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.

Trace minerals like Zn, Cu, and Mn play essential roles in fetal development, particularly in the formation of the nervous, reproductive, and immune systems. However, their bioavailability might differ depending on the source offered to the animals. This study investigated the impacts of different sources of trace minerals (hydroxychloride [HDX] vs. organic-complexed [ORG] vs. sulfate [INR]) on maternal and offspring responses.

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