Monthly Archives: July 2021

More than one kid has wrapped the leg of their understanding pet, pretending to be a veterinarian. But to help move this game of pretending to a profession in later years, theTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Servicecreated the 4-H Veterinary Science Camps.

The goal of the 4-H Veterinary Science Camp is to provide experiential learning opportunities for students participating in theVeterinary Science Certificate Program, VSCP, where they can learn basic clinical skills for small animal and large animal veterinary medicine under the direction of a veterinarian.

More than 275 youth applied this year from 11 states and one territory for the opportunity to participate in one of the three-day camps, and only 75 spots were available, said Tyler Vogel, AgriLife Extensionprogram specialist in theDepartment of Animal Sciencewithin theCollege of Agriculture and Life Sciencesand one of the events facilitators.

These camps are an event that can provide hands-on veterinary experiences to those students who have said since they were 6 years old that they want to be a veterinarian when they grow up, said Susan Culp, DVM, AgriLife Extension veterinarian and event facilitator in the Department of Animal Science. These camps have given the kids, especially those from urban areas with little livestock experience, the opportunity to experience things that maybe they have never had the opportunity to experience. These kids desperately want the hands-on opportunities with animals.

Expanding the camp opportunities

The first camp was in 2014, when Joe Mask, Ph.D., the AgriLife Extension youth veterinary science specialist at the time, felt youth going through the certified veterinary assistant curriculum needed something more.

The first camp was hosted at Texas A&M University in conjunction with 4-H Roundup to allow the youth to go through the camp and then compete at the Skillathon. This path was followed for two years before a second camp was added at West Texas A&M University, WTAMU, in Canyon.

In 2018, Vogel was hired, allowing for the expansion and growth of the program. And in 2019, a third camp was planned in partnership with Christine Hoskinson, a licensed veterinary technician and assistant director for the Veterinary Technology Program at the Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Christine hit the ground running, planning for the 2020 camp, but then COVID-19 happened, and the first camp that was scheduled there was canceled, Culp said. This year, we are holding all three camps for the first time: June 7-9 in Kingsville, June 14-16 at College Station and July 12-14 at WTAMU.

Camper selection

The camps are aimed at junior high and high school students, Vogel said. These students gain access to hands-on veterinary skills taught by industry leaders in education, animal science and veterinary medicine. Initially, they were only open to 4-Hers.

This year, though, he said they opened it to all students 13-18 years old and not just from Texas, as the camps are rapidly becoming a signature event and garnering far greater interest than camper spots available.

Because there is so much interest, weve developed a blind application process, and campers are selected and assigned to a camp, based on their answers to their questions, Vogel said. Its very objective to recognize the students who are very interested in the information and animal experience.

The camps are 90% veterinary science-focused, with the remainder being certifications in Beef Quality Assurance, BQA, and Pork Quality Assurance Plus, PQA Plus, he said.

We want these students to understand why we do the things we do. We also talk about animal welfare and animal rights; the goal is to make sure these kids know why these are important issues, what the truth is, and how they can help defend against misinformation.

Skills learned in the 4-H Veterinary Science CampStudents attending camp deal with a variety of animals, including livestock and smaller animals, Vogel said.

When studying cattle, they learn about chute safety, cattle handling, physical exams, dystocia, pulling calves, large animal instruments and when and how they are used. The equine portion discusses how to safely interact with horses, stalls, leg bandaging, physical exams, aging and injections.

When students move to the small animal side of things, the camp uses stuffed animals to allow them to learn how to interact with clients, ask the right questions, conduct physical exams, use small animal instrumentation, and discuss fecal examinations and why they are necessary.

In addition to the three-day overnight camps, two one-day camps were offered in El Paso on June 30 and July 1 that attracted another 59 youth.

This is the first time that we are expanding our footprint out to the El Paso area, Culp said. The one-day camps provide both large and small animal experience and veterinary skills lessons, but also offer a different keynote speaker each day, focusing on advocacy and leadership.

Culp said that the reception from the entire El Paso veterinary medical community has been overwhelmingly positive, and she hopes that they can return to El Paso every year, possibly even offering more opportunities in the future.

Determining a path forward

These camps can help youth make better-informed decisions about a career path in the veterinary profession, and it helps them make that decision sooner, Culp said.

These camps are so formative to the participants lives. We wish we had the staffing to offer 10 or more veterinary science camps every year, as the demand is certainly there.

By Kay Ledbetter with AgriLife Today here.

