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Confronting Models With Data: The Challenges Of Estimating Disease Spillover, Paul C. Cross, Diann J. Prosser, Andrew M. Ramey, Ephraim M. Hanks, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

For pathogens known to transmit across host species, strategic investment in disease control requires knowledge about where and when spillover transmission is likely. One approach to estimating spillover is to directly correlate observed spillover events with covariates. An alternative is to mechanistically combine information on host density, distribution and pathogen prevalence to predict where and when spillover events are expected to occur. We use several case studies at the wildlife–livestock disease interface to highlight the challenges, and potential solutions, to estimating spatiotemporal variation in spillover risk. Datasets on multiple host species often do not align in space, time or resolution, …

Typha (Cattail) Invasion In North American Wetlands: Biology, Regional Problems, Impacts, Ecosystem Services, And Management, Sheel Bansal, Shane C. Lishawa, Sue Newman, Brian A. Tangen, Douglas Wilcox, Dennis Albert, Michael J. Anteau, Michael J. Chimney, Ryann L. Cressey, Edward Dekeyser, Kenneth J. Elgersma, Sarah A. Finkelstein, Joanna Freeland, Richard Grosshans, Page E. Klug, Daniel J. Larkin, Beth A. Lawrence, George Linz, Joy Marburger, Gregory Noe, Clint Otto, Nicholas Reo, Jennifer Richards, Curtis Richardson, Leroy Rodgers, Amy J. Schrank, Dan Svedarsky, Steven Travis, Nancy Tuchman, Lisamarie Windham-Myers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Typha is an iconic wetland plant found worldwide. Hybridization and anthropogenic disturbances have resulted in large increases in Typha abundance in wetland ecosystems throughout North America at a cost to native floral and faunal biodiversity. As demonstrated by three regional case studies, Typha is capable of rapidly colonizing habitats and forming monodominant vegetation stands due to traits such as robust size, rapid growth rate, and rhizomatic expansion. Increased nutrient inputs into wetlands and altered hydrologic regimes are among the principal anthropogenic drivers of Typha invasion. Typha is associated with a wide range of negative ecological impacts to wetland and agricultural …

Extreme Site Fidelity As An Optimal Strategy In An Unpredictable And Homogeneous Environment, Brian D. Gerber, Mevin B. Hooten, Christopher P. Peck, Mindy B. Rice, James H. Gammonley, Anthony D. Apa, Amy J. Davis

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

1. Animal site fidelity structures space use, population demography and ultimately gene flow. Understanding the adaptive selection for site fidelity patterns provides a mechanistic understanding to both spatial and population processes. This can be achieved by linking space use with environmental variability (spatial and temporal) and demographic parameters. However, rarely is the environmental context that drives the selection for site fidelity behaviour fully considered.

2. We use ecological theory to understand whether the spatial and temporal variability in breeding site quality can explain the site fidelity behaviour and demographic patterns of Gunnison sage‐grouse (Centrocercus minimus). We examined female site fidelity …

Evaluating The Epidemiology And Management Of Bovine Congestive Heart Failure, Adam Bassett

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A form of congestive heart failure is increasingly reported as a cause of death in feedlot cattle located at moderate altitude (≤ 1524 m.). Significant knowledge gaps exist in the epidemiology and management of this form of bovine congestive heart failure (BCHF) regarding frequency and timing of BCHF cases and ways in which beef cattle producers and veterinarians can mitigate this condition. These knowledge gaps present major barriers to understanding the mechanism of BCHF and mitigating the consequences of BCHF. The purpose of this thesis is to summarize current knowledge about BCHF, define gaps in knowledge for which more research …

