Acacia fiber is a soluble dietary fiber extracted from the natural resin of acacia trees. This fiber is often utilized in the pet food industry as a processing aid to improve texture and stability but there is limited information regarding its effect on canine gastrointestinal health. The current study used an in vitro fermentation system and canine fecal inoculum to mimic the colonic bacterial fermentation process and assess the fermentation characteristics of acacia fiber, inulin, pectin (positive control), and cellulose (negative control).

The objectives of this work were to evaluate how population genetic and phenotypic components for dry matter intake and respiration rate in beef cattle changed as a function of temperature humidity index, to determine whether genotype-by-environment interactions (G × E) influenced selection decisions when breeding values (BV) were sourced from disparate environments, and to evaluate model-derived accuracy of BV at specific values of the temperature humidity index.

Reducing enteric methane and carbon dioxide emissions from cattle is a key strategy in mitigating climate change impacts. This study explored the relationship between enteric methane production and economically important traits such as growth and carcass quality in beef cattle.

Immune competence is a measurable trait that was developed to determine the ability of animals to respond to an infection. This trait involves measuring the response to vaccination and has been used in cattle selective breeding programs to ensure that animals maintain an effective ability to control disease, improving animal outcomes and productivity.

Despite limited scientific understanding of the impacts on juvenile horses, extra-label use of bisphosphonates is anecdotally reported to be widespread. This study was conducted to determine the effects of clodronate disodium (CD), a specific bisphosphonate, on hormones associated with blood calcium regulation.

Individual feed intake observed during the first week postweaning influenced intestinal development and physiology. Weanling pigs were classified as high or low eaters during the first 3 d after weaning and subsequently split into high and low eaters from days 4 to 6, hence, forming four patterns. Overall, piglets with higher feed intake presented a reduced metabolic stress and an activated immune system.

By increasing productivity and feed efficiency, genetic improvement has led to substantial reductions in the carbon footprint of pork production over the past decades. This review concludes that, other than continuing and accelerating genetic improvement for productivity and efficiency, opportunities to further enhance reductions in the carbon footprint of pork production through genetics are limited when based on traits that are currently routinely collected in breeding programs.

Improving feed and nutrient utilization of pigs will play a crucial role in helping lead the shift towards increased sustainability in pork production. Nutritional practices such as precision feeding, use of enzymes and feed additives, physical and thermal processing of diets, and reduction in feed wastage, coupled with genetic, health, and barn management improvements, can reduce the environmental impact of pork production.

This research was designed to identify periods during gestation for feeding high zinc that would improve piglet survival and to elucidate how high maternal zinc feeding affects sow and piglet trace mineral levels and gene expression in piglets. Thirty sows were assigned to treatments (10 sows per treatment): 1) Control—sows fed a corn–soybean meal-based diet containing 206 ppm total supplemental zinc; 2) Breed-to-Farrow—as Control + 147 ppm supplemental Zn from 5 days post-breeding to farrowing; and 3) Day 110-to-Farrow—as Control + 4,079 ppm supplemental Zn starting on day 110 of gestation until farrowing.

Corn protein (CP), a co-product of the corn ethanol industry, was evaluated as a protein source in dog foods. The study goals were to determine how CP inclusion affected the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and palatability of dog foods and the health markers of dogs consuming them.

Strategies to improve housing for pre-weaned dairy calves are gaining attention, especially for reducing the potential impacts of heat stress on their growth and well-being. Researchers have studied how these strategies affect the ability of calves to regulate body temperature, their behavior, and overall performance. The impact of housing on the nasal microbiota, however, remains unexplored.

Our research looked for a new way of monitoring the water intake of cows which is vital for their health. We used a wireless device called a rumen bolus sensor to monitor the reticulorumen temperatures of cows. We established a regression equation model that could predict how much water a cow drank based on the reticulorumen’s temperature changes.

President Trump has made it a top priority to pass a Budget Reconciliation package that addresses tax policy as well as a wide variety of other programs, including some traditionally in the Farm Bill. Republicans in Congress are attempting to complete the process before August recess.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming many sectors, and animal science is no exception. From classrooms to cattle operations, AI holds promise for enhancing education, improving efficiency, advancing animal welfare, and supporting sustainability in agriculture. However, its successful integration hinges on thoughtful implementation, ethical use, and a willingness to adapt. The following discussion is guided by a recent Animal Frontiers issue volume 14, Issue 6, December 2024 which elegantly reviewed the topic.

ASAS Foundation Week - Taking Stock - Special Edition
May 21, 2025

Cattle-fed diets with insufficient forage fiber concentrations may be predisposed to various digestive disorders. It has been suggested that there is a minimal fiber requirement for high-grain diets that is influenced by fermentability of the feed, forage particle size, and grain processing.

Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) is the predominant digestive disorder in feedlot cattle, but the exact timing and ruminal pH parameters associated with SARA are still debated. The need for continuous monitoring of ruminal pH to help define SARA has led to the development of indwelling pH monitoring boli.

Recently, a new variety of high-oil soybean patented as PHOTOSEED has been developed, but there are no data for the nutritional value of the de-oiled co-product from this variety. The hypothesis of this experiment was that the digestibility of energy and nutrients in soybean expellers produced from the new variety of high-oil soybeans (SBE-HO) is not different from that of soybean expellers produced from conventional soybeans (SBE-CV).

The use of antibiotics as growth promoters has been phased out due to concerns over microbial resistance, creating a demand for alternatives in pig feed. Benzoic acid (BA) has gained attention through its antimicrobial effects in the intestine, potentially improving nitrogen utilization, reducing diarrhea, and ultimately enhancing growth and carcass characteristics in pigs.

Sheep milk is in increasing demand worldwide for its unique nutrients. Mammary physiological processes and lactation performance are regulated by hormones, and studies have shown that estrogen has the ability to regulate autophagy during mammary development, but the specific mechanism is not clear.