Prion discovery surprises (Wisconsin State Journal) Judd Aiken was pretty sure he knew what happens when prions, the misshapen proteins that cause chronic wasting disease in deer, bind to soil. The prions must become less infectious, he figured. But an experiment he conducted found the opposite -- big time: Soil-bound prions were 700 times more infectious than prions alone. "We were about as wrong as we could be, " said Aiken, a UW-Madison ... [News Source]

PSC student places fourth (Cumberland Times-News) Ashley Kisamore, a freshman at Potomac State College of West Virginia University, attended the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Convention in Indianapolis, Ind., placing fourth out of 52 in the Extemporaneous Public Speaking event, for which she received a plaque and a $1,000 scholarship. Kisamore was named a Gold Emblem Individual as well. [News Source]

Third US beef shipment not up to par, DOH says (Taipei Times) The Department of Health yesterday urged the US government to shape up its beef imports after the Bureau of Food Safety discovered a shipment of US beef contained chips of bone. [News Source]

Taiwan restricts US beef imports after finding bone in shipment (EARTHtimes.org) Taipei - Taiwan has suspended beef imports from a US packing house after finding crushed bones in a shipment from the company, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Saturday. On Friday, customs official at Keelung Harbour in the north of the island ... [News Source]

Montana steps up regulation of cattle from Canada (Casper Star-Tribune) HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- The Montana Department of Livestock says concerns about disease led the agency to impose a new rule on cattle from Canada if they are not merely passing through the state. [News Source]