Scavenging In The Anthropocene: Human Impact Drives Vertebrate Scavenger Species Richness At A Global Scale, Esther Sebastián‐González, Jomar Magalhães Barbosa, Juan M. Pérez‐García, Zebensui Morales‐Reyes, Francisco Botella, Pedro P. Olea, Patricia Mateo‐Tomás, Marcos Moleón, Fernando Hiraldo, Eneko Arrondo, José A. Donázar, Ainara Cortés‐Avizanda, Nuria Selva, Sergio A. Lambertucci, Aishwarya Bhattacharjee, Alexis Brewer, Erin Abernethy, Olin E. Rhodes Jr., Kelsey Turner, James C. Beasley, Travis L. Devault, Andrés Ordiz, Camilla Wikenros, Barbara Zimmermann, Petter Wabakken, Christopher C. Wilmers, Justine A. Smith, Corinne J. Kendall, Darcy Ogada, Evan R. Buechley, Ethan Frehner, Maximilian L. Allen, Heiko U. Wittmer, James R.A. Butler, Johan T. Du Toit, John Read, David Wilson, Klemen Jerina, Miha Krofel, Rich Kostecke, Richard Inger, Arockianathan Samson, Lara Naves‐Alegre, José A. Sánchez‐Zapata

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Understanding the distribution of biodiversity across the Earth is one of the most challenging questions in biology. Much research has been directed at explaining the species latitudinal pattern showing that communities are richer in tropical areas; however, despite decades of research, a general consensus has not yet emerged. In addition, global biodiversity patterns are being rapidly altered by human activities. Here, we aim to describe large‐scale patterns of species richness and diversity in terrestrial vertebrate scavenger (carrion‐consuming) assemblages, which provide key ecosystem functions and services. We used a worldwide dataset comprising 43 sites, where vertebrate scavenger assemblages were identified using …

Ecological Interventions To Prevent And Manage Zoonotic Pathogen Spillover, Susanne H. Sokolow, Nicole Nova, Kim M. Pepin, Alison J. Peel, Juliet R.C. Pulliam, Kezia Manlove, Paul C. Cross, Daniel J. Becker, Raina K. Plowright, Hamish Mccallum, Giulio A. De Leo

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Spillover of a pathogen from awildlife reservoir into a human or livestock host requires the pathogen to overcome a hierarchical series of barriers. Interventions aimed at one or more of these barriers may be able to prevent the occurrence of spillover. Here, we demonstrate how interventions that target the ecological context in which spillover occurs (i.e. ecological interventions) can complement conventional approaches like vaccination, treatment, disinfection and chemical control. Accelerating spillover owing to environmental change requires effective, affordable, durable and scalable solutions that fully harness the complex processes involved in cross-species pathogen spillover.

This article is part of the theme …

The Economic Impacts Of Blackbird (Icteridae) Damage To Sunflower In The Usa, Karina Ernst, Julie Elser, George Linz, Hans Kandel, Jason Holderieath, Samantha Degroot, Steven Shwiff, Stephanie Shwiff

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

BACKGROUND: Blackbird (Icteridae) damage to ripening sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) has been a persistent economic issue in the USA for the last five decades. To quantify losses, we surveyed blackbird damage from 2001 to 2013 (excluding 2004) to physiologically mature sunflower in eight states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Colorado, Kansas, and Vermont.

RESULTS:We pooled data gathered during the most recent 5 years (2009 to 2013) of the survey and found losses averaged $US2.5 million and $US11.3 million for confectionery and oilseed hybrids, respectively. Three states, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, had sufficient acreage and bird damage …

Habitat Selection By American Beaverat Multiple Spatial Scales, Guiming Wang, Lance F. Mcclintic, Jimmy D. Taylor

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Semiaquatic mammals require both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, particularly interfaces between the two habitats. As ecosystem engineers, American beaver (Castor canadensis) consume and fell a great amount of deciduous trees. We tested the prediction that open water and amounts of food resources, including hardwood forests (i.e., deciduous trees as the dominant form of vegetation), herbaceous and woody wetlands, and shrubs, would influence the second-order habitat selection (i.e., placing home ranges on the landscape) by American beaver, whereas the third-order habitat selection of American beaver would be associated with woody wetland and shrub edges. We investigated hierarchical habitat selection by …

Epidemic Growth Rates And Host Movement Patterns Shape Management Performance For Pathogen Spillover At The Wildlife–Livestock Interface, Kezia R. Manlove, Laura M. Sampson, Benny Borremans, E. Frances Cassirer, Ryan S. Miller, Kim M. Pepin, Thomas E. Besser, Paul C. Cross

