Animal Sciences Commons^™

Analyzing The Management Practices Of East Texas Beef Cattle Producers, Hiliary Cheyenne Swor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A survey of East Texas beef cattle producers was designed to evaluate the management practices that were prevalent in the area. Demographic and cattle operation data from 103 respondents were analyzed using SPSS (Version 25; Chicago, IL). This electronic-based survey was distributed through Qualtrics. Respondents were located in Angelina, Nacogdoches, or Cherokee county. Most producers (38.8%) had a Bachelor’s degree. A negative correlation was established between castration method and weaning weight (p = - 0.204). Calves were weaned 50 pounds heavier when band or surgically castrated. Females were less likely to castrate their calves or utilize a mineral program. Approximately, …

Feeder Cattle Future Price Spreads: Opportunities To Hedge?, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

First paragraph:

Feeder cattle future price spreads across all months have recovered to near pre-COVID-19 levels as quarantine restrictions and packing plant capacity issues have been mostly sorted out. For example, for the week of July 17, 2010 [sic], prices reached levels not seen since the beginning of March 2020. Pasture and corn progress are two factors that have the potential to push prices lower in the next coming months. Given current market conditions, producers have some options to lock in a margin.

What Drives Bull Prices, And How Much Can I Spend On A Bull?, Matthew D. Garcia, Ryan Larsen, C. K. Chapman

All Current Publications

Several factors determine the age-old question of how much to pay for a bull. These factors are highly variable and can fluctuate from year to year. The five main factors influencing bull prices are explored in this fact sheet, including breed, availability, auction activity, breeder reputation, and genetic potential.

Growing South Dakota (Summer 2020), College Of Agriculture, Food And Environmental Sciences

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

[Page] 3 COVID-19: From Our Students' Perspective
[Page] 11 Class of 2020 Q&A
[Page] 19 Alumni Advice for the Future Generation
[Page] 21 Recent Alumni Features
[Page] 25 Student Features
[Page] 31 CAFES News, Student Success, Awards and Achievements
[Page] 57 Jackrabbits Now and Then: A Current Student and Alumni Q&A

Growing South Dakota (Spring/Summer 2020), College Of Agriculture, Food And Environmental Sciences

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

This issue contains the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station 2019 Annual Report.

[Page] 2 South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station Update
[Page] 4 Featured Research
[Page] 14 Graduate and Undergraduate Research: In Our Own Words
[Page] 20 Featured Research
[Page] 32 Research in Progress
[Page] 38 CAFES News and Updates
[Page] 56 Jackrabbits Now and Then: A Current Student and Alumni Q&A

Effects Of Ndf Digestibility On Lactating Jersey Cows: Observed And Modeled Performance, Kirby Craig Krogstad

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Improving the digestibility of fiber and our understanding of how to feed it will optimize the ruminants’ niche in our society, which is to convert human inedible products to high quality protein in the form of meat and milk. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility has been studied and modeled for decades, but it is increasingly important as livestock production is scrutinized for resource use and sustainability. Increasing the amount of NDF fed and improving models of NDF digestibility will improve sustainability by increasing the precision at which we feed livestock which results in less nutrient and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. …

The Role Of Postnatal Adrenergic Manipulation In The Mediation Of Fetal Programming Adaptions In Growth And Skeletal Muscle Glucose Metabolism That Persist In The Juvenile Iugr-Born Lamb, Rachel L. Gibbs

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Our 1^st study assessed growth deficits in IUGR juvenile lambs and the benefits of treatment with adrenergic and inflammatory mediators. Growth metrics including bodyweight, rate of gain, and crown-rump length were diminished by placental insufficiency-induced IUGR through 2 mo. of age but were recovered by daily clenbuterol or curcumin supplementation. Body composition metrics indicated by bioelectrical impedance, proximate analysis, and loin size revealed that fat-free lean mass, specific muscle group sizes, and protein-to-fat ratios were reduced in unsupplemented IUGR lambs but recovered to or even past controls in clenbuterol-supplemented lambs. From these findings, we conclude that IUGR impairs postnatal …

Aging Horses By Their Teeth, Karl Hoopes, Patricia Evans, Nancy Jack

All Current Publications

This publication tells how to pinpoint a horses age, within a fairly narrow range, by examining its teeth. Being able to pinpoint age can be of use to owners of unregistered horses or horses whose age is unknown for any reason. Many health and nutrition management decisions are directly related to age and dental wear, making it even more important for all horse owners to have a general understanding of how a horse’s mouth changes with age. From a historical perspective, up until recently when organized associations started keeping birth dates on registered horses, most horse professionals took great pride …

Saturday Night Live Club Lamb Sale, Tyler P. Wilkerson

Agricultural Education and Communication

“Competition is said to be the backbone of the stock show industry,” (Davis, 1998). A statement spoken in a 1998 thesis paper on the junior livestock industry still holds water in today’s world. Youth livestock exhibition, especially in California, continues to grow in the number of youth participants and the number of livestock entries at shows (Switzer, 2019).

