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Individual Heterosis Effects On Mature Size And Maternal Heterosis Effects On Preweaing Traits And Postweaning Growth And Carcass Traits, Keith E. Gregory, Delwyn D. Dearborn, Larry V. Cundiff, Robert M. Koch

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The Brown Swiss, Red Poll, Hereford, and Angus breeds and their 12 reciprocal crosses from a four.breed diallel crossing experiment were evaluated for production and carcass characters. Estimates of average heterosis and breed maternal and additive direct effects were reported earlier for preweaning traits, growth rate and puberty in females, growth traits of steers, and carcass traits of steers. This report provides results from the second phase of this experiment for maternal performance data on the females, including estimates of heterosis and breed maternal and additive direct effects on cow size and on preweaning traits, postweaning growth, and carcass traits …

Effect Of Subcutaneous Fat Removal On Beef Tenderness, Mohammad Koohmaraie, Steven C. Seideman, John D. Crouse

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

It is now widely recognized that consumers do not accept meat with excessive quantities of fat. To make cuts of meat acceptable to the consumer, packers and retailers are forced to trim much of the subcutaneous fat. If this consumer demand persists, the meat industry will be forced to change its production system to produce leaner cattle.

Subcutaneous fat cover is thought to act as an insulator, retarding rapid temperature decline and consequently preventing cold-induced toughness. Cold-induced toughening is a phenomenon observed when prerigor excised muscles are exposed to cold ( < 50° F) temperatures. However, there is no conclusive evidence that cold-induced toughening actually happens under current meat industry practices of slaughtering and carcass handling. The objectives of these experiments were to examine the effect of the removal of subcutaneous fat and high temperature conditioning on beef tenderness. High temperature conditioning (HTC) - storage of carcasses at high temperatures (e.g. 78° F) for 3 to 6 hr after slaughter - was included to attempt prevention of cold-induced toughness in defatted carcasses.

Inheritance Of Active And Passive Immunity In Beef Calves, Noelle E. Muggli, Bill D. Hohenboken, Larry V. Cundiff, Don E. Mattson

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Disease is caused by successful invasion of pathogenic organisms (e.g., viruses, bacteria, parasites). The immune system is responsible for the protection of an individual against these invasions. This system is complex, with interconnective parts composed of many stimulators, inhibitors, effectors, and consequences. Immunity that is dependent upon antibodies or immunoglobulins can be either active or passive in origin. In active immunity, the body produces protecting antibodies in response to a naturally occurring infection or to vaccination against a pathogenic organism. Vaccination will prime the animal's immune system for a faster and more effective response to later infections. In passive immunity, …

Inheritance Of Vertical Fiber Hide Defect, Larry V. Cundiff, Matthew P. Dahms, Mary V. Hannigan, Alfred L. Everett, Peter E. Buechler

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Cattle leather with vertical fiber hide defect (VFHD) breaks when stretched and, consequently, is not suitable for production of shoe uppers. Typical tensile strength of VFHD leather is only 50% of normal leather. VFHD is caused by a structural defect of collagen fiber orientation in the corium layer of cattle hides. The defect was first described by Amos, an Australian research chemist, in 1958. Economic losses to the leather industry were estimated to exceed $10 million in 1973.The cost can be high because the defect is often not detected until after the expense of tanning has been incurred. The defect …

Microbial Decontamination And Weight Of Carcass Beef As Affected By Automated Washing Pressure And Length Of Time Of Spray, John D. Crouse, Maynard E. Anderson, H. Donald Naumann

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Carcass beef has traditionally been washed by hand to remove foreign material such as hair, soil particles, and microbiological organisms that have contaminated the surfaces. These carcasses are inspected by the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS)to detect defects related to carcass cleanliness. Recent research and development of technology have emphasized automated machine washing.

