Featured Articles

  • Aug
    24
    Interpretive Summary: Duration of ergovaline exposure influences serotonin-mediated vasoactivity of bovine mesenteric vasculature


    Consumption of ergot alkaloids found in endophyte-infected tall fescue can lead to symptoms of fescue toxicosis, such as vasoconstriction, in ruminant livestock species. Ergovaline is one of the primary ergot alkaloids responsible for causing vasoconstriction when toxic varieties of fescue are consumed.

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  • Aug
    24
    Interpretive Summary: Endocrine changes during the peripartal period related to colostrogenesis in mammalian species


    This manuscript reviews and compares hormonal and functional changes occurring in the conceptus (embryo and its extra-embryonic membranes) and their effects on the mammary gland during development from pregnancy to colostrum formation and milk production in multiple mammalian species. Declining activity of gestagens at the end of pregnancy is crucial to allow for both parturition and onset of milk production in most mammals.

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  • Aug
    24
    Interpretive Summary: Metagenomics analysis reveals the performance of homo- and heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria in alfalfa silage fermentation, bacterial community, and functional profiles


    Current studies are aimed towards utilizing certain lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains with high-yielding beneficial organic acid production for enhancing the quality of forages during preservation (otherwise known as ensiling) and to improve animal feed production.

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  • Aug
    24
    Interpretive Summary: Melatonin supplementation promotes muscle fiber hypertrophy and regulates lipid metabolism of skeletal muscle in weaned piglets


    Due to its extensive biological functions, melatonin has been widely used in animal production in recent years. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of melatonin on growth performance, muscle development, and lipid metabolism of weaned piglets.

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  • Aug
    17
    Interpretive Summary: Forages and Pastures Symposium: revisiting mechanisms, methods, and models for altering forage cell wall utilization for ruminants


    The underlying principles of forage cell wall utilization by ruminants have been known for over 50 years, but a significant amount of knowledge of the structure and synthesis of critical components of the plant cell wall, mechanisms and methods to alter its digestibility, and assessment techniques to quantify its components as well as their fermentability has been accumulated in the last 30 years.

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  • Aug
    17
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of dietary zinc/copper ratios on the metabolism of zinc and copper in weaned pigs


    Zinc oxide and copper sulfate are commonly used as growth promoters and alternatives to antibiotics to prevent diarrhea in weaned piglets but their use in post-weaning pigs diets has been challenged due to environmental issues and concerns related to bacterial resistance to antibiotics and heavy metals.

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  • Aug
    17
    Interpretive Summary: Dietary supplementation of Ocimum gratissimum improves growth performance and immune response in broilers under high ambient temperature


    Ocimum gratissimum (OG) was found to have immunity boosting effect on Taiwan country chickens and broiler chickens raised in moderate ambient temperature in previous studies, and the current study investigates its potential on broilers raised in high ambient temperature.

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  • Aug
    17
    Interpretive Summary: Relationships between body- and udder-related type traits with somatic cell counts and potential use for an early selection method for water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)


    Some type traits (TTs) have been reported to affect somatic cell count (SCC) in bovine milk, which result in mastitis to some extent, but the correlation between SCC and TTs of water buffalo has been poorly understood. Here, a total of 1908 records from 678 buffaloes were investigated.

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  • Aug
    17
    Interpretive Summary: Transcriptomic analysis of ovarian follicles uncovers the crucial genes relevant to follicle selection and preovulatory hierarchy in hens


    Chicken ovarian follicle development undergoes follicle recruitment, prehierarchy, follicle selection, preovulatory/hierarchy, and finally ovulation. The follicle selection and preovulatory hierarchy play a vital role in egg production of hens. However, underlying the mechanism of the key genes involved in these developmental events remains largely unknown.

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  • Aug
    17
    Interpretive Summary: Protective effects of genistein on the production performance and lipid metabolism disorders in laying hens with fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome by activation of the GPER–AMPK signaling pathways


    Fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) is a nutritional and metabolic disease that seriously threatens the health and performance of laying hens, which is characterized by hepatic steatosis and lipid metabolism disorders. As an isoflavone phytoestrogen, genistein (GEN) exerts many beneficial functions, including alleviating lipid metabolism disorders and anti-inflammatory properties.