It is the responsibility of livestock breeders to breed, raise, and sell their livestock to maximize the opportunity for youth to acquire livestock to show. In his research, Wendt discusses the capabilities of purchasing livestock through online platforms. He speaks to the …

Anaplasmosis In Dogs, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease that occurs in dogs, caused by either the bacteria Anaplasma platys or A. phagocytophila. Illness caused by A. platys and other tick-borne parasites such as Babesia canis vogeli may be colloquially referred to as ‘tick fever’. The disease is thought to be transmitted by the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) and possibly lice.

Maturation And Culture Media Effects On In Vitro Bovine Embryo Developmental Competence, Ciara M. Helland

Master's Theses

In vitro produced bovine embryos are critical to the cattle industry. However, these embryos have altered morphology, epigenetics, and metabolism when compared to their in vivo counterparts. The aim of this thesis was to alter maturation and culture media to improve the developmental competence of in vitro bovine embryos. This thesis is comprised of three experiments and one proof of concept study. Each experiment followed the same general layout: oocyte aspiration from Jersey or Holstein ovaries, oocyte maturation for 24 hours, fertilization with bull semen for 24 hours, then embryo culture for 7-8 days in 38.5 °C in 5% O …

Effects Of A Noni-Supplemented Diet On Intestinal Tight Junction Proteins And Stress Biomarkers In Heat-Stressed Broiler Chickens, Guillermo Tellez

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Heat stress hampers gut health by impeding its ability to absorb nutrients which leads to a lower feed efficiency and sicker birds. Therefore, there is a critical need to identify mechanism-based strategies to alleviate these effects. Polynesian poultry farmers have been supplementing broiler feed with Morinda Citrifolia (Noni), a medicinal plant high in anti-oxidants, to address this problem. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Morinda Citrifolia (Noni)-supplementation on the expression of tight junction proteins. Male Broilers (Cobb 500, 3 wks, n=480) were subjected to 2 environmental conditions (TN, 24°C vs. HS, 35°C, 1 …

Translational Genomics For Improving Sow Fertility, Hiruni R. Wijesena

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sow fertility traits, such as litter size and number of lifetime parities produced (reproductive longevity), are economically important. Selection for these traits is difficult because they are lowly heritable, polygenic, sex-limited, and express late in life. Age at puberty is an early indicator of reproductive longevity. Gilts that achieve puberty at an early age have a greater probability to produce more parities over their lifetime. However, measuring age at puberty is time consuming and tedious. Identifying pleiotropic polymorphisms that affect age at puberty and other fertility traits, including reproductive longevity, could help to improve the accuracy of genomic prediction for …

Impact Of Cow Size And Validation Of An Electronic Feeder To Optimize Resources In Beef Production Systems, Robert L. Ziegler

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Optimizing beef production systems is critical in the longevity of an enterprise. In a time of rapid change and innovation, there are increasingly more opportunities to improve efficiency of livestock production by taking advantage of new technologies. Furthermore, production environments vary drastically in all segments of the beef industry, which influence feed resource availability. Therefore, it is critical to realize the cow type that excels in a given production environment according to management objectives. To gain a better understanding of the optimal cow type in the Nebraska Sandhills, a retrospective analysis was conducted to evaluate increasing cow body weight (BW) …

The Impact Of Oxidative Stress On Postmortem Meat Quality, Nicolas J. Herrera

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Tenderness is the primary factor to influence consumer palatability in fresh meat. The tenderization of muscle is dependent on proteolytic mechanisms, including calcium dependent, non-lysosomal endogenous enzymes such as calpains and proteasomes. These mechanisms have been indicated alongside apoptosis early postmortem as cascades of apoptotic events promote ideal conditions for postmortem tenderization. Recent literature has identified oxidative stress-mediated events to be linked to apoptotic activity. Oxidative stress is defined as the overwhelming production of reactive species compared to homeostatic, endogenous antioxidants present within muscle systems. These conditions exhaust antioxidant function and facilitate reactive species to alter protein, lipid, or nucleic …

Energy And Amino Acid Metabolism In Lactating Jersey Cows Consuming Feed Byproducts, Kyle Alvin Mclain

