Featured Articles

  • Oct
    07
    Interpretive Summary: 129 Genomic Relationship Between PRRSV Wild-type Infection and PRRSV...


    TS pigresearch
    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


    TS cashmere goat
    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...


    TS weanling pig
    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...


    TS Goat Isolation
    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


    TS calf
    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...


    TS cow
    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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  • Oct
    04
    Interpretive Summary: An investigation of links between metabolic rate and feed efficiency in European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax


    TS Fish Farm
    A paper recently published in the Journal of Animal Science investigated the links between metabolic rate and feed efficiency in the European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax, a major species in European mariculture.

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  • Sep
    30
    Interpretive Summary: Assessment of visceral organ growth in pigs from birth...


    pig
    Visceral organs are essential for life in all animals due to their role in various aspects of digestive physiology, including the digestion of feedstuffs, absorption of nutrients, and metabolism of absorbed and circulating nutrients.

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  • Sep
    30
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of dietary inclusion of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) extract on lamb muscle metabolomics and physicochemical properties in meat


    lamb (1)
    A study recently published in the Journal of Animal Science evaluated the effects of increasing levels of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) extract as a feed additive for lambs and its effect on metabolic profile of the muscle and instrumental meat quality traits. The major components of meat, proteins and lipids, are susceptible to oxidation leading to off-flavors and color changes, which can cause consumer rejection of the product and may lead to loss in nutritional quality and generate compounds.

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  • Sep
    30
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of iron, vitamin A, and the interaction between the two nutrients on intestinal development and cell differentiation in piglets


    piglets
    A study recently published in the Journal of Animal Science investigated the effects of iron, vitamin A, and their interaction on intestinal development and differentiation of cells in suckling piglets. The intestinal epithelium of piglets often changes significantly in the first month after birth; its development and function directly affects the absorption of nutrients.

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  • Sep
    27
    Health Journals Call for Action in Climate Crisis


    climate change (1)
    “The greatest threat to global public health is the continued failure of world leaders to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5°C and to restore nature. Urgent, society-wide changes must be made and will lead to a fairer and healthier world. We, as editors of health journals, call for governments and other leaders to act, marking 2021 as the year that the world finally changes course,” the authors stated.

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  • Sep
    27
    White House Blames Meat Packers for Increased Prices


    price increase
    “There’s a long history of these giant meat processors making more and more, while families pay more at the grocery store and farmers and ranchers earn less for their products. Absent this corporate consolidation, prices would be lower for consumers and fairer for farmers and ranchers,” Deese stated.

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  • Sep
    27
    USDA Updates Mask Requirements for Producers


    mask mandate
    The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) announced it will require official meat and poultry establishments, egg product plants, and all other facilities where FSIS provides official inspection services to follow current Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for mask use. If failure to comply, USDA will withdraw all Inspection Program Personnel (IPP) from the organization.

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  • Sep
    27
    USDA Requests Comments on Cultured Meat Products


    USDA Meat
    The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) regarding the labeling of meat or poultry products derived from cultured animal cells.

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  • Sep
    27
    USDA Offers Farm and Food Workers Relief Grants Program


    Groceries
    This grant program is intended to contribute towards necessary personal, family, or living expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as costs for personal protective equipment, dependent care, and expenses associated with quarantines and testing related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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  • Sep
    27
    States Create Ways to Use, Reduce, and Eliminate Methane


    RRR
    According to the US Interagency Working Group on Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases Report, methane emissions are $1,756 per short ton, while carbon dioxide is $68. The law, Public Utilities Commission Modernize Gas Utility Demand-side Management Standards, requires that state regulators must take a longer-term view of the cost savings of reducing energy use. The hope is with that longer view, more programs that reduce demand through improved insulation and other devices will be justified as cost-effective.

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  • Sep
    27
    MCOOL to be Reintroduced


    fair price
    The Act will reinstate Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL) for beef, something that has mixed reviews among those in the industry. It is worth noting, Booker recently introduced the Farm System Reform Act, which includes reinstating MCOOL, placing a moratorium on concentrated animal feeding operations, among other actions.

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  • Sep
    27
    Livestock Disaster Relief Act Introduced


    drought
    "This bipartisan bill will beef up critical livestock disaster programs, providing additional certainty so Montana ranchers can better weather disasters and emerge whole on the other side." The bill will make changes to the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) by increasing coverage for monthly feed costs to 80 percent, including unweaned cattle in eligible livestock, increasing the number of months a producer can receive payments, and improving the formula used to calculate monthly feed costs.

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  • Sep
    27
    Food Labeling Modernization Act Introduced


    meat label
    The Act would update front-of-package food labeling requirements, require updates to the ingredient list on packaged foods, and apply consumer-friendly labeling requirements. “We need a clear, truthful system of labels for food products that ensure consumers can make informed dietary choices without being confused or misled,” said Senator Markey.

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  • Sep
    27
    Biden’s Call for Increasing Utilization of the Wilderness Act of 1964 Criticized


    Forest
    The Wilderness Act of 1964 prohibits the use of motorized vehicles or mechanical tools. The Act established the National Wilderness Prevention system, a national network of more than 800 federally designated wilderness areas. The worry is that in many cases, it bans the active management that is necessary to curb the risk of wildfire, eradicate invasive species, maintain healthy habitat, and water sources for wildlife.

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