sessions on growing tomatoes and ways to serve them.
"In our garden, we grow heirloom tomato varieties, most of which are not available at your local grocery store," said Sandy Davies, who coordinates the tomato workshop.
Tomato tasting will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rockefeller Institute's Teaching Barn. The tasting fee is $5.
Two alternative sessions focusing on growing tomatoes will take place in the morning at 10 and in the afternoon at 2 at the Teaching Barn. The cost to attend the tomato growing session is $15.
Chef Rick Tankersley of Sysco Food Services will be the presenter in the tomato culinary demonstration at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tankersley will have a variety of recipes - from tomato fritters to tomato pine nut soup. This session will be held in the state-of-the-art Culinary Classroom. The cost is $25.
Exhibits and vendors at the tomato workshop include Petit Jean Honey, Petit Jean Foothills Nursery, Bloomin' Baskets, Heritage Seeds, a tomato salsa sale featuring recipes from Rockefeller Institute executive chef Heather Welch, and a Petit Jean Extension Homemakers Tomato Cookbook sale.
To register for the tomato workshop online, visit www.uawri.org and click on "Register Now" from the "Educational Programs" menu. To register by phone, call (501) 727-5435.
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See other upcoming events online at Calendar of Events.
Submit Calendar items to dedmark@uark.edu.
AAES and Bumpers College Web sites:
http://aaes.uark.edu/
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