The use of grape pomace (GP), a byproduct arising from the winemaking, in the diet of dairy sheep is a great strategy to improve the sustainability of the livestock sector and to enhance the quality of dairy products. The recycle of byproducts from the agro-industrial chain allows to reduce the cost of the ration and to decrease the carbon footprint of the animal feed stuffs.

The ongoing global demand to discover alternative strategies to mitigate methane emissions from farm animal production continues to rise. No studies have investigated the potential effects of breaking down the cell walls of methane-producing archaeal species that are responsible for ruminal methanogenesis using endo-1,3-β-D-glucanase.

Due to health concerns associated with the sub-therapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock production, the use of antibiotics as a feed additive has been prohibited in many countries. For this reason, a demand for non-antibiotic alternatives able to increase feed efficiency has been created.

When pigs and beef cattle are processed in a slaughterhouse, the inedible parts are often used to produce meat and bone meal, which is a valuable byproduct for pigs and chickens. However, the production of meat and bone meal requires heating, which can reduce the amino acid (AA) digestibility of this byproduct in pigs and chickens.

Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086, is a commercially available, lactic-acid-producing, spore-forming bacteria that exhibits probiotic characteristics. Twelve healthy adult English Pointer dogs were fed the same diet, but supplemented with B. coagulans or a placebo via gelatin capsules with the following treatments tested: (1) basal diet + placebo (control; 250 mg maltodextrin); (2) basal diet + B. coagulans [low dose; 5 × 108 colony-forming units (CFU)/d]; and (3) basal diet + B. coagulans (high dose; 2.5 × 109 CFU/d).

Meat plays an important role in alleviating micronutrient deficiencies, particularly due to its richness in various highly bioavailable mineral elements. However, how minerals accumulate in meat and whether genetics plays a role is still poorly understood.

In modern pig farming, new technologies are helping farmers better understand how pigs grow and use their feed. One key area of interest is feed efficiency, which considers the animal’s ability to convert feed into body weight. Another important factor is feeding behavior, which has been linked to feed efficiency. In addition, current research is focusing on the gut microbiota to assess how it influences animal health and growth.

This study explored how different levels of physically effective neutral detergent fiber from forage (peNDF-F) and the feed additive narasin affect the performance, carcass traits, meat quality, gastrointestinal fermentation, and ruminal papillae development of feedlot lambs consuming high-concentrate diets. Lambs fed higher levels of fiber in the diet (104 g/kg of peNDF-F) consumed more feed, but this did not lead to better weight gain and reduced feed efficiency.

Large pen feedlot studies (n = 7) with heifers and steers (n = 17,571) were conducted in North America with the objective to determine the effects of orally administered Megasphaera elsdenii NCIMB 41125 (Lactipro; LP) at terminal processing on subsequent mortality and growth performance. The death rate during the feeding period following terminal processing was 1.57 times greater in cattle not administered LP.

Ruminants can use non-protein nitrogen (NPN) due to the symbiotic relationship with rumen microbes; however, there is limited information on supplementing different NPN mixtures on ruminal fermentation and microbial protein synthesis. Twelve American Aberdeen steers were used in a replicated and balanced 3 × 3 Latin square design with 3 periods of 35 d each. Urea (U), urea-biuret (UB), and urea-biuret-nitrate (UBN) mixtures were supplemented in an isonitrogenous corn silage-based diet.

In late gestation, the amino acid requirements of primiparous sows increase substantially due to growth of the fetal pool and mammary gland development. Dietary Lys (protein) supply in late gestation can influence mammary development by the end of gestation, with an unknown impact on subsequent milk production.

Trypsin inhibitor proteins are intrinsic to soybeans and soy products, presenting an omnipresent antinutritional factor challenging soy-based product use in swine diets. Increasing dietary trypsin inhibitor (TIU/mg) protein linearly compromises growth performance, feed efficiency, and nitrogen retention as soybean TIU increased in the diet of nursery pigs. These performance outcomes were caused by reductions in nitrogen digestibility and retention.

Many pet food brands claim blueberries are a source of antioxidants, promoting their health benefits. Blueberries are rich in polyphenols, plant compounds known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which can support human and animal health.

Changes of diet in dogs are recommended to be gradual, as sudden introductions can cause vomiting and diarrhea. However, from a research point of view, a swift dietary change could be a model of gastrointestinal disturbance to test the impact of feed additives aimed at fostering gut resilience.

Congress left for August recess after passing the “Big, Beautiful Bill”, which addressed many of the major Farm Bill funding programs. However, due to the Byrd Rule in the Senate, many programs must still be reauthorized, or face expiration at the end of September. Chairman Thompson (R-PA) has dubbed the remaining work as “Farm Bill 2.0”. He estimates that Farm Bill 2.0 should be less controversial and able to garner more bipartisan support than the Big, Beautiful Bill.

One of the oldest human-managed uses of the physical world is animal husbandry. This has always been a fascinating, complex combination of scientific understanding of natural resources and animals and the contextual application of that knowledge, which builds on itself in the doing.

Determining what plants grazing animals are eating has been a persistent challenge for animal and rangeland scientists (Holechek et al. 1982). This challenge not only applies to important livestock species such as cattle, sheep, and horses but also wildlife – all of which often or always inhabit large extensive rangelands with complex plant communities.

Beef cows have been getting larger over the past 4 to 5 decades which can create problems for many different segments of the beef industry (Scasta, et al. 2019). According to the United States Beef Improvement Federation and National Cattle Slaughter Summary, in 1975 the average U.S. beef cow weighed ~1,050 pounds and by 2009 weighed ~1,350 pounds, and today it is thought they weigh ~1,400 pounds but potentially stabilizing (Wiseman et al. 2018).

For producers and those outside agriculture, virtual fence provokes hope, novelty, and interest. But how does it work on rugged, mountainous terrain in remote areas?

Our recent project, Managing Rangelands with Virtual Fencing for Grazing Lands Conservation in Western Colorado, aimed to assess this question.

Small ruminants have been amongst the first farm animals to be domesticated by humans. Primarily, these animals are raised for meat, milk and skin ensuring global food security in addition to providing draught power and financial services. Small ruminants are highly valued for their versatility and excellent adaptability to varied geographical and climatic conditions as evident from their wide distribution pattern in Asian and African continents with rough climatic conditions.