Manganese (Mn) is an essential element used as a cofactor for enzymes involved in synthesizing cholesterol, which is the precursor for producing steroid hormones necessary for proper reproductive function.

Energy is the most expensive component of swine diets; thus, optimizing energy utilization is needed to reduce costs. One way to maximize utilization is matching dietary energy supply to its requirements by pigs. Energy values of certain feedstuffs are critical to making this match. In North America, canola meal, field pea, and wheat millrun (WE) are alternatives to soybean meal (SBM) and cereal grain.

Optimizing the survivability of pigs is crucial for both animal welfare and the productivity of farms. Typically, up to a third of pigs do not survive to harvesting. Survivability is poorest from birth to postweaning and various factors such as environment, infection and other external stressors can impact morbidity and mortality.

Hot carcass weight (HCW) and birth weight (BW) are two heritable traits that are of high value in commercial pig breeding. These traits are valuable because they are needed to calculate accurate predictive breeding values.

The source of trace minerals in animal feed may impact its digestibility. In this recent study published in the Journal of Animal Science, researchers compared the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility of hydroxy trace minerals (HTMs) and sulfate trace minerals (STM) in steers. They hypothesized that the source of trace minerals would impact both digestibility and rumen fermentation. They also hypothesized that ruminal soluble concentrations of minerals would differ based on trace mineral source.

Heat stress has had significant adverse effects on the swine industry, including infertility in sows, characterized by anestrus, increased wean-to-estrus interval. However, heat stress is not limited to lactation. It may also affect a sow during gestation, causing increased embryo mortality, reduced farrowing rate, reduced litter size and weight, and an increased number of stillborn piglets.

Guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) is a naturally occurring precursor to creatine and is an important fuel source for muscle; therefore, it can improve the performance of growing cattle. Scientists believe the mechanism by which performance is enhanced includes increases in IGF-1 serum and feed conversions.

Crossbreeding, genetically crossing purebred lines to improve the performance of the progeny, is widely practiced in pig and poultry production. However, this practice is made more challenging because the selection practices occur on purebred lines, but the performance improvements are measured in the crossbred offspring. The genetic correlation between purebred and crossbred performance can be predicted, meaning a breeding value can be calculated for crossbred animals.

Understanding the utilization of feed energy is essential for precision feeding in the production of beef cattle. A study recently published in the Journal of Animal Science aimed to assess whether predicting the metabolizable energy to digestible energy ratio, rather than a prediction of metabolizable energy with digestible energy, is feasible; in addition, the research team aimed to develop a model equation to predict metabolizable energy based on digestible energy measurement and dietary components in beef cattle.

It is known that alterations in the environment of the preimplantation embryo can affect competence to establish pregnancy and phenotype of resultant calves, but there is no clear evidence for the effects of serum on postnatal phenotype of calves. A study recently published in the Journal of Animal Science evaluated the postnatal programming actions of the embryokine colony-stimulating factor 2 and serum using Brahman embryos produced in vitro.

While antibiotics are the cornerstone of disease control in livestock, there are growing global concerns over the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria and numerous countries have implemented policies to reduce the routine use of antibiotics in livestock. Therefore, research is needed to identify alternative methods for disease control.

Currently, amino acids (AA) in poultry and livestock feed are primarily derived from soybean meal. Cheaper and more sustainable alternatives to soybean meal are needed. One such alternative is sunflower coproducts.

Wingless-type mouse mammary tumor virus integration site (WNT) signaling molecules are intraovarian factors that may influence follicular maturation and development. It is hypothesized that WNT ligands and frizzled family members (FZD) impact ovarian paracrine function and mammalian follicular development.

The mature weight of cows at slaughter has increased over the last several decades, making the day-to-day management and feeding costs can also increase. This can affect the efficiency of cattle production, but most studies have demonstrated that the association between cow weight and efficiency is highly dependent on environment.

After a virtual Academic Quadrathlon (AQ) in 2020, the 2021 National ASAS-AQ was conducted during the annual ASAS meeting in Louisville, Ky with the AQ event being hosted by the University of Kentucky, Department of Animal and Food Sciences in Lexington on July 17 and 18.

A study recently published in the Journal of Animal Science investigated the role of ORAI calcium release-activated calcium modulator 1 on hepatic lipidosis via endoplasmic reticulum stress in dairy cows. Fatty liver is a common metabolic disorder affecting dairy cows during the periparturient period and is closely associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Cow mature weight affects the costs and efficiency of a breeding operation and has increased considerably over the past 30 years. Cow mature weight is influenced by genetics and the environment, which means producers need tools to incorporate cow mature weight in their selection of cattle breeds and herd replacements.

Starting at approximately 8 to 10 days of lactation, sows can no longer produce enough milk to sustain optimal growth of their piglets, an issue that has been exacerbated with the current use of hyperprolific sow lines. Therefore, it is crucial to develop strategies to increase sow milk production.

On June 30th, the House Appropriations Committee approved its version of agriculture appropriations for fiscal year 2022. The agriculture appropriations bill provides discretionary funding of $26.55 billion, which is $2.851 billion above 2021. The Committee also released the accompanying report that includes detailed funding levels for individual USDA programs.

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has announced a new initiative to highlight the importance of foreign-born workers across the American pork industry and the need for broad labor reform to address labor shortages.