Sainz Promotes Brazilian-US Ag Student Exchange

Dr. Roberto Sainz has developed a partnership of UC Davis and Cornell University with several Brazilian universities to facilitate exchanges of students among all the partner institutions. With a four-year, $203,764 grant from the US Department of Education and matching funds from the Brazilian government, the “Brazil–US Consortium in Sustainable Ruminant Livestock Production Systems” plans to send US students to Brazil and to receive Brazilian students in the US during the second half of 2004. Under the exchange agreement, students will spend one quarter or semester away and receive full credit for course and internship work done abroad. In addition, the program provides a travel allowance and a stipend for living expenses. The program is geared toward juniors and seniors and includes a Portuguese language training component for the US students and English for the Brazilians. Along with providing a valuable educational opportunity, the program aims to take full advantage of the benefits of exposure to a different culture, language and customs.

Meat Lab Offers New Programs and Products

The Animal Science Meat Science Lab, located across from Meyer Hall on the UC Davis campus, provides daily teaching, outreach and research activities in the department. Students may take a handful of classes and internships related to the meat industry including meat processing, USDA guidelines and food safety. The lab also provides a convenient and economical outlet for departmental food animals.

This year’s Meat Judging Contest during the Ag Science Field Day, hosted by the Meat Lab, was a great success. More than 65 high school students competed in a variety of classes to determine who had the best eye for quality, yield and overall carcass composition. Though challenging and competitive, the contest was well received, and students left the Meat Lab with a better understanding of carcass composition.

The Meat Lab has seen a few additions in the past year, including the arrival of our new facility manager, Matthew Livingston, who brought fresh ideas and new recipes with him from the University of Illinois. A recently purchased smoke house will permit the lab to offer new products such as ham, bacon, summer sausage, snack sticks and beef jerky. Additional hours and new seasoned products have added to increased sales. Products are available for sale to the public on Thursdays and Fridays from 1:00 to 5:30 p.m.

Cloned Calves Work Wins Top Award

Cindy Batchelder is delighted to receive the first-place award for her presentations at the International Embryo Transfer Society’s meeting from the chair of the student paper competition, Dr. Curt Youngs, from Iowa State.

Cindy Batchelder, Physiology Ph.D. student working in the Department of Animal Science, received the first-place award for graduate student research at the 2004 Meeting of the International Embryo Transfer Society (IETS) held in Portland, Oregon. An abstract of Cindy’s research was selected from approximately 50 submitted by graduate students from around the world. Her research was selected for presentation as both poster and oral presentations at the Portland meeting where her research out-competed all other presentations. Cindy presented results from her Ph.D. thesis designed to study the success with which different cell types can be used for cloning in cattle. One of Cindy’s first cloned calves, Rosie, was featured in an earlier issue of Highlights. 

Another former Physiology Ph.D. student working in Animal Science, Dr. Marcelo Bertolini, was recipient of the best-paper award at the 2002 IETS meeting held in Brazil. Having two students from our department receive this prestigious award reflects the high quality of graduate students and their research in Animal Science.

Animal Science Undergraduates: The Yearly Cycle 

L-R: Chad Aldridge, Joy Palutzian, Jen Arnall, Kim Stackhouse, Christina Brookshire, and  Dana Van Liew, judging team coach, gather after successful competition at the Southwestern Stock Show in Fort Worth

Members of the Cal Aggie Judging Team, along with students enrolled in other department courses and members of departmental clubs, administer and assist a number of workshops and outreach programs each year. These events run throughout the year, and their success relies upon the efforts and talents of our judging team and other undergraduates.

In the fall, students administer the department’s Community College Judging Field Day (21 years in 2003). State Champion 4-H and FFA teams from the western states join the community college participants in the competition; teams from Chico State, Fresno State and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also participate as a training exercise. Our students also prepare and provide classes of livestock for the Fall Classic in Medford, Oregon, and for the Chico State Community College Field Day. The fall events conclude with students making rings of livestock available for viewing all day the Friday preceding the Cow Palace Invitational Livestock Workshop. Since 1948, college students and their instructors have stopped by UC Davis to gear up for the Cow Palace competition.

The Agricultural Sciences Field Day is the focus event during winter quarter. Held at the department’s Straloch Cattle Beef Facility, 200 to 300 FFA and 4-H members participate in the livestock judging competition. Our students are instrumental in making this event a success.

The Aggie Spring Classic Jackpot Show, held during spring quarter, is organized and hosted by departmental undergraduates. This year was a great success with 444 entries, up from the 300 last year. The jackpot show drew high schoolers from across California to the Woodland Fair grounds to compete for cash prizes with over 300 head of beef, sheep, swine and meat goats. The event provides enormous visibility for our department, college and campus. The Aggie Spring Classic is yet another example of departmental outreach to youth and the agricultural industries. The event is fully student-run with advice from coach Dana VanLiew. After this year’s Aggie Classic, Dana commented, “Our undergraduates made us look good this weekend.”

Spring and summer are also busy times for students, who are often asked to officiate at livestock exhibitions and county fair round robin showmanship competitions. Along with the organized on- and off-campus events mentioned above, students host a number of selection and showmanship workshops for individual youth groups. As the students return to campus each fall, the annual cycle begins again.

In addition to the workshops they help present all year, the Cal Aggie Livestock Judging team competes in many venues. This past winter the 2004 Team participated in three national events earning top ten team and individual awards at the Arizona National, National Western and Southwestern Exposition. 

Bronze Action Jackson
Sculptures Available

As a fundraiser for the Department of Animal Science, local sculptor Trent L. Meyer and his daughter, Eliana, collaborated on creating a quarter-scale bust of champion donkey Action Jackson, an award-winning jack that stands at stud at the Animal Science Horse Barn. A limited edition of 50 signed and numbered bronze sculptures, titled “The Jack,” is offered for sale with all net proceeds to support Animal Science programs at risk from recent budget cuts. 

The magnificent sculpture is available at an initial offering price of $1500 through the department or the sculptor. Trent is financing this philanthropic undertaking with no outlay of funds from the university. For information, please contact Dan Sehnert (djsehnert@ ucdavis.edu or 530-752-1256) of the Animal Science Department or Trent Meyer (trentmeyer@jps.net or 530-661-7476). We greatly appreciate Trent’s generous donation of time and talent to benefit the department. Trent’s wife, Dr. Deanne Meyer, is a Cooperative Extension specialist with Animal Science.