The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an investment of $46 million in the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. The SARE program has supported farmer-driven grants and grassroots education programs resulting in climate-smart solutions for farms and ranches in every state and island protectorate since 1988.

The United States House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture is requesting input on the next version of the Farm Bill. The committee has published an online portal to collect feedback and opinions. Committee leaders believe this tool will allow members to better share the experiences and priorities of agriculture producers and consumers.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a variety of funding for underserved and veteran farmers. The two new grant programs, the Indigenous Animals Harvesting and Meat Processing Grant Program and the Local Meat Capacity Grant Program are part of the broader $1 billion American Rescue Plan investment to expand processing capacity for small and midsized meat and poultry processors.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published the USDA Science and Research Strategy, 2023-2026: Cultivating Scientific Innovation. The publication details the vision for transforming United States agriculture through science and innovation and outlines USDA’s highest scientific priorities.

Today is our inaugural giving day, One Day for ASAS! This is the time for us to come together to give back and support our members through all stages of their careers. Give today to support the next generation of animal scientists and to express gratitude for ASAS being that gathering place where many have become lifelong friends.

Today, we continue to share and celebrate your generosity's impact on our members throughout their careers. In addition to our daily posts, visit ASAS Foundation Impact to see how philanthropy has made a difference for our members this year.

Do you have a passion for supporting current and future animal scientists? Did you know that, thanks to charitable contributions, the ASAS Foundation supports travel scholarships, prestigious awards, distinguished lectures, and so much more?

Today we launch our annual ASAS Foundation Week and our inaugural giving day, One Day for ASAS!

The transition from gestation to lactation requires adjustments in nutrient consumption that are challenging for the postpartum dairy cow. As milk energy output increases more rapidly than energy intake, most cows mobilize fat and labile protein from body energy reserves, which results in reductions in body condition score during early lactation.

The deficiency of nutrients such as methionine in the diet of birds is affecting fertility rate, egg production, egg weight, and progeny weight. In addition, the maternal environment influences gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms, where the conditions experienced by the parental generation during embryonic development can produce effects on the progeny. This study investigates how methionine supplementation in the diet of quail hens can reduce the effects of oxidative stress and improve the performance of progeny subjected to heat stress during growth.

Fiber diameter (FD), clean fleece weight (CFW), live weight (LW), and reproductive performance are important traits in Merino flocks. This study estimated the genetic parameters for a range of production traits and ewe reproductive performance.

Individual differences in the behavior of dairy cows can affect their productive performance. In an attempt to summarize the scientific information available, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify the effects of dairy cows’ temperament on milk yield.

It is necessary to apply more sensitive techniques to improve our limited understanding of amino acid (AA) requirements of adult cats. The non-invasive indicator amino acid oxidation (IAAO) technique is highly sensitive in mature animals. However, while it has been widely applied in different species, this technique has yet to be used in cats.

In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of restricted feeding of specially formulated foods on weight loss, body composition, voluntary physical activity, serum hormones and oxidative stress markers, and fecal metabolites and microbiota populations of obese dogs. A control (OR) food was fed during a 4-wk baseline to identify intake needed to maintain the body weight (BW).

Avian leukemia virus subgroup E (ALVE) is an endogenous retrovirus, which is extensively integrated with the chicken genome, and has some effects on chicken production traits and appearance. Most of the current studies on ALVE insertion sites were conducted in standard breeds.

Feed additives are nutritional tools that benefit dietary digestibility and nutrient utilization, alter ruminal fermentation routes, and improve cattle growth and efficiency, thus increasing productivity and profitability in beef cattle systems. Nonetheless, most of the current research focuses on supplementing feed additives in high-concentrate diets.

Understanding animal responses to changes in nutrition will assist to create more efficient red meat production systems. Complex interactions exist due to the quality, physical characteristics and level of feeding of the diet, and the nutritional history of the animal. The resultant changes to body composition and the partitioning of energy to tissues has important implications for producers.

Propionate metabolism by the liver is thought to be a key regulator of appetite and feed intake of animals, including cattle. Previous research has shown that providing propionate to the rumen of cattle decreases feed intake.

Coproducts from the food and agricultural industries have the potential to partly substitute grain in diets for empty nonlactating sows. Many coproducts are high in fiber and with diverse fiber composition. Some being easily fermented, while others are more resistant to fermentation giving rise to a large variation in the total tract digestibility and utilization of nutrients and energy.

Reducing dietary levels of crude protein (CP) and the use of feed-additives such as sodium butyrate protected by medium-chain fatty acid salts are currently under investigation as nutritional strategies with beneficial effects on the intestinal barrier, and consequently on the health of weaned piglets.