Program

Dairy Foods Webinar: The Future of Probiotics August 18, 2021; 4:00 – 6:00 pm EDT

Probiotic bacteria, particularly lactobacilli, play an important role in human health. Recently, lactobacilli taxonomy has undergone extensive revision including the addition of 23 new genera, which will have a significant impact on research and regulatory approaches in the future. Fermented dairy products are an important delivery system for probiotic cultures. Studies on the pairing of probiotic cultures with fermented dairy products appears to cultivate synergistic benefits for gut health and allows new opportunities for optimization. In addition, the role prophages play in the ecology of probiotic cultures in vivo also appears to play an important role. In this symposium, we will explore recent developments in understanding the taxonomy, role of prophages, the synergism of probiotic cultures and milk, and how this influences their activity in the human digestive tract.

Equids Milk Production: Scientific Challenges and Perspectives September 15, 2021; 4:00 – 6:00 pm EDT

In the last 40 years, there has been growing interest from scientific community in dairy production from mares and jennies at the farm level on milk quality, milk processing, and on the effects of equid dairy products on human health (e.g., microbiome, immunity, cancer, infectious diseases, skin disorder). This symposium aims to furnish an overall analysis on knowledge on this area and highlight the scientific challenges in terms of improving milk production from both a quantitative and qualitative point of view (e.g., milking management, suckling foal management, feeding management, animal welfare, genetic selection), implementing processing techniques to ensure longer shelf life, and increasing dairy product variability on the market, through scientifically sound studies of the effects on human health.

Advances in Enteric Methane Mitigation in Dairy Cattle - The Last Decade and Future Prospects September 21, 2021; 3:00 - 5:00 pm EDT

Enteric methane is a major greenhouse gas resulting from feed digestion by ruminants. Societal attention to climate change continues to emphasize the need for enteric methane mitigation from milk production systems. The development of successful enteric methane mitigation strategies requires interdisciplinary research in ruminal microbiology, ruminant nutrition, breeding and genetics, health and well-being, farm technology, farm systems and modeling. Attendees to this symposium will learn about future prospects for research and advances from the last decade that already contributed to or hold potential for developing technologies and practices that reduce enteric methane emissions from dairy animals.

Moderator: Tim Kurt – Scientific Program Director, Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research

Exclusive sponsor: Innovation Center for US Dairy

Presentation titles and speakers:

1. Rethinking methane: Animal agriculture’s path to climate neutrality.
   Frank Mitloehner, Univ. of California
2. An overview of successful strategies to mitigate enteric methane in dairy farms.
   Alex Hristov, Penn State Univ.
3. Modeling the enteric methane mitigation effect of feed additives and their impact on dairy farm-gate emissions.
   Ermias Kebreab, Univ. of California
4. Understanding the role of the rumen microbiota and metagenome in enteric methane mitigation and productivity in dairy cows.
   Dipti Pitta, Univ. of Pennsylvania
5. Is it possible to selectively breed low enteric methane-producing dairy cows and maintain health and productivity?
   Yvette de Haas, Wageningen Univ.
6. The Greener Cattle Initiative was developed to support research on enteric methane mitigation from ruminants.
   Juan Tricarico, Innovation Center for US Dairy

Lactation Biology Webinar - Mammary Gland Immunity and Health October 5, 2021 9:00 am – 1:00 pm EDT

The mammary gland is a modified skin gland and therefore plays a role in the innate immune system; moreover, the adaptive immune response is important during development and health. Understanding mammary immunity and how management, nutrition, genomics and environment affect it will enhance health, production and welfare of the dairy cow.

FASS Scientific Policy Committee: The 2023 Farm Bill – Perspectives and Priorities for Animal Research October 12 & 13; 11:00 am - 12:30 pm EDT

1. Broad introduction: what are current USDA REE research priorities and training functions; where does the training of students and young faculty/scientists fit in the priorities, what is the current status of staffing and operations for NIFA and ERS?
2. There is an increased focus in public and private research on integrated systems research and application including data sciences and infrastructure, what does this mean moving forward especially for students and young faculty/scientists?
3. What is the status of the Ag Innovation Agenda and planning for the next Farm Bill?
4. What is the status of Ag research funding in the FY21 and proposed FY22 budget
5. How can ADSA, FASS, other organizations and individual scientists, especially students and young faculty/scientists, best provide input and support these functions.
   
