The February Edition of The Giving Herd, an ASAS Foundation Newsletter

Kristin Hales ASAS Journey

This study explores carnosic acid (CA) from rosemary as a natural feed additive in poultry farming to counter heart inflammation caused by environmental stressors and infections, which often harm growth or lead to sudden death. Researchers tested CA’s protective effects in broilers by treating them with various doses before inducing heart inflammation through lipopolysaccharide.

Frequent respiratory problems during broiler breeding not only affect the growth performance of broilers, but also jeopardize the health and safety production of broilers in serious cases. Luo Han Guo is a traditional medicinal and food plant, and its extract mogroside V (MGV) has biological functions such as blood glucose lowering, bacteriostatic, antioxidant, and antiinflammator.

Field beans and soybean meal promote better growth and nutrient utilization compared with brewers’ spent grains when fed as the main protein source for growing beef cattle. Growing beef cattle that were fed a diet consisting solely of Italian ryegrass reduced enteric methane emissions per kg of feed consumed without affecting methane intensity but also reduced their growth rate and efficiency in using dietary energy and nitrogen, compared with beef under diets including more concentrate feeds.

Specific changes in the mother’s uterine environment during pregnancy can have a long-term impact on the progeny. This study examined the effect of supplementing rumen-protected methionine (RP-Met) during the periconceptional period on pre- and postnatal traits of female progeny.

Ewe productive life has a key economic role in sheep production, as longer-lived ewes generally contribute more to lamb outputs over time. In this context, the impact of various factors on the length of Katahdin ewe productive life defined as the time between their first and last lambing was evaluated.

Research on nutritional and metabolic factors that influence the production performance and health of cattle is highly important. This study investigated how different severity of ruminal pH drop influences lactation performance, energy balance, and blood metabolites in primiparous cows when these are fed a similar high-grain diet.

Horses have evolved as grazing nonruminant herbivores with a relatively small stomach and a highly specialized hindgut capable of fermenting fibrous feeds. However, domestication might have altered the feeds consumed by horses, and today conserved forages and starch-rich concentrates often make up the ration as a substitute or supplement to grazing.

The supplementation of oils in pigs’ diets can affect pork’s fatty acid (FA) composition. It is recommended that humans consume more unsaturated fats due to their health benefits. One strategy to enhance the unsaturated fat profile of pork is feeding dietary fat sources high in unsaturated fats to pigs.

Litter sizes on commercial pig farms have increased in the past number of decades. To support these large litters, creep feeding suckling piglets with a dry pelleted starter diet is commonly practiced on commercial farms, but creep feed intake can be low and variable. Increasing creep feed intake should increase pre-weaning growth and better prepare pigs for weaning.

The rumen is the largest digestive organ in adult ruminants, where feed is digested into volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and where most VFAs are absorbed and metabolized. However, ruminants are not born with a large, functional rumen. The rumen undergoes significant growth and functional changes from birth to adulthood.

A preweaning socialization system is described as the co-mingling of non-littermate piglets before weaning. This approach allows 2 or more unfamiliar litters to interact and socialize during the lactation period. This system involves the removal of dividers between farrowing stalls and walkways and allows piglets to freely socialize while the sow remains in her stall.

President Trump Begins Second Term with Numerous Executive Orders:
In the first week of his Administration, President Donald Trump has signed dozens of Executive Orders (EOs) impacting a wide variety of policy areas. A summary of selected actions follows.

Increased efficiency and productivity: AI can significantly enhance decision-making in various aspects of farm management, from feeding to animal health monitoring. Real-time data analysis enables resource optimization, leading to reduced waste and improved efficiency.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become essential for decision-making across various industries. The number of research projects involving AI increased by 2.5 times between 2010 and 2018 compared to the previous decade (Lu, 2019). Companies investing in AI have seen significant improvements in sales, employment, and market value (Babina et al., 2024).

Governments worldwide have made various commitments to address climate change. The first international treaty related to climate change was the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This agreement set targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 5% below 1990 levels and this commitment was made by 37 countries and the European Union (UNFCCC, 1997).

Today, cutting-edge technologies—internet of things (IoT), big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI)—play a forefront role in sustainable livestock production (Morrone et al., 2022; Dayoub et al., 2024; Melak et al., 2024). AI, a subfield of computer science that simulates human intelligence enables real-time monitoring and analytical processing in the ruminant sector to boost production efficiency and animal welfare (Neethirajan, 2023; Dayoub et al., 2024).

In recent years, integrating computer vision technologies into precision livestock farming (PLF) management systems have the potential to transform how cattle producers collect, monitor, analyze, and optimize animal production. Livestock production, particularly in cattle farming, encompassing beef and dairy under intensive and extensive production systems, faces numerous challenges ranging from optimizing feeding practices to detecting and managing diseases.

Intestinal inflammation caused by selenium (Se) deficiency is one of the causes of broiler diarrhea, which can harm the health of poultry. The addition of Se is the current method to relieve this problem, but it has not fundamentally resolved intestinal inflammation. Therefore, we are looking for new strategies to alleviate intestinal inflammation by studying the specific mechanisms underlying Se deficiency.