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Animal protein byproducts are high bypass proteins commonly used in the dairy industry. These bypass proteins can escape the rumen to supply additional amino acids needed to support milk and protein yield. Two of the more popular animal protein byproducts used in the dairy industry are blood meal and hydrolyzed feather meal. In the first experiment, two flow meters were compared using headbox-style calorimeters. The objectives of the first study were to test mass flow meter (MFM) and volumetric flow meter (VFM) by measuring O₂ consumption and CO₂ production and to illustrate the effects of incomplete gas recovery …

Impact Of Diet And Quality Grade On Meat Quality Characteristics And Their Relationship To Oxidative Stress, Nicolas A. Bland

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Marbling and tenderness in meat are some of the most impactful factors for the consumer eating experience. The cause of the relationship between marbling and tenderness is still unresolved. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding different types of processed corn, with or without distiller grains on oxidative stress, and how that relates to tenderness and shelf life of beef steaks of differing quality grades. Steers (n = 240) were finished on dry rolled corn (DRC), DRC + 30% dried distillers grains (DDGS), steam flaked corn (SFC), or SFC + 30% DDGS. Cattle were fed 10 …

Effect Of Zelnate Administered As A Metaphylactic Upon Initial Processing Of High-Risk, Newly Received Beef Calves On Performance And Morbidity, Brady Martin

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) is the most prominent and costly ailment in the stocker cattle industry today, and its prevalence has not been diminished in the last thirty years. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Zelnate, a DNA immunostimulant, administered upon arrival to calves (n = 261; BW 253 ± 4.0 kg), on morbidity/mortality, performance and producer costs. Crossbred male beef calves were acquired and transported to the University of Arkansas stocker unit for a 42-d backgrounding period. Calves were allocated into treatment groups: 1) Zelnate, DNA immunostimulant administered or 2) Control, in which …

Evaluation Of Maternal Diet And Its Effect On Milk Composition And Piglet Health And Growth Performance, Shana Marie Barnett

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Both graduate research and graduate teaching duties work together to help to develop a graduate student’s skills both in the classroom and on their research experiments. Being both a GTA and GRA allows a student to form more sound hypotheses, connect better with students, and better understand their own research.

During the time as a GTA and GRA four surveys were developed to analyze different groups of students and their learning environment and two animal experiments were conducted to evaluate maternal diet and its effect on milk composition and piglet health and growth performance.

The surveys given to students consisted …

Impact Of Storage Temperature On Viability Of Microbial Inoculum For Estimating In Vitro Equine Digestibility, Delaney Brenne O'Donnell

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study evaluated the effect of storage temperature of equine fecal material on the viability of microbial inoculum used for in vitro equine digestibility trials. Fecal material was stored at four storage temperatures of 39°C for 15 minutes (control), 22°C for 6h, 3°C for 6h, and -18°C for 24h. Stored fecal material was used to form microbial inoculum for use in an Ankom Daisy II Incubator. Six different forage samples were digested in the Ankom Daisy II Incubator to evaluate interactions between storage condition of microbial inoculum and chemical composition of digested forage samples. After determination of dry matter digestibility …

Optimal Calving Time For Beef Cows In Southwest Missouri, Briana Rose Verploeg

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine if a optimal time of year exists for beef producers to have cows give birth in southwest Missouri for maximal net returns from calf sales and increased cow reproductive performance. To make this determination, data were collected which included year-round forage nutritive value, calf pre-weaning growth, cow energy efficiency and reproductive performance, and income and cost values. Cow and calf field data were gathered for the 2014-2018 production years at Missouri State University’s Leo Journagan Ranch. Monthly forage samples were collected from study cow pastures from 2016 through 2018. Calf, cull cow, …

Pasture Management To Improve Dry Matter Intake, Marcus F. Rose, Earl Creech, Blair L. Waldron, S. Clay Isom, Michael Peel, Kara Thornton-Kurth, Jacob Hadfield, Kerry A. Rood

All Current Publications

Agricultural producers are constantly looking for ways to maximize returns while reducing input costs. On dairy operations, a move from confinement feeding to pasture grazing offers the potential to reduce costs associated with harvest and storage of feed. In such a transition, producers sometimes report a decline in milk production and growth of livestock—both of which can strongly correlate to dry matter intake. Fortunately, dry matter intake is something that can be influenced by management practices. In this publication, we discuss the pasture management practices to improve dry matter intake.

