The amino acids (AA) in the diet of pigs are usually supplied as a mix of proteins and free AA. Proteins need to be digested first before their constituent AA become available to the animal. Free AA, together with small peptides, are readily available without the need for digestion.

The objective of this study was to characterize developmental differences in low birth weight (LBW) and normal birth weight (NBW) piglets with or without pre-weaning nutrient restriction using serum metabolomic profile analysis. Through the serum metabolite analysis, at weaning, we saw fewer metabolites associated with fatty acid oxidation, and glycolysis in the LBW pigs compared to the NBW.

Milk is essential for healthy growth and development of neonates, with proteins in milk serving as key nutrients and regulators of these processes. Protein activity is affected by modifications made to their structure including the addition of sugar groups called glycans. Here we present the characterization of sow milk proteins modification with glycan groups on asparagine and glutamine amino acids in colostrum, transitional, and mature milk of pigs.

The United States Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor and Office of the United States Trade Representative Chief Agricultural Negotiator Doug McKalip, met with Mexican officials to discuss the ongoing battle over genetically modified corn.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has released the latest cattle inventory report. According to the report, cattle inventories totaled 89.27 million head, a 3% decline year over year. This is the smallest herd size for January 1st in 61 years.

The National Chicken Council (NCC) has called for the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take measures to decrease egg prices. The chicken industry is examining a policy that forces the broiler industry to destroy safe eggs, due to the current outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the United States.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15 (Plan 15), which lays out how the Agency will work to protect the nation’s waterways by following the science and the Clean Water Act to develop technology-based pollution limits and studies on wastewater discharges from industrial sources. Part of Plan 15 includes a new study on the impact of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) on water quality.

The Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act has recently been introduced in the House and Senate. The FARM Act will amend the Defense Production Act of 1950 to prevent harm and disruption to the United States agriculture industry by protecting against foreign influence over agriculture production and supply chains, and for other purposes.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has named Simon Liu, Ph.D. as the Administrator of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). While Liu was officially named as ARS Administrator on January 4, 2023, he has been acting in this role since June 2022. In this role, Liu will lead the agency in its efforts to leverage the latest advances in science and technology and develop innovative solutions to agricultural challenges facing the nation and world.

President Joe Biden recently spoke to the American people and Congress through the State of the Union Address. President Biden conveyed a message of bipartisanship as well as discussing his legislative agenda. Job growth, inflation, and the COVID-19 pandemic were the themes of the address.

New data for the United States Commerce Department shows that United States agricultural exports increased 11 percent, or $19.5 billion, from the previous record set in 2021. This is the best recorded year, with international sales of U.S. farm and food products reaching $196 billion.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a $9.4 million investment to reduce food waste. The funding will support 45 cooperative agreements through the Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) cooperative agreements, which are funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, and part of USDA’s broad support for urban agriculture through its Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP).

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) have proposed updates to the school nutrition standards. The proposed updates reflect the most recent 2020 Dietary Guidelines, as required by law, and build in plenty of time for planning and implementation to ensure the school meals community and the kids they serve have the best chance for long-term success.

Horses are athletic animals whose quality of movement affects their ability to perform. Management of hooves can influence gait symmetry. Shoeing horses is an accepted standard of care for athletic animals.

Approximately two-thirds of beef calf deaths prior to weaning occur within the first 3 wk after birth. The goal to have heifers produce their first calf by 2 yr of age likely contributes to factors that limit nutrients available for fetuses and calves immediately after birth. However, little is known about differences in heifers (first parity) and cows (later parities) regarding factors affecting calf resilience.

Newcastle disease is a viral disease that causes severe problems in poultry birds. The disease is lethal with a high influence and death rate.

A bright cherry-red color beef is ideal during meat retail and carcass grading. Any deviation from a bright red color, such as dark red color, at the interface of the 12th and 13th rib-eye area leads to carcass discounts.

Mitigating the effects of heat stress is becoming more and more important with global increases in temperatures. Heat stress negatively affects livestock health and performance. One way to mitigate the effects of heat stress on livestock is to increase feed intake during stress conditions by enhancing palatability of the feed by adding artificial sweeteners.

Colostrum and milk are the primary sources of nutrition for lactating mammals. Iron is an essential nutrient for nursing mammals. Piglets are routinely iron deficient and do not obtain adequate iron from sows’ milk further contributing to anemia observed in young pigs.

Animal science undergraduate curricula face the issue of motivating and interesting students from diversified backgrounds to meet the growing job market (Benson et al., 2020; Lugar & Stewart, 2019). Students are entering animal science majors with different expectations and values as explained by the expectancy-value theory, so higher education systems face the struggle of meeting diverse student interests while fulfilling required course content.