   The idea for this symposium is based on several continuing needs for agriculture, including animal agricultural research, training and education. It is also spurred by recent advances in data sciences and an increasing priority at the federal level as well as industry for integrated systems research and application, and training of graduates with computations/data science skills. The role of organizations like ADSA, FASS and other professional organizations is often overlooked or even unknown by most members. Members of organizations such as ADSA, especially students and newer/younger members rarely get a chance to see the ‘big picture’: what is happening relative to federal and private funding; what industry and society say they are looking for in graduates; and “What can we do about it?”
   
   Many agricultural science organizations have full time or part time lobbyists in Washington who attempt to increase support for agricultural research and application. However, these efforts are often not well aligned with federal priorities and frequently are not coordinated, leading to a diluted effort and stagnant funding.
   
   This symposium will help people better understand current priorities and future directions, what organizations like FASS and ADSA are doing to support both funding and priority identification, and what individuals can do.

October 12, 2021 – Governmental perspective

• 11:00 to 11:10 “Day 1 Introduction” – Dr. Jim Quigley, Chair, FASS SPC
• 11:10 to 11:40: “Priorities and Perspectives for the 2023 Farm Bill, USDA” – Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture
• 11:40 to 12:00 “Priorities and Perspectives for the 2023 Farm Bill, Congress” – Rep. Jimmy Paneta or Rep. Rodney Davis (House Ag Research caucus)
• 12:00 to 12:20 “Priorities and Perspectives on the 2023 Farm Bill, FFAR” – Dr. Sally Rockey, FFAR
• 12:20 to 12:30 “Wrap up” – Dr. Jim Quigley, Chair, FASS SPC

October 13, 2021 – Industry / Academia perspective

• 11:00 to 11:10 “Day 2 Introduction” – Dr. Jim Quigley, FASS SPC
• 11:10 to 11:30 “Priorities and Perspectives for the 2023 Farm Bill, AVMA” – Dr. Mark Lutschaunig, AVMA
• 11:30 to 11:50 “Priorities and Perspectives for the 2023 Farm Bill, APLU” – Ms. Caron Gala, APLU
• 11:50 to 12:00 “Priorities and Perspectives for the 2023 Farm Bill, ADSA” – Dr. Paul Kindstedt, ADSA
• 12:00 to 12:30 “Round table” (all participants, live discussion). Moderator, Dr. Jim Quigley

Forages and Pastures Symposium: October 19; 3:00 - 5:00 PM EDT

Forage quality makes up the majority of the diet in most dairy animals. In fact, a trend over the past 20 years of using more highly digestible forage hybrids has resulted in greater adoption of higher forage diets without sacrificing productivity. Often, it is a challenge to make the leap from seeing responses in a research setting and observing similar observations in field settings, where the environment is not controlled. The objective of this symposium is present the responses of forage quality in a controlled setting, determine predictability of how controlled research corresponds with field responses, and how to connect the two areas.

Workshop: Mixed Models

Workshop: NANP Nutrition Models

The National Animal Nutrition Program (NANP) Nutrition Models Workshop will use lectures and exercises to illustrate how mathematical models are constructed, evaluated, and applied towards problems in animal nutrition. The workshop will give attendees a basic fluency in mathematical modeling and, in so doing, advance their use of models in nutrition research.

Program for 2021 NANP Nutrition Models Workshop

Lectures are 30 min, exercises are 45 min, and welcoming remarks are 5 min.  

• Welcoming remarks Tim Hackmann (University of California, Davis)
• Tutorial on R (exercise)
  • Speaker:  Tim Hackmann (University of California, Davis)
  • Objectives
    • Ensure R statistical software is correctly installed on attendee laptops
    • Walk through basic data manipulation, visualization, and other functions
• Estimation of parameter values:  Part I (lecture)
  • Speaker:  Kristan Reed (Cornell University)
  • Objectives
    • Discuss strategies for data selection
    • Show different approaches for parameter estimation
• Estimation of parameter values: lecture:  Part II (exercises)
  • Speaker:  Same as for part I
  • Objectives
    • Estimate parameter values for compartmental model with example dataset and R script
• Cross validation and bootstrapping: lecture:  Part I (lecture)
  • Speaker:  Ranga Appuhamy (Iowa State University)
  • Objectives
    • Explain utility of cross validation in evaluating models
    • Discuss use of bootstrapping for estimating confidence intervals
• Cross validation and bootstrapping:  Part II (exercises)
  • Speaker:  same as for part I
  • Objectives
    • Perform cross validation with example dataset and R script
• Automated model selection:  Part I (lecture)
  • Speaker:  Veridiana Daley (Purina Animal Nutrition Center / Land'O Lakes)
  • Objectives
    • Introduction to multi-model inference with empirical models in Animal Science
• Automated model selection:  Part II (exercises)
  • Speaker:  same as for part I
  • Objectives
    • Generate a set of mixed models with combinations (subsets) of fixed effect terms
    • Perform approaches for model selection
• Molly and other dynamic models:  Part I (lecture)
  • Speaker:  Heidi Rossow (University of California, Davis)
  • Objectives
    • Show schemes by which digestion and metabolism are represented, including
      • In vitro and in situ digestion of feed
      • Passage of digesta through the GI tract
      • Milk production by mammary gland
      • Tissue and whole-body protein synthesis
    • Show how schemes above are integrated in whole-animal models (Molly and others)
• Molly and other dynamic models:  Part II (exercises)
  • Speaker:  same as for part I
  • Objectives
    • Use Molly to predict change in mammary secretory cell numbers of over lactation

