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Jun
28
Letter Recommending Low-Fat Flavored Milk in Schools Sent to USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently received a letter from Joe Courtney (D-CT), Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA), and 55 other members of Congress supporting the increase of dairy consumption in children by allowing schools to offer low-fat, flavored milk as part of school meals programs.
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Jun
28
Letter Sent to USDA for Clarification on Tax Policy Impact on Farmers
President Joe Biden released his American Families Plan, designed to grow the middle class, expand the benefits of economic growth to all Americans, and leave the United States more competitive.
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Jun
28
Meat Packing Special Investigator Act Introduced
The Meat Packing Special Investigator Act was recently announced by Senators Jon Tester (D-MT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) to address anti-competitive practices in the meat and poultry industries that threaten the nation's food supply and national security.
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Jun
28
No Land Grab Act of 2021 and 30x30 Termination Act Introduced
Two bills that push back against President Biden’s 30x30 Executive Order have been introduced in the House and Senate.
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Jun
28
Organizations Urge Congress to Invest in Climate-Focused Ag Improvements
Over 450 conservation, consumer, farm, and environmental groups have collaborated on a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy requesting Congress to allocate $200 billion in new funding over the next 10 years to increase farm bill conservation, research, renewable energy, forestry, and regional food system and supply chain resilience programs, as well as the agriculture, forestry, and rural-related elements already contained in President Biden’s American Jobs Plan.
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Jun
28
Ransomware Attack Forces Shut Down of Major Meat Plant
Over Memorial Day Weekend, the world’s largest meat company, JSB Foods, experienced a ransomware attack that affected everyone from farmers to restauranters.
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Jun
28
Relief for America’s Small Farmers Act Introduced
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, has introduced the Relief for America’s Small Farmers Act.
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Jun
28
Rural STEM Education Research Act Passes in House
The Rural STEM Education Research Act, introduced to the House by Representative Frank Lucas (R-OK) and cosponsored by Science Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), has passed in the House and will now move to the Senate.
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Jun
28
USDA to Enforce Packers and Stockyards Act
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will initiate the implication of 3 proposed rules to support the enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act (P&S).
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Jun
24
Interpretive Summary: The effect of a multiforage diet as opposed to a single forage diet on animal intake, performance, welfare, and urinary nitrogen excretion
A paper recently published in the Journal of Animal Science aimed to determine whether feeding animals a diet of equal proportions of cut fresh herbages alter dry matter intake, animal performance, nitrogen excretion, and animal welfare in comparison to a conventional monotonous diet of ryegrass.
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Jun
24
Interpretive Summary: Effects of feeding diets containing low crude protein and coarse wheat bran as alternatives to zinc oxide in nursery pig diets
A recent paper published in the Journal of Animal Science by Batson et al., “Effects of feeding diets containing low crude protein and coarse wheat bran as alternatives to zinc oxide in nursery pig diets” to describe how the addition of fermentable fiber (wheat bran) and synthetic amino acids, and reduction of crude may reduce post-weaning growth lag and diarrhea incidence in piglets.
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Jun
17
Interpretive Summary: Ancient grains as novel dietary carbohydrate sources in canine diets
A paper recently published in the Journal of Animal Science aimed to evaluate the effects of the novel carbohydrate sources on total apparent total tract digestibility, fecal microbiota, and fermentative end-product concentrations and to evaluate the effects of novel carbohydrate sources on the postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses in healthy adult dogs.
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Jun
17
Interpretive Summary: Evaluation of vitamin A status on myogenic gene expression and muscle fiber characteristics
A recent article published in the Journal of Animal Science used 30 yearling crossbred steers being fed a steam-flaked corn-based diet to evaluate the effects of dietary vitamin A supplementation on myogenic gene expression and skeletal muscle fiber characteristics during the finishing phase.
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Jun
14
Interpretive Summary: Intravenous infusion of glucose improved farrowing performance of hyperprolific crossbred sows
A study recently published in the Journal of Animal Science took this a step further by investigating whether intravenous infusion of glucose from observed nest-building behavior to 24 hours postpartum would affect the farrowing kinetics and colostrum production in sows.
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Jun
14
Interpretive Summary: Concomitant versus separate vaccination against brucellosis and clostridia in dairy heifers
Researchers studied how concomitant versus separate vaccination against brucellosis and clostridiosis affected the intake, performance, behavior and immune responses of dairy calves in this recent Journal of Animal Science study.
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Jun
14
Interpretive Summary: Temporal kinetics of bovine mammary IgG secretion into colostrum and transition milk
Recently published in the Journal of Animal Science, this study assessed the components of transition milk and early postpartum mammary IgG kinetics.
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Jun
10
Interpretive Summary: Supplementing organic-complexed or inorganic Co, Cu, Mn, and Zn to beef cows during gestation: physiological and productive response of cows and their offspring until weaning
A recent work published in the Journal of Animal Science by Harvey et al. evaluated the effects of supplementation of organic complexed and inorganic Co, Cu, Mn, and Zn to beef gestation diets on growth and reproductive performance of calves.
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Jun
10
Interpretive Summary: Negative effects of energy supplementation at peak lactation of sheep can be offset by the addition of Lactobacillus-fermented plant extracts
The authors of this recent Journal of Animal Science study hypothesized that Lactobacillus-fermented plant extracts would offset these negative effects by ameliorating oxidative stress.
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Jun
10
Interpretive Summary: Effects of protein supplementation to steers consuming low-quality forages on greenhouse gas emissions
A study recently published in the Journal of Animal Science aimed to identify the effects of protein supplementation of either cottonseed meal or dried distillers grains with solubles on greenhouse gas emissions and energy loss of steers fed low-quality forage.
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Jun
10
Interpretive Summary: Assessing dairy cow welfare during the grazing and housing periods on spring-calving, pasture-based dairy farms
The objective of this study that was recently published in the Journal of Animal Science, was to devise and conduct an animal-based welfare assessment during both the grazing and housing periods of dairy cows
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