Photo: Outdoor pen and chute-side discussion at the 4-H Veterinary Science Camp on June 15 in College Station. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Sam Craft)

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Youth step into the world of a veterinarian AgriLife Extension camps give 'hands-on' experience to future professionals - MyParisTexas.com

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14 July 2021

-Victorian State Government extends financing ofJJIPO@Monashfor an additional two years

-Extension will further boost Victorian hub for researchers and early-stage companies to connect with industry experts and deliver novel healthcare solutions

MELBOURNE, Australia,July 15, 2021/PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson Innovation announced today the extension of the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Partnering Office at Monash University'sClayton CampusinMelbourne(JJIPO@Monash) in collaboration with the Victorian State Government.

This joint initiative between Johnson & Johnson Innovation, the Victorian Government and Monash University will be extended for approximately two years throughJune 30, 2023. The agreement will allowJJIPO@Monashto continue connecting with the Victorian innovation ecosystem, nurturing and accelerating innovative research, new product development and commercialisation for a global market, as well as boost local job creation inVictoria.

"Our collaboration with Monash University represents Johnson & Johnson Innovation's ongoing commitment to foster diverse healthcare ecosystems acrossAustralia. This extension will further help connect life-science innovators inVictoriato accelerate their healthcare solutions across the globe," saidStacy Feld, Regional Head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC,West North America,Australia&New Zealand.

Since 2012, Johnson & Johnson Innovation has played an active role in establishing connections with key stakeholders in theAustralialife-science ecosystem, including academia, government and venture capitalists, to enable public-private collaboration and support early-stage entrepreneurs and academic researchers.JJIPO@Monashwas originally launched in 2018 to provide crucial support to researchers and companies in the Victorian life-science sector as part of the Government's commitment to the medical technologies and pharmaceuticals sector one of eight priority growth sectors. The public-private partnership between Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Monash University and the Victorian Government is one of only three such offices located across the world.

"Victoriahas one of the world's largest life science clusters composed of medical technologies (medtech), biotechnologies and pharmaceutical industries. It's home to a vibrant commercial sector, key R&D infrastructure and advanced manufacturing expertise making it a highly sought-after destination by global healthcare companies," saidJaala Pulford, Minister for Innovation, Parliament ofVictoria. "This is why we are delighted to extend our joint agreement with Johnson & Johnson Innovation to maintain the partnering office at Monash."

"This contract extension demonstrates the valuable work that is taking place atJJIPO@Monash," saidKathy Connell, Senior Director, Early Innovation Partnering, Australia&New Zealand, Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd. "Several high impact Victorian healthcare collaborations have been signed since our launch, including those novel medical technologies and treatments for neurodegenerative and autoimmune conditions, and solutions for significant unmet needs in global public health including maternal mortality and infectious diseases."

Since its inception in 2018,JJIPO@Monashhas provided a platform for major life-science collaboration inVictoriato strengthen the healthcare ecosystem and enable future impact, including:

Monash University Deputy Vice-Chancellor & Senior Vice-President (Enterprise & Governance), ProfessorKen Sloan, said the contract extension will further raiseVictoria'sreputation as a global innovation hot spot.

"This partnership is helping to bridge the gap between academic research and industry application by driving cross-industry conversations, leading to project innovations and investment. I am excited to see what we will achieve in this new phase," said Professor Sloan.

JJIPO@Monashprovides mentoring, training and networking with emerging healthcare companies and academic researchers at no financial cost to life science stakeholders acrossVictoriato help nurture the next generation of innovators. Commercialisation training, mentoring and networking support is provided to accelerate translational life science research along the path to commercialisation and to connect Victorian innovators with stakeholders from Johnson & Johnson Innovation's vast global networks. These activities are part of Johnson & Johnson Innovation's ongoing commitment to strengthenVictoria'shealthcare innovation ecosystem and to accelerating the opportunity for locally developed technologies to receive investment dollars, to reach patients faster, and to realize a fair return on investment.

The Victorian Government's renewed financial support will continue to strengthen the partnership. The program of activities offered throughJJIPO@Monashwill ensure Johnson & Johnson Innovation has an ongoing and active presence inVictoriaand will continue to build a commercially viable bio-medtech innovation network, create sector employment and ultimately deliver Victorian-originated healthcare solutions to people inAustraliaand around the world.

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Johnson & Johnson Innovation announces extension of innovation partnering office at Monash University in collaboration with Victorian State...