At pressures above that normally used, it is conceivable that water could penetrate tissue surfaces and be absorbed by the carcasses. Also, longer wash periods may enhance water uptake by carcasses. According to the ASH RAE Handbook and Product Directory, the average shrinkage of carcass beef using …

More Lean, Less Fat With Clenbuterol, Joan H. Eisemann, Gerald B. Huntington, Calvin L. Ferrell

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

There is too much fat on beef carcasses today. Research in beef cattle production is directed towards solving this problem by maximizing partitioning of dietary nutrients to lean muscle growth and minimizing deposition of carcass fat. Partitioning agents called β - adrenergic agonists are able to cause this type of nutrient partitioning. Earlier work showed two of these compounds, clenbuterol and cimaterol, can be fed and are effective in many species including pigs, sheep, and cattle. At levels that did not depress gain, clenbuterol feeding increased protein content of the 9th to 11th rib section by 13% and decreased fat …

Influence Of Genotype And Maternal Environment On Growth Hormone And Prolactin Secretion In Cattle, John Klindt, Ralph R. Maurer

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The phenotype of an individual is the manifestation of that individual's genotype, environment, and the interaction of that genotype and environment. The genotype is attributable to nuclear genetic material equally contributed by the sire and the dam. The in utero environment and(or) the genotype of the dam (maternal effects) have long been known to have an influence on fetal and postnatal development. These effects were documented by Walton and Hammond (1938), who described the growth of Shetland pony-Shire horse reciprocal crosses. The physiology of the individual (e.g., enzyme activities, endocrine secretion and function) is the phenotypic expression of that individual's …

Influence Of Biological Types On Energy Requirements, Calvin L. Ferrell, Thomas G. Jenkins

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Since the introduction of new germ plasm resources into the U.S. beginning in the early 1960's, the influence of biological types on various aspects of beef production have been evaluated extensively. Traits studied include preweaning calf performance, postweaning growth and feed efficiency, carcass characteristics, puberty and other reproductive characteristics, and milk production, to name a few. In general, however, most of the research efforts have concentrated on the areas involving the growing animal and/or its carcass characteristics. That is, output characteristics of the various biological types of cattle have been of primary interest to researchers. Much less effort has been …

The Effect Of Sex And Age On The Textural Properties And Mineral Content Of Beef Steaks, Steven C. Seideman, H. Russell Cross, John D. Crouse

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Extensive research has been conducted on objectively assessing the palatability characteristics, particularly tenderness, of carcass meat. A patent (#4,009,390)by Satterlee et al. (1977) claimed that the ratio of iron (Fe) to zinc (Zn) in beef was highly correlated to its tenderness and that it is also easy to calculate a Fe/Zn ratio accurately with spectrophotometric methods.

An increase in the crosslinking between strands of collagen decreases the solubility of collagen, and also decreases the tenderness of the meat. High moist heat is required to improve tenderness of meat with extensive crosslinking of collagen. Increases in crosslinking of collagen is generally …

The Effects Of Rate Of Change In Body Weight On Tissue Development And Meat Quality Of Youthful Bulls, John D. Crouse, Chris R. Calkins, Steven C. Seideman

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Growth and development of meat-producing animals involves a complex integrated system of changes in the structure and mass of body tissues. Researchers have observed and documented that meat animal growth and development may be altered through the diet or alteration of the sex condition. Most significant alterations are in rates of deposition of protein, fat, and connective tissue, as well as the palatability of the cooked meat. Changes in wt of cattle beyond 14 mo of age have been largely associated with the fat deposition in the body. Studies have shown that youthful bulls have advantages in performance of growth …

Twinning In Cattle, Keith E. Gregory, Sherrill E. Echternkamp, Gordon E. Dickerson, Larry V. Cundiff, Robert M. Koch

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Why an interest in twinning in cattle?

. More than one-half of the feed units used by the national beef herd are needed to meet maintenance requirements of the reproducing female population.

. The beef cow is capable of producing about .7 of her body weight per year in progeny market weight.

. The sow is capable of producing more than 8 times her body weight per year in progeny market weight.

. The meat type hen is capable of producing more than 70 times her body weight per year in progeny market weight.

. The channel catfish female is …

Yield Grades And Cutability Of Carcass Beef With And Without Kidney And Pelvic Fat, John D. Crouse, Robert M. Koch, Michael E. Dikeman

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The Agricultural Marketing Service proposed a revision to the yield grade standards to provide the industry with an option regarding the retention or removal of kidney and pelvic fat (KPF) depending on market requirements. The proposal was subsequently withdrawn. The present yield grades are determined by consideration of external fat thickness, hot carcass wt, ribeye area, and estimated percent KPF. The proposed revision would eliminate consideration of KPF in the determination of yield grades.

