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News Of The Department Of Animal Science, Department Of Animal Science

Animal Science Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Agricultural Research Magazine, April 2013

Agricultural Research Magazine

Table of Contents

4 Irrigation Wastewater: Waste Not, Want Not

6 Two Approaches for Optimizing Water Productivity

8 Compounds in Whole-Grain Rice Varieties

10 New Discovery Makes Detecting Johne’s Disease Easier

12 House Fly Virus Stops Flies from Reproducing

14 Improved Vitamin B12 Test May Help Young and Old Alike

16 Rooting Out a Novel Stress Syndrome in Pigs

18 A Modeling Milestone for Soil Phosphorus Management

20 New Technologies for Studying Crops and Crop Diseases

23 Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

Compounds In Whole-Grain Rice Varieties, Ming-Hsuan Chen, Karen Bett-Garber, Rosalie Marion Bliss

Agricultural Research Magazine

Whole-grain brown rice contains 15 vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and iron—all nutrients the body needs to grow and develop normally. In addition to these essential nutrients, there are bioactive phytochemicals in rice, as well as in other whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and seeds. Although the role of these plant chemicals in terms of human health has not been proven, a body of evidence suggests that some phytochemicals could be nutritionally beneficial.

Now, studies headed by chemist Ming-Hsuan Chen, who is with the Agricultural Research Service’s Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Arkansas, …

Improved Vitamin B12 Test May, John W. Newman, Lindsay H. Allen, Marcia Wood

Agricultural Research Magazine

Vitamin B12 helps your body perform many vital chores, including forming healthy red blood cells; keeping your brain functioning smoothly; and processing (metabolizing) the fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in foods that you eat.

Like all vitamins, B12 is a micronutrient, meaning that we need it in only very small amounts. We get B12 from animal products— meats, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt, for instance—or from B12-fortified foods, notably breakfast cereals. We can also obtain it from nutritional supplements, such as B12 tablets or multivitamin pills. People who need to boost their B12 levels quickly may do so via shots …

Effects Of Addition Of Somatic Cells To Caprine Milk On Cheese Quality, D. Sánchez-Macías, A. Morales-Delanuez, A. Torres, L. E. Hernández-Castellano, R. Jiménez-Flores, N Castro, A. Argüello

Dairy Science

Milk quality criteria and limits for somatic cell count (SCC) established in many countries make it difficult to maintain SCC of bulk tank goat milk below the threshold, due to non-infection factors linked to goat physiology. The aim of this study was to objectively verify the effects of SCC on fresh caprine milk cheese. Somatic cells were recovered from pooled healthy goat milk, and added to low SCC raw or pasteurised goat milk. Miniature cheeses were made and evaluated after 1 and 7 d. Somatic cells had a major effect on lipolysis, increasing free fatty acids regardless of whether milk …

Bioremediation Mariculture In Zanzibar, Tanzania: A Viability Assessment Of Using Bath Sponge And Pearl Oyster Farms To Filter Highly Olluted Waters In The Zanzibar Channel, Hayley Oakland

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Bioremediation of polluted water off the coastline of the urban center of Zanzibar—Stone Town, Unguja—was assessed for implementation feasibility through bath sponge and pearl oyster mariculture. A vast research base of the city’s coastal area exists, including the pollution concentrations at various locations, the ramifications of this pollution on the fringing ecosystems, and the relevant water circulation system of eddies and passageways produced by the north flowing East African Counter Current. In following the experimental examples of bioremediation projects around the world, this study tested facets of the filtration abilities of marine sponges and oysters. Both organisms suggested strong pollution …

Wpa News 91 (2013), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Spring 2013), number 91

Published by the World Pheasant Association

How Does Moo-Ving To Pasture Feeding Affect The Nutrient Composition Of Cows' Blood And Milk?, Jillian Smith

Inquiry Journal 2013

No abstract provided.

Cal Poly Goat Program, Lauren Christensen

Animal Science

The Cal Poly Goat Program was established in the Summer of 2012 to provide vegetation management services on the Cal Poly campus and to allow students to gain hands on experience with goats. Student interest in adding goats as an additional species in the Animal Science Department spurred the realization and development of the program. The department also experienced demand for goats to use for vegetation management at the animal units and around various facilities on campus. The Goat Program integrates Cal Poly’s hands-on, ‘Learn by Doing’ philosophy with sustainable management practices to serve the needs of students as well …