Image: American Principles Project

On Monday, an interesting new tool called Big Tech Funding went live on the Chrome Web Store. The browser extension allows Twitter users to see disclosures on the profiles and tweets of users who "are affiliated with think tanks, academic centers, and advocacy groups that are funded by Big Tech, but many users are unlikely to realize that its being funded by far-right political operatives.

Behind the project is a far-right advocacy group funded by dark money known as the American Principles Project, which has the main goal "to make the family the most powerful, well-represented special interest group in Washington, D.C." To that end, the organization supports a variety of family-oriented political objectives like opposing Black Lives Matter, abortion access, LGBTQ rights, the bogeyman of critical race theory, and more.

The extension appends peoples Twitter profiles with a disclaimer: "Disclosure: This person is affiliated with an organization funded by, followed by the organizations theyre purportedly involved with. Most of the people sharing the tool online initially were not aware of the connection to the American Principles Project.

The extension relies on publicly-available data sources, compiled by staff at American Principles Project, including company funding disclosures, nonprofit annual reports, IRS documents, and news stories. The information is available in aggregate at BigTechFunding.org, the apps store page notes.

The American Principles Project did not immediately respond to Motherboards request for comment.

Big Tech Funding is the latest example of how right-wing interests have glommed on to criticism of large tech companies, albeit usually because of concerns over supposed censorship of conservatives rather than the many substantive issues pointed out by progressives and the left over the years. Indeed, while politicians like Republican Senator Jim Jordan decry the power of Big Tech companies, they also throw a fit and descend into conspiracies when someone (i.e. FTC Chair Lina Khan) tries to address the real issues around competition.

The American Principles Projects other interests read like a laundry list of current fixations of the conspiratorial right-wing. For example, the organization claims that Black Lives Matter was a rhetorical Trojan horse that was injecting dangerous ideas into the country and fomenting revolution.

"Black Lives Matter isn't about saving Black livesit's about staging a political and cultural revolution," one report by the group reads. "It's about shredding the Constitution and overthrowing our Republican form of government. It's about abolishing the rule of law and replacing it with an identiarian race-based caste system."

The organizations stances on other issues, such as abortion, are no more measured. "I am personally opposed to killing abortionists," founder Robert P. George wrote as a contribution to a 1994 symposium titled Killing Abortionists. "However, inasmuch as my personal opposition to this practice is rooted in a sectarian (Catholic) religious belief in the sanctity of human life, I am unwilling to impose it on others who may, as a matter of conscience, take a different view. George goes on with a tongue-in-cheek contribution that compares abortion to the murder of doctors who perform abortions.

In September, ahead of the general election, the group and its PAC proudly announced a $4 million ad campaign aimed at exposing the "transgender radicalism" of Democratic candidates. Three digital ads were released this week in Michigan drawing attention to Joe Bidens and Sen. Gary Peters support for policies which would allow biological males to compete in womens sports and push children into dangerous, life-altering sex-change sterilization procedures at young ages, said a press release by the group at the time.

The group is also concerned about another popular bogeyman for conspiracy-minded right-wingers: the proliferation of critical race theory. It endorsed Tom Cotton's Stop CRT Act which would stop federal funding for schools that "promote CRT" or "compel its adoption" as well as stop federal agencies or contractors from "indoctrinating employees in CRT."

CRT is a pernicious ideology which holds that Americans should not look at each other as equals but rather see one another as fundamentally different, with some being oppressors and others victims based on the color of their skin, said APP president Terry Schilling in a statement. And it also denies that Americas founding ideals were truly central to our country, instead telling us that the U.S. was and still is an inherently racist society.

Why is a group like this so keen on speaking out about Big Tech? As it turns out, most of the groups opposition to Big Tech has pertained to concerns about Big Tech censorship of conservativesspecifically by reforming Section 230. We have yet to see from this group, or really any major right-wing network, a condemnation of monopolies in and of themselves except those that are great rhetorical targets.

Take the telecom industry, which is largely dominated by anti-competitive firms that wield their enormous power to kill public alternatives, hijack prices, lay off scores of workers, and generally degrade the quality of their products and services. The telecom industry routinely engages in this exact behaviour. As attention has fixated on the perils of social media and big tech mergers, wave upon wave of anti-competitive, price-hiking telecom mergers have sailed through the bipartisan approval process, telecom reporter Karl Bode wrote for Motherboard in 2019. A few examples: Comcasts superunion with NBC, Spectrums acquisition of Time Warner Cable, AT&Ts acquisition of DirecTV, or T-Mobiles looming merger with Sprint.