Size And Scope Of Carbon County Agriculture 2019, Ryan Feuz, Ryan Larsen, Steven Price

All Current Publications

Carbon County is located south of Duchesne and Wasatch counties in east-central Utah. Along with Emery County to the south, it is often referred to as Utah’s Castle Country. The county became industrialized very early after statehood with the arrival of the railroads and discovery of many coal beds for which the county is named. It is also a large producer of natural gas within the state. Its primary economic base today comes from regional services, retail, tourism, recreation and resource extraction. As of 2017, the population was estimated at 20,295. Price is the largest city and county seat. This …

Bodyweight Management And Relationship To Health In The Horse (Equus Caballus), Beverly Ann Gartland

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The health of the horse is of interest to animal caretakers. Horses that fall within a prescribed range of bodyweight and body condition may be healthier than horses that are lower or higher. Two studies were conducted related to body weight and condition of the horse. The first study examined if restricting the amount of space available for horses to graze could reduce bodyweight without having a strong impact on time budgets of the horse or removing horses from pasture. This method was determined to be effective in preventing weight gain, although there was an increase in grazing behavior displayed …

Investigating Microbiomes And Developing Direct-Fed Microbials To Improve Cattle Health, Alison C. Bartenslager

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Over the last decade, global beef production has increased to meet the protein needs of the growing population. As a result, the intensification of beef cattle production systems has resulted in broad spectrum prophylactic use of antibiotics and growth promoting agents. With increased concern around antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and emergence of novel pathogenic strains of bacteria, it is critical to understand disease progression and associated changes in the microbiome to develop novel therapeutic alternatives to reduce antibiotic use and control disease. One such approach that is currently being investigated is the development of novel direct-fed microbial strains to outcompete pathogens …

Heat Stress-Induced Deficits In Growth, Metabolic Efficiency, And Cardiovascular Function Coincided With Chronic Systemic Inflammation And Hypercatecholaminemia In Ractopamine-Supplemented Feedlot Lambs: Atypical Cyclicity At Puberty In Beef Cows Is Associated With Early Deficits In Muscling, Metabolic Indicators, And Myoblast Function In Offspring But Does Not Impact Feedlot Performance, Rebecca M. Swanson

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Our 1^st study evaluated the effects of b-adrenergic agonist (ractopamine) supplementation on growth, health, and wellbeing in heat-stressed feedlot wethers. Chronic heat stress impaired growth, metabolism, and wellbeing even when the impact of reduced feed intake was eliminated by pair-feeding. We observed systemic inflammation and hypercatecholaminemia that were likely mediators of these deficits. Moreover, ractopamine did not diminish any wellbeing indicators and improved muscle growth without worsening the effects of heat stress.

Our 2^nd study assessed the effects of pubertal cyclicity (weaning to 1^st breeding) in cows on myoblast-mediated muscle growth, metabolism, and growth efficiency of their …

Comparison Of Comprehensive Health Score In North American Housed Giraffe And Free-Ranging Giraffe From South Africa, Haley Beer

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Stress is evident in many animal species and has been correlated to disease prevalence. During stressful events, allostasis is initiated by physiologic systems to maintain or reestablish homeostasis to protect an organism’s viability. Over time, the acclimation to frequent stress causes systematic dysregulation, leading to the phenomena of increased allostatic load. Allostatic load has been assessed in animal species via serum through selection of representative, multi-system biomarker indices. Perception and number of stress events may impact dysregulation severity, yielding allostatic load as a predictive tool. However, the allostatic load methodology poses application limitations to individuals without historical data and those …

Evaluation Of Protein Sources And Holstein Finishing Systems For Organic Beef Production And A Comparison Of Single And Dual Implant Strategies In Finishing Heifers, Elizabeth A. Schumacher

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Two in situ experiments were conducted to compare the rumen undegradable protein content (RUP) and RUP digestibility of conventional and organic field peas, fish meal, dehydrated alfalfa, and soybean meal. Significant differences were detected between feed samples in both studies for all variables measured. Variation existed between sample types but the data did not suggest that organic and conventional feeds are different when processed with the same methods. A performance experiment was conducted utilizing individually fed Holstein steers comparing the effect of RUP source in a simulated organic production system. Dietary treatments were: no supplemental protein (NONE), field peas (FP), …

Uncovering The Relationship Between Dietary Fatty Acids And Fiber Digestion In The Rumen, Fernanda Batistel

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Teaching Natural And Artificial Selection In Production Agriculture, Madhav P. Nepal, Clayton W. Scott

iLEARN Teaching Resources

In this lesson, students will learn how natural selection and artificial selection impact both production agriculture and biological sciences. A natural selection is a mechanism that favors heritable traits that increase species survival and reproduction. Artificial selection is a selective breeding, where humans select for desirable traits in agricultural products.