ANIMAL SCIENCE STOCK REPORT SPRING 2008 GROUNDBREAKING & DEDICATION March 19, 2008 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES J & G LAU FAMILY MEAT PROCESSING CENTER CAL POLY ANIMAL NUTRITION CENTER ANIMAL NUTRITION CENTER DEDICATION “The Animal Nutrition Center is spectacular,” said John Lau, owner of Yosemite Meat Co. “Next in the line up of these remarkable new Animal Science facilities will be the Meat Processing Center. We all know Cal Poly already has great faculty and students just imagine what they will be able to accomplish now.” March 19th was a great day for the Animal Science Department and the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. The day marked the completion and dedication of the new Animal Nutrition Center and the groundbreaking for the proposed new J & G Lau Family Meat Processing Center. Hundreds of people came from across the country to celebrate the completion of the new feed processing center. Guests at the event constantly complimented the ability of the new facilities to provide a much higher standard than is available for industry training today. The new facility was acclaimed for taking advantage of all the advances of the current feed industry. As Bill McLean, CEO of Essmueller Co., said during his presentation, “The U.S. feed industry is a great industry to be involved in. It has been good to my family and we are very pleased to help support Cal Poly, to provide a facility for training young people to serve as the future leaders for this great industry.” David Wehner, Bill and Pat Mclean, and President Baker The applause, the gratitude, and the excitement were immense at the event. The speeches praised the Animal Science Department for all the hard work in establishing the event. Animal Science Department Head Andrew Thulin was described as someone that “everyone knew could make it happen.” Rosemary Mucklow, Director Emeritus of the National Meat Association, was especially pleased with the event saying, “This facility gives kids a great start; if they don’t get this kind of opportunity within their first experiences in college, it’s more difficult to motivate them.” Terry Stemler “The Animal Nutrition Center is a beautiful facility and I look forward to all the new tools that are now available for the students.” Linda Gonsalves Karl Giacomini Richard Zacky Lynsey Gornick 2 SPRING 2008 Ken Zemen J & G LAU FAMILY MEAT PROCESSING CENTER GROUNDBREAKING Mucklow has immense hope for Cal Poly’s future President Baker, Steven, Gay and John Lau, facilities; she is already preparing for the next and David Wehner new facility and asked when Cal Poly would be celebrating a meat processing center dedication. She made sure the audience identified with the difficulty and effort it took to make these facilities possible announcing to everyone, “We tire often, but don’t die.” Rosemary Mucklow With over 250 people in attendance, including President Warren Baker and Dean David Wehner, who presented donors with appreciation plaques, the event ended with the celebratory dropping of hundreds of balloons and a great BBQ of beef, lamb, and turkey for the participants. From the students to President Baker, there was genuine excitement for the opening of the new facilities for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences in the coming years. “I appreciate donating in Rosemary’s name because she’s an innovator that helped make this all happen and working beside her is a great honor.” Eldon Roth, CEO and owner of Beef Eldon Roth Neal and Richard Zacky Kaitlin and Michael Kaney Eldon Roth, CEO and owner of Beef Products Inc. said, “I appreciate donating in Rosemary’s name because she’s an innovator that helped make this all happen and working beside her is a great honor.” STOCK REPORT 3 Vision THE CONTINUES BY DEPARTMENT HEAD ANDREW THULIN “Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.” Louis Pasteur We have been tenacious in our efforts to complete the new Animal Nutrition Center. On Wednesday, March 19th, we hosted over 250 alumni, friends, and donors to dedicate Cal Poly’s new state-of-theart processing facility for teaching undergraduate students about technologies used in the manufacturing of animal food products. We are deeply appreciative of the help of many supporters such as Bill and Pat McLean from Essmueller Co., Gerry Leukam from Ibberson Co., Scott Anderson from CPM, the Swansons from Associated Feed, and many others who have stepped up to ensure the new facility was completed. We also celebrated the groundbreaking of the new J & G Lau Family Meat Processing Center, the first new meat processing facility designed for undergraduate teaching and research in the U.S., to be funded by private donors. Major supporters such as the Lau family, Eldon Roth, Peter and Mary Beth Oppenheimer, Foster Farms, the Zacky family, the