Topics to be covered include: dairy herd evaluation and health, nutrition, cow comfort, sustainability and technology, genetics and breeding programs, reproductive programs and techniques, evaluating stress, heifer development, mastitis and milking machine management, managing a dairy and farm accounting.

The SGPDC is a multi-university, interagency organization established to meet the educational and research needs of the rapidly expanding dairy industry in the Southern Great Plains.

The teaching program was created to address the need to improve the availability of dairy science education at universities in the Southwest and to ensure the growing dairy industry a well qualified pool of prospective employees for future employment.

To apply for the program, go to http://sgpdct.tamu.edu.

-30-

For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Courtney Coufal at cacoufal@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.

Faculty, staff, retirees, graduate students and student workers gathered for a barbecue brisket and chicken meal, holiday gift basket giveaway, a presentation of 2012 departmental highlights and departmental awards.

Left, Colt Sharpton and Courtney Coufal each were presented the Department of Animal Science 2012 Outstanding Support Staff Award.

The 2012 Outstanding Support Staff Award was presented to Courtney Coufal and Colt Sharpton.

Coufal is the communications coordinator and is responsible for promoting the department through electronic and print formats to the department’s clientele, stakeholders, and current and former students. This includes maintaining the departmental website, producing the departmental newsletter Animal Science Monthly and the meat science newsletter Prime Cuts, and assisting faculty and staff with creating brochures, fliers and other printed materials.

One nominator wrote, “The Department of Animal Science has benefited tremendously from Courtney’s valuable contributions. She consistently goes above and beyond what is expected and makes us all look good as a result.”

Sharpton works as the farm research service manager and oversees daily operations and overall management of the Sheep and Goat Center and the Physiology Field Laboratory at the Animal Science Teaching, Research and Extension Center (ASTREC) and the Sheep Research Facility on Hwy 60. This includes working with faculty to prepare facilities and animals to support research and teaching efforts of the department.

One nominator wrote, “He goes above and beyond the normal requirements of his job on a daily basis and does it with a great attitude. He is dedicated to the success of our departmental programs and constantly strives to be a positive impact on all aspects of our teaching, research and extension programs.”

Several others from the department were recognized for their years of service to the university. Dr. Fuller Bazer and Dr. Nancy Ing were recognized for 20 years of service and Becky Lewis was recognized for 25 years of service. Each was presented a service pin.

-30-

For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Courtney Coufal at cacoufal@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.

Left, Tara Edwards, Dr. Russell Cross, Cathy Edwards, Claire Edwards, Sigrid Edwards, Leslie Frenzel, Ashley Keith and Chase Runyan.

Ashley Keith, Leslie Frenzel and Chase Runyan were presented the award during the department’s Christmas luncheon held Dec. 6, 2012, at the AgriLife Center.

The Ronnie L. Edwards Graduate Teaching Award was created in remembrance of Dr. Edwards, who served as associate head for the Department of Animal Science and spent more than two decades working with graduate students.

One of his major activities was coordinating the teaching assistantships for the department, helping to ensure the best graduate teachers possible for the courses taught.

Keith, from Taylor, is pursuing a master’s degree in physiology of reproduction under the direction of Dr. Carey Satterfield. She received a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M University in December 2010.

Keith currently works as a research assistant for Satterfield and is a lecturer for ANSC 433. She served as a teaching assistant for ANSC 433 from the fall 2011 through the summer 2012 semesters.

“Ashley displays great leadership in assisting other teaching assistants in many aspects of their teaching, which ensures a consistent and quality education of our students across sections. Students cite her enthusiastic attitude, command of the subject matter and congenial personality as traits that contribute to her excellence as a teaching assistant,” commented one nominator.

Frenzel, from New Berlin, is seeking a doctoral degree in meat science and food safety working under the direction of Drs. Jeff Savell and Kerri Harris. She earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in animal science from Tarleton State University.

While at Texas A&M, Frenzel has been involved in Beef 101 and 705 programs, HACCP short courses and teaching ANSC 307 laboratories. She was the recipient of the 2011 Zerle L. Carpenter Outstanding Student Award in Meat Science and is the coach of the 2013 Meat Judging Team.

