Animal Agriculture Industry Priorities

2017 Industry Priorities

As MSU faculty and staff work to develop the latest scientific information that will enhance agriculture, the M-AAA urges you to engage and be diligent in advocacy efforts. This will not only enhance collaborative relationships with our agricultural industry, but also lead to better informed and educated consumers. Many of the technologies and management practices commonplace on farms throughout Michigan, the U.S. and the world were developed at land grant universities, including MSU. Together we share a responsibility to promote and educate the public about the modern, science based production and management tools used in today’s complex and very advanced animal and food production systems.

Michigan Allied Poultry Industry


Layers:
  • Nutrition for layer hens after 60 weeks in a single cycle
  • Nutrition for pullets with an emphasis on calcium use in the first 17 weeks
  • Diseases (avian influenza and focal duodenal necrosis): causes, treatment and prevention
Turkeys:
  • Better breast skin coverage without breast blisters

Michigan Cattleman’s Association

  • Survivability and transmission of bovine tuberculosis (TB) and other emerging diseases
  • Improved diagnostic tests for bacterial diseases
  • Water conservation and manure management in beef production
  • Beef production systems efficiencies

Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD)

  • MI animal reportable diseases
  • Biosecurity
  • Animal welfare

Michigan Farm Bureau

  • Antibiotic resistance: Development of new animal health protection tools and expanded role of vaccines in disease protection
  • Workforce development and education: Training for jobs and careers in animal agriculture
  • Effective tools and preparedness to deal with current and emerging diseases

Michigan Horse Industry

  • Youth and adult outreach/education in horse health/management and promotion of the industry
  • Land-use and environmental management as it relates to horse facilities and equine recreational use
  • Research in the areas of preventative health management, gastrointestinal disease and nutrition

Michigan Meat Association

  • Chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis (processor sanitation control methods, consumer education and public relations)
  • Workforce development: MSU's Meat Tech program, training, and resources for existing employees (skill training: meat industry background, animal anatomy, carcass breakdown and knife use)
  • Specialized retail meat processing (smoking, curing and reduced oxygen packaging), variance requirements and processes (jerky compliance guidelines, methods to prevent raw and cooked product cross contamination)

Michigan Milk Producers

  • Animal health issues: bovine tuberculosis (TB), bovine leukemia virus, antimicrobial resistance
  • Assistance with the dairy industry’s sustainability’s efforts, including research on both feed and reproductive efficiency as it relates to sustainability
  • Toxins in corn and corn silage
  • Workforce development

Michigan Pork Producers

  • Emerging diseases (e.g. porcine epidemic diarrhea virus) and implications for a secure pork supply
  • Consumer acceptance of production practices (research on alternative housing methods, castration/pain mitigation and animal care and handling) and strategies for enhancement of consumer image of swine industry
  • Environmental Issues (manure management, air quality, water availability)

Michigan Sheep Breeders Association

  • Understanding the nutritional, genetic and reproductive management factors that determine out-of-season breeding success in sheep
  • Improving whole-farm forage utilization and forage budgeting in both grazing systems and for machine harvested forage
  • Teaching producers strategic nutritional management