2024 DC Policy Intern

A Giving Partner's Message

Honoring Dr. Gretchen Hill

Direct-fed microbials (DFM) are naturally occurring microorganisms that alter cattle ruminal fermentation and intestinal function and have been shown to improve growth performance and nutrient digestibility of cattle. The use of DFM in animal feed has continuously increased in feedlots as an alternative to traditional antibiotic additives, which have gained negative public perception and additional regulatory scrutiny.

Pet and human populations continue to grow and compete for nutritious, sustainable protein sources. The incorporation of alternative proteins like torula yeast can provide a solution to this problem. Torula yeast also may have additional health benefits like reducing gut inflammation.

Great variation exists in management decisions to offer a vitamin and mineral supplement to cow–calf herds in the Northern Great Plains. Decisions to supplement (or not) vitamins/minerals during critical periods of fetal development may have lasting postnatal impacts on the offspring; however, there is a lack of reports focusing on the long-term offspring outcomes.

Increasing evidence supports the benefits of improving sow nutrition during gestation and lactation to promote gastrointestinal development and overall health of piglets. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of maternal live yeast (LY) supplementation to sows during late gestation and lactation periods on the intestinal health of suckling and weaned piglets.

Weanling pigs are vulnerable to a variety of stressors and pathogen infections. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is one of the leading causes of diarrhea and growth retardation in weanling pigs.

Enteric methane (CH4) is a by-product from the fermentation of feed in the digestive tract of cattle. The production of CH4 is responsible for the loss of 2% to 12% of the animal’s gross energy intake.

During the finishing phase, a high-energy diet offers benefits related to beef cattle growth and development. However, it is essential to acknowledge that finisher diets are energy-dense and can pose digestive challenges, such as subacute ruminal acidosis.

High ambient temperature provokes heat stress in animals, and pigs are highly affected showing low performance, and intestinal integrity and microbiota compromised. Probiotics could help pigs to maintain a healthy intestinal environment.

Pet dogs often experience stress during routine car travel which can negatively affect both dogs and humans. A range of management and treatment options exist to address this, such as behavior modification, drug therapy, and supplements, yielding mixed results.

In dairy goat kids, there is limited literature available on weaning management practices, despite this period being one of the most stressful events for kids and being associated with measures of poor welfare. This study aimed to compare weaning of dairy goat kids at 6-, 8-, and 10-wk of age to maximize outcome measures of welfare related to growth, feed intake, and behavior.

Most male calves are sold and transported from the dairy farm soon after birth. Typically, calves are transported without access to milk and/or water, and they often arrive at calf-raising facilities with varying degrees of dehydration.

The United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) published the 2022 Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals. This year, the FDA published the results in an interactive dashboard that allows users to interact with the data and create data visualizations using criteria such as antimicrobial drug class, species, and year.

A House bill introduced in Arizona would prohibit cell-cultured animal products. House Bill 2121 would restrict the production and sale of cell-cultured animal products, citing public health concerns and harm to the ranching industry and state economy. If law, those who violate the legislation would face a penalty of up to $25,000.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that 35 states, along with five United States territories, and four Tribes plan to be the first to launch the new, permanent summer grocery benefits program for children in summer 2024. The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) will serve over 20 million children and provide nearly $2.5 billion in grocery benefits, accounting for 70% of the children in the United States eligible to participate in the program.

In a recent legal battle, a federal judge has ruled in favor of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), upholding the adoption of the New Swine Inspection System (NSIS). Several animal rights and environmental organizations challenged the final rule, which addresses the modernization of inspection at market hog slaughter establishments.

The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act was recently passed by the United States House. The bill would allow whole and low-fat percentage milk to be included in the National School Lunch Program. The legislation passed with a 330-99 vote and will now move on to the Senate for consideration.

We estimated apparent appearance, apparent disappearance, appearance, and disappearance rates of rumen volatile fatty acid (VFA) of sheep in response to the different degradability of nutrients using time-series fermentation indicators with regular meal feeding.