The present study used 2,550 observations of retail yield of carcasses obtained from steers with genetically diverse growth rates and fattening characteristics to: 1) examine by …

Relationship Of Visceral Components Of Mature Cows As Related To Lactation Potential And Possible Effects On Productivity, Thomas G. Jenkins, Calvin L. Ferrell, Larry V. Cundiff

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Production output characteristics for cows of breeds or breed crosses varying in genetic potential for growth rate, mature size, and lactation have been previously reported. These differences among breeds were reported for characteristics associated with output potential (e.g., gestation length, calving difficulty, calf crop weaned, and for wt at birth, weaning, and at puberty). We have reported differences among nonpregnant, nonlactating mature cows of breed crosses varying in genetic potential for mature size and lactation yield for dry matter required for weight stasis and metabolizable energy (ME) required for zero body energy change. We have reported significant differences among various …

Use Of Mechanical Tenderization To Increase The Tenderness Of Bull Beef, Steven C. Seideman, H. Russell Cross, John D. Crouse

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Numerous studies have shown that meat from bulls is less tender than meat from steers of comparable age and feeding regimen. Collagen crosslinking has been reported to be more extensive in bulls than in steers of similar age and has been implicated as a potential cause of toughness in meat from bulls.

Several studies have shown that blade tenderization improved the tenderness of beef and decreased the amount of sensory panel-detectable connective tissue. Also, it has been reported that blade tenderization of bull muscles resulted in steaks which required less time to cook, had decreased amounts of detectable connective tissue, …

Endocrine Parameters, Hormone Receptors, And Functions Of The Testicular Interstitium And Seminiferous Epithelium In Estradiol-Immunized Ile-De-France Rams, C. Monet-Kuntz, M. T. Hochereau-De Reviers, C. Pisselet, C. Perreau, I. Fontaine, B. D. Schanbacher

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The testicular response of Ile-de-France rams actively immunized against estradiol (E₂) was evaluated during both the ovine nonbreeding season (spring) and breeding season (autumn). Plasma concentrations of LH, FSH and testosterone were elevated in E₂-immunized rams during both spring and autumn when compared with BSA-immunized controls. Testis weights were significantly elevated by E₂ immunization and were characterized by greater interstitial cell volume, including Leydig cells, blood and lymph vessels, greater seminiferous tubule length, and greater numbers of leptotene spermatocytes and round spermatids. Neither Sertoli cell number, Sertoli cell nuclear volume nor testicular FSH receptor number …

Changes In Testicular Morphology In Boars Actively Immunized Against Gonadotropin Hormone-Releasing Hormone, Caleb A. Awoniyi, Varadaraj Chandrashekar, Robert D. Arthur, Bruce S. Schanbacher, Richard E. Falvo

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Alterations in testicular morphology were studied in boars actively immunized against gonadotropin hormone releasing hormone (GnRH). Ten boars were divided equally into two experimental groups (five GnRH-immunized, and five controls). Antibody production was achieved by conjugating GnRH to human serum globulin (hSG). The GnRH-hSG conjugate was emulsified in complete Freund’s adjuvant, and administered to bears at 12 weeks of age. Boars were given a booster in incomplete Freund’s adjuvant on week 18 and 20. The presence of high antibody titers to GnRH caused luteinizing hormone and testosterone to decline to nondetectable levels. Morphometric examination showed a reduction in percentage volume …

G88-874 Management Tips For Round Bale Hay Harvesting, Moving, And Storage, John A. Smith, Robert D. Grisso, Kenneth Von Bargen, Bruce Anderson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses management of hay harvesting with a large round baler. Specific management practices are necessary to maintain hay quality and minimize hay loss during harvest, transportation and storage of large round bales.

Large round bale packaging systems allow one person to harvest, store and feed large quantities of hay for small as well as large acreages. Good management is required to maximize effectiveness. Losses in baling, transportation and storage of large round bales can far exceed the losses of rectangular bales unless the large round bale system is properly managed.