ADSA Graduate Student Workshop

Animal Health: Adipose Tissue in Transition Dairy Cows as an Integrator of Metabolic and Inflammatory Cues in Health and Disease

Adipose tissue (AT) functions as the major body of energy reserve in dairy cows. During the transition period of dairy cows, negative energy balance induces lipolysis and fatty acids are released from triglyceride stores within adipocytes. However, AT is more than an energy warehouse. As a major endocrine organ, AT modulates energy utilization by peripheral organs by secretion of adipokines and bioactive lipids. Some examples of AT endocrine functions include self-regulation of lipolysis and the synthesis of fatty acids and triglycerides to buffer systemic energy availability; regulation of feed intake through secretion of leptin and other adipokines; and modulation of insulin sensitivity through the synthesis of adiponectin. The rapid reduction in size of AT depots during the transition period induces an inflammatory response within AT that may, depending on the intensity, predispose periparturient dairy cows to inflammatory and metabolic diseases. Finally, AT-derived bioactive lipids and adipokines can also influence reproductive performance.

CSAS Milk Synthesis Symposium: Unlocking the mechanisms of milk protein and fat synthesis.

Over the past decade the dairy research community has been expanding our knowledge on mechanisms that control the regulation of milk fat and protein synthesis. Recent research has demonstrated that milk protein yield does not respond according to the limiting substrate phenomenon and that extra-mammary organs may play a role in arterial amino acid concentrations and mammary blood flow. Furthermore, research has begun to uncover the mammary metabolic response to dietary fat supplementation, including the balance between de novo fatty acid synthesis and the uptake of pre-formed fatty acids. These findings, along with an abundance of research regarding the role of nutrition, molecular regulation, and cellular signaling pathways on the regulation of these components, have significant implications for influencing milk fat and protein synthesis and concentrations. As dairy producers are paid according to the composition of raw milk components, most notably milk fat and protein, research demonstrating potential avenues to optimize the regulation of these components is of increasing importance to the North American dairy industry. Therefore, the aim of the symposium is to showcase new developments in the regulation of milk fat and protein synthesis in the lactating dairy cow and to focus on the main factors that regulate the synthesis of major milk components. These speakers include:

Growth & Development joint with Midwest Branch Symposium: Feeding and Managing the Preruminant Calf

Feeding, housing, and management for the preruminant calf is critical for the future productivity of the dairy herd. How the calf is fed, housed, and managed is important for this success. It begins with colostrum and its importance in imparting immunity to the calf. But, also through a myriad of growth factors which can impact growth, future performance, and profitability. Feeding of the calf milk, or milk replacer is critical for the growth and health in the preruminant phase of life. Feeding solid feed is required for rumen development. Research will be presented on the challenges involved with feeding solid feed to calves specifically as it relates to acidosis. An important overarching aspect of overall success with raising calves is housing and calf management. These components will be discussed during this session. This symposium is sponsored by ELANCO Animal Health.

Milk Proteins and Enzymes: Opportunities to Create New Products with Mixed Dairy and Plant Proteins

ADSA Southern Branch Symposium: Managing Heat Stress in a Warmer Planet

Animal Health: Adipose Tissue in Transition Dairy Cows as an Integrator of Metabolic and Inflammatory Cues in Health and Disease

Adipose tissue (AT) functions as the major body of energy reserve in dairy cows. During the transition period of dairy cows, negative energy balance induces lipolysis and fatty acids are released from triglyceride stores within adipocytes. However, AT is more than an energy warehouse. As a major endocrine organ, AT modulates energy utilization by peripheral organs by secretion of adipokines and bioactive lipids. Some examples of AT endocrine functions include self-regulation of lipolysis and the synthesis of fatty acids and triglycerides to buffer systemic energy availability; regulation of feed intake through secretion of leptin and other adipokines; and modulation of insulin sensitivity through the synthesis of adiponectin. The rapid reduction in size of AT depots during the transition period induces an inflammatory response within AT that may, depending on the intensity, predispose periparturient dairy cows to inflammatory and metabolic diseases. Finally, AT-derived bioactive lipids and adipokines can also influence reproductive performance.