“Leslie is noted for her determination to be the best she can be,” noted on nominator. “Leslie’s teaching and encouragement have had a positive impact on the lives of her students.”

Runyan, from House, N.M., is pursuing a doctorate in animal science under the direction of Dr. Andy Herring. He received a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Oklahoma State University in 2007 and a master’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M in 2010.

As a graduate research and teaching assistant, Runyan has taught 11 semester of lab sections for ANSC 108 and since the fall of 2008, has taught lab sections for ANSC 406. He has presented numerous abstracts at both the Southern Section and national American Society of Animal Science meetings discussing his bovine diarrhea virus research. He also has represented the department at the TAMU animal science booth at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association trade show.

“Chase has a gift for teaching. He is genuine, well-organized, knowledgeable and cares that his students learn. He is a passionate, engaging teacher who expects his students to participate in active learning,” noted his nominators.

The Ronnie L. Edwards Graduate Teaching Award in Animal Science is presented yearly and winners are selected based on nominations and supporting letters from department faculty.

-30-

For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Courtney Coufal at cacoufal@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.

The Aggie team was named high point champion team in Bryan on Dec. 6 and in Decatur on Oct. 20.

Current team members are Ryan Birkenfeld, a junior agricultural business major from Nazareth; Kyle Birkenfeld, a senior agricultural engineering major from Nazareth; Sally Sanford, a senior animal science major from College Station; Amy Peterson, a senior animal science major from Sugarland; Anna Haines, a junior animal science major from San Antonio; Derby Jones, a sophomore business major from College Station; Sarah Keil, a senior animal science major from Waco; Helen Hardy, a senior nutrition science major from San Antonio; and Kirby Jackson, a graduate student in animal science from Kerens.

The team is coached by Dr. Dennis Sigler, professor and Extension horse specialist, and Raul Valdez, graduate assistant in animal science.

“I attribute the success of the 2011-2012 team to the students’ great attitudes, hard work and willingness to learn,” Sigler said. “The students spend a lot of hours practicing, after regular class time. They all have stepped up and really made ‘a hand’ at the two shows this fall. We are looking forward to going back to the National Championship Contest in April 2013 to try to defend our National title!”

In stock horse team competition, teams consist of six members. Two team members compete in one of three divisions (non pro, limited non pro and novice) according to their previous riding and showing experience. Team scores are a total of the member’s scores.

Individual results from Decatur are:

Open/Non-Pro Division:
Ryan Birkenfeld – champion high point overall

Limited Non-Pro Division:
Sally Sanford – champion high point overall
Anna Haines – reserve champion high point overall

Novice Division:
Derby Jones – champion high point overall
Kirby Jackson – reserve champion high point overall

-30-

For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Courtney Coufal at cacoufal@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.

LUBBOCK– As 2013 approaches, cattlemen should mark those brand new calendars for the Southwest Beef Symposium, set for Jan. 15-16 at the Overton Hotel and Conference Center in Lubbock.

“This is the eighth year the Texas and New Mexico Extension agencies have collaborated on the annual event that alternates yearly between locations in West Texas and eastern New Mexico,” said Dr. Manny Encinias, New Mexico State University Extension livestock specialist at Clayton, N.M.

Encinias said the symposium will center around three educational sessions and a trade show.

Dr. Bruce Carpenter, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service livestock specialist at Fort Stockton, said the first day’s initial presentations will deal with the cost of doing business, with a special focus on the cost of commodities. This will be followed by presentations on how best to manage those costs at the ranch level.

The first day’s program will end with a rancher panel tasked with sharing what they and their organizations are doing to address the commodity input issue. The panel will include representatives from New Mexico’s Silver Spur Ranches (Bell and T.O.), B&H Herefords, and the Clavel Ranch as well as Texas’ 6666’s Ranch.

Carpenter said the Jan.16 program will cover a wide range of topics.

 “The morning session will center on beef and food safety, starting with the National Beef Quality Audit,” he said. “Next, the question of antimicrobial resistance will be addressed and what the science says and what some of the potential regulatory impacts may be. Following this will be a discussion on new pre-harvest technologies to improve beef safety. The session will conclude with retail store presentations.