The Influence Of Diet Quality On Clutch Size And Laying Pattern In Mallards, Jan Eldridge, Gary Krapu

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

We measured the effect of diet quality on variation in the seasonal pattern of Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) reproduction. Twenty wild-strain hens, consisting of 10 sibling pairs, were maintained in captivity. One sib of each pair was fed an enriched diet, and the other was fed wheat. The wheat diet resulted in reduced clutch size, egg size, laying rate, number of nesting attempts, and total eggs laid. Diet did not affect laying initiation, duration, or the seasonal pattern of change in clutch and egg size with each renest. We believe the variation and pattern observed are adaptations to a …

A Comparative-Ecological Approach To The Study Of Learning, Alan Kamil, John E. Mauldin

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the effects of a parameter which is present in every learning experiment, but about which we know relatively little--the species being tested. The effects of the species variable have been studied relatively infrequently by animal learning psychologists for at least three reasons. (1) Psychologists have tended to assume that a few general processes will account entirely for most, if not all, of the important phenomena of animal learning in a broad range of species. This assumption has been criticized frequently in recent years (e.g., Seligman, 1970; Seligman & Hager, 1972), but still …

Comparison Of In Vitro Dry Matter Digestibility And Cellulase Digestion For Deriving Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy Calibration Equations Using Cool-Season Grasses, B. C. Gabrielsen, Kenneth P. Vogel, D. Knudsen

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) has recently become a potentially valuable and reliable tool for analyses of plant samples in forage-breeding programs. The success of NIRS is dependent on identification of appropriate and reliable selection criteria and development of reliable calibration. The objectives of this study were to develop and compare NIRS analysis equations for the in vitro dry matter digestibility of cool-season grasses based on either rumen fermentation (IVDMD) or ceilulase-solubility (CDMD) methods and to determine if NIRS prediction equations developed from these methods would rank selected genotypes in the same order. Breeding nursery samples of smooth bromegrass ( …

Drought Management: The Role Of Near- Real Time Weather Data, Donald A. Wilhite, Kenneth G. Hubbard

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

The ability to collect weather data in near-real time has improved because of technological advances, enabling weather data users to obtain more weather data over wider areas, and in a more timely fashion. The number of near-real time climate networks is increasing as new applications are found for climate data. More than fifteen states in the United States have established automated weather station networks. This paper presents an overview of recent developments in automated weather data collection in the United States and gives a detailed description of the network in Nebraska.

Near-real time weather data has many applications in agricultural …

Ec88-785 Traffic Emergencies ... Prepare For Them!, Rollin D. Schnieder

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

So you're taking a trip. How far? To town, to the fair or to a football game? Perhaps it's a vacation trip of hundreds of miles. Whatever the distance, prepareation is important.

This circular discusses the things that you should know and have for your trip. Your credentials and equipment should be up-to-date at all times so if you have to leave for a long trip on a moment's notice you will be ready.

Mating And Grazing Behavior Of Low And High Serving Capacity Beef Bulls During Average And Heavy Mating Loads At Pasture, Garth W. Boyd, Donald D. Lunstra, Larry R. Corah

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Although artificial insemination is widely used in dairy cattle, it has found only limited application in beef cattle. Use of bulls in natural mating programs accounts for over 90% of the pregnancies achieved each year in the U.S. beef cattle industry, and a large percentage of the beef bulls used for natural mating are purchased as yearlings. Many of these yearling bulls undergo a breeding soundness examination prior to sale or the breeding season. This involves visual and manual examination of the genital system as well as assessment of semen, which is usually collected by electroejaculation. However, sex drive and …

Nutritional Value Of Anaerobically Fermented Beef Cattle Wastes As A Feed Ingredient For Livestock, Ronald L. Prior, Andrew G. Hashimoto, John D. Crouse

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Waste is produced in large quantities in cattle feedlots, and this is a potential environmental pollutant. Recycling of feedlot waste as livestock feed has been investigated extensively as one means of lowering the disposable waste load. Refeeding fresh manure will only partially alleviate waste disposal problems. In one study, only about one-half of the manure collected daily could be refed, and the remainder was discarded.

