In a paper published this month in Animal Frontiers, scientists explain how genomic selection can help dairy cow breeders. Genetic selection does not require producers to wait until an animal matures to determine whether it shows good traits, such as high milk yield. By analyzing the DNA of their animals, producers can identify animals with good traits as soon as they are born.

Infestations of sea lice in Atlantic salmon farms cause health problems for fish and economic problems for producers. But researchers from the University of Melbourne and the Institute of Marine Research in Norway have discovered a new way to manipulate the behavior of Atlantic salmon and keep fish safe from sea lice. Their research was published in the December issue of the Journal of Animal Science. 

Cows, like almost all animals, have evolved internal “clocks” to respond physically to the cycles of daytime and nighttime. In humans, periods of lightness and darkness, called photoperiods, regulate when we wake up or feel tired. In dairy cows, longer exposure to daylight increases milk production.

At the Joint Annual Meeting, held this past July in New Orleans, scientists gathered to discuss how photoperiod affects dairy cow biology. The symposium was titled “Lactation Biology Symposium: Circadian Clocks and Photoperiod in Mammary Development and Lactation.” The goal of the symposium was to share research and better understand how photoperiods affect dairy cow lactation and mammary gland development. 

To better understand what causes stress in pigs, scientists at the University of Illinois recently conducted a study focusing on the effects of floor space during transport, the length of the journey and the stress levels of hogs. The researchers found that pig producers may be able to reduce animal stress by giving pigs time to recover from stress between loading and unloading of transport trailers. This information could help improve pig well-being and decrease economic losses for pig producers.