In fact, in its press release announcing the new tool, the group's top lobbyist, Jon Schweppe, reiterated that the groups main point of contention is supposed censorship of conservatives.

Last fall, powerful Big Tech companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google waged an all-out attack on our democracy by suppressing news stories, banning users, blocking advertisements, and manipulating algorithms to promote one political party over another, Schweppe said in a statement. America wont survive long if large swaths of our population are cheated out of participation in the public square. At this point, reining[sic] in Big Tech needs to be a litmus test in the Republican Partyif youre not with us, youre against us.

Given the sort of society American Principles Project is fighting fora deeply reactionary, exclusionary, and bigoted oneits hard to imagine why anyone should want to be with the us they claim to be fighting for.

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A Right-Wing Dark Money Group Created This 'Big Tech Funding' Chrome Extension - VICE

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service| Runnels County Register

Runnels County Texas A&M Extension Service Agent Marty Vahlenkamp says that he has received calls regarding Army Worms starting to show up:

"I just received a call from a homeowner and from what he described it sounded like he has Army Worms. I had heard a report from other areas of Texas where they were seeing them. This is the first I have seen or heard in Runnels County. With the cooler temperatures and wet weather we have seen (more Fall like) I would encourage people to be on the lookout for them. If they are observed in a lawn homeowners should treat immediately. They generally will not kill a lawn, but will make it look bad for a while.

The below article on Army Worms was written by Chris Sansone, Rick Minzemayer, and Mike Merchant Extension Entomologists, Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Armyworm outbreaks are difficult to predict but infestations seem to occur in portions of the state every year especially after early fall rains. Common species of armyworms present in Texas include: the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda; the yellowstriped armyworm, Spodoptera ornithogalli; the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua; and the true armyworm, Mythimna (=Pseudaletia) unipuncta. The fall armyworm is the insect that causes the most problems in golf courses and home landscapes.

Biology

The fall armyworm has four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. The fall armyworm has not shown the ability to diapause so its ability to survive winter depends on the severity of the temperature. The fall armyworm does overwinter in the southern regions of Texas in the pupal stage. The adult is a moth that migrates northward as temperatures increase in the spring. Armyworm eggs and larvae are also sometimes transported from one part of the state to another on grass sod intended for residential and commercial turf.

The adult fall armyworm moth has a wingspan of about 1.5 in. The hind wings are white; the front wings are dark gray, mottled with lighter and darker splotched. On male moths each forewing has a noticeable whitish spot near the extreme tip.

Eggs are very small, white laid in clusters of 50 or more and are covered with grayish, fuzzy scales from the body of the female moth. The eggs are seldom seen and are laid at the base of appropriate host plants.

Larvae hatch from the eggs and when full-crown larvae are green, brown, or black and about 1 to 1.5 in. long when full grown. The larva has a dark head capsule usually marked with a pale, but distinct, inverted Y. Along each side of its body is a longitudinal, black stripe, and along the middle of its back is a wider, yellowish-gray stripe with four black dots on each segment. The larvae have five stages or instars and usually hide in debris on the soil surface in the middle of the day. When full grown, larvae will enter the soil and form the pupal stage. Adult moths emerge from pupae. Moths mate and lay eggs, thus starting the life cycle over again. Lush plant growth is preferred by the adults for egg laying.

Several generations (A generation is the development from egg to adult stage.) occur each year and typically the life cycle from egg to adult takes 28 days. The life cycle can be extended if cooler temperatures occur and can last up to several months. Armyworms in the spring and summer occur in more distinct groups than later in the season. Fall populations of larvae often blend together several generations and may appear to be continually occurring.

When feeding, larvae strip foliage and then move to the next available food. High populations appear to march side by side to the new food. Thus, the name armyworms has been applied.

Armyworms attack many different kinds of plants. When food is scarce, they will move to plants that are not normally attacked. Thus, armyworms can be found on nearly any plant as they migrate in search of edible foliage. Besides warm-season turfgrasses, plants attacked by armyworms include grain and forage sorghum, corn, small grains, sweet potato, beans, turnip, clover, tobacco, spinach, cucumber, potatoes, tomatoes, cowpeas, cabbage, bluegrass and others.

Damage consists of foliage consumption. The small larvae will chew the green layer from the leaves and leave a clearing or window pane effect. The first three instars do very little feeding while the last two instars consume 85% of the total foliage consumed.

