Vol. 11, No. 3, March 2015 |
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Growing Jobs in Florida: Agriculture Front & Center
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In January, Jack Payne, the head of the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) sat down with The Orlando Sentinel to discuss some of the biggest issues facing agriculture in Florida. In a revealing interview, Payne detailed what an important industry (second in terms of income from annual sales) agriculture plays in the Florida.
Generating $142 billion and 2 million jobs, the sector plays a vital part of the state's economy. The interview ranged from threats facing the industry to the effects of climate change on pests and diseases.
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IFAS' Payne InterviewWhen asked about what role IFAS plays in Florida Agriculture, Payne responded, "IFAS is the research and innovation arm of Florida agriculture. We do more than $100 million in research annually on irrigation, plant breeding, disease prevention, and more. Our extension agents in all 67 counties bring the latest science to farmers. Our College of Agricultural and Life Sciences prepares the next generation to tackle the ever-increasing complexities of agriculture." Read more of the Orlando Sentinel’s story at: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-ed-front-center-agriculture-payne-20150119-story.html |
Federal Partnership Spotlight: Biological Research, Training, and Education, All Goals of The Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases
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At least 60 percent of all human pathogens are zoonotic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and 75 percent of recently emerging infectious diseases that affect humans are of animal origin. The most dangerous of these animal diseases pose catastrophic risks to human health, livestock health and the global agricultural economy, which employs one out of every three workers worldwide, according to the United Nations.
The Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases (IIAD) performs research and develops products to defend the nation from high-consequence foreign animal and zoonotic diseases. Founded in April 2004 as a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Center of Excellence, the IIAD leverages the resources of multiple major universities, Minority Serving Institutions, national laboratories, and partners in state and federal government.
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The Institute focuses on research, education and outreach to prevent, detect, mitigate and recover from exotic animal, emerging and/or zoonotic (transmissible between animals and humans) diseases, which may be introduced intentionally or through natural processes. The Institute is headquartered at Texas A&M University, the nation's sixth-largest university by enrollment. The IIAD was renewed as a co-lead with the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD) at Kansas State University in 2010, and the DHS cooperative agreement extends through 2016. Read more at: http://iiad.tamu.edu/about/ |
Training Opportunity: A Coordinated Response to Food Emergencies: Management and Planning
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Course Provider: The National Center for Biomedical Research and Training (NCBRT) at Louisiana State University provides Department of Homeland Security (DHS) certified courses, taught by expert instructors, and will deliver all course materials to your training facility at no cost to your agency.
Description: A Coordinated Response to Food Emergencies: Management and Planning is a management-level course that teaches public health officials, emergency managers, first responders, epidemiologists, industry, and any other relevant stakeholders in a food emergency to effectively and collaboratively manage food emergencies using the Emergency Operations Center and Unified Command.
Prerequisites: Completion of ICS-100, ICS-700, and ICS-800 is recommended.
Target Audience: This course provides training for personnel who require advanced application of the Incident Command System (ICS) in response to a large scale food emergency.
The course expands upon information covered in ICS-100 through ICS-400 courses.
Professional disciplines targeted for this course include Food Protection Agencies (Agriculture, Consumer Protection and Public Health), Industry, Emergency Management, Governmental Administrative, Healthcare, Hazardous Materials, Public Health, Public Safety Communications, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Services, and Law Enforcement.
Selection Criteria: Persons expected to perform in a management capacity, in both lead and supporting agencies, during a large scale food emergency.
Additional Information: The class hours will be 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on both days.
Location: University of Florida – IFAS Campus, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center; 3205 College Ave., Davie, FL 33314
View Directions and Map: http://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/directions.shtml
Date: Tuesday, Mar 24, 2015 - Wednesday, Mar 25, 2015
To Register: Call or email Art Johnstone, (850) 251-4184, ajohnstone@grantpartnersinc.org, and provide your name, agency, title, phone number, and email address.
The NCBRT is a DHS training partner providing high-quality training to emergency responders throughout the United States and its territories under the NCBRT's Homeland Security National Training Cooperative Agreement.
Preparedness is a shared, national responsibility requiring our active participation to prepare America to address its threats.
The NCBRT is preparing you today for tomorrow’s threats.