Oreggia Family Foundation, Rosemary Mucklow and many others, have helped us to secure over $4.0 million toward our goal of $5.5 million to complete the new facilities. Our goal is in sight and we plan to begin construction later this year on the new facility. Brad Harlan, Ken Scotto, and Dennis Daugherty The completion of these new facilities is extremely important and timely. Throughout this country there is Bob Vance, Rosemary Mucklow, greater concern and emphasis than ever before regarding and Bob Delmore food safety. These new teaching and research facilities will position our students to understand food safety challenges and provide solutions for a safer food supply. They will not only provide a cutting edge education for our students to be industry leaders, but they deepen our commitment to our students, faculty, alumni, and the industries we serve. If you have questions or would like to help, please do not hesitate to contact me at athulin@calpoly.edu. We sincerely appreciate your continued support and investment in our shared vision. 4 SPRING 2008 Bill Hoffman and Tanya Kiani Gerry Leukam (Impersonator) and Casey Callaghan Joe Bannon and Andrew Thulin WHO’S NEW IN THE ANIMAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT? MEET CANDACE COTTER... Candace Cotter is a Cal Poly Animal Science graduate and the new Equine Center Manager. For 30 years she worked in breeding management for various Arabian horse farms, not only in SLO, but in Texas, Utah and Oregon. During that time, she was also on staff as an equine veterinary technician, hospital manager and breeding manager at The Equine Center in SLO. “Cal Poly is very fortunate to have a person of Candace’s ability to provide oversight of the Equine Center and manage the breeding operation. We look forward to continuing to pursue our vision for this facility,” said Andrew Thulin, Animal Science Department Head. In her new position, Cotter is responsible for breeding, herd health management and outside reproductive services for the Cal Poly horses. In addition, she manages the maintenance, student employees, and budget for the Equine Center. She also assists with the Breeding Enterprise, Foaling Enterprise, and several of the equine lab courses. MEET AARON LAZANOFF... “I look forward to my opportunity to help prepare students for careers in the beef cattle industry.” Aaron Lazanoff is the new Beef Operations Manager in the Animal Science Department. In this position, he is responsible for managing and supervising Cal Poly’s rangeland and beef cattle. His duties also include maintaining production and financial records for Cal Poly’s cow herd, working closely with government agencies such as the Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Natural Resource Conservation District, and supervising of a number of students who are involved in beef enterprise projects. “Aaron has a unique background and a keen interest in utilizing cattle to manage our rangeland resources. His extensive experience in cattle and rangeland management are critical to our continued success,” said Andrew Thulin, Animal Science Department Head. Lazanoff has much experience managing large cattle ranches, which has prepared him for his new position at Cal Poly. Most recently, he managed the historic Santa Margarita Ranch in San Luis Obispo, where he oversaw all aspects of a 700 cow-calf operation. He is also very active in San Luis Obispo County Cattlemen’s Association, where he currently serves as vice president. Last year, this Cal Poly graduate was honored with the 2007 Native Tree Stewardship Award in San Luis Obispo County for his efforts in preservation and enhancement of oak woodland habitat. STOCK REPORT 5 NEWS BRIEFS TEMPLE GRANDIN VISIT World-renowned livestock handling designer Temple Grandin spoke on sustainability and animal welfare at the San Luis Obispo Veteran’s Hall on Nov. 6, as part of a two-day visit to Cal Poly, sponsored by the Animal Science Department, Agribusiness Department, Sustainable Agriculture Resource Consortium (SARC), College of Education, and College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. Temple Grandin and Mike Hall Grandin, an adult with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism, is a professor at Colorado State University as well as a principle advocate of animal welfare. She has consulted with firms such as McDonald’s and Burger King, and has had a part in the design of nearly half the facilities cattle are handled in the United States. “I think using animals for food is an ethical thing to do, but we’ve got to do it right. We’ve got to give those animals a decent life and we’ve got to give them a painless death. We owe them animal respect.” In her speech at Cal Poly, Grandin outlined details that make for a better handling facility, such as non-slip flooring and consistent lighting to prevent the cattle from being spooked. 