Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The 2003 meeting was called to order 9:00 am October 19th at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly, Blue Ridge, N. Carolina by Chair S. Aggrey (Georgia). This year?s meeting was hosted by the University of Tennessee (Grizzle). Representatives were present from 9 of 10 stations. Administrative Reports: Dr. Cherry was unable to attend this year due to a conflict with another meeting, so there was no report from the Administrative Advisor. Dr. Muquarrab Qureshi, USDA Program Leader of the Animal Genetics program and our new USDA/CSREES representative presented current CSREES funding distribution. The National Research Initiative (NRI) research proposals have yet to be approved for distribution, but should be released soon. Earliest anticipated deadlines will be December, 2003. Proposals will move to a multi state, highly integrated approach utilizing research, education, and extension components. Further information can be obtained at the NRI web site http://www.reeusda.gov/nri. The proposed 2004 CSREES budget is essentially flat. Appropriations for 2003 totaled 1.126 billion. The House of Representatives 2004 proposal is 1.120 billion while that of the senate is 1.129 billion. Lets hope that the Senate version persists. Dr. Qureshi also gave us information on the National Information Management and Support System (NIMSS) and congressional funding for the Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS). Funding for IFAFS is authorized, but not appropriated for FY 2004 - $140M, FY 2005 - $160M, and FY 2006 and beyond at $200M. NIMISS contains information on multi state projects both active and proposed and can be accessed through http://www.lgu.umd.edu (requires id and password). Various CSREES staffing vacancies were discussed and the e-mail address for CSREES has been changed to csrees.usda.gov. Station Reports: Station reports were presented and will be posted on the project web site maintained by G. Barbato at http://gfb.cas.psu.edu. Representatives should send yearly summaries ( < 1 page), impact statements, and the full station report to Dr. Barbato as in years past, so that reports can be posted on the web site. Business Meeting: The business meeting was called to order by S. Aggrey. The primary order of business involved the revision/re-submission of the project in 2004. After discussion, the proposed title of the new project will be: Integrative Functional and Physiological Genetics of Poultry. Proposed objectives will include: 1. To determine the effects of selection, gene introgression and crossing on genetic homeostasis. 2. To determine the interactions among genetic and non-genetic factors on mechanisms involved in expression of production phenotypes. 3. Evaluate individual loci and resultant protein expression on performance parameters. Stations that expressed an interest in the new project were: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee (University of Tennessee and Tennessee State University), and Texas. It was suggested that researchers at Ohio, Maryland, or Louisiana might be interested in participating in the project. Offers will be extended to interested parties to join the project. President elect, L. Cartwright will assume responsibilities of the group in 2004. Election of a Vice Chair was not conducted since this is the first year of Dr. Cartwright?s 2 year Chairmanship. J. Grizzle will remain as secretary until next year. The meeting was adjourned at noon, October 20th.