Sorry for the delay in getting this issue out. Of particular note, representatives from at least 7 different companies were in attendance. The extension request should be submitted shortly. PAG-IX was followed directly by the Agricultural Microbes Genome conference again this year. Planning is already well underway for PAG-X next year.
Several changes are on tap for next year.
PAG-X will include plant, animal and agricultural microbe genomics all in one meeting. Registration badges will be required to participate in any workshop. As usual, some support will be available from the Coordinators for member and student participation, including the Neal Jorgensen Travel Award for Poultry, awarded this past year to Wei Liu of Iowa State University . It's uncertain what Congress will do with the President's proposal, but this is a disturbing change from the long-standing tradition of administration proposals for large increases in NRI that were later reduced by Congress. The incumbent will contribute to a unit working on the biology and control of avian tumor viruses with an emphasis on the identification of genes and pathways associated with viral disease resistance in poultry.