Dairy Foods Symposium: Reducing Dairy Food Loss and Waste

Food loss and waste is a significant global problem, with nearly one-third of the world’s food supply, approximately 1.3 billion tons, lost or wasted every year. Dairy foods have one of the highest rates of food loss and waste, with 20% lost or wasted globally and just over 30% lost or wasted in the United States. The impacts of these losses are widespread, with economic, environmental, and nutritional consequences. The dairy industry must take steps to combat food loss and waste throughout the production-to-consumer continuum. In this symposium, we explore the effects of dairy food loss and waste on our industry and consumers and discuss strategies to reduce this loss and waste throughout the dairy continuum.

Animal Health joint with NMC: Management Strategies to Enhance Health of Dairy Cows during the Transition Period

Breeding and Genetics 1: Not Just Another Liquid—The Genetics of Milk

In this symposium, we will highlight and stress the properties of milk that can be altered using genetic and genomic approaches (e.g., A2 milk, fatty acid profiles, use of mid-infrared technology) and discuss payment schemes and retailer/consumer perspectives on such alterations. This symposium will focus on the development of this implementation in all dairy breeds, its impact, and especially look to new developments and future scenarios.

Dairy Foods: Making Lactose the Carb of Choice

According to Innova Market Insights, “consumers have a rising interest in the role that nutrition can play in supporting their emotional and mental wellbeing.” This has led to an increased focus on new products with reduced sugar and increased fiber, as well as incorporation of functional ingredients. Lactose is the second major component in milk after water. It is also one of the major components of various coproduct streams such as whey, acid whey, and permeates that are produced during manufacture of dairy products and ingredients. Lactose is a unique disaccharide and, with emerging bioconversion technologies, it is well positioned to fulfill this growing demand. This symposium reviews current innovations in the field of valorizing lactose into various value-added products such as rare sugars, fibers, and other functional ingredients.

EAAP Exchange Symposium: Limits in Production Growth on Level of Cow, Farm, and Industry

Growth is the most uniform factor on agricultural farms. In dairy farming, this concerns larger herds with ever-increasing milk yields. Is continuous growth sustainable? This symposium deals with possible limits in milk production by physiological, management, environmental, economic, and societal factors.

Animal Health joint with NMC: Management Strategies to Enhance Health of Dairy Cows during the Transition Period

Dairy Foods Symposium: Nourish to Flourish—The Role of Product, Process, and Package in Driving Milk Consumption Among Children

Milk intake from the school breakfast program and the national school lunch program accounts for >75% of daily milk intake among children from 5 to 18 years old. This highlights the importance of these programs in driving fluid milk consumption in children. Fluid milk is one of the major contributors to dietary calcium and vitamin D in the diets of children, and its consumption is an important factor that influences their overall nourishment. Increasing fluid milk consumption among children is important because milk consumption is a behavioral trait that continues into adulthood and could stop the steady decline in fluid milk consumption among adolescents. The National Dairy Council is sponsoring this symposium reviewing the latest research and insights to drive milk consumption among children.

Foundation Scholars' Lectures and Discussion

2021 Production Division Foundation Scholar Winner, Jimena LaPorta
Title: Heat stress in the next generation: costs and opportunities for youngstock heat stress abatement