6 SPRING 2008 THE NEWEST MEMBER OF PAPA CANTELLA’S FAMILY Emily Lewis was first introduced to Papa Cantella’s during a school trip for her ASCI 425 class. During that year, Dr. Robert Delmore took a group of his students on tours of meat plants in the Los Angeles area. Lewis immediately fell in love with Papa Cantella’s production of gourmet poultry sausages and appreciated the small family company atmosphere. Luckily, a few months later Papa Cantella’s Vice President of Sales, Tony Cantella, was in search of a summer intern. Lewis jumped at the opportunity to intern at Papa Cantella’s to learn even more about the meat industry. During her two summers at Papa Cantella’s, Lewis was overjoyed to now be able to refer to herself as a member of “Papa’s family.” Fortunately, around the time of Lewis’ graduation, Papa Cantella’s offered her a job at the corporate office in the field of Research and Development in the sausage industry. WESTERN BONANZA By Tricia Harlan Over Presidents’ Day weekend, livestock show exhibitors are hit with the smell of hay barns and the sound of clippers. For Cal Poly students in the Western Bonanza class, the smell serves as a culmination of the hard work in preparing for the “Best Show in the West.” CAL POLY EQUESTRIAN TEAM STRIVES TOWARD SUCCESS The Cal Poly Equestrian Team started off this season in October by hosting the first show in the region. CPET has enjoyed many successes this year. Their success could possibly be because of the new coaching procedures they have developed. These procedures include formal supervising times and qualified coaches who have completed a screening process. This aspect seems to have benefited CPET tremendously based on their recent increase of wins at each show. Both horses and riders from Cal Poly’s Equestrian Team took top honors at the 2008 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championships. Kaitlin Spak, a third-year mechanical engineering student, won a $1,000 scholarship and placed third overall in the Hunt Seat Equitation on the Flat category. She competed against 17 other riders from universities including Stanford and UC Davis. The Western Bonanza class consisted of 89 students who were divided among fourteen chairmen with specific duties. They participated in the beef, sheep and goats, swine, facilities, marketing, entries, and awards committees. The 410 exhibitors took over the town of Paso Robles at the Mid-State Fair Grounds, bringing over 1,700 animals competing for premiums and awards in market, breeding and showmanship. In 2009, the Western Bonanza will mark the 25th year of a California Junior Livestock Show tradition. Wendy Hall, advisor of the Western Bonanza, has big plans for the future. Hall said, “A celebration is in store for the Western Bonanza sponsors and past managers to commemorate twenty five years. A big party is in the planning!” Students in the Western Bonanza worked with sponsors to provide added premiums to the exhibitors totaling over $35,000 between the two shows. SPONSORS: WW Livestock Systems, Manna Pro Corporation, Associated Feed, Pete Johnston Chevrolet-Cadillac, King Show Feeds, Watts Trucking and Chopping, Nutrena, Estrella Ranch, Farmers Warehouse, Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale, O.H. Kruse Grain and Milling, Showbloom c/o F.L Emmert Company, Cattaneo Bros., Land O’Lakes Purina Feeds, ProForma,V.A. Rodden Inc., and Sullivan’s Supply Inc. West. Two of the Cal Poly horses brought to compete at nationals took their riders to victory. The Cal Poly Equestrian Team’s Pete won several of his events, including Open, Intermediate and Novice Hunt Seat Equitation. Freddy, another Cal Poly horse, won in several jumping competitions. Freddy was also the runner-up for the “Horse of the Show” award. STOCK REPORT 7 SWINE This little piggy goes to market. This little piggy stays home. Well, at Cal Poly, the “little piggies” are being raised by students in the Farrowing Enterprise to be sold at Cal Poly Field Day. The Animal Science Department gives students of all majors the opportunity to learn the process of farrowing and caring for the piglets. Students prepare the sows for farrowing by caring for them in indoor units with controlled temperature settings and waste management. Unfortunately, piglets are susceptible to many diseases at a young age. Students in the enterprise must learn the dangers of these diseases and prevention methods. Students administer various vaccinations that are used to decrease morbidity, increase daily weight gain, and improve the immune system with the assistance of advisor Allen Pettey. LAMBING ENTERPRISE Cal Poly Agriculture takes learn-by-doing to the next step in the Lambing Enterprise. Students work collectively to bottle-feed orphan lambs and keep records of the flock as a whole. This