Growing South Dakota (Spring 2013), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 2 Food Focus: SDSU Leading National Effort To Promote Healthy Food Choices
[Page] 3 In Stores Now: “Pick It, Try It, Like It” Fruit & Vegetable Campaign
[Page] 4 Coaching Food Entrepreneurs: SDSU Extension Outreach Includes Entrepreneur Workshops
[Page] 5 From South Dakota to South America: College of Agriculture & Biological Science Students Experience Argentine Agriculture
[Page] 6 Spring College News
[Page] 8 Showcasing Ag’s Evolution: SDSU’s Ag Museum Is More Than Just Tractors [Page] 10 Mastering Marketing: Students Host Bull Sale Through Unique Class [Page] 11 Following Pheasants: SDSU Researchers Analyze Nesting Needs
[Page] 12 Faculty Highlights
[Page] …

Friends Or Foes: Interpreting The Relationship Between Two Synoptic Small Mammals In Southeastern Virginia, The Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon Hispidus) And Eastern Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys Humulis), Sarah A. Crawford

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Relatively little is known about the relationship between the hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) and the eastern harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys humulis). Literature on these two syntopic genera in other areas of the United States suggests that competition may exist; however, both species seem to be greatly affected by environmental changes, making it difficult to draw any definite conclusions. Live trapping and microhabitat data collected from 2 old fields in Chesapeake, Virginia over a 9-year period were used to assess the biotic and abiotic influences on space use by these two species. Each I-ha plot consisted of 2 live traps placed …

A Woolly Monkey Travel Guide: An Assessment Of The Foraging Patterns Among Lagothrix Poeppigii On Sumak Allpa Island, Ecuador, Adrienne Mathis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project was conducted to assess the foraging patterns of a troupe of seven woolly monkeys, Lagothrix poeppigii, on Sumak Allpa island in the eastern part of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Recently, many studies concerning woolly monkey foraging and nutrition have been conducted near this area in Yasuní National Park, and these studies have defined this species of monkey as generalized frugivores (Stevenson, 2004). During this study, we observed the monkeys during 22 separate foraging sessions and recorded which plant families and species the troupe foraged from during these sessions. We then mapped the locations of the species which the …

Habitat Selection And Response To Disturbance By Pygmy Rabbits In Utah, Robert John Edgel

Theses and Dissertations

The pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) is a sagebrush (Artemisia sp.) obligate that depends on sagebrush habitats for food and cover throughout its life cycle. Invasive species, frequent fires, overgrazing, conversion of land to agriculture, energy development, and many other factors have contributed to recent declines in both quantity and quality of sagebrush-steppe habitats required by pygmy rabbits. Because of the many threats to these habitats and the believed decline of pygmy rabbit populations, there is a need to further understand habitat requirements for this species and how they respond to disturbance. This study evaluated habitat selection by pygmy rabbits in …

Effect Of Anthraquinone Dyes On The Carbohydrate, Protein And Lipid Content In The Muscle Of Channa Punctatus And Cyprinus Carpio, Rajee Olaganathan, Jamila Patterson

Publications

Channa punctatus and Cyprinus carpio was exposed to sub lethal concentrations viz., 6.15 and 6.60 mg/l of vat blue 4 and vat green 1 respectively for a period of thirty days. The cumulative effect of these two dyes on the total carbohydrate, protein and lipid levels in the muscle of both the fishes were assayed on 7th, 18th and 30th day of exposure. The mean carbohydrate content of C. punctatus (both control and treated fish) collected on 18th and 30th day showed a significant difference (P < 0.01 to 0.04). In the case of control and treated C. carpio the data collected on 30th day showed significant variation (P < 0.04) in the carbohydrate content of the muscle. Student’s ‘t’ test analysis conducted on the protein content of C. punctatus during different occasions registered a significant decrease; in case of lipid content, except between the 1st and 30th day in all other cases the ‘t’ value is not significant. In case of C. carp protein and lipid content were observed to increase during the 7th day and thereafter a marked decrease was recorded on the 18th and 30th day of exposure. When the data was subjected to student’s ‘t’ test, both in protein and lipid, significant difference could not be recorded.

