Greetings to the ARPAS membership:

I certainly enjoyed seeing many of you during the recent joint Animal and Dairy Science convention in New Orleans. Renewing old friendships and making new ones is the item that I enjoy the most about the annual meetings.

ARPAS continues to have a charmed financial existence. Both of the main sources of revenue for the organization, membership and journal page charges, have been very stable sources of income. As of June 30, 2011, which is the mid-point of our fiscal year, the receipts of membership dues were at 90 percent of that budgeted for 2011 and corporate sponsorship revenues were at 86 percent of the amount budgeted for 2011. The Executive Council has aggressively pushed to secure many of the unpaid dues for 2011 and the Industry Relations Committee has been successful in receiving corporate pledges for sponsorships. To date, revenue from the PAS journal amounts to $42,006 compared with expenses of $38,740. While point-in-time snapshots of revenues and expenses for PAS may not totally reflect true financial status, it is clear that the PAS is being produced and distributed within its financial means. Likewise, while many of the mid-year expenses reported to date do not necessarily reflect end-of-year outcome, it is evident that ARPAS is operating well within its means (total expenses at the mid-point of the fiscal year were 39 percent of that budgeted).

The purpose for the ARPAS foundation, established in 2008, is to provide a funding source for educational efforts and developmental activities of members independent of the ARPAS annual budget.

The Midwest ARPAS chapter is in the inaugural year with a focus on membership growth. All ARPAS members in the Midwest are encouraged to become involved in the Midwest chapter. The Midwest ARPAS leadership is developing a plan to grow membership and plan future activities.

The SGP Chapter met during the Plains Nutrition Council meeting in San Antonio, TX on April 15. ARPAS President Dr. Bill Braman provided an update on ARPAS. Dr. Sandi Parr (Biological responses of beef steers to anabolic implants and zilpaterol hydrochloride) and Bryan Bernhard (Increasing days on finishing diet equalizes carcass grade distribution of zilpaterol-HCl fed heifers) provided oral presentations of their research posters which had taken first and second place at the 2010 Plains Nutrition Conference Graduate Student Poster competition. After presenting, they fielded questions from the SGP Chapter attendees. 

Elections were held and results for 2011 are: President, Chris Reinhardt; President-elect, Lionel Lane; Secretary/Treasurer, Kim McCuistion; Directors, Kendall Karr and Britt Hicks. Officers will serve a one-year term.