The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a proposed rule to update the definition of the implied nutrient content claim “healthy”, which was originally set in 1994. The hope is that the updated "healthy" claim for food labeling will be consistent with current nutrition science and federal dietary guidance, specifically the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) New Swine Inspection System (NSIS) was recently upheld in court. NSIS allows for additional inspection duties to be done by the processing facility’s employees as well as allows for faster line processing speeds.

The Protect Farmers from the SEC Act was recently introduced by Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK), along with 80 other members of Congress. The bill would prohibit the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from requiring an issuer of securities to disclose greenhouse gas emissions from upstream and downstream activities in the issuer’s value chain arising from farms and ranches.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced fifteen organizations that have been selected to receive funding from the Farm and Farm Workers Relief Grant Program (FFWR). USDA has set aside over $670 million in grants for the program.

During a meeting of the White House Competition Council, President Joe Biden introduced new efforts by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support fair and competitive meat and poultry markets. The Proposed Rule on Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity and Agricultural Competition Challenge to the State Attorneys General are said to protect livestock producers.

At the end of September, the Biden Administration held the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. The event ties into one of the administration’s goals to end hunger in America by 2030 through proposed legislation, regulatory changes, and public-private partnerships.

Horses can suffer from intestinal barrier disruption leading to permeability associated with local inflammation, which can result in discomfort and even disease. Intestinal barrier disruption may be a consequence of microbiota disturbances in the large intestine.

Microbes in the rumen break down fiber and complex nutrients into energy that cattle can absorb. Rumen microbes are becoming well studied, but the microbes of the hindgut—specifically of the cecum and large intestine—are less well-studied.

High-moisture corn (HMC) short-term fermentation is affected by dry matter (DM) concentration. Thus, producers try to influence HMC fermentation by using microbial inoculants and by harvesting HMC at different DM concentrations. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different DM concentrations, heterofermentative microbial inoculants, and storage length on the fermentation and nutritive value of HMC.

Developmental programming has highlighted important influences of maternal factors on offspring development. Recent research indicates a programming potential of the rumen microbiome and understanding this role as well as how inoculation occurs may allow beef producers to optimize management practices of gestating cows such that offspring performance is improved via the rumen microbiome.

Beef cattle production in the southeastern United States is plagued by two common nutritional problems. Fescue toxicosis, caused by consumption of toxic ergot alkaloids in endophyte-infected tall fescue, is a major detriment to growth performance of grazing cattle and profitability for cow/calf and backgrounding cattle operations.

Digital dermatitis (DD) impacts cattle health, productivity, and welfare; and is an emerging challenge for the beef industry. The most obvious clinical sign associated with DD is lameness; however, not all cattle afflicted with DD will become lame.

As a traditional herb, Eucommia ulmoides (E. ulmoides) has been utilized in East Asia for at least 2 000 years. In recent years, E. ulmoides has been applied in the culture of fish for its functions of promoting growth, lipid metabolism, and flesh quality.

The objectives of this study were to 1) assess inclusion of Sweet Bran in diets of feedlot steers on performance and feeding behavior and 2) examine the effects of sorting animals at terminal implant on performance, feeding behavior, and liver abscess occurrence.

In vitro methodologies have been used in animal nutrition research for decades to decrease the use of animals and experimental time and cost. Due to its lower cost, in vitro methodologies are commonly used for preliminary testing, prior to large in vivo trials.

Here we review circadian clocks and their function in the regulation of metabolic and reproductive systems as well as the consequence of circadian disruption on mammary development and lactation with a particular focus on recent research findings from studies of dairy cows.

Traditionally, a 1-yr calving interval is advised to dairy farmers to realize a yearly peak in milk yield. A 1-yr calving interval, however, implies a yearly event of drying-off, calving, and start of lactation, which are all associated with an increased risk for diseases and disorders.

Late-gestation in utero heat stress in dairy cattle negatively affects the mammary microstructure and milk yield at maturity, but investigation into early-life windows of mammary development is needed to fully characterize the lifelong consequences of intrauterine heat stress on the mammary gland (MG).

This month’s feature collection showcases three Board Invited Reviews exploring the biology of lactation from three different perspectives. These include the impact of circadian rhythms on production efficiency, the impact of early heat stress on future cow performance, and a holistic look at how extending lactation length impacts the dairy cow’s whole production cycle and management.

The beef cow utilizes about 74% of total feed energy required to produce beef. Therefore, a more thorough understanding of feed intake, weight gain, and feed efficiency traits in the beef cow is fundamental to reducing cost and improving the environmental footprint of beef production.