includes ear-tagging and recording the progress of the ewes with lambing. Freshman Animal Science student Robin Nagele raised and showed lambs for five years before attending Cal Poly. As part of the lambing enterprise, Nagele has spent afternoons with the newly born lambs, feeding and examining their progression. Nagele commented on the lambing enterprise, “It mirrors the management of a large flock of lambs being raised for their selective purposes.” Rebecca Hause, an Animal Science sophomore, observed two piglets that were not feeding from the sow. Hause learned to immediately respond by bottle feeding the piglets, providing the piglet with the important nutrients needed to grow. After the piglets reach three to four weeks of age, they are weaned from the sow and raised in the nursery. Hause prepares the nursery prior to move-in by pressure washing the pens and checking the water for every pen. Pettey and students in the class planned the Cal Poly Field Day in April to auction the pigs to Future Farmers of America members who will show the animals at county fairs. 8 SPRING 2008 Nagele is an exception to most students in the class. Many started out with no prior background and are getting involved to create an easy transition into their future after Cal Poly. Advisor Robert Rutherford works closely with the students to collaborate on the health of the ewes and lambs. Essentially, the lambs will be raised for approximately six months until market weight is reached. Proceeds help fund the lambing enterprise for future Cal Poly students. “I hope that through a career as a fertility specialist and illustrating on the side that I will one day have enough money to open an equine rescue center in southwest Colorado.” When Bethany Layport began drawing, it was simply an adolescent activity but the animal science major’s childhood pastime grew into a talent and she became intrigued with the mere aspect of art. Layport never received any formal training in art, but her father was an artist and his passion became one of hers. Layport is also a musician. She has played piano for seven years and sang in the Cal Poly choir for two years. Layport also has a passion for cooking. She even worked as a caterer, creating a lot of exploratory international food. Layport’s list of pasttimes is never ending, but her main career focus is reproductive physiology. She intends to go into embryology to become a fertility specialist. One of herfavorite tasks is doing work in the embryology lab. Although Layport does plan to have professional career in embryology, she will not cease pursuing jobs as an illustrator. She has already begun work on a semiprofessional level doing anatomical illustrations for an equine biomechanist in Paso Robles. Layport plans to continue with both personal and medical illustrations, but her favorite drawing subjects are horses. The love she has for horses, her greatest love of all, is one she never plans to give up. STOCK REPORT 9 LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE KATRINA CHEW HAS HER CAREER PATH ALL PLANNED OUT Katrina Chew is an Animal Science major and is very interested in large animal medicine, primarily focusing on food animals. Chew participated in the 2006 Swanton Pacific Stocker Enterprise under advisor Jonathan Beckett. The cattle that are used for this enterprise were provided to Cal Poly from Animal Husbandry alumni Herbert “Monty” Richards II. Chew’s enterprise project group decided that they would like to see the island of Hawaii and witness Katrina firsthand Richard’s operation. Chew Katrina Chew “My exact career path is to enter into veterinary school this August and graduate in 2012 with an emphasis in large animal reproduction medicine. The group visited for a week in the summer of 2006. After Chew’s visit, she decided to further research intership opportunities available at Richard’s Ranch in Hawaii. Fortunately, the Animal Science Department had issued an announcement that an internship in the field of animal science could be used as credit for a senior project. Chew gladly took her dream internship in Hawaii as part of her senior project. She recieved the opportunity to see if one of her life goals was really the lifestyle she had always desired. She was very excited to get to work on a large production scale ranch, not a student run ranch with 500 head, but an actual cattle ranch with over 22,000 acres, 5,000-6,000 cattle, and at least 2,000 sheep. Chew applied to five veterinary schools this past October and was offered seats at four schools. Chew plans to graduate in June 2008, and then begin vet school at Washington State University. Chew feels that she benefitted greatly from her internship experience. She has learned how to become a better communicator, the techniques and skills used in managing cattle, the hard work and dedication