Digital Commons Network^™

Impacts Of Estrous Synchronization On Cowherd Performance, G. Cliff Lamb

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Estrous synchronization and artificial insemination (AI) are reproductive management tools that have been available to beef producers for over 40 years. Synchronization of the estrous cycle has the potential to shorten the calving season, increase calf uniformity, and enhance the possibilities for utilizing AI. Artificial insemination allows producers the opportunity to infuse superior genetics into their operations at costs far below the cost of purchasing a herd sire of similar standards. These tools remain the most important and widely applicable reproductive biotechnologies available for beef cattle operations. However, beef producers have been slow to utilize or adopt these technologies into …

Animal Welfare Implications Of Beef Industry Practices Including Dehorning, Castration, And Branding, Jason K. Ahola

Range Beef Cow Symposium

An increasing number of consumers are making animal product purchasing decisions based on how animals were raised and cared for. This decision is, in most cases, based on labeling claims made on packaged products, point of purchase materials offered, and/or conversations with those selling the product. This issue is driven by consumers wanting to know more about how their food is raised and where it comes from. For the average consumer with no baseline knowledge, there appears to be a need for verification and validation that animals received appropriate care during their lifetimes and were treated as humanely as possible. …

Why Does Consumer Opinion Trump Science (Animal Welfare, Gmos, Food Animals Vs. Pets)?, Ronnie D. Green

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Slides of a presentation covering science denialism with respect to animal welfare, genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), food animals versus pets, etc.

De-Commoditizing The Feeder Calf Market: Providing Objective Information To Buyers, Tom Brink, Lee Leachman

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Beef is no longer a commodity as it is presented to consumers. Name brands and greater differentiation are everywhere. Fed cattle aren’t really a commodity either. Close to 70% of all fed cattle are sold on grids and formulas, which price these animals individually, according to their actual carcass value. Commercial bulls have been de-commoditized for years. Bulls in all major breeds are now sold with a plethora of specific and detailed information (even videos on individual animals) that allows prospective buyers to evaluate and compare bulls in a detailed and sophisticated manner, similar to how we might compare pickup …

The Focus My Millennial Generation Needs, Cassie Lapaseotes

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Generations

It’s no question that in today’s job market there are a variety of challenges especially when it comes to managing a workforce with multiple generations. The underlying problem especially in agriculture is trying to fit an increasingly nontraditional workforce into a largely traditional workplace. Each generation has been influenced by particular experiences that create specific preferences, expectations, beliefs, and work styles. It is important to understand characteristics of each generation to be successful in today’s workplace.

Incorporating A Yearling Stocker Enterprise To The Cow/Calf Operation: Buy, Sell, Or Hold?, Mark Frasier

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Many progressive cow/calf producers have considered adding a yearling stocker enterprise to their business model. There are significant benefits to diversification; yearling cattle can help to optimize available forage and balance the financial viability of a livestock operation. At the same time however, managing the dynamics of a secondary enterprise will add complexity and potentially elevate risk to the combined operation. The added dimension of market livestock will help a ranch utilize their forage resources more efficiently, but yearling cattle have different needs than cows and different objectives and require a dissimilar skill set than required to successfully wean a …

Effects Of Grazing On Grass, Casey A. Matney

Range Beef Cow Symposium

What is grazing? Grazing is the consumption of herbaceous plants by herbivores. Herbaceous plants include forbs (non-woody broadleaf flowering plants), grasses, and grass-like plants (sedges and rushes). Probably the most important and most identifiable herbaceous plant for grazing is grass (Family – Poaceae). There are well over 100 species of grass present on the rangelands of eastern Colorado, and approximately 10,000 grass species can be found across the globe. Grasses account for about a quarter of the earth’s vegetation and make up the preponderance of food (plant parts and seed) for both people and grazing animals. Management of grasses is …

Cow Supplementation: Getting The Best Bang For Your Buck, South Dakota State University

Range Beef Cow Symposium

A wide and ever-changing variety of feedstuffs are available and potentially useful as supplements for beef cows. Choosing the most appropriate feedstuff to use at any point in time will influence a cow’s nutritional and performance responses. It will also influence the overall cost of the feeding program for the cow herd. Considering that feed is the largest variable cost for virtually every cow-calf operation, using the most appropriate source of nutrients at least cost for the nutrient(s) required will provide the “best bang for the buck”. Understanding the role of key nutrients in a given feedstuff relative to the …

Managing Compromised And Weak Calves, Franklyn B. Garry, Jason E. Lombard

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Take Home Messages

Many things can cause calves to be weak at birth, but dystocia is the single most common cause of compromised calves. Calves born without assistance experience hypoxia (low arterial blood oxygen), acidosis, and frequently hypothermia. Dystocia calves experience the same changes but to a greater degree. Dystocia has an immediate and prolonged effect on the health and productivity of calves. Perinatal mortality due to weakness and dystocia accounts for about half of all calf deaths through weaning and is not due to infectious disease. Simple interventions such as providing calves with mechanical breathing assistance, oxygen, colostrum, and …

