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.  

For years, dairy producers have bred cows that make more milk, perhaps at the expense of reproductive health. In a recent Journal of Animal Science paper, scientists from the University College Dublin urged researchers to take a closer look at the effects of stress and infections on dairy cow fertility. The review of cow genetics, nutrition, and hygiene could help dairy producers keep their herds healthy and help cows produce more calves. 

A lack of the nutrient selenium in sheep diets can result in lamb loss, white muscle disease, reduced growth and other health problems. Giving sheep selenium supplements during gestation is common in the sheep industry to improve lamb production and meat quality. To further understand the effects of selenium on wool production, researchers at North Dakota State University recently studied the consequences of feeding increased amounts of selenium to pregnant ewes.

In human babies, a lack of oxygen during birth can have tragic consequences. This suffocation, called fetal asphyxia, can cause severe brain damage and stillbirth. To better understand the causes of fetal asphyxia, a team of Uruguayan scientists recently conducted a study of sheep, an animal that closely resembles humans during birth. 

Producers who add pea chips to swine diets may be able to save money on feed without sacrificing pig growth or performance, according to researchers from North Dakota State University and the University of Illinois.  

In human infants, traits like reduced birth weight and late-preterm birth are associated with health problems later in life. In fact, a recent study in the journal Pediatrics showed a link between low birth weight and an increased risk of developing autism. To better understand human health, many scientists want to know more about what happens inside the womb.

To aid those studying human pregnancies, a group of scientists from Texas A&M University and the University of Florida recently published data showing the stages of sheep fetal and placental development.  

Read about the challenges facing beef producers in Australia and around the world.

While CAFO owners try to follow the Clean Water Act, many find the permitting system overly complicated, expensive, and confusing. In this summary, two University of Georgia researchers explain the challenges for CAFOs and offer a solution.

For cattle producers plagued with summer heat waves, researchers from the University of Queensland and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have good news.

Sheep given a variety of feed flavors will stop gorging and start eating more small meals over the course of the day. These findings, published August in the Journal of Animal Science, could help livestock producers maximize feed intake and nutrient efficiency at the same time. 

 To learn more about how prenatal undernutrition affects postnatal development, scientists from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, AgroParisTech, and Alfort School of Veterinary Medicine restricted the feed of pregnant goats during the last third of pregnancy. Their paper, published July in the Journal of Animal Science, shows the results of maternal feed restriction on kids’ emotional and feeding behavior, growth and metabolism

A summary on research into the carbom footprint in livestock production.

While livestock managers rely on traditional animal tracing methods, like ear tags and electric transponders, researchers in Spain have an eye on retinal imaging. A team of scientists from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona recently used retinal images (RI) to trace a group of lambs from weaning to yearling stages.

The paper is titled “Humanized animal models of the microbiome.” Read it in full at http://dx.doi.org/10.2527/jas.2010-3371.