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Oct
25
FSIS Denies Petition to Consider Cultured Meats Plant-Based
The USCA’s petition was primarily targeted towards synthetic and lab-grown products. FSIS addressed both topics. Considering lab-grown, cell-cultured products, FSIS stated that it intends to address this issue through an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR), which was published on September 3rd. USCA’s petition is stated within the ANPR summary.
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Oct
25
Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act Introduced
“For far too long, farmers and ranchers have been forced to pay into these programs only to see their dollars go to trade and lobbying organizations that work against their very existence. USDA has failed to act, so it’s time for Congress to step in and do what’s right for family farmers and ranchers,” said Joe Maxwell, President of the Family Farm Action Alliance.
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Oct
25
Cattle Antitrust Class Action Lawsuit Proceeds
The Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) have recently been involved in two cases related to the beef industry. The first against the nation’s 4 largest beef producers and the second against the Beef Checkoff Program.
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Oct
25
Animal Welfare Question in Massachusetts Delayed
The Massachusetts House recently voted on the Question 3 initiative, prohibiting the sale of pork that does not meet the state’s production standards. Overwhelmingly, the House decided 156-1 to delay the initiative until January 1, 2023. Previously, it would have taken effect starting in 2022. The Massachusetts Senate still must vote on the decision.
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Oct
25
Members of PCAST Announced
President Joe Biden announced the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), external advisors charged with making science, technology, and innovation policy recommendations to the President and the White House. Thirty leaders were selected, containing the most diverse group in United States history.
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Oct
21
Interpretive Summary: Potential use of ground brown rice for weanling pigs
Replacing corn with rice in diets for weaning or growing pigs has been studied in the past and has demonstrated improved growth performance and nutrient digestibility, but there is limited information about corn replacement with brown rice on growth performance, immune status, and gut microbiota of weanling pigs.
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Oct
21
Interpretive Summary: Characterization of bacterial DNA identified in abscessed and non-abscessed bovine hepatic tissue at the time of harvest
Bovine liver abscesses continue to be a primary concern facing beef production efficiency and, despite current mitigation strategies, significant variation exists in the rate of liver condemnation.
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Oct
18
Interpretive Summary: Dietary taurine protects against oxidative stress in broiler chickens
The authors of this recent Journal of Animal Science study hypothesized that supplementation with the amino acid taurine would attenuate oxidative stress in broiler chickens. Injury from oxidative stress happens when the body’s ability to control free radicals is overwhelmed.
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Oct
18
Interpretive Summary: Homeopathic supplementations effects on stress response of growing pigs from road transportation
Livestock transportation may cause significant economic losses in the swine industry due to the animal's stress response. Previous research has linked road transportation to many factors negatively impacting the animal's physiological status; release of glucocorticoids, inhibition of antibodies following vaccination, and interferes with the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, to name a few.
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Oct
18
Interpretive Summary: Impacts of L-glutamine in swine nursery diets
Stress from weaning and transport leads to poor piglet health outcomes such as diarrhea and increased susceptibility to infections. In the past, feeding prophylactic antibiotics prevented gastrointestinal disease and reduced piglet morbidity and mortality. In this recent Journal of Animal Science study, researchers fed nursery pigs GLN or antibiotics and then compared their intestinal health and gut microbiomes.
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Oct
14
Interpretive Summary: Triennial reproduction symposium: L.E. Casida Award for Excellence in Graduate Education: mentoring graduate students in animal science
Specific research objectives within any lab are crucial; however, Dr. Wettemann states that opportunities for deviation and originality for new ideas should be encouraged. This is how students will ultimately solve the questions.
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Oct
14
Interpretive Summary: Behavioral and stress responses to feeding time in pregnant sows
Feeding time can directly impact sow performance and stress levels. Depending on the time of day and length of time animals are fed, physiological and behavior changes may occur. How such changes impact animal welfare and performance, however, are poorly understood.
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Oct
14
Interpretive Summary: Establishment of a bovine rumen epithelial cell line
The rumen is essential for digestion and absorption in ruminant animals. Thus, feed ingredients, whether roughage or concentrate, must first be digested by enzymes from microbes in the rumen to produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs).
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Oct
14
Interpretive Summary: Heat processing increased the digestibility of phosphorus in soybean expeller, canola meal, and canola expeller fed to growing pigs
Over two-thirds of the total Phosphorus in plant-based ingredients used in swine diets are present as inositol hexakisphosphate, more commonly known as phytate, and is poorly available to the pig. Deficient Phosphorus levels can have adverse effects on growth performance and the eutrophication of water.
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Oct
07
Interpretive Summary: 129 Genomic Relationship Between PRRSV Wild-type Infection and PRRSV...
The selection of swine for production typically occurs in a purebred, high health, biosecure nucleus herd. However, this selection and management system limits industry capabilities to genetically select for traits the confer disease resistance and antibody response to pathogen challenges.
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Oct
07
Interpretive Summary: A highly polymorphic caprine keratin-associated protein gene identified and its effect on cashmere traits
Cashmere fiber is a main product of cashmere goats that is produced by secondary hair follicles, and, like wool, the cashmere fiber is composed of hair-keratins and keratin-associated proteins.
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Oct
07
Interpretive Summary: Effects of supplemental d-methionine in comparison to l-methionine on nitrogen retention...
Methionine is a limiting amino acid in swine diets, but because of its high requirement by pigs and its low concentration in many feed ingredients, supplementation with synthetic sources of methionine is common in diets fed to pigs.
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Oct
04
Interpretive Summary: Social isolation of goats: significance of visual contact...
A paper recently published in the Journal of Animal Science evaluated the behavioral and physiological response in goats during isolation with and without visual contact with their herd- or pen-mates.
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Oct
04
Interpretive Summary: Epigenetic changes in the offspring of heifers fed a restricted maternal diet
Residual feed intake (RFI) is a desired heritable trait in beef cattle. Animals with lower RFI are more feed efficient although epigenetic variations can impact this trait. The environmental circumstances and molecular mechanisms behind how epigenetics leads to variations in RFI however are not well understood.
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Oct
04
Interpretive Summary: Ractopamine hydrochloride improves performance and reduces...
Finding efficient ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while increasing performance is crucial for optimizing the production of feedlot steers. In this recent Journal of Animal Science article, researchers studied how feeding ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC) impacted the performance and greenhouse gas emissions of feedlot steers.
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