Most research conducted to reduce methane (CH4) emissions from cattle has focused on intensive feeding systems, such as dairy and feedlots, where feeding management is tightly controlled. The delivery of CH4 mitigants to ruminants grazing in extensive pasture-based systems requires attention. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the delivery of an essential oil blend called Agolin Ruminant L (Agolin) to beef cattle via drinking water to reduce CH4 emissions.

Gastrointestinal parasite resistance is a heritable trait important to breeders of hair sheep. However, the U.S. Maternal Hair Index, provided by the National Sheep Improvement Program, omits parasite resistance. Selection indexes were designed in this study to continue improving total weight of lamb weaned per ewe lambing (TW), the current goal, and reduce postweaning fecal egg count (PFEC), an indicator of parasite resistance.

The assessment of contributions to diversity is informative on how allelic frequencies of a metapopulation are partitioned among subpopulations and is further useful to identify unique subpopulations gathering rare alleles. Up to 2,260 pig genotypes were used to assess contributions to gene diversity and allelic richness in a total of 98 local domestic pig subpopulations and 6 Cosmopolitan pig populations worldwide.

During disease states, bacterial endotoxins act locally and systemically, negatively impacting reproductive capacity and economic productivity. The present study investigated the impacts of repeated low-dose endotoxin exposure during follicular development on the immune response and subsequent reproductive and lamb growth variables.

This research investigates the potential of administering vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) to ruminants fed grain-based diets, to mitigate gut inflammation and thus enhance growth performance. Lambs were adapted to a corn-based diet with no added forage and randomly assigned to control (no VIP) or VIP treatment groups.

Recent literature suggests that exposure of the sire to excess or inadequate nutrition before breeding could contribute to altered growth, metabolism, and reproduction of their offspring. Exposure of the offspring to postnatal environmental stressors may further exacerbate the effects of sire nutrition on growth and metabolism.

Novembers edition of Washington Roundup includes three overviews: Congress Returns for Lame Duck Session, Registration Open for USDA’s 101st Agricultural Outlook Forum, and NIFA Publishes Climate Science Report.

Members of the ASAS Public Policy Committee attended the Societal Role of Meat and Livestock - Denver Summit 2024. The following brief highlights the purpose, activities, significance, and proposed outcomes of the summit.

The ASAS Public Policy Committee continually looks to share information which increases awareness of strategies and solutions for a more sustainable animal agricultural future. A recently released report “Potential for U.S. Agriculture to Be Greenhouse Gas Negative", assembled by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) in partnership with U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (USFRA), examines strategies for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within U.S. agriculture, particularly focusing on animal production systems. The report outlines how combining reduced GHG emissions from some agricultural activities with increased carbon sequestration in others could achieve GHG-negative agriculture. It also describes the research needed to help accomplish it.

The November Edition of The Giving Herd, an ASAS Foundation Newsletter.

Copper, Mn, and Zn are essential trace minerals (TM) supplemented in cattle to prevent TM deficiencies. Supplemental TM sources can differ in solubility within the digestive tract of cattle, which can impact rumen fermentation and availability for absorption from the small intestine.

The use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) has been restricted or even prohibited around the world, which brings serious challenges to the health development of the poultry industry. Some plant essential oils and their constituent bioactive compounds have received increasing attention in antibiotic-free diets thanks to their antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and lack of environmental residue.

Postweaning diarrhea is a major challenge on commercial pig farms. The current study aimed to determine the efficacy of dietary valerate glycerides supplemented to weaned piglets under enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) F18 infection conditions.

Calving ease is recorded as a binary trait, easy or difficult calving. Predicting breeding values as the probability of expressing easy calving requires using threshold models, a nonlinear statistical methodology with intensive computing requirements emphasized nowadays with big datasets.

The fat composition and mineral content of beef influences both its taste and nutritional value. This study seeks to understand the relationship between meat quality and the nutritional value of beef from Brangus cattle. Animals varied greatly in their levels of essential omega-6 and monounsaturated fat.

Premium pet foods often include chicken slurry, which is thought to be superior to chicken meal but is not well-tested. This study aimed to determine how chicken slurry inclusion level affected the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and palatability of extruded dog foods, and gastrointestinal health indices of dogs.

Heat stress and its effects on milk production are commonly related to the effects of climate change. In the temperate regions, cold winters and mild summers have historically provided some buffering effect and maintained milk production. However, a measurable effect of heat stress on milk production was found, with its severity and period dependent on microclimates and the rate of increase dependent on climate change.

This study explored how diet, specifically dietary fiber, and the timing of weaning affect the wellbeing of pigs. The sows and their offspring were fed two types of fiber: low-fermentable hay and high-fermentable sugar beet pulp, in either fine or coarse form. Conventional weaning with late weaning of piglets was also compared.

Poultry encounter challenges in synthesizing endogenous enzymes to completely degrade antinutritional factors, including phytic acid (PA) and nonstarch polysaccharides (NSP). These exogenous enzymes are present in plant-based feed ingredients, which encapsulate nutrients and adversely affect their digestion in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).