High Altitude Disease, Pap, Feedlot Hypertension, And Respiratory Issues, J. M. Neary, F. B. Garry, T. N. Holt, G. M. Krafsur, P. S. Morley, R. D. Brown, K. R. Stenmark, R. Mark Enns, M. G. Thomas

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Right-heart failure (RHF) due to pulmonary hypertension, more commonly known as brisket disease or high altitude disease, is a complex disease that is becomingly increasing problematic for the cattle industry–regardless of altitude. The disease became known as high altitude disease because until the mid-1960s RHF was only reported at altitudes over 7,000 ft. Today, RHF is still problematic in high altitude cow-calf operations and is occurring with increasing incidence in feedlot cattle. The clinical signs are commonly mistaken for chronic pneumonia, which complicates disease diagnosis and reporting. Moreover, cattle treated for pneumonia have 2 to 3 times greater risk of …

How To Use Commercially Available Genomic Predictions, Michael G. Gonda

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Genomic predictions for commercial cattle can be used to select replacement heifers, design mating strategies, and market calves. Presently, two companies (Igenity and Zoetis) offer genomic tests for commercial cattle. Like expected progeny differences (EPDs) on young bulls, these genomic tests do not perfectly predict genetic merit. However, these tests will be useful for identifying genetically superior and inferior animals for the traits tested. Some tests are useful only for predominantly Black Angus (≥ 75%) cattle, while other tests can be used on all Bos taurus beef breeds and crossbreds. Further, some tests are designed specifically for producers who are …

Mentoring And Managing Employees To Ensure Husbandry And Assure Consumers, Tracey Erickson

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Building your team…

1. Share Purpose, Mission and Vision
2. Train Employees – onboarding
3. Communicate and Evaluate
4. Include employees – farm planning and direction
5. Celebrate Success

Use Of Annual Forages In A Grazing Livestock System, Nancy Peterson

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Conclusions

• We believe our phosphorus levels are at a point that we will no longer include it in our fertilization program except where it can be put in row with a cash crop to aid early establishment.
• We still need to be adding nitrogen in spite of increased availability because microbiologic activity eats up a lot of N in residue break down. You have to feed the bugs.

Cow Supplementation: Getting The Best Bang For Your Buck, Ken Olson

Range Beef Cow Symposium

How do we get the best bang for the buck?

• 2 aspects:

1. Biology: Use the right feeds to provide the right nutrients
2. Economics: price the best feeds to provide the right nutrients

Adding Stockers To A Cow / Calf Operation Buy, Sell, Or Hold?, Mark Frasier

Range Beef Cow Symposium

No abstract provided.

What's The Value Of Low-Stress Stockmanship From A Feed Yard's Perspective?, Anne Burkholder

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Why Acclimate?

• Teach cattle to recognize that the home pen is where they want to be.
• Teach cattle to walk in straight lines -­‐-­‐ exit the home pen – travel with confidence down the alleyway and into the corral – walk past a handler with some element of trust.
• Cattle gravitate toward the feed bunk and water tank more quickly; thereby going on feed more smoothly.
• Enables safer, more effective handler –animal interactions which increases safety at the feed yard.
• Comfortable Cattle = More efficient feed conversion and higher quality beef.
• Acclimated cattle are easier to handle and make the …

Seismic Surveys And Marine Turtles: An Underestimated Global Threat?, Sarah E. Nelms, Wendy Dow Piniak, Caroline R. Weir, Brendan J. Godley

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Seismic surveys are widely used in marine geophysical oil and gas exploration, employing airguns to produce sound-waves capable of penetrating the sea floor. In recent years, concerns have been raised over the biological impacts of this activity, particularly for marine mammals. While exploration occurs in the waters of at least fifty countries where marine turtles are present, the degree of threat posed by seismic surveys is almost entirely unknown. To investigate this issue, a mixed-methods approach involving a systematic review, policy comparison and stakeholder analysis was employed and recommendations for future research were identified. This study found that turtles have …

Clinical Report Of The Spinose Ear Tick, Otobius Megnini (Acari: Parasitiformes: Argasidae), From A Domestic Cat, Felis Silvestris Catus, And First Record From Northwest Arkansas, M. J. Skvarla, G. E. Evans, J. R. Fisher, A. P. G. Dowling

Midsouth Entomologist

We provide a brief overview of the spinose ear tick, Otobius megnini (Dugès 1884) (Acari: Parasitiformes: Argasidae), describe a clinical case from a domestic cat, Felis silvestris catus L. 1758, and report the species for the first time from Northwest Arkansas.

