Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Matt Wilson, local host, called the annual meeting of the NCERA-57 to order at 8:00 AM on Wednesday June 24th. Matt introduced Bill Vinson, Associate Dean for Research, Davis College of Agriculture and Associate Director of the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiments Station. Dean Vinson discussed the value of multi-state projects and cooperative research. He also discussed the merits of Formula Funds and Competitive Funds. Matt then introduced Paul Lewis, Director of the Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences. Dr. Lewis highlighted some interesting information about the Division. It is composed of 22 faculty and about 500 undergraduate students, including 200 in Animal and Nutritional Sciences, 80 in Biochemistry and 130 in Human Nutrition and Foods. The Division has about 60 graduate students. Among animal industries, the poultry industry is strongest in West Virginia. John Baker, Associate Director of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station and Administrative Advisor to NCERA-57, congratulated the NCERA057 group on its success in the renewal, which was chaired by John Parrish and included Matt Wilson and Dave Guthrie. The new project begins on Oct 1, 2009. The minutes submitted to NIMS will need to include a final Termination Report in 2009. Adele Turzillo and Mark Mirando from CSREES were present by conference call. Adele reviewed the progress on the transition from CSREES to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which will be led by a presidentially appointed director and will raise the profile of agricultural science. Authorities administered by CSREES will be transferred to NIFA by Oct 1. Adele noted that CSREES received none of the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment money. She also noted that the NRI has been combined with the IFAFS program into the AFRI program, the new core competitive grants funding program. There has not been any congressional action on the AFRI budget for 2010. Following the agenda, Station Reports were given. Lloyd Anderson announced this would be his last meeting and Jason Ross will be the new representative. Lloyd gave his first report to this group in 1961. The Nebraska, MARC, Illinois, and South Dakota reports followed. After lunch on campus, we toured the University Farms. The business meeting was called to order on June 25th at 8:15 AM. Jeremy Miles was unanimously elected the Secretary, Dave Miller will move up to Vice Chair and Matt Wilson will move up to Chair. The University of Illinois was selected as the host institution for the next annual meeting. The first choice for dates will be May 25th and 26th (Tuesday and Wednesday). At that meeting, we will organize and present a symposium tentatively titled Gilt Development and will discuss gilt development from the pre-natal stage to weaning of the first litter. Several industry partners and speakers were discussed. A Symposium Organizing Committee was appointed that included Tim Safranski, Jason Ross and Dave Miller. Finally, the committee thanked Matt Wilson and West Virginia University for graciously hosting the annual meeting. The committee also thanked John Parrish for chairing the writing committee that produced the successful renewal. It was moved and seconded to adjourn the formal business meeting and station reports resumed. After reports from Missouri, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, Duane Davis and Dave Guthrie reviewed the grant that was in final preparation for submission as an Integrated proposal to AFRI. The meeting was concluded at 12:15 and the gavel was virtually passed from Dave Guthrie to Matt Wilson.

1. The project was re-classified as an Education/Extension and Research committee. The official names was changed from NCR-57 to NCERA-57 2. A web site was developed that included the considerable history of this committee. This site is maintained by John Parrish and is at http://www.ansci.wisc.edu/jjp1/ncera57/ 3. Dave Guthrie and Duane Davis led the submission of an integrated proposal entitled Seasonal Infertility in Swine: Research and Educational Goals to Enhance the Profitability and Sustainability of the Swine Industry to the NRI/AFRI programs. 4. The committee prepared a different symposium/workshop every two years. The topics were: 1) Small Litter Size, 2) Sow Longevity and it is planning a symposium entitled Gilt Development for 2010. The goal of these symposia is be to bring together experts from academia, including those within and outside of NCERA057 and industry representatives to review progress and problems in areas of current importance to swine reproduction.