Currently, there is increased interest in the development of a microbial process for recycling and utilizing feedlot wastes. Commercial digestors are in operation. In some of these systems, the potential exists for capturing methane as …

Bison, Hereford, And Brahman Growth And Carcass Characteristics, Robert M. Koch, John D. Crouse, Steven C. Seideman

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Bison, Hereford, and Brahman represent three species of the bovine family that evolved under different environmental conditions. There has been much interest in these species and hybrids among them to find animal types that are better adapted to the climatic conditions of the U.S. northern temperate zones down to the subtropical areas. There has been considerable research on growth and carcass characteristics of crosses among British, European, and Brahman cattle types, such as studies at U.S. Meat Animal Research Center. However, there is little experimental documentation of the growth and carcass merit of Bison or their crosses. The three species …

Zinc And Protein Levels In Finishing Diets Of Medium-And Large-Frame Steers, Wilson G. Pond, Robert R. Oldjen

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The National Research Council lists the daily protein requirements of medium-frame and large-frame steers weighing 770 lb and gaining 2.2 lb daily as 1.7 and 1.8 lb, respectively; comparable values at 1,100 lb are 1.9 and 2.1 lb. These amounts of protein are expected to be provided for medium-frame steers weighing 880 lb and gaining weight at 2.2 lb daily by a diet containing 10.3% protein; the corresponding value for large-frame steers is 10.2% protein. Medium- and large-frame steers weighing 1,100 lb and gaining weight at 2.2 lb daily require 9.5% protein in the diet.

The zinc requirement of steers …

Beef Research Program Progress Report No. 3 (1988): Table Of Contents

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

ROMAN L. HRUSKA U.S. MEAT ANIMAL RESEARCH CENTER,Robert R. Oltjen .... iv

General Interest

Beef facilities and management: Margaret S. McAlhany, W. Gordon Hays, and Gary S. Ross .... 1

Genetics and Breeding

Germ Plasm Evaluation in cattle: Larry V. Cundiff, Robert M. Koch, and Keith E. Gregory .... 3

Breeding for lean beef (Germ Plasm Evaluation Program): Larry V. Cundiff, Michael E. Dikeman, Robert M. Koch, John D. Crouse, and Keith E. Gregory .... 5

Germ Plasm Utilization in beef cattle: Keith E. Gregory, Larry V. Cundiff, and Robert M. Koch .... 9

Individual heterosis effects on mature size …

The E.J. Faulker Lecture University Of Nebraska College Of Business Administration Lincoln, Nebraska, Clayton K. Yeutter

Clayton K. Yeutter, United States Secretary of Agriculture: Papers

I am pleased to be back home in Nebraska. It is a special honor for me to be chosen to deliver the prestigious E.J. Faulkner Lecture at my alma mater. In particular, I welcome this opportunity to speak to the students of the College of Business Administration because upon graduation many of you will take jobs that are directly linked to the international economy. . Even though the state of Nebraska is situated in the heartland of the united state and insulated by thousands of acres' of land, it is a major player in the global economy. We must educate …

The Vaquita: Can It Survive?, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The vaquita (Spanish for "little cow"), or Gulf of California harbor porpoise (Phocoena sinus), has the most limited range of any marine cetacean and is probably the rarest. It has been caught incidentally in gill nets set commercially for totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi), large fish that were over-exploited in the upper Gulf of California until they, too, were endangered. In 1975. the Mexican Government announced a total indefinite closure on fishing for totoaba, Between the time this porpoise was described as new to science (1958) and its listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as Endangered …

Distribution, Abundance, And Biomass Of Freshwater Mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) In Lake St. Clair, Thomas F. Nalepa, Jeffrey M. Gauvin

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

A mussel population survey was conducted in Lake St. Clair with divers using SCUBA to sample at 29 stations throughout the lake. Mean abundance was 2 m^-2 and mean biomass was 4.4 g dry wt m^-2. Of the 18 species collected, Lampsilis radiata siliquoidea was by far the most abundant, accounting for 45% of all individuals. The age-frequency distribution of L. r. siliquoidea was dominated by individuals between 9 and 12 years old. In contrast, the second most abundant species, Leptodea fragilis, showed yearly variation in recruitment with no apparent trends in year class strength. Annual …