Featured Articles

  • Aug
    04
    Interpretive Summary: Poor maternal diet during gestation alters offspring muscle proteome in sheep


    100x100 ASAS Blog Template (25)
    Poor maternal diet during gestation results in changes in body composition and metabolism in the offspring. Here, we demonstrate that over- and restricted-feeding during gestation alter global protein expression in the longissimus dorsi muscle of offspring during gestation and just after birth.

    Read more
  • Aug
    04
    Interpretive Summary: Primary myoblasts from intrauterine growth-restricted fetal sheep exhibit intrinsic dysfunction of proliferation and differentiation that coincides with enrichment of inflammatory cytokine signaling pathways


    100x100 ASAS Blog Template (27)
    Myoblasts are stems cells whose functional capacity can limit muscle growth. However, stressful intrauterine conditions cause these cells to be intrinsically dysfunctional. This restricts muscle growth capacity, leading to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) of the fetus, low birth weight, and less muscle mass after birth.

    Read more
  • Aug
    04
    Interpretive Summary: Elevated dietary selenium rescues mitochondrial capacity impairment induced by decreased vitamin E intake in young exercising horses


    100x100 ASAS Blog Template (28)
    Mitochondria, colloquially referred to as the powerhouses of the cell, are essential for sustained energy production, which is particularly important for athletic performance. During exercise, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced as a normal byproduct of muscle contraction.

    Read more
  • Aug
    04
    Interpretive Summary: Tandem mass tag labeling to assess proteome differences between intermediate and very tender beef steaks


    100x100 ASAS Blog Template (29)
    Among all the eating quality attributes of beef, tenderness is considered an essential factor influencing consumers’ overall satisfaction and future purchasing decisions. However, managing and predicting tenderness of meat products is challenging for the meat industry, as many factors can influence this attribute.

    Read more
  • Aug
    04
    Interpretive Summary: Cattle breed type and anabolic implants impact calpastatin expression and abundance of mRNA associated with protein turnover in the longissimus thoracis of feedlot steers


    100x100 ASAS Blog Template (31)
    Two methods that the beef cattle industry can use to potentially improve efficiency, sustainability, and economic viability are growth promotants and crossbreeding cattle of different breed types. In the United States, over 90% of cattle receive at least one anabolic implant during the production cycle resulting in improvements in production and overall economic and environmental sustainability.

    Read more
  • Jul
    27
    School meal waivers extended beyond June 30th


    school lunch
    President Joe Biden has signed the Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022 into law, extending partial school meal flexibilities through the next school year five days before they were set to expire. The Act will provide important funding and flexibility for communities to provide children healthy meals this summer and provide support to schools and daycares to respond to supply chain challenges and high food costs for the coming school year.

    Read more
  • Jul
    27
    Representatives send letter to President to hold India accountable regarding rice and wheat


    wheat
    United States Representative Tracey Mann (R-KS) and Representative Rick Crawford (R-AR), along with 12 members of Congress, have sent a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to hold India accountable for violating their commitments to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Current WTO rules allow governments to subsidize up to 10% of the value of commodity production, however, the Indian government continues to do so at more than half of the value of production for several commodities, including rice and wheat.

    Read more
  • Jul
    27
    Report shows the pork industry’s impact on economy


    pigs
    A new economic report by The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) highlights how America's swine farmers significantly contribute to the United States' agricultural and overall economy. The report highlights the pork industry value chain contributions and growth over the past five years.

    Read more
  • Jul
    27
    Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security Act introduced


    food
    Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) recently introduced the Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act. PASS is said to prevent foreign adversaries from taking any ownership or control of the United States’ agriculture industry.

    Read more
  • Jul
    27
    PETA submits petition about language used on meat packaging


    meat packaging
    The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) submitted a petition to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to begin the rulemaking process to eliminate its label-approval program for any labels relating to claims about the conditions in which animals were raised. PETA is claiming companies are taking advantage of the FSIS’ approval of claims for financial gain.

    Read more
  • Jul
    27
    Feds Feed Families 2022 launched


    food pantry
    The United States Department of Agriculture has announced the kickoff of the 13th annual Feds Feed Families Program. The program is a voluntary food drive that encourages employees from all federal agencies to give in-kind contributions, food, services, or time, to food banks and pantries of their choice.

    Read more
  • Jul
    27
    FDA finalizes FSMA animal feed guidance


    animal feed
    The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finalized the Guidance for Industry (GFI) #245: Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals (FSMA) to help animal food facilities develop a food safety plan that complies with FDA’s Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls requirements.

    Read more
  • Jul
    27
    FAO price index continues to fall, but higher than 2021


    food prices
    The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has released the June 2022 FAO Food Price Index. While the Price Index fell from May 2022, it is still higher than the previous year.

    Read more
  • Jul
    27
    Ag organizations call for conformation on chief ag negotiator


    field
    Almost 100 agricultural and food organizations have sent a letter to the United States Senate Committee on Finance urging the swift confirmation of Doug McKalip as the chief agricultural negotiator at the Office of the United States Trade Representative. McKalip was nominated in June 2022 after the withdrawal of the previous chief ag negotiator nominee.

    Read more
  • Jul
    21
    Infographic: NE1727 Multistate Research Project: Influence of Ovary, Uterus, and Embryo on Pregnancy Success in Ruminants (Part 2)


    cow
    Members of the NE1727 Multistate Research Project: Influence of Ovary, Uterus, and Embryo on Pregnancy Success in Ruminants have compiled a set of manuscripts that represents their past and current efforts defining the factors underlying and affecting maternal recognition of pregnancy and embryo survival in cattle (Mathew et al., 2022).

    Read more
  • Jul
    21
    Infographic: NE1727 Multistate Research Project: Influence of Ovary, Uterus, and Embryo on Pregnancy Success in Ruminants


    pregnant cow
    Members of the NE1727 Multistate Research Project: Influence of Ovary, Uterus, and Embryo on Pregnancy Success in Ruminants have compiled a set of manuscripts that represents their past and current efforts defining the importance of oocyte quality, follicle growth and the corpus luteum (CL) to pregnancy success (Bishop et al., 2022).

    Read more
  • Jul
    21
    Interpretive Summary: Bioactive supplements influencing bovine in vitro embryo development


    cow
    Ovum pickup and in-vitro production (IVP) of bovine embryos have quickly become commercial options for generating large quantities of transferable bovine embryos from genetically elite sires and dams. However, 2 limitations in this process still exist.

    Read more
  • Jul
    21
    Interpretive Summary: Harnessing the value of reproductive hormones in cattle production with considerations to animal welfare and human health


    welfare
    The animal production industry is responsible for providing products like meat, dairy, and egg products to the growing human population of the world. Within each sector, there are production practices that can improve the overall productivity of the animals and contribute to their welfare.

    Read more
  • Jul
    21
    Interpretive Summary: Increasing vitamin D levels to improve fertilization rates in cattle


    cattle
    Vitamin D is an important hormone that among other things, contributes to bone health, immunity, and reproduction. Recently, research has linked vitamin D to fertility in other species (primates), and therefore the objectives of the current research were to determine if mild supplementation with Vitamin D impacted fertility in female cattle.

    Read more
  • Jul
    21
    Interpretive Summary: Preovulatory follicle contributions to oocyte competence in cattle: importance of the ever-evolving intrafollicular environment leading up to the luteinizing hormone surge


    cow
    This review focuses on intrafollicular changes that occur within the dominant follicle from luteolysis to the LH surge and discusses recent advancements in the literature related to how such changes support oocyte competence.

    Read more