Featured Articles

  • Jun
    06
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of porcine somatotropin administration on the responses to dietary lysine and a near-ideal blend of amino acids on the amino acid composition of whole-body protein and amino acid accretion rate in growing pigs


    This study evaluated the effects of two factors, porcine somatotropin and graded levels of amino acids, on the total accumulation and the accretion rate of amino acids across a broad range of protein deposition rates in growing pigs. Treatments included 1) with or without a daily injection of porcine somatotropin and 2) graded levels of total dietary lysine from 0.75% to 1.50%.

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  • May
    23
    Interpretive Summary: Nano vitamin E improved the antioxidant capacity of broiler chickens


    With the rapid development of intensive farming, factors such as high temperature, harmful gases, high-fat and high-protein diets, and changes in feeding methods have become causes of oxidative stress in animals. Studies have shown that oxidative stress decreases livestock feed intake and slows growth in animals, thereby affecting the quality of livestock products.

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  • May
    23
    Interpretive Summary: Effect of different feeding strategies and dietary fiber levels on energy and protein retention in gestating sows


    Feeding sows sugar beet pulp (SBP) has many known benefits, for example, increased satiety and high fermentability. This study investigates the ability of the sow to utilize energy for fat retention when replacing part of starch with dietary fiber.

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  • May
    23
    Interpretive Summary: Methane output across life stages in sheep, how it differs from lambs to adult ewes using portable accumulation chambers


    Obtaining accurate estimates of methane (CH4) output across life stages is important to assess how CH4 output changes throughout the production cycle in pasture-based sheep production systems. This study investigated the factors associated with CH4 output at each life stage (lambs, hoggets, pregnant, lactating, and dry ewes), the relationship between CH4 output measured across life stages and the relationship between CH4 output and dry matter intake (DMI) in an Irish lowland sheep production system.

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  • May
    23
    Interpretive Summary: Genomic estimated breeding values for bovine respiratory disease resistance in Angus feedlot cattle


    Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the major cause of losses in feedlot cattle worldwide. Previous studies have demonstrated that there is a genetic component to resistance to BRD, suggesting that this trait could be improved by selection.

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  • May
    23
    Interpretive Summary: Differential analysis of immunoglobulin gene expression pattern in chickens of distinct breeds and developmental periods


    Immunoglobulins play a key role in the organism’s defense against pathogens, and their diverse expression allows the body to generate a wide array of antibodies. This diversity serves as a critical safeguard for the immune system against various pathogens.

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  • May
    21
    Teresa Davis, Ph.D. - Why I Give


    What a great day to join my colleagues and give back!

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  • May
    16
    Interpretive Summary: Bioactive metabolites of Asparagopsis stabilized in canola oil completely suppress methane emissions in beef cattle fed a feedlot diet


    Red seaweed, Asparagopsis taxiformis (Asparagopsis), has been shown to be highly effective at inhibiting the production of methane (CH4) in ruminants. An alternative to feeding whole, freeze-dried Asparagopsis is steeping the biomass in vegetable oil to stabilize the bioactive compounds (Asp-Oil) and feeding Asp-Oil to ruminants as a component of their dietary intake.

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  • May
    16
    Interpretive Summary: How do grazing beef and dairy cattle respond to virtual fences? A review


    Virtual fencing is a GPS-enabled fencing technology with the potential for improved livestock and pasture management, as well as socioeconomic and environmental benefits. However, the missing visual cue of a physical fence and the use of electric signals to ensure animals stay within the invisible boundary raise ethical and animal welfare concerns regarding the animal’s ability to understand and learn the technology and the stress and anxiety associated with these processes.

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  • May
    16
    Interpretive Summary: Maternal pre- and postpartum supplementation of a Bacillus-based DFM enhanced cow and calf performance


    Direct-fed microbials (DFM), such as Bacillus spp., have been shown to produce a wide variety of enzymes related to nutrient digestion and to support gastrointestinal tract immune function and integrity, leading to increased nutrient digestibility and cattle performance.

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  • May
    16
    Interpretive Summary: Beef production and carcass evaluation in Brazil


    This paper aims to explore the main characteristics of beef cattle production and carcass evaluation in Brazil. Livestock production in Brazil continues to expand due to the adoption of new specialized technologies.

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  • May
    16
    Interpretive Summary: Carcass assessment and value in the Australian beef and sheepmeat industry


    Beef and sheepmeat are major high-volume foods produced in Australia for both domestic consumption and export markets. Australian carcass and meat evaluation has evolved from very basic and imprecise carcass assessments to more sophisticated systems over the last 30 years, reflecting changing technologies, market systems, and consumer preferences, with significant investment in eating quality research.

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  • May
    09
    Interpretive Summary: Trace mineral source and chromium propionate supplementation affect performance and carcass characteristics in feedlot steers


    Trace minerals (TM) are supplemented to finishing cattle diets to prevent TM deficiencies. Sources of TM differ in their bioavailability and effect on rumen fermentation. Chromium is a TM required in low concentrations to enhance insulin activity.

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  • May
    09
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of diets supplemented with bioactive peptides on nutrient digestibility, immune cell responsiveness, and fecal characteristics, microbiota, and metabolites of adult cats


    Dietary bioactive peptides (BP) may have positive health effects, but are poorly tested in cats. Our primary objective was to determine the apparent total tract digestibility of BP-containing kibble diets and assess how fecal characteristics, metabolites, and microbiota were affected in adult cats.

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  • May
    09
    Interpretive Summary: Influence of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance, and digestive enzyme activity in lambs


    This research explored the influence of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), an anti-inflammatory mediator, in lambs fed a high-concentrate finishing diet on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance, and digestive enzyme activity. Wether lambs were fed a whole corn grain-based diet containing no added forage and randomly assigned to either the VIP or control group.

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  • May
    09
    Interpretive Summary: Gene expression of free fatty acids-sensing G protein-coupled receptors in beef cattle


    Free fatty acids (FFA) are key modulators of bovine physiology. Recently, it has been discovered that some G protein-coupled receptors, termed free fatty acid receptors (FFARs), may help mediate the action of FFA at the cellular level.

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  • May
    09
    Interpretive Summary: Antimicrobial Metaphylaxis and its Impact on Health, Performance, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Contextual Antimicrobial Use in High-Risk Beef Stocker Calves


    In this study, we investigated the impact of metaphyactic antimicrobial administration on health, performance, and antimicrobial use in high-risk beef stocker calves. Our findings demonstrated that metaphylaxis improves performance and has positive effects on animal health and well-being but increases total antimicrobial use.

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  • May
    02
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of heating soybeans on postruminal amino acid bioavailability, performance, and ruminal fermentation in lactating cows


    Soybeans contain antinutritional factors that may influence amino acid (AA) bioavailability to cattle. Holstein cows were used to evaluate if roasting whole soybeans influenced bioavailability of AA in diets containing soybeans.

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  • May
    02
    Interpretive Summary: Temporal dynamics of genetic parameters and SNP effects for performance and disorder traits in poultry undergoing genomic selection


    Genetic parameters are used to predict breeding values for individuals in breeding programs undergoing selection. However, inaccurate genetic parameters can cause breeding values to be biased, and genetic parameters can change over time due to multiple factors.

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  • May
    02
    Interpretive Summary: Heat stress alters the ovarian proteome in prepubertal gilts


    Heat stress impairs female fertility, yet the mechanisms underlying reduced fecundity remain unclear. This study investigated the ovarian proteomic changes resultant from heat stress in prepubertal gilts and discovered changes related to several important biological processes that could be responsible for reduced female fertility.

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