A Distributed Intelligence Approach To Multidisciplinarity: Encouraging Divergent Thinking In Complex Science Issues In Society., Jarod Kawasaki, Dai Toyofuku

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

The scientific issues that face society today are increasingly complex, open-ended and tentative (Sadler, 2004). Finding solutions to these issues, not only requires an understanding of the science, but also, concurrently dealing with political, social, and economic dimensions that exist (Hodson, 2003). For example, 40 years after the first congressional hearing on climate change held by Al Gore in 1976, the 2012 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report states that climate change is still getting worse, despite efforts by governments, businesses, social actors such as Non-Government Organizations, and scientists. With the top minds in the world, across all disciplines, …

Application Of Genome Reduction, Next Generation Sequencing, And Kaspar Genotyping In Development, Characterization, And Linkage Mapping Of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In The Grain Amaranths And Quinoa, Scott Matthew Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The grain amaranths (Amaranthus sp.) and quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) are important seed crops in South America. These crops have gained international attention in recent years for their nutritional quality and tolerance to abiotic stress. We report the identification and development of functional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays for both amaranth and quinoa. SNPs were identified using a genome reduction protocol and next generation sequencing. SNP assays are based on KASPar genotyping chemistry and were detected using the Fluidigm dynamic array platform. A diversity screen consisting of 41 amaranth accessions showed that the minor allele frequency (MAF) of the amaranth …

Ecological Studies Of Wolves On Isle Royale, 2012-2013, John A. Vucetich, Rolf O. Peterson

Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale

Annual Report 2012-2013

Tracking The Forest People: In The Rainforests Of Borneo, Erin Vogel '95 Studies A Group Of Orangutans In Hopes Of Protecting This Dwindling Species, Adriana Nordin Manan

Colby Magazine

Erin Vogel ’95 studies orangutans up close in the rainforest of Borneo. An anthropologist at UC Santa Cruz, Vogel wants to know what these orangutans eat and why, in hopes that the knowledge will help protect this dwindling species.

March 2013 Locations Featured In This Magazine Issue

Agricultural Research Magazine

The Agricultural Research Service has about 100 labs all over the country.

Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

Davis, California 3 research units ■ 117 employees Corvallis, Oregon 3 research units ■ 127 employees

Vegetable and Forage Crops Research Unit, Prosser, Washington 1 research unit ■ 35 employees

Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory, Kimberly, Idaho 1 research unit ■ 34 employees

U.S. Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center, Maricopa, Arizona 3 research units ■ 80 employees

Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, Montana 2 research units ■ 59 employees

Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Houston, Texas 1 research unit ■ 8 employees …

How Does A Mom's Nutrition Affect Her Children's Health?, Robert A. Waterland, Marcia Wood

Agricultural Research Magazine

In some rural villages of the tiny West African nation of The Gambia, food is generally less available during August and September—the peak of the rainy season—than during a typically dry March through May. Now, a study led by molecular geneticist Robert A. Waterland of the USDA-ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center in Houston, Texas, has shown that functioning of certain genes in kids conceived during the rainy season differs from that in children conceived during the dry season.

The difference may be explained by a relatively new science referred to as “epigenetics.” The variation appears to be permanent, and in …

Agricultural Research Magazine, March 2013

Agricultural Research Magazine

Table of Contents

4 Weight Loss, Cortisol, and Your Brain: Scientists Explore Connections

6 How Does Mom’s Nutrition Affect Her Children’s Health? Epigenetics May Provide New Insights

8 Enhancing Yogurt With Healthful Fiber From Oats

9 An Atlas for Guatemala, a Tool for Conserving World Crops

10 Linking Animal Behavior to Useful Natural Repellents

12 Cultural Practices To Maintain Soil Quality and Address Climate Change

15 A Desert Shrub’s Crystallized Protein Sheds Light on Photosynthesis

16 Measuring and Managing Impacts of Manure Spills

18 Trickery and Other Methods Explored To Vanquish Potato Cyst Nematodes

20 Measuring the Potential of Switchgrass …

Weight Loss, Cortisol, And Your Brain Scientists Explore Connections, Nancy L. Keim, Kevin D. Laugero, Marcia Wood

Agricultural Research Magazine

Americans everywhere are struggling to lose weight—and to keep from putting those lost pounds right back on. For many, it’s discouraging to have their best efforts fail while those of other dieters succeed.

Researchers at the Agricultural Research Service’s Western Human Nutrition Research Center in Davis, California, are conducting studies that may provide new insights into the underlying causes of this disparity in dieting success.

Given America’s obesity epidemic, such research is timely and relevant. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 35 percent of U.S. adults and 18 percent of kids and adolescents age 6 through …

Enhancing Yogurt With Healthful Fiber From Oats, Mukti Singh, Sanghoon Kim, Marcia Wood

Agricultural Research Magazine

Adding about one-quarter teaspoon of a fiber-rich component of oats boosts the nutritional value of low-fat yogurt without noticeably affecting the taste or texture of this increasingly popular dairy food.

Oat fiber is of interest to foodmakers and nutritionists alike. Studies with volunteers have shown that it can lower serum cholesterol, which may help improve heart health.