Global rising temperature is a considerable threat to livestock production and an impediment of animal welfare. In fact, the five warmest years on record occurred since 2015. While the impact of heat stress on lactating cattle has been extensively studied, it is evident that rising temperatures will impact increasing numbers of dairy cattle of all ages and lactation states. This seminar will highlight my novel body of work surrounding the consequences of heat stress exposure in young dairy cattle, including prenatal calves (in-utero), postnatal calves (pre-weaning), and growing heifers: all categories that are typically not considered for heat abatement on-farm. The seminar will be of interest to a variety of researchers in Dairy Science, as it will provide insights into the physiological and molecular mechanisms that might explain the negative phenotypic outcomes of heat stress exposure at different stages of development. My research largely focuses on unraveling the molecular signature of in-utero heat stress in mammary gland development and function and highlights the long-lasting and transgenerational effects of heat stress. Studies will be presented supporting the hypothesis that in-utero hyperthermia alters mammary developmental trajectory from fetal stages through the first lactation, resulting in decreased productivity for multiple lactations. Our data demonstrates that these long-lasting effects might be explained, in part, by alteration in the mammary gland methylation landscape. Carryover effects on the survival and productivity of the second generation are also observed, indicating a potential link between in-utero heat stress and gamete development. This seminar will also highlight our recent data on the provision of heat abatement to neonatal calves, highlighting evidence of improved milk and grain intakes that translate in enhanced growth and superior health. Similarly, studies will be described from pregnant nulliparous heifers, which are typically housed on pasture exposed to direct solar radiation. Lastly, the economics and profitability of cooling late-pregnant cows versus heat stress repercussions in the U.S. dairy sector will be discussed. Dry period heat stress leads to an estimated $810 million loss from reduced dam milk production. We approximated annual losses arising from in-utero heat stress at $600 million, factoring in milk loss across multiple lactations in both dam and daughter, reduced productive life, and additional heifer rearing costs. Consequently, the total annual economic loss if dry cows are exposed to heat stress during late gestation could reach $1.4 billion, comparable to estimates in lactating cows. Economic predictions with varying milk prices and heat stress days will be provided to discuss alternative scenarios for future milk markets and climate alterations. Our research highlights the importance of heat abatement strategies for dry-pregnant cows to ensure optimal generational productivity and showcases the benefits of cooling neonatal calves and growing heifers. Understanding the implications of heat stress at all life stages from a physiological, molecular, economic and welfare perspective will lead to the development of refined management practices and interventions to help overcome the long-lasting effects of climate change in the dairy industry.

2021 Dairy Foods Division Foundation Scholar Winner, Prateek Sharma
Title: Can material science approaches solve dairy industry problems?

This seminar would be of interest to a variety of researchers working in the areas of Dairy Foods manufacture and quality assurance. Dairy products can be manufactured in various structural forms e.g. liquid, semi-solids, and solids. For example, milk itself is a complex material and from the material-science point of view it is an emulsion wherein colloidal particles co-exist with a true solution. Similarly, yogurt, which is considered as a soft material (semi-solid), is formed from the milk after fermentation. Cheese, which is a rennet coagulated, casein rich fraction of milk, falls in the category of solid foods. Structurally, cheese is a complex network of proteins (caseins), in which fat globules, water, minerals, bacteria, and dissolved solutes, such as lactose, lactic acid, soluble salts, free amino acids, and peptides, are all interspersed. Structural origin of these diversified food textures is derived from the way that various food constituents are arranged to form a body or mass. Food material science helps in assessment of these structural arrangements of molecules at various length scale. My presentation will focus on the use of various material science approaches (rheology, diffusion, and phase transition) for solving critical issues that dairy industry faces.

Reproduction Symposium: Do We Need Estrus?

During this symposium, the speakers will discuss whether expression of estrus is relevant to herd reproductive performance under different management strategies.

Go with your Gut: Roundtable Discussion About Gut Physiology

The term “gut health” has been the buzzword in dairy and animal science research over the past two decades. Although great progress has been made characterizing the gut of the cow and calf during challenges, the data is often overwhelming and has generated as many pertinent questions as it has answered. For instance, what do we know about leaky gut in the dairy industry and is it relevant? Is evaluating the microbiome helpful or does it just leave us with graphs no one can interpret or apply? We are excited to ask these questions and many more to Drs. Lance Baumgard (Iowa State), Greg Penner (Saskatchewan) and Leluo Guan (Alberta) for what promises to be a lively and interactive discussion.

Ruminant Nutrition: Bioavailability of amino acids: Methods and lessons learned

Teaching Symposium: Education & Workforce Development in the Online Learning World

Animal Behavior and Well-Being Symposium: Translating Animal Welfare Science—Animal Experiences, Dairy Production Implications, and Societal Viewpoints

Despite scientific advances that drive an increasing ability to understand animal experiences across species, there is a divide between our ability to implement and support management changes that improve dairy cattle welfare on-farm and our consideration and understanding of societal viewpoints. In this symposium, we propose to bring together different viewpoints on (1) basic research to measure animal emotions, (2) applied approaches to improve welfare within typical dairy production settings, and (3) societal viewpoints on dairy animal welfare. We aim to draw, in part, on expertise outside dairy cattle to provide novel viewpoints, and include speakers who can provide a global perspective. The symposium will include a panel discussion to stimulate debate and reflection on the future of animal agriculture, in consideration of these various viewpoints on animal welfare.

Breeding & Genetics: Crossbreeding

Reproduction Symposium: Prebreeding Predictors of Fertility

The invited speakers in this session will discuss recently discovered ways to monitor and predict fertility potential in dairy cattle.