We look forward to working with a new publisher in 2016, as noted in the announcement by Emma Bruun of Elsevier. A new website will be available for members to access the journal for no cost, and additional content is being added. The information for access will be provided next month.
But, not everything is changing! Authors will continue to submit papers using Manuscript Central at
https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/pas. The editorial staff remains the same, and we are planning carefully for a smooth transition. Papers relating to the beef industry continue to lead in numbers, and I appreciate the work of Stacey Gunter and Andy Cole as associate editors. Cole (Beef Nutrition and Management) began editing in August. Ryan Reuter (Beef Nutrition and Forages), Oklahoma State University, and Heidi Brady (Equine Physiology), Texas Tech University, begin serving on the editorial board in January. I especially appreciate the work of reviewers, including the editorial board members, and the FASS professional staff.
The February 2016 issue has been completed, and it will be published by Elsevier. The issue includes 4 excellent invited papers that were presented at the 2015 Southern ASAS Symposium titled, “Design, Analysis, and Execution of Quality Grazing Research.” The papers presented at the 2015 ARPAS Symposium on Beef Cattle Reproduction should be ready for the April issue.
The 31st volume of The Professional Animal Scientist was completed with 607 pages. That compares to 673 pages in the previous volume in 2014 that contained the 2013 ARPAS Symposium. The dramatic increase in the number of research articles submitted is encouraging!
During 2014–2015, review articles were included on the following topics:
- The rumen microbiome: Composition, abundance, diversity, and new investigative tools
- Adoption of mastitis-control technologies
- Applied nutrition of ruminants—Current status and future directions
- Fermentation and digestive physiology
- Carbohydrate and fat considerations
- Applied protein nutrition of ruminants
- Mineral and vitamin nutrition in ruminants
- Nutrient needs of goats while grazing
- System application of sexed semen in beef cattle
- Nitrogen sustainability and beef-cattle feedyards: 1. Introduction and influence of pen surface conditions and diet and 2. Ammonia emissions.
- Control of liver abcesses in feedlot cattle
- Customer and consumer confidence in the livestock industry—Professional ethics
The review articles provide members with excellent updates on a number of topics and enhance the value of the journal. We invite authors to consider writing a review article on a topic that has new research information.
Ernest A. Keith, Cynthia A. McCall, John J. McGlone, John A. Paterson, and Stephan Wildeus have completed terms on the editorial board, and I express appreciation on behalf of ARPAS.