The George H. Bradley Black Fly Papers (Diptera: Simuliidae), T. M. Nations, K. T. Edwards, J. Goddard

Midsouth Entomologist

Dr. George H. Bradley, a former USDA and Army entomologist, conducted research on a variety of medically important insects during his career; most notably mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae). Much of Dr. Bradley’s personal library was donated to the Mississippi Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University after his death. Six of Dr. Bradley’s papers in that library, apparently never published, were discovered concerning the ecology and biology of the southern buffalo gnat, which he called Eusimulium pecuarum, (now known as Cnephia pecuarum). These unpublished works provide much needed and never before seen information on this medically important …

Cape Verdeans In The Atlantic: The Formation Of Kriolu Music And Dance Styles On Ship And In Port, Susan Hurley-Glowa

School of Music Faculty Publications

Working from the premise that Cape Verde is a member of the Black Atlantic musical family whose styles flowed freely from port to port, this study has delved deeper into the styles and time frames that figured into the mix, verifying that periods of intense transatlantic port activity correspond to the emergence of new genres. Cape Verde’s musical history might be viewed as a sandbar on the beach that is continually reshaped and born a new by waves of musical influences circling between the continents. The ideas of individual Cape Verdeans ultimately created the music, of course, and a comparative …

Volume 69 Issue 1 (Fall/Winter 2015)

Utah Science

2 Awareness, Appreciation, Conservation

The sage-grouse is an iconic bird that inhabits vast seas of sagebrush in western North America and has been the focus of extensive discussion and concern among wildlife managers, ranchers, mineral extraction and energy companies, land developers and others in the west and beyond. Why all the discussion about a 2-to 5-pound bird?

8 Recreation Ecology in National Parks and Protected Areas

People love national parks, but managing a growing numbers of visitors with a mandate to preserve natural conditions in perpetuity is a challenge. Recreation ecologists are providing park managers with good science to help …

Returning To Eden: Toward A Faith-Based Framing Of The Environmental Movement, Chika Okafor

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Against The Current: Five States' Upstream Battle Against An Aquatic Nuisance Invasion In Michigan V. United States Army Corps Of Engineers, Joseph J. Clemente

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Two Case Studies Of The Contribution Of Emotional Intelligence, Communication Style, Job Competency, Vision, And Ethics To Constituent Buy-In For Leaders, David M. Schall

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the similarities and dissimilarities of leadership traits that create leader buy-in for an educational leader and a football coach; specifically, emotional intelligence, communication style, job competency, vision, and ethics, between an educational leader and a sports coach. The rationale of this study was to create recent literature that provided insight for leaders in multiple areas on how to transfer leadership skills to establish common goals and missions within their organizations. Data was collected using a survey completed by 154 volunteer participants, along with interviews of 12 volunteer participants. A focus group of …

‘Lost In Translation’? Tristan Tzara’S Non-European Side, Cosana M. Eram

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

The Occupational Benefits Of Children Farming, Ellie Edrissi

OCCUPATION: A Medium of Inquiry about Health through Occupation

This paper analyses the positive outcomes of youth responsibilities, routines, autonomy, youth programs and scholarships, cultural identity, educational and life experiences through the occupation of farming during seasonal and/or after school hours. The multidimensional context of children willingly working in the agricultural industry allows positive psychological, economical, and cultural experiences while building a stronger family unity. The occupation of farming allows youth participation with the environment, social skills, inter-generational transfer of skills, and increased confidence for future aspirations as they mature to adulthood.

November 2015 Issue, Occupation: A Medium Of Inquiry For Students, Faculty & Other Practitioners Advocating For Health Through Occupational Studies

OCCUPATION: A Medium of Inquiry about Health through Occupation

No abstract provided.

Fighting Corruption In America And Abroad, Jed Handelsman Shugerman

Fordham Law Review

    The exchanges at the symposium and these Articles highlight the gap between public opinion and legal culture on the definition of corruption and the problems that flow from that gap. Teachout’s and Lessig’s legal argument that corruption can be institutional and banal roughly corresponds with the public’s moral intuition. Conversely, Lessig’s and Hasen’s intuitive moral reaction—that corruption is the evil of quid pro quo—maps onto the legal conclusion of the U.S. Supreme Court in Citizens United v. FEC that corruption is narrowly defined as quid pro quo. Note the reversal of moral and legal positions: Teachout and Lessig’s legal …

Forage News [2015-11], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Debby Dulworth as Keynote Speaker on Extending the Grazing Season at Heart of America Grazing Conference
• Study Shows No Damage to Soils from Grazing of Cover Crops
• Forage News Quote of the Month
• Get the Most out of Grazing Corn Stalks
• 2016 Kentucky Small Ruminant Grazing Conference schedule announced
• Muhlenberg County Producer and Ag Teacher to Represent Kentucky at AFGC
• Heart of America Grazing Conference Registration Open
• AGFC Annual Meeting Agenda Available

How Patients Think: Assessing Clinician Competence In University Settings, Jennifer Allen

Spectrum

The past academic year of 2014–2015 I completed an independent research study to observe how patients assess clinician competence within a university setting. The goal of the research was twofold: first, to look at patient-clinician interactions from the patient’s perspective, and second to see if a patient’s past experiences with clinicians have any effect on their current assessment of clinician competence. The study focused on college students at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), Durham campus. In the following paragraphs, I provide a summary of the research project, methodology, and outcomes.