Calcium is often oversupplied in pig diets because limestone, the main source of Ca in pig diets, is an inexpensive feed ingredient and is often used as a carrier in premixes or a diluent in feed ingredients. However, excess Ca may be detrimental to P digestibility and pig growth performance.

Understanding the optimal time to immunophenotype beef calves is important for the accurate estimation of their genetic ability to resist disease. The compound stressors experienced by a calf during weaning may have a similar impact on the immune system as chronic stress.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rejected two petitions sponsored by environmental agencies that would potentially have a negative impact on American farmers and ranchers. The petitions regarded revising the Clean Water Act regulations for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) program.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army have issued a final rule regarding the Waters of the United States Rule (WOTUS). This announcement comes on the heels of the Supreme Court’s May 2023 decision in the Sackett v. EPA case, which overturned portions of the WOTUS rule.

The Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) Pricing Formula hearings, held by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) began last month. The USDA will hold a hearing on proposals to amend the pricing formulas in the 11 FMMOs. Each FMMO includes a classified price plan, a system of minimum prices, terms of the order, and provisions for administering the order.

The National Governors Association has sent a letter to the Agriculture Committee leaders in the House and Senate, expressing their wishes for the Farm Bill. The National Governors Association assembled a task force to compile the key priorities for their states and believe their priorities highlight the important role farm bill programs play in strengthening communities.

A group of bipartisan Senators, led by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) sent a letter to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), over concerns for lab-grown dairy. The letter expresses deep concern that the FDA is allowing non-dairy lab-grown products to be illegally labeled with dairy terms.

A new bill that would direct the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to research how consolidation of livestock producers impacts the industry and consumers, has been introduced by United States House Representatives Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI). A companion version of The Livestock Consolidation Research Act was introduced into the Senate by Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA).

United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that the United States is seeking a dispute settlement panel the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) regarding Mexico’s biotechnology corn measures. The United States is in an ongoing disagreement with Mexico over the February 2023 decree, banning the use of biotech corn in tortillas or dough, and the instruction to Mexican government agencies to gradually phase out the use of biotech corn in all products for human consumption and for animal feed.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced over $265 million in awards to help small business owners, farmers, and ranchers lower their energy costs, create income, and expand operations. The awards are provided through President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), as part of the Investing in America Agenda.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced $65 million through the Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) Program. The funds will support two programs, designed to provide new tools, approaches, practices, and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands.

In animal agriculture, passive monitoring technology has the potential to lead to needed innovations as we look for solutions to make global food production more resilient. Here, we use passive intake systems to measure daily weight, water intake, and climatic variables to accurately predict dry matter intake.

Caustic paste disbudding (CPD) is a widely used practice in the cattle industry, yet there is a shortage of literature on the effects of meloxicam on calves aged 10 to 21 d who have undergone this procedure. In this clinical trial, we conducted a comparative analysis of the pain-related behavioral, physiological, and hematological performance of calves that were administered with either lidocaine plus normal saline (n = 15) or lidocaine plus meloxicam (n = 15) before undergoing disbudding operations.

Suckling pigs should receive ≥200 g of colostrum (the first secretion of the mammary gland after giving birth) within the first 24 h of life. This is challenging to achieve as the number of piglets born alive has increased over the last decade, but the sow’s ability to produce colostrum has not increased.

Liver abscesses in feedlot cattle can cause a decrease in feed intake, average daily gain, feed efficiency, and hot carcass weight. At harvest, liver abscesses result in liver condemnations, carcass trimming, and a potential decrease in quality grade, with an estimated economic cost to packers of $41.6 million annually.

The inclusion of yeast in pet food can provide health benefits and increase palatability. Corn-fermented protein is a co-product from ethanol production which contains approximately 20% to 25% yeast.

Hydrolyzed protein has been more commonly used in the pet food industry recently to increase digestibility, decrease allergenic responses, and for other health benefits (such as anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation) in companion animals. The study was designed to determine the protein quality of two protein hydrolysates for incorporating into dry dog foods.

A recent topic of debate in pet food is whether grain or pulse ingredients and varying amounts of animal-based protein compared to plant proteins are better for pets’ health. Thus, the need to examine ingredients used in pet food is important.

Obesity is a common problem in domestic cats. Fat in dry-extruded pet food may be a risk factor for feline obesity. Additionally, the utilization of various carbohydrates in domestic cats has garnered attention. This study explored the impact of varying fat levels and starch sources on body weight, glucose metabolism, and gut microbiota composition in healthy adult cats.

Recording data for long years is common in animal breeding and genetics. However, the larger the data, the higher the computing cost of the analysis, especially with genomic information. This study aimed to investigate the impact of removing data, namely, genotypes, phenotypes, and pedigree, on the computing performance and prediction ability of genomic breeding values.