Gestation is a physiological condition characterized by a high demand for nutrients to support fetal development, particularly during the late stages of pregnancy. During this time, the ruminal capacity is limited due to the loss of space by the growing pregnant uterus, potentially affecting feed intake.

Enhancing the digestibility of fibrous feeds from cattle diets will benefit the productivity, efficiency, and sustainability of beef cattle operations. These experiments aimed to evaluate the effect of a multispecies fungal extract (MFE) on fiber digestibility and ruminal fermentation; and how these might be associated with growth performance in beef cattle. Diets (forage-based) were offered for ad libitum intake with or without the inclusion of an MFE.

These 2 experiments evaluated the effects of feeding whole-plant sorghum silage (WPSS) with different kernel processing strategies on beef heifers’ nutrient digestibility and growth performance. In experiment 1, using 24 individually housed heifers, we contrasted 3 treatments: A) unprocessed (UNP), B) conventionally processed (CONV), and C) shredlage processed (SHRD) silage.

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

Meet Paisli Ivey - 2025 D.C. Animal Agriculture Policy Intern

In the near future, the U.S. beef industry will face the challenge of meeting a significant increase in global demand for beef, which could contribute to an increase in methane emissions from livestock. To mitigate methane (CH4) emissions, the use of plant secondary metabolites, such as anacardic acid found in cashew nutshell extract (CNSE) has been explored.

The study evaluated the effects of a second iron injection given to suckling pigs at 7 to 8 d of age after receiving an initial injection at 2 to 3 d of age and fed diets containing different dietary iron levels in the nursery period on growth, hematological characteristics, serum and liver trace minerals, and fecal microbiome.

Supplemental choline has been shown to exert positive effects on growth performance and carcass characteristics in mammalian and avian species. However, limited research has focused on choline supplementation during the grow-finish period of pigs managed in a commercial context.

Increased dietary protein (DP) may predispose weanling pigs to health risks and reduced performance due to the negative effects on intestinal health and increased pathogen proliferation. However, since the negative impacts of DP are mostly due to the amount of protein flow into the hindgut, dietary indigestible dietary protein (IDP) content may better explain the potential effects of proteolytic fermentation on nursery pigs compared to DP.

After weaning, the nutrient intake of piglets decreases significantly in the first few days due to changes in environment and diet. During periods of dietary decline, which results in villous atrophy, crypt hyperplasia, and expression of proinflammatory cytokines, piglets must adjust intestinal proliferation and differentiation to adapt to weaning stress.

Jim Lauderdale's ASAS Journey

This study investigated how 2 sources (sulfate vs. hydroxychloride) of copper, manganese, and zinc affect the growth and plasma indicators of inflammation and energy metabolism of Bos indicus beef heifers under various nutritional challenges. Nelore heifers were monitored through different periods of 28 d each...

This 59-d study explored the effects of zinc supplementation and an anabolic implant on the performance and carcass quality of Angus-crossbred steers. Researchers provided different levels of zinc to the steers, some of which received a combination growth implant.

Productive longevity (PL) is a concept that blends cow longevity with reproductive performance quantified by the number of calves regularly produced over the defined lifespan. Specifically, PL was defined as the number of calves consecutively and regularly produced from the second to the eighth parity at 9 yr of age, assuming the first calf was produced at roughly 2 yr of age.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of restricting the intake of weight control diets on weight loss, body composition, voluntary physical activity, serum markers of metabolism and inflammation, and fecal metabolites and microbiota of obese cats.

The study compares the characteristics of the small and large intestines in 2 groups of healthy meat rabbit feeding or not with a cannabidiol extract for 27 d. Feed intake and final weight are similar for both groups. However, cannabidiol significantly interfered with protein digestion in the small intestine and decreased the microbial activity in the cecum.

Subclinical mastitis is the inflammation of the udder without visible signs. It is typically caused by bacterial infection. This disease can have important economic and welfare impacts on meat-producing flocks, including udder damage, decreased milk yield, impaired lamb growth, and increased ewe and lamb mortality.

Dogs are utilized in forensic science for their extensive scent-detection capabilities. They are often considered the “gold standard” in-field detection for targets such as illicit drugs and explosives. Despite their prevalence in the field, relatively little is known about how dogs interact with and transport volatile organic compounds through their olfactory system.