Teachers,
If you have students preparing to participate in the Agriscience Fair or the
Agriscience Student of the Year program at the National FFA Convention,
please read the following message from National FFA.
There have been some changes in what is allowed based on treatment of
animals, etc... Please read the message carefully and double check that your
student's project is in complete compliance with all recent changes that
have taken immediate effect!
Ben
-----Original Message-----
From: Spight, Damon [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 12:36 PM
To: _All State Staff Available
Cc: Crabtree, Dale; Honeycutt, Mike; Small, Tony; Barbara Lemmer; Brian
Myers; Dan Swafford; Jose Bernal (E-mail); [log in to unmask];
[log in to unmask]
Subject: Agriscience Fair/Agriscience Student Update - Priority IMPORTANT
Importance: High
Dear State Staff -
To better align the "Non-Human Vertebrate Endorsement Form" with the
Agriscience Handbook's information and guidelines on Zoology projects,
the Agriscience Awards Subcommittee and National FFA Organization
program management are providing the following handbook clarification,
addendum, and revised form, which is effective immediately. APPROPRIATE
treatment of non-human vertebrates will be based upon industry approved
practices. This appropriate treatment provision includes live animals
receiving momentary pain without anesthesia or being placed in stressful
conditions which results in short-term response (i.e., tagging, blood
sampling, standard agricultural husbandry practices). Additionally,
animal termination must be in accordance with standard agricultural
husbandry practices and is allowed only for common food animals.
PROHIBITED will be studies which include induced toxicity using alcohol,
acid rain, insecticide, herbicide, and heavy metals; behavioral
experiments involving operant conditioning with aversive stimuli,
mother/infant separation or induced helplessness; studies of pain; and
predator/prey experiments. Research projects which cause more than
momentary pain or suffering to vertebrate animals are also prohibited.
The subcommittee will use the same protocol as in previous years to
review whether each research project adheres to these guidelines. This
protocol is congruent with the rules and guidelines adhered to by the
International Science and Engineering Fair for the treatment of
non-human vertebrates
(http://www.sciserv.org/isef/teachers/rules_regulations.asp>).
The Non-Human Vertebrate Endorsement Form within the Agriscience Fair
and Agriscience Student Scholarship and Recognition applications have
been updated (see attached) to reflect these rule clarifications. Those
text changes are as follows.
1. Intrusive techniques used cannot exceed momentary pain and must
comply with commonly accepted livestock management procedures.
2. Changing an organism's normal environment by using either aversive
stimuli or predatory/prey conditions to study behavior/operant
conditioning is prohibited.
An applicant who applies/has applied for either program using the
previous 2006 -2010 version of either application should not/will not be
penalized. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to
contact the Agriscience Fair program coordinator, Damon Spight, at
[log in to unmask] or 317-802-4402.
DLS, 317-802-4402
Damon L. Spight
National FFA Organization
Education Division
6060 FFA Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46278
317-802-4402 (Office)
317-802-5402 (Fax)
[log in to unmask]
The FFA Mission
FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing
their potential for premier leadership,
personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.
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