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  • Aug
    17
    Interpretive Summary: Reproductive microbiome and cytokine profiles associated with fertility outcomes of postpartum beef cows


    Efficiently producing cattle to feed a growing population can come with many challenges. A few challenges occur soon after a cow has given birth, and subsequent reproductive performance can be impacted. Bacteria within the reproductive tract can trigger an immune response and together play a role in affecting fertility in cows.

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  • Aug
    10
    Interpretive Summary: Evaluating differences between formulated dietary net energy values and net energy values determined from growth performance in finishing beef steers


    Feedlot growth performance and carcass data can be used to estimate dietary net energy values. The degree to which growth performance-predicted values agree with tabular energy values for feeds is an indication of how accurately the California Net Energy System can be used to predict cattle growth performance.

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  • Aug
    10
    Interpretive Summary: Calves severely affected by bovine respiratory disease have reduced protection against histone toxicity and exhibit lower complement activity


    Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains the leading cause of feedlot calf sickness and death. In respiratory disease affecting humans and mice, major tissue damage is caused by release of histones. Histones are proteins found in the nucleus of cells that condense DNA, however, cells that become damaged release histones extracellularly.

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  • Aug
    10
    Interpretive Summary: Invited review: integration of technologies and systems for precision animal agriculture—a case study on precision dairy farming


    Precision technologies are revolutionizing animal agriculture by enhancing the management of animal welfare and productivity. To fully realize the potential benefits of precision livestock farming (PLF), the development and application of digital technologies are needed to facilitate the responsible and sustainable intensification of livestock production over the next several decades.

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  • Aug
    10
    Interpretive Summary: Impact of liquid diet supplementation while suckling and weaning age on nutritional status, intestinal health, and immunity of piglets pre- and post-weaning


    Antimicrobial resistance, induced by increased usage of antimicrobials, is a threat raising economic and public health concerns. The great amount of antibiotics used in the animal production and especially in the pig industry, where the greatest part of all prescribed antibiotics is used for treatments of diarrhea in newly weaned piglets.

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  • Aug
    10
    Interpretive Summary: Dietary trace mineral pattern influences gut microbiota and intestinal health of broilers


    Information is still scarce regarding the effect of dietary trace mineral patterns on the intestinal health of broilers. The results indicated that dietary trace mineral pattern influenced intestinal health of broilers, and the appropriate pattern of trace minerals in the diet for intestinal health of broilers would be...

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  • Aug
    10
    Interpretive Summary: Effect of 3-nitrooxypropanol on enteric methane emissions of feedlot cattle fed with a tempered barley-based diet with canola oil


    Livestock methane (CH4) is the main source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in agriculture, contributing to 11.6% of global GHGs emissions from human-related activities. Therefore, mitigating CH4 emissions from ruminant animals is a great opportunity for meeting the current climate targets.

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  • Aug
    10
    Interpretive Summary: Forages and pastures symposium: an update on in vitro and in situ experimental techniques for approximation of ruminal fiber degradation


    In vitro and in situ techniques are important to studying ruminant nutrition because these procedures go beyond measures of components of a feedstuff in a laboratory by fermenting a sample in ruminal fluid. The in situ procedure was first described regarding ruminant nutrition in 1938 and in vitro in 1966 and both techniques have been refined over time to improve the reliability of results.

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  • Aug
    03
    Interpretive Summary: Ag leaders send joint letter to Governors and Administrators


    The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recently released the fiscal year 2022 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payment error rates. The report showed an increase in payment errors. In response, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson, Ranking Member David Scott, Senator John Boozman, and Senator Debbie Stabenow issued a joint statement.

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  • Aug
    03
    Interpretive Summary: Agriculture Outlook 2023-2032 released


    The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently published the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2023-2032. According to the report, global agricultural and food production is projected to continue to increase over the next ten years, but at a slower pace of growth than the previous decade due to demographic trends.

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