Agricultural Research Service food technologist Mukti Singh, chemist Sanghoon Kim, and their colleagues experimented with adding fiber-containing oat beta-glucan to what’s known in the dairy industry as “low-fat yogurt mix.” It is made up of low-fat milk and a selection of common, safe-to-eat …

Gas Emissions And Olfactometry For Dairy Heifers, Rebecca Gary

Dairy Science

The objective of this study was to determine any trends in odor evaluations and gas emissions of manure samples in heifers fed high/low concentrate and high/low forage diets. Heifers (n = 8) were enrolled randomly in a split plot design with diet type (high concentrate vs. low concentrate) as the whole plot and forage quality (4 different levels of corn stover within each diet type) as sub-plots in a 4-period (21d) 4X4 Latin square design. Total collection of urine and feces was performed on days 18-21 of each period. The feces to urine ratio (F:U) was determined on days 18 …

Pasteurization And Freezing Effect On Colostrum Characteristics, Morbidity, Igg Absorption, And Growth Rates Of Holstein Heifer Calves, Rob Diepersloot

Dairy Science

The objective of this study was to determine if fresh frozen, pasteurized frozen, or fresh refrigerated colostrum impacted morbidity, growth rates, and the overall serum immunoglobulins (IgGs) in newborn calves. The second objective was to compare the effects that pasteurization and freezing had on colostrum IgG concentration and total bacteria counts compared to raw refrigerated colostrum. A controlled trial was completed on a 6,000-cow dairy in California where colostrum was harvested twice daily, pooled, and then divided into three different treatment groups and processed accordingly. One treatment was pasteurized at 60^oC for 60 min and then frozen, the …

Detecting Errors In Generating A Certificate Of Analysis, Breanne Harlan

Dairy Science

Many companies rely on a Certificate of Analysis (COA) to accompany the delivery of their product or material. The COA, required by law, prevents customers from questioning whether a product is safe and ensures manufacturers confirm every product tested passes the Food and Drug Administration’s required specifications. Previous to this project, Kraft Foods Springfield copied their test results for each product from their data warehouse software, called Systems, Applications, and Products onto a Word document to create a COA. This was a systematic approach to detect the possible occurrences of error and reduce the time spent on generating a COA. …

The Analysis And Comparison Of Organic Dairy Operations And Conventional Dairy Operations In Terms Of Milk Quality, Animal Health, Nutrition, Market Aspects And Economic Benefits, Lianne Michele Nunes

Dairy Science

The dairy industry in California has two very vital sectors that make up the production and marketing landscape: Organic and Conventional dairy production systems. The objective of this review of literature is to explore the differences and contrasting views of milk quality, reproduction, animal health, nutrition, market aspects and pricing systems within each industry and determine how each industry has the potential for tremendous success among its producers. It is important to understand the aspects of each industry because of the advantages and disadvantages each industry imposes on different producers located all around the state. Organic production systems have very …

Consumer Perception Of Organic Milk, Christina Puetz

Dairy Science

The objective of this study was to determine the potential factors, reasons and beliefs that contribute to college aged consumers’ choice to purchase organic milk. The data were from survey of students using questions that were modeled after consumer issues and concerns over conventional milk as discussed in the literature review. This study was particularly interested in exploring differences between students in agriculture classes and non-agriculture classes. The literature referenced came from a variety of sources, including scientific journals, online articles, milk advisory boards, and governmental agencies. According to the literature review, consumer concerns and reasons for purchase of organic …

A Business Plan For A Custom Dry Cow Transition Facility And A Calf Ranch, Landon Joseph Fernandes

Dairy Science

In recent economic times the dairy industry has witnessed historic lows in milk price and historic highs in feed prices. As a result many dairies have been forced out of business or have found other ways to diversify in order to offset the accumulated debt from dairying. One possible way a dairy can minimize debt is by sending its transition cows to custom transition cow management facility from dry-off through freshening. This management facility would give optimal care and attention to these cows to ensure metabolic and post calving health issues are minimal and that cows are returned to the …

Determine If Raising Holstein Steers Can Be Profitable, While Creating A Quality Product, William Dyt

Dairy Science

Abstract

The objective of this experiment is to determine if holstein steers can be raised for a high quality, profitable beef product. The data collected came from Dyt Dairy and their steer program. Records came from the Souza Family, who does the calf raising for Dyt Dairy, and were compiled into a spread sheet. Daily costs incurred in raising a steer for the first five months were incorporated and analyzed relative to different rates of gain. The second stage analysis involved the next five months on a higher ration at Dyt Dairy #2. Again costs per day and rates of …