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Managing pathogen spillover at the wildlife–livestock interface is a key step towards improving global animal health, food security and wildlife conservation. However, predicting the effectiveness of management actions across host–pathogen systems with different life histories is an on-going challenge since data on intervention effectiveness are expensive to collect and results are system-specific.We developed a simulation model to explore how the efficacies of different management strategies vary according to host movement patterns and epidemic growth rates. The model suggested that fast-growing, fast-moving epidemics like avian influenza were best-managed with actions like biosecurity or containment, which limited and localized overall spillover risk. …

Board Invited Review: Prospects For Improving Management Of Animal Disease Introductions Using Disease-Dynamic Models, Ryan S. Miller, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Management and policy decisions are continually made to mitigate disease introductions in animal populations despite often limited surveillance data or knowledge of disease transmission processes. Science-based management is broadly recognized as leading to more effective decisions yet application of models to actively guide disease surveillance and mitigate risks remains limited. Disease-dynamic models are an efficient method of providing information for management decisions because of their ability to integrate and evaluate multiple, complex processes simultaneously while accounting for uncertainty common in animal diseases. Here we review disease introduction pathways and transmission processes crucial for informing disease management and models at the …

Improving Risk Assessment Of The Emergence Of Novel Influenza A Viruses By Incorporating Environmental Surveillance, Kim M. Pepin, Matthew W. Hopken, Susan A. Shriner, Erica Spackman, Zaid Abdo, Colin Parrish, Steven Steven, James O. Lloyd-Smith, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Reassortment is an evolutionary mechanism by which influenza A viruses (IAV) generate genetic novelty. Reassortment is an important driver of host jumps and is widespread according to retrospective surveillance studies.However, predicting the epidemiological risk of reassortant emergence in novel hosts from surveillance data remains challenging. IAV strains persist and cooccur in the environment, promoting co-infection during environmental transmission. These conditions offer opportunity to understand reassortant emergence in reservoir and spillover hosts. Specifically, environmental RNA could provide rich information for understanding the evolutionary ecology of segmented viruses, and transform our ability to quantify epidemiological risk to spillover hosts. However, significant challenges …

Individual-Level Antibody Dynamics Reveal Potential Drivers Of Influenza A Seasonality In Wild Pig Populations, Kim M. Pepin, Kerri Pedersen, Xiu-Feng Wan, Fred L. Cunningham, Colleen T. Webb, Mark Q. Wilber

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Swine are important in the ecology of influenza A virus (IAV) globally. Understanding the ecological role of wild pigs in IAV ecology has been limited because surveillance in wild pigs is often for antibodies (serosurveillance) rather than IAVs, as in humans and domestic swine. As IAV antibodies can persist long after an infection, serosurveillance data are not necessarily indicative of current infection risk. However, antibody responses to IAV infections cause a predictable antibody response, thus time of infection can be inferred from antibody levels in serological samples, enabling identification of risk factors of infection at estimated times of infection. Recent …

Prediction Of Energy Value (Tdn) In Grazed And Hayed Forages, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Mary E. Drewnoski, Karla H. Jenkins Jenkins

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

The goal of producers and nutritionists is to meet the nutritional needs of their cattle. Requirements are well established, but the diets of grazing cattle are difficult to predict. Selection by the animal, sample handling, lab analysis, and relating the lab analysis to the animal are issues that have been researched the last 20 years. Based on that research, data have been compiled to predict the energy and protein values of grazed Sandhills range, meadows, smooth brome, and corn residue. Additionally, equations used by commercial labs to predict the TDN of grass hays based on ADF were compared to TDN …

Impact Of Grazing Spring Rye On Subsequent Crop Yields And Profitability, Ashley C. Conway, Robert G. Bondurant, Fred H. Hilscher Hilscher, Jay Parsons, Daren Redfearn, Mary E. Drewnoski

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Steers (729 ± 19 lb BW) grazed in two November-planted cereal rye fields for 22 d in April, either with or without an ionophore in their free choice mineral supplement. Subsequent corn yields were measured to assess impact of planting cereal rye as a cover crop (not grazed) or grazing the rye compared to a no rye control. There was no statistical impact of rye or grazing on subsequent corn yield. Supplying an ionophore in the mineral did not uniformly improve gains across fields. However, gains were high at 3.2 lb/d and were able to offset the cost of planting …