required to become a large animal veterinarian, and what it’s like to run cattle in an area that has close to seven different micro-climates. She even learned that communication and collaborative work are extremely important in the cattle industry and all facets of life. Most importantly, Chew learned through this experience that this is what she wants do for the rest of her life. 10 SPRING 2008 CAL POLY’S POULTRY VET When Annika Hoffman first attended Cal Poly, her goal was to become a small animal veterinarian. She began taking many introduction classes and planned her five-year track to fulfill all of the main requirements for veterinarian school. Sciences in Pomona, California. She was attracted to the campus because of its self directed learning approach. She found it easy to adjust to the new curriculum style based on the similarity to the courses she had taken at Cal Poly. While attending Western University of Health Sciences, she continues to do research in poultry. Hoffman was one of twelve students selected in the country to receive a $4,500 grant to do research in food safety by the Food Safety Research and Response Network. “I have come a long way. I have worked hard and I’m living my dream, and I did it all on my own financially. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t go to college because you can’t afford it.” Annika Hoffman Hoffman eventually became interested in working with poultry, based on an introductory class taught by Robert Spiller. Soon after the class, she moved into the Poultry Unit where she lived and worked for over a year. At the unit, she did research and participated in the quail enterprise project. Hoffman was paying for her education on her own so she had to work three jobs and was very reliant upon her financial aid and scholarships. She worked for campus dining, the Cal Poly Poultry Unit, the Cal Poly Avian Nutrition/Immunology Research Lab, the Cal Poly Library, a local veterinarian, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service California Condor Recovery Program. Hoffman plans to graduate from Western University in 2010 with a dual degree in DVM and a Masters in Public Health with an emphasis in Food Safety. She plans to become board certified and a Diplomat of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians and work in the poultry industry. “The “Learn by Doing” commitment that is integrated throughout student life at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo provides outstanding preparation for pre-veterinary students. I consider the excellence of Cal Poly SLO’s educational programs and animal experiences to be a key factor in our own success in educating future veterinarians like Annika Hoffman.” -SHIRLEY D. JOHNSTON, DVM, PHD V.P. Western University Fortunately, Hoffman was a recipient of the Max and Verda Foster Farms Memorial Scholarship, a $10,000 scholarship, and two Pacific Egg and Poultry Association Scholarships, which helped pay for tuition, supplies, and living expenses. “After all the work that I had done and my exposure to poultry, I decided that I wanted to be a poultry veterinarian.” She eventually applied to veterinary schools across the country and was accepted to her top choice, Western University of Health Annika Hoffman and Shirley Johnston STOCK REPORT 11 Animal Science BROCHURES WIN AWARD FACULY & STAFF AWARDS CEREMONY DEBBIE RUIZ Administrative Support Coordinator CASEY CALLAGHAN Animal Nutrition Manager MIKE HALL Animal Science Instructor Smithers-Oasis Agriculture Staff Award Rain for Rent Agriculture Staff Award Sunkist Sustained Excellence in Teaching: Verdin Marketing Ink recently won an Addy award for its design of the Cal Poly Animal Science brochures. ADDY awards honor achievement in advertising, publicity and design. VMI is a local marketing and public relations firm located in San luis Obispo. VMI worked with Cal Poly staff to create the informational brochure about the academic department. The entry is now eligible for national ADDY award competitions. a n i m a l sc i e n ce STOCK REPORT S P R I N G 2008 Published by Cal Poly’s Animal Science Department as a link among the nation’s premier animal science program, alumni and friends. The department’s doors are open and questions and comments are welcome. www.animalscience.calpoly.edu • (805) 756-2419 • animalscience@calpoly.edu CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY ANIMAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93407-0255 12 SPRING 2008 BUILDING 10, ROOM 141 805.756.3688 www. animalscience.calpoly.edu EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Dr. Andrew Thulin EDITOR: Sahara Bushue GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Andrea Raggio and Sahara Bushue WRITERS: Sahara Bushue and Tricia Harlan PHOTOGRAPHERS: Wendy Hall, Tricia Harlan, and Chris Leschinsky