Although armyworms outbreaks are memorable when they occur, in reality, the outbreaks are usually small in scope. Weather and multiple natural enemies usually act together to keep populations under control. Parasites such as wasps and flies are very effective against armyworms. Predators, such as ground beetles, are also effective in limiting outbreaks. Birds, skunks and rodents also consume large numbers of larvae and pupae. Diseases such as insect viruses and fungi can also be important.

Sometimes weather conditions occur that favor armyworms. High egg survival of fall armyworms is favored by above-average rains in August and September. Because armyworm moths are strong fliers, outbreaks can also occur when storms move the moths and allow them to escape natural enemies. Armyworms should be controlled when they occur in large numbers or plant damage is becoming excessive.

Armyworms should be controlled when they occur in large numbers or plant damage is becoming excessive. This will be apparent in turfgrass by examining the grass blades. Damaged areas of lawns appear off-color and eventually turn brown as damage progresses from small windowpane strips of damaged leaf tissue to destruction of entire leaves. Armyworms feed any time of the day or night, but are most active early in the morning or late in the evening.

Treat with a labeled insecticide when leaf damage becomes evident and large numbers of caterpillars are visible. Effective, low-impact insecticides include halofenozide (small caterpillars only) and spinosad. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) products are widely available and will selectively control small armyworm larvae without harm to beneficial insects; however, Bt residues does not last on turf for more than 1-2 days. Conventional insecticide choices for armyworms in lawns include bifenthrin, carbaryl, esfenvalerate, permethrin and others.

For more information about armyworms in agriculture, refer to Extension fact sheet B-1220, Managing Insect and Mite Pests of Texas Sorghum; B-1251, Managing Insect and Mite Pests of Small Grains; B-1401, Integrated Pest Management Guide for Texas Forage Crops.These publications, and help with additional questions about armyworms or other pest problems, can be obtained by contacting your county Extension office.

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Armyworms starting to appear; what you need to know - Runnels County Register

Throughout my studies in school, there were a handful of a-ha moments. For me, that was when I learned that plants have a budget. Instead of cash and bitcoins, theirs was measured (mostly) in water and energy. With this historic year of drought, a plant should make smart gambles, or its budget and life will shrivel.

Using what senses they have, plants make educated guesses about the situation. Unlike animals, a plant cannot walk to Lake Tetonka to take a drink. During this unprecedented drought, a plant must increase its odds where it is sown.

Often there is plenty of sun during drought. If left unchecked, photosynthesis can get out of control, using all the water the plant is trying to squirrel away. Just like us humans, plants need water for other things. So, one goal of many plants is to slow photosynthesis down, often by closing stomata. These stomata allow gases needed to make energy move in and out of the plant. When stomata close, water vapor also stops flowing out, helping the plant somewhat. A plant may also increase or at least maintain its root systemusually at the expense of leaves. Obviously, slowing photosynthesis causes issues, such as reduced growth. Yet, depending on the cards the plant is dealt, playing conservative and taking a hit in the future might pay off.

You have probably seen examples of a plant toning down photosynthesis in other ways. Corn was the easiest to spot this summer. When under drought stress, corn leaves seem to curl and stiffen rather than simply wilt. This curling process limits the sunlit area of the leaf, which puts a lid on photosynthesis. Within the curl, the air tends to be more humid too, preventing more water loss by wind.

However, a few species might decide to cash in their chips and sprint to the finish line. Also known as drought escapers, these plants live fast. By accelerating flower growth, drought escapers aim to get at least a few of their seeds in the ground before dying. Many annual flowers in the desert practice this, and even crops such as wheat can be bred to act more like a drought escaper.

Other plants plan for longer periods of dryness and have evolved ways to cope. Common purslane, for example, is living its best life right now. If you notice a rubbery, creeping weed with yellow flowers driving you nuts in your yard, chances are it is purslane. This plants fleshy leaves store water for later use, sort of like a cactus. Purslane can also choose between two types of photosynthesis, one better for harsh drought and another perfect for typical summer days. Because of this flexibility, purslane can save water and still grow, giving it a leg up on its wilting neighbors.

Whether a plant holds its cards, goes big, or has an ace up its sleeve, plants can have multiple strategies to survive. We will see who comes out on top this dry year.

Shane Bugeja is the extension educator for Blue Earth and Le Sueur counties Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources.

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Le Sueur County Extension: Plants need to make right bets to survive drought - Southernminn.com