Paris, 5 May 2008


EFITA newsletter / 361 / European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


Q.: I'm subscribed to EFITA newsletters, but since some months I don't get it. Some weeks ago I made a new subscription, but I still don't get any letter. Could you check this problem?
Contact: Márta GAÁL
E-mail: marta.gaal(a)uni-corvinus.hu

A.: I delete addresses in the efita mailing list once the first unsuccessful attempt to send the efita newsletter and the reintroduction of a cancelled address makes it necessary to update the "red list" where I keep the deleted addresses.


Call for IJMSO Special Issue on "Agricultural Metadata and Semantics"
We would like to remind you that the deadline for the submission of the Special Issue on "Agricultural Metadata and Semantics" of the International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies (IJMSO) is approaching (June 1st, 2008).
See: http://www.inderscience.com/browse/callpaper.php?callID=804
Contact: Gauri SALOHKE
E-mail: gauri(dot)salokhe(at)fao(dot)org

Milk Production and Dairy Markets: Structures, Strategies and Policies - Call for papers by the editors of the German Journal of Agricultural Economics (Agrarwirtschaft)
Worldwide markets for milk and dairy products are under considerable change. Markets in Southeast Asia are growing rapidly. In the European Union market policy instruments will be used considerably less to support dairy market prices. Intervention prices for butter and skim milk powder have been reduced and the future of the dairy quota system is strongly contested. Mergers and acquisitions (for instance, Campina and Friesland), the emergence of regional clusters and new forms of organizing supply chains are changing the dairy landscape. International trade is undergoing a transformation, international competitiveness is gaining in importance, and environmental concerns about dairy farming are growing.
The editors of the special issue invite researchers in the fields of agricultural economics, business administration, and the social sciences to present their research on one of the following topics or in related fields:
- Structures: Concentration on different levels of the value chain, emergence of regional clusters, changing horizontal and vertical organization of supply chains, etc.
- Strategies: Growth, internationalization, specialization, branding, etc.
- Policies: CAP reform, environmental impact of dairy production, international trade and markets, international competitiveness, etc.
See: http://www.agrarwirtschaft.net
Contact: Ludwig THEUVSEN
E-mail: theuvsen(a)uni-goettingen.de


9th International Conference on Precision Agriculture
20-23 July – DENVER (Co)
See: http://www.icpaonline.org/.
> Paper Submission Deadline:
Submission deadline for uploading full paper for Oral presentation and the 2-page summary paper for Poster paper is fast approaching. Deadline: Friday May 2^nd, 2008. Please upload your paper online at http://www.icpaonline.org/AbstractsPapers.php. Should you have problems uploading your paper online, please report the problem to us. As a last option, you may email the file to us at abstract@icpaonline.org

> Awards, Awards, Awards:
Nominations for several awards in different categories are now open. Deadline Friday, May 23rd, 2008 for awards nomination applications. Brief descriptions of the awards in different categories are listed below:
 
1. Graduate Student Award(s): Approximately 10 awards will be made to graduate students presenting their research work (oral or poster paper) at the 9^th ICPA conference. The award will consist of waived conference registration fees and US$500 cash award. The selected candidates will be honored during the conference award ceremony.
 
2. Pierre C. Robert Precision Agriculture Award(s): The Pierre C. Robert Precision Agriculture Award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to precision science and technology. Two awards will be given in this category to a Young and Senior Scientist/Professional. The young scientist/professional must be 42 or younger; the senior scientist/professional over 42. Senior scientist/professional must have 20 or more years of experience majority of which must be in the area of precision agriculture.
See: http://www.icpaonline.org/2008/registration/


Old and good joke
Bill and Sam, two elderly friends, met in the park every day to feed the pigeons, watch the squirrels and discuss world problems.
One day Bill didn't show up. Sam didn't think much about it and figured. Maybe he had a cold or something. But after Bill hadn't shown up for a week or so, Sam really got worried. However, since the only time they ever got together was at the park, Sam didn't know where Bill lived, so he was unable to find out what had happened to him.

A month had passed, and Sam figured he had seen the last of Bill, but one day, Sam approached the park and -- lo and behold! --there sat Bill! Sam was very excited and happy to see him and told him so. Then he said, "For crying out loud Bill, what in the world happened to you?"

Bill replied, "I have been in jail."
"Jail?" cried Sam. "What in the world for?"
"Well," Bill said, "you know Sue, that cute little blonde waitress at the coffee shop where I sometime go?"
"Yeah," said Sam, "I remember her. What about her?"
"Well, one day she filed rape charges against me; and, at 89 years old, I was so proud that when I got into court, I pled 'guilty' and the judge gave me 30 days for perjury."


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