Economics Of Field Pea Supplementation For Cattle Grazing Crested Wheatgrass, Braden C. Troyer, Hannah L. Greenwell, Andrea K. Watson Watson, James C. Macdonald, Karla H. Jenkins

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Heifers grazing crested wheat grass were supplemented either field peas or dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) at 0.4% or 0.8% of body weight. Heifers supplemented with field peas had 10% lower daily gain compared to their DDGS supplemented counterparts. The decision to supplement field peas for producers depends on the price at which field peas can be acquired, as well as the distance that DDGS has to be hauled in order to be utilized. Field peas are a viable option in western Nebraska as a supplement for grazing cattle when DDGS is unavailable or field peas are in excess …

Effects Of Backgrounding And Feedlot System Strategies On May-Born Steer Performance, Alicia C. Lansford, Jacki A. Musgrave, T. L. Meyer, Rick N. Funston

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

May-born steers were backgrounded to achieve either a high or low rate of gain. The high rate of gain was achieved by offering steers meadow hay ad libitum and 4 lb/d of a 33% CP (DM) supplement, while the low rate of gain consisted of steers grazing meadow and offered 1 lb/d of the same supplement. After backgrounding, one-half of the steers from each group entered the feedlot in May as short-yearlings, while the remainder grazed upland range until entering the feedlot as long-yearlings in mid-September. Hot carcass weight was greater for steers backgrounded to achieve a high rate of …

Impact Of Dietary Fat Source On Beef Tenderness, Felipe A. Ribeiro, Katherine I. Domenech-Perez, Nicolas J. Herrera Herrera, Kellen B. Hart, Chris R. Calkins

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Steers were finished on either a corn control, 40% full-fat modified distillers grains plus solubles, 40% de-oiled modified distillers grains plus solubles, or 38% de-oiled modified distillers grains plus solubles plus 2% corn oil diet to evaluate the effects of dietary fat source on the mechanism of beef tenderization . Feeding modified distillers grains plus solubles increased polyunsaturated fatty acid content in the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane and increased free Ca²⁺ concentration early postmortem. Steaks from cattle fed de-oiled modified distillers grains and de-oiled modified distillers grains plus corn oil were more tender at 2 d of aging when compared …

Quality Effects On Beef From Cattle Fed High-Protein Corn Distillers Grains And Other Ethanol By-Products, Kellen B. Hart, Felipe A. Ribeiro, Morgan L. Henriott, Nicolas J. Herrera, Chris R. Calkins

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding high protein corn distillers grains on fresh beef quality. Steers were fed one of five diets, either a corn control, high protein distillers grains plus solubles, dry distillers grains plus solubles, wet distillers grains plus solubles, or bran plus solubles diet. Strip loins were aged for 2, 9, or 23 days and placed under retail display conditions for 0 or 7 days. Dietary treatment had no effect on tenderness within each aging period. There were also no differences between treatments for proximate composition, free calcium in the muscle, …

Comparison Of Traditional And Alternative Curing Ingredients On Curing Reactions In A Model Meat System, Faith D. Rasmussen, Gary A. Sullivan

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

To meet consumer trends, alternative curing ingredients are used to replace sodium nitrite and cure accelerators. Due to the complexity of meat, it is challenging to compare traditional and alternative ingredients for curing reactions. Using a model system, sources of nitrite (traditional, sodium nitrite and alternative, cultured celery juice powder), salt, and cure accelerators (traditional, sodium erythorbate, or alternative, cherry juice powder) at ingoing sodium nitrite concentrations of 10, 50, 100, 150, or 200 ppm were evaluated for curing reactions. More complete curing reactions were indicated by a higher concentration of cured meat pigment, and lower sulfhydryl groups. Lower residual …

Evaluation Of The Energy Value And Nutrient Digestibility Of Distillers Grains That Have Undergone A Fiber Separation Process In Finishing Diets, Shelby A. Garland, Melissa L. Jolly-Breithaupt, Hannah C. Hamilton Hamilton, Galen E. Erickson, James C. Macdonald, Ryan A. Mass