“Texas Kroger stores are implementing a new educational program for their meat market managers that’s aimed at helping them communicate factual information about beef production back to customers. United Texas LLC will also cover what they are seeing from the retail side in their stores.”

 The afternoon’s final session will address rebuilding cattle herds following drought and will include discussions on replacement female options and management, biosecurity issues and new technologies in cattle reproduction.

For planning purposes, the individual preregistration fee of $70 is requested by Jan. 11. The fee includes a prime rib steak dinner, lunch, refreshments and a printed proceedings.

For more information, call Carpenter at 432-336-8585 or Encinias at 575-374-2566.
A schedule of events, speaker information, registration materials and lodging information is available at http://swbs.nmsu.edu/ .

-30-

via Southwest Beef Symposium slated for Jan. 15-16 in Lubbock  |  AgriLife Today

For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Courtney Coufal at cacoufal@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.

Chad received a bachelor’s degree in animal science in 1996. His first job was in the meat packing industry as a quality assurance inspector for Iowa Beef Processors (now Tyson Fresh Meats) in Dakota City, S.D. This job laid the foundation for his professional growth as it led Chad to numerous positions and steps up the career ladder. Since 1996, Chad has served Tyson Fresh Meats as a food safety and quality assurance (FSQA) supervisor in Garden City, Kan; worked for a short time for Capitol Land and Livestock; returned to Tyson and worked as an assistant manager in Dakota Dunes; quality assurance manager in Brooks, Alberta; quality assurance manager in Dakota City; corporate regional manager, division manager and senior director of FSQA Beef.

In 2012, Chad was promoted to vice president of FSQA for Tyson Fresh Meats, the world’s leading supplier of premium beef and pork. In this position, Chad is responsible for plant and product matters related to food safety, regulations and quality for the beef and pork divisions.

Here’s what Chad had to say about Texas A&M and his current success:

In what ways did your degree in animal science contribute to your career?
Earning a degree in animal science gave me a broad exposure to many facets of the industry. These are items that I would not have had the opportunity to experience once in the workplace.  For instance, having a knowledge base pertaining to beef cattle feeding practices would not necessarily seem useful in food safety and quality assurance of red meat.  Truth be told, having that understanding allows for practical science-based decision making pertaining to live animal production claims. There were several classes that I wondered if I would ever use in the “real world,” now I cannot name one course associated with this major that has not been useful in one way or another (even statistics).

If you could go back to Texas A&M and do one thing different that would have enhanced your professional career, what would it be?
As I have worked my way into upper management, I have been able to see first-hand what internships are worth for both the individual and the company. Internships provide a great opportunity to “test drive” a segment of the industry and then determine if it is a fit for you. They also are a great resume builder for post-graduation. I did not participate in any internship programs as a student. I now see the value to student and company and wish that I had interned, as an internship can be a real jump-start to a career.

What advice can you offer current animal science students who are preparing to enter the work force?
Do not set your eyes on a large starting salary with company cars and expense accounts. Focus on getting into industry and showing that company who you are and what you can do. Do not be afraid to relocate, even if it is not in Texas. One of my early managers told me that this industry is starved for young, energetic, college educated people who are willing to take on responsibility and relocate. He was right and that is professional advice that I treasure to this day. Do not be afraid to roll up your sleeves and get the job done. Focus on a career path, but not a final career point.

Additional thoughts?
In each of my positions, I learned a very valuable lesson or skill. I learned the foundation of beef slaughter and processing. I learned to manage people and ensure the safety of our products. I gained an understanding of beef programs including source verification and traceability through RFID. I learned the business and developed skills at multiple plants.

These moves and skills acquired accentuated what I learned at Texas A&M. You must develop a network of colleagues (in addition to the strong Aggie network that will always be there) in your industry. You must foster those relationships and give 100 percent each and every day. You must challenge yourself and challenge those around you. You must work with integrity to make sure others desire to work with you.

I treasure many things in life – my kids, Chase and Logan, my wife Suann, the friendships I have made, a supportive family and my time at Texas A&M. I have been truly blessed.

-30-

For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Courtney Coufal at cacoufal@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.