Dear Friends and Family of Jim Russell, I am grieved to hear of Jim's death. Please accept my sincere condolences. On behalf of the Japanese Society of Rumen Metabolism and Physiology, please accept our deepest sympathy. Jim will be greatly missed in our society. Jim was an invited speaker of Hakone rumen meeting that was held as a satellite symposium of ISRP at Sendai, Japan in 1989. We will miss his excellence in basic and applied fields of Rumen studies. May this bring some comfort to you all during this time. Our thoughts are with you. Sincerely, Hisao Itabashi The president of Japanese Society of Rumen Metabolism and Physiology