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A digestion study was conducted to determine the effects of feeding a new, high protein distillers grains and corn bran plus solubles on nutrient digestibility. Treatments included a corn-based control, high protein distillers at both 20% and 40%, corn bran plus solubles, traditional wet distillers grains and traditional dry distillers grains all at 40% of diet DM. Feeding high protein distillers grains or corn bran plus solubles resulted in decreased digestibility compared to corn or traditional wet and dry distillers grains, but increased energy intake. Traditional wet and dry distillers grains also resulted in decreased digestibilities while energy intake was …

Impact Of Shade In Beef Feedyards On Performance, Body Temperature, And Heat Stress Measures, Brett A. Melton, Bradley M. Boyd, Casey Macken Macken, Andrea K. Watson, James C. Macdonald, Galen E. Erickson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A study using crossbred steers was conducted at a commercial feedyard to determine the effects of pen shades on cattle performance, body temperature, and cattle activity. Two heat events (Event 1 and Event 2) and one cool event were defined for the feeding period. No significant differences were observed for average daily gain, dry matter intake, feed to gain, or carcass characteristics at the end of the trial. During Event 1, cattle in pens with shade had lower panting scores than cattle in open pens. During Event 2, cattle in shade pens had greater dry matter intake, lower panting scores, …

Impact Of Corn Silage Inclusion On Nutrient Digestion And Rumen Fermentation In Finishing Cattle, Hannah C. Hamilton, Melissa L. Jolly-Breithaupt, Andrea K. Watson Watson, Jim C. Macdonald, Galen E. Erickson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A digestion study was conducted comparing different inclusions of corn silage used as a roughage source on digestibility, feeding behavior and rumen environment. Treatments consisted of 3 inclusions of corn silage at 0, 7.5 and 15% of the diet DM, and a control treatment with 7.5% alfalfa. As expected, increasing available energy and decreasing roughage (either silage or alfalfa) showed an increase in diet digestibility and ruminal propionate concentrations. However, average ruminal pH was least, with more time spent in subacute acidosis (pH < 5.3) when cattle were fed no roughage. These data suggest that feeding cattle increasing silage inclusions as a roughage source prevented ruminal conditions from entering and remaining in subacute acidosis. Feeding corn silage at 15% gave similar digestibility responses compared to 7.5% alfalfa. Including silage as a roughage source at 15% could help prevent acidosis and digestive upset in feedlot cattle.

Biochar Supplementation In Growing And Finishing Diets, Tommy M. Winders, Collin B. Freeman, Brittney A. Mark Mark, Melissa L. Jolly-Breithaupt, Hannah C. Hamilton, Jim C. Macdonald, Galen E. Erickson, Andrea K. Watson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Two metabolism studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of biochar (0, 0.8, or 3% of diet dry matter) on digestibility and methane production in growing and finishing diets. Intake was not affected by biochar inclusion in the growing diet and increased with 0.8% biochar inclusion in the finishing study. Digestibility tended to increase quadratically with biochar inclusion in the growing study while digestibility tended to linearly decrease with biochar inclusion in the finishing study. Methane production (g/d) decreased 10.7% in the growing study and 9.9% in the finishing study with 0.8% biochar compared to no biochar. Methane production was …

Effect Of Rapeseed Inclusion In Late-Summer Planted Oats Pasture On Growing Performance Of Beef Steers, Hannah E. Riley, Kristin E. Hales, Steven D. Shackelford Shackelford, Harvey C. Freetly, Mary E. Drewnoski

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Fall cover crops have been shown to be an effective way to background calves into the winter. An oat monoculture was planted in late summer at 100 lb/ac and compared to oats planted at 50 lb/ac with rapeseed included at 3 lb/ac. Initial forage yield was not affected by the inclusion of rapeseed with fall oat. Calf gain tended to be greater and cost of gain was decreased when rapeseed was included. Including rapeseed in late summer planted oats may be beneficial for producers who want to graze growing calves in the fall.

Effects Of Supplemental Soypass In Forage-Based Diets Containing Distillers Grains On Performance Of Growing Steers, Tyler J. Spore, Zachary E. Carlson, Galen E. Erickson Erickson, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Andrea K. Watson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

SoyPass was supplemented in two grass hay diets containing 20% or 35% wet distillers grains with solubles (WDGS) to analyze the effects on growing cattle performance. The SoyPass supplement replaced 0, 30, or 60% of dietary WDGS for a total of 6 treatments with a factorial design. Substituting SoyPass into the diet did not affect average daily gain (ADG) of calves; however, calves consuming the 35% WDGS diet gained 31% more than the 20% WDGS treatment calves. Dry matter intake (DMI) and feed to gain (F:G) increased linearly in the 35% WDGS diet with the inclusion of SoyPass. In the …

Evaluation Of Lactation Demands On Nutrient Balance In Two Calving Seasons In Range Cows Grazing Sandhills Upland Range, Travis Mulliniks, Don C. Adams

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A modeling study evaluated the effects of milk production level on nutrient balance in March-and May-calving cows grazing Sandhills upland range during the breeding season. Forage quality of upland range peaks in June and steadily declines in July until November. In March-calving cows, metabolizable protein (MP) and energy were deficient by July 1 in all milking potential cows, which is exacerbated in greater milking potential cows. May-calving cows with 20 to 30 lbs of milk are predicted to enter the breeding season with a deficiency in MP and energy. In an effort to match cow type to environment in the …

Isolation Of Rabies Virus From The Salivary Glands Of Wild And Domestic Carnivores During A Skunk Rabies Epizootic, Cornell University Jimenez, Terry R. Spraker, Jessica Anderson, Richard Bowen, Amy Gilbert

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rabies is a fatal zoonotic disease of global importance. Rabies virus is shed in the saliva of infected hosts and is primarily transmitted through bite contact. Canine rabies has been eliminated from the US, but wildlife constitutes more than 90% of the reported cases of animal rabies in the US each year. In the US, several wild carnivore species are reservoirs of distinct variants of rabies virus (RV). After decades of apparent absence, the south-central skunk (SCSK) RV variant was detected in Colorado in 2007 and resulted in a large-scale epizootic in striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) populations in northern Colorado …

Movement Responses Inform Effectiveness And Consequences Of Baiting Wild Pigs For Population Control, Nathan P. Snow, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) damage agricultural and natural resources throughout their nearly global distribution. Subsequently, population control activities (e.g., trapping, shooting, or toxic baiting) frequently involve the deployment of bait to attract wild pigs. A better understanding of how wild pigs respond to bait sites can help maximize efficiency of baiting programs and identify any potential pitfalls. We examined the movement behaviors of 68 wild pigs during three stages of intensive baiting programs (i.e., 15 days each: prior, during, and post baiting) spread across two distinct study areas in southern and northern Texas, USA. We found that bait sites needed …

Three Year Summary: Comparison Of Diets Collected From Esophageally Fistulated Cows To Forage Quality Estimated From Fecal Analysis, Bethany M. Johnston, Jay D. Jenkins, Jacki A. Musgrave Musgrave, J. Travis Mulliniks, Mitchell B. Stephenson, James C. Macdonald, L. Aaron Stalker

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Inconsistency was found in forage quality (crude protein and energy) when esophageally fistulated diets were compared to Nutrition Balance Analyzer (NUTBAL) analysis of fecal samples. On upland range sites, hand-clipping of samples (not a recommended practice to measure forage quality), was closer to fistulated diets than NUTBAL analysis. If cattle managers are solely utilizing NUTBAL for estimates of forage value, incorrect supplemental energy and protein decisions will likely be made resulting in the purchase of unnecessary supplements, thereby reducing the profitability of the operation.

Confined Cow-Calf Production System And Post-Weaning Management Impact On Calf Production, Shelby E. Gardine, Brad M. Boyd, F. Henry Hilscher Hilscher, Galen E. Erickson, Karla H. Jenkins, Andrea K. Watson, Terry J. Klopfenstein

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Calf performance was measured in a 3-yr study with a 2 × 2 factorial treatment design: 1) cow-calf production system (dry lot feeding or grazing corn residue) and 2) directly finishing calves or growing prior to finishing. Calves wintered on cornstalks were lighter at weaning than calves wintered in the dry-lot. However, following the finishing period, there were no effects of pre-weaning production system on final body weight or hot carcass weight. Calves directly adapted to a finishing diet had greater gain and improved efficiency compared to calves fed a grower diet prior to finishing. However, calves that were grown …