ASAS has chosen six Science Policy interns for summer 2017. We are pleased to introduce Alyssa Condon, who is interning in the Washington D.C. office of Congressman Joe Courtney. 

Alyssa writes:

I am going to be a senior at the University of Connecticut. Currently, I am double majoring in animal science and resource economics. I originally entered UConn as a pre-vet student, but during my studies I fell in love with agriculture and changed my course.

On campus, I am a member of Sigma Alpha, the professional agriculture sorority. This past year, I served as philanthropy chair, coordinating our community service events. I also served as secretary of UConn’s chapter of Block and Bridle, and next year will be the Vice President of Dairy Club. I’m also an ambassador for the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources. As an ambassador, I represent the college at open houses and speak to prospective students about choosing UConn.

Rachael writes:

I am from Pompeys Pillar, Montana, where I grew up on my family’s cattle ranch. I plan to continue being involved in the operation while also pursuing a law career with the hopes of being involved in a rural practice.

I am a junior at Kansas State University where I am majoring in Animal Science. This is my second semester at KSU. I was previously enrolled at Butler Community College in El Dorado, KS, where I received an Associate Degree in Agricultural Sciences while competing on the track and field and volleyball teams. In track I earned All- American honors three times for my performance in the pole vaulting event at the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships.

Here's an update from Rachael Buzanowski, one of our D.C. interns who is spending her summer in the office of U.S. Senator Daines.

Daniel Munch, one of the ASAS Policy Interns, has written about his summer experience. Read more on how Daniels summer went in Washington, D.C.

Stephanie McBath, one of the ASAS Policy Interns, has written about her summer experience. Read more on how Stephanie's summer went in Washington, D.C.

Elizabeth Frey, one of the ASAS Policy Interns, has written about her summer experience. Read more on how Elizabeth's summer went in Washington, D.C.

This study aimed to assess the ruminal microbiome, metabolome, volatile fatty acid concentrations, and amino acid profiles of Holstein cows with different milk protein concentrations. Previous studies have reported that ruminal microbiota can affect the lactation performance of dairy cows. However, little is known about the composition and function of ruminal microbiota in dairy cows differing in milk protein concentrations.

Our objective was to determine the safety, efficiency, and effects on immunity and nasal shedding of respiratory pathogens for high-risk cattle administered an intranasal (IN), trivalent (infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus [IBRV], parainfluenza-3 virus [PI3V], and bovine respiratory syncytial virus [BRSV]) respiratory vaccine with parenteral, bivalent bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), or a parenteral, pentavalent (BVDV type I and II, IBRV, BRSV, and PI3V) respiratory vaccine, compared to an unvaccinated negative control.

This study evaluated the effects of concentrated brewer’s yeast on gut health in dogs. Nineteen Siberian Huskies and one Alaskan husky were blocked and randomly allocated to one of two groups. Treatment dogs received a yeast supplement for 10 wk, while control dogs received no supplement.

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate fermented corn protein (FCP) in nursery pig diets. Fermented corn protein is produced when protein and yeast fraction syrup from ethanol production is added back to high protein dried distillers grains to further increase CP and Lys content.

Beef is a beneficial food source, and improving muscle yield and quality has become a hot topic in the beef industry. Therefore, our study aimed to explore effective methods to improve bovine muscle cell differentiation to increase beef production.

Having been awarded the Corbin Award in Companion Animal Biology is an honor. Dr. Corbin was a broad expert with diverse experience and the professional goal that I maintain for myself.

The objectives of this review are to 1) provide an overview of how inflammation is related to the metabolism and nutrition of dairy cows; 2) present some nutritional approaches that can be applied to modulate the immunometabolism of dairy cows; 3) point-out the state-of-the-art and the frontiers in knowledge regarding how these nutritional approaches interact with metabolism and immune system in dairy cows.

Tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort.) is a widely used cool-season forage among beef cattle, horses, and sheep farmers worldwide. The popularity of tall fescue relies on the superlative productive characteristics, such as biomass production and nutrient quality in different climatic and edaphic conditions.

Johnsongrass [Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.] is a perennial warm-season grass that was originally introduced to the United States as a forage in the 1830s in South Carolina. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of maturity stage at harvest on herbage accumulation, ensiling characteristics, and nutritive value of Johnsongrass.

Indispensable amino acids (IAA) are nutrients a dog requires, but that the dog cannot create naturally, so must be included in their diet. A concept known as protein quality (PQ) reflects how closely the IAA profile of an ingredient comes to meeting the dogs’ requirements.

This month’s infographic features (Templeman and Shoveller, 2022) an article examining how protein sources for canine diets are scored for protein quality. Protein ingredients vary in their ability to provide amino acids that dogs cannot create naturally (indispensable amino acids).

Inflammation is a key factor of many metabolic diseases (Davis, 2022). The field of immunometabolism is based on the interface of the immune system and metabolism, and seeks to better define the tissue-specific immunometabolic networks that coordinate adaptations to physiological challenges such as lactation or growth (Elsasser, 2022).

A new report from World Perspectives Inc. details the possible impact of the potential Mexican restriction on genetically-modified (GM) corn. Consumer Price Impacts of Mexican Restrictions on GM Corn: An Economic Analysis, comes as ​Mexico’s government issued a decree, expressing a policy goal to gradually phase out glyphosate and GM corn use in the country by 2024.

A new bill titled the Cultivating Revitalization by Expanding American Agricultural Trade and Exports Act of 2022 (CREAATE Act) has been proposed to double funding for the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program (FMD). The bipartisan bill was introduced by Senators Angus King (I-ME), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA).