Life Sciences Commons^™

Producers Willingness To Adopt A Prescribed Grazing System East Of The 100th Meridian, Caroline Elizabeth Holt

Masters Theses

With the climate change concerns facing the United States, the contributions of the beef industry to greenhouse gasses are difficult to overlook. The agriculture industry is estimated to be the largest producer of methane emissions in the United States, and within agriculture, livestock are the largest contributor with cattle producing 73 percent of the methane emissions from all livestock (Johnson and Johnson 1995).

This thesis focuses on factors influencing beef cattle producers’ east of the 100th meridian interest in adopting prescribed grazing; including how a government cost share system could enhance adoption. Information was obtained for the study through a …

Methane Prediction By Nutrient Profiles In Ruminal Continuous Cultures Fed An All Forage Diet Of Bermudagrass Or Annual Ryegrass, Kaylin Young

All Theses

Extensive research has been done on the effect of diet on rumen methane (CH4) production, and on developing equations to accurately predict CH4 in cattle. However, the majority of this research has been gathered from feedlot cattle or cattle fed a total mixed ration (TMR). To date, no studies have examined nutrient correlations with CH4 when feeding an all pasture diet of warm season or cool season grasses. This study included two in vitro experiments, one with a warm season forage and one with a cool season forage to see which nutrient characteristics of each forage best correlated with CH4 …

Effect Of Forage Type And Corn Supplementation On Animal Performance And Meat Quality, Asher Wright

All Theses

Angus x Hereford steers (441 ± 24 kg; n = 32) were used in a 2-yr study (2011 and 2012) to examine forage type (legume species, alfalfa and soybeans LG vs. grass species, tall fescue and sudangrass, GR) and daily corn supplementation (0%, NS, vs. 0.75% BW, CS) on animal performance and carcass quality. Steers grazed (May-August) for a total of 98 d and 105 d in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Upon completion of the finishing period, steers were slaughtered and carcass data were collected. Steaks (2.5 cm thick) from the longissimus dorsi muscle (LM) were collected for measurement of …

Hair Shedding Scores Relating To Maternal Traits And Productivity In Beef Cattle, Ashton Williams

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objectives of this study were to measure how quickly cattle shed their winter coat in the sub-tropical climate of Arkansas. As well as, to understand the role age may play on cattle shedding efficiency in spring and summer months, in conjunction with the relationship between mother hair coat and calf sex. Angus based commercial beef cattle (n = 224) were observed over a five-month period in 2012. Once monthly, at approximately 28-day intervals, cattle were evaluated for shedding on a scale from 1 to 5. A score of 5 indicated the cow/heifer had a full winter coat and a …

Effect Of Estradiol Supplementation On Blood Estradiol And Metabolite Levels, And Hepatic Protein Expression, In Growing, Mature, And Senescent Beef Cattle, Edwena D. Miles

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Estradiol (Compudose®, COM) implants are extensively used in beef cattle production systems to alter body composition and feed efficiency. Little information exists about the physiological mechanisms affected by COM treatment in growing, mature, and senescent female cattle. Moreover, no reports describe the level of blood estradiol resulting from COM treatment. The effect of COM on levels of plasma estradiol and blood metabolites and proteins, and relative content of glutamine synthetase (GS) and other amino acid nitrogen-metabolizing enzymes in liver tissue, was studied using three experimental models relevant to cow-calf production regimens: senescent cows (Trial 1), young mature (young) versus senescent …

Effects Of Different Weaning Management Strategies On Preconditioning Performance, Haptoglobin Serum Levels, Feedlot Morbidity, And Carcass Characteristics, Jake Everitt Anderson

LSU Master's Theses

Weaning, one of the first major stressors encountered by the calf, has a negative effect on the immune system and increases the likelihood of infection of novel pathogens such as those that cause bovine respiratory disease. Fenceline contact at weaning has been shown to reduce the stress on the calf during the time following maternal separation. Preconditioning programs have been shown to reduce feedlot morbidity and mortality. Combining these two management practices could reduce the length of time calves need to be held in a preconditioning program. A multi-year study was conducted to evaluate if fenceline weaning will allow for …

Utilizing Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Analysis In Determining Parentage Of Cattle, Nicole M. Elbert

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Parentage identification within cattle herds is an important aspect of record keeping. It is essential for accurate registration within a purebred association and decision making for production purposes, such as replacement heifer and sire selection. Methods used to identify parentage have evolved from utilizing blood protein antigens, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and microsatellites to the current technology of analyzing DNA profiles for differing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In this preliminary study we analyzed genotype data from 1,066 samples obtained from various cattle breeds. These breeds included Holstein, Angus, Hereford, Irish Black, Jersey, Red Angus, Limousine, Charolais, Brown Swiss and …

Analysis Of An Inkjet Printed Strip Assay For Pregnancy Test In Cattle, Alexandra Windley Kelley

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Using commercially available antibodies, we created a modified ELISA strip assay to determine pregnancy in cattle. The anti‐progesterone antibody was printed on small membrane strips via an Inkjet printer. The strips were subsequently analyzed using varying concentrations of progesterone. The objective of this study was to assess this novel antibody printing process and to determine the binding activity of the anti‐progesterone antibody. The long‐term objective is to develop a pen-side pregnancy test that would cost less than $1.00. In this specific study, it was determined that the anti‐progesterone antibody used did not provide adequate sensitivity for visualization required for pen‐side …

A Genomic And Quantitative Evaluation Of Modern Charolais Sired Calves Versus Multigenerational Angus Sired Calves For Growth And Carcass Quality And Compostion Traits, Jennifer Lynn Bailey

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of this study is to evaluate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms with growth, performance, and carcass quality and composition characteristics in a population of cattle consisting of multigenerational Angus sired calves and modern characteristic Charolais sired calves. A total of 132 calves were evaluated. Due to a limited sample population statistical difference was set at p ˂ 0.05 and statistical trends were set at p ˂ 0.1. Mean birth weights were significantly higher for Charolais sired calves as compared to Angus sired calves. Significant differences were observed between the two breed types for mean weaning weights with …