Animal Sciences Commons^™

Foreword [2014], Garry D. Lacefield, Christi L. Forsythe

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

No abstract provided.

Phages Of Non-Diary Lactococci: Isolation And Characterization Of Phi L47, A Phage Infecting The Grass Isolate Lactococcus Lactis Ssp Cremoris Dpc6860, Daniel Cavanagh, Caitríona M. Guinane, Horst Neve, Aidan Coffey, R. Paul Ross, Gerald F. Fitzgerald, Olivia Mcauliffe

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Lactococci isolated from non-dairy sources have been found to possess enhanced metabolic activity when compared to dairy strains. These capabilities may be harnessed through the use of these strains as starter or adjunct cultures to produce more diverse flavor profiles in cheese and other dairy products. To understand the interactions between these organisms and the phages that infect them, a number of phages were isolated against lactococcal strains of non-dairy origin. One such phage, ΦL47, was isolated from a sewage sample using the grass isolate L. lactis ssp. cremoris DPC6860 as a host. Visualization of phage virions by transmission electron …

Warming, Soil Moisture, And Loss Of Snow Increase Bromus Tectorum’S Population Growth Rate, Aldo Compagnoni, Peter B. Adler

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

Climate change threatens to exacerbate the impacts of invasive species. In temperate ecosystems, direct effects of warming may be compounded by dramatic reductions in winter snow cover. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is arguably the most destructive biological invader in basins of the North American Intermountain West, and warming could increase its performance through direct effects on demographic rates or through indirect effects mediated by loss of snow. We conducted a two-year experimental manipulation of temperature and snow pack to test whether 1) warming increases cheatgrass population growth rate and 2) reduced snow cover contributes to cheatgrass’ positive response to …

Letter From The Dean, Michael Vayda

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

How Environmental Conditions Affect Cattle Diets, Kalynne R. Ewerks

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

This poster presented at the Natural Sciences Poster Session at Parkland College, outlines a study that shows that protein content in animal feed is decreased by increased temperatures and briefly identifies measures that might be taken to counteract an impact on food supply.

Assessing Grazing Impacts On A Tropical Dry Forest System In Madagascar Through Vegetation, Satellite Image, Lemur Occupancy, And Acoustic Analysis, Lyndsay Lee Rankin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The ability to assess the quality or ecological value of a landscape is a useful tool in effective conservation and natural resource management. Ecosystem biodiversity and functionality are reduced when human activities cause habitat alteration and/or fragmentation. Compromised habitats are unlikely to support naturally occurring communities or healthy ecosystem functions. Conservation scientists have historically concentrated their efforts on large, intact habitats with little human disturbance; the conservation value of small and/or disturbed areas has been comparatively overlooked. One limitation may be a lack of tools to identify disturbed areas with conservation value. Techniques that allow researchers to assess the habitat …

Storage Of Mung Bean (Vigna Radiata [L.] Wilczek) And Pigeonpea Grains (Cajanus Cajan [L.] Millsp) In Hermetic Triple-Layer Bags Stops Losses Caused By Callosobruchus Maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), C. M. Mutungi, H. Affognon, A. W. Njoroge, D. Baributsa, L. L. Murdock

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Dry mung bean and pigeonpea grains that had sustained some insect damage but fumigated before the start of the experiment were stored in triple-layer hermetic bags (Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS™ bags) or woven polypropylene (PP) bags for 6 months. Some of the bags were artificially infested with cowpea bruchid Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (PICS1, PP1) while others were not (PICS0, PP0). In an additional trial, PP bags containing the grains were treated with Actellic Super® dust before being artificially infested (PP1Ac). Moisture content, live adult C.maculatus count, grain damage, weight loss, and seed germination were determined on a monthly basis. …

Contents, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Effectiveness Of A Farm Field Trip, Bonnie S. Sigmon

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

The annual Sigmon Farm Tour was started in 1992 as an agricultural education program where students could experience being on a farm with the goal of increasing the agricultural literacy levels of the participants. Every year the entire 4th grade student population of Rockcastle County spends the day touring the farm and participating in experiential mini lessons given by the cooperating farm service and health agencies. The program has continued for 20+ years without an evaluation as to whether it is achieving its objectives. This evaluation will also exhibit the programs strengths and weakness so it can continue to improve. …

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 15 2014, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Effect Maturity On The Intake And Digestibility Of Switchgrass Hay Consumed By Beef Steers, David H. Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

There has been increased interest in utilizing switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) as biomass. There are several challenges to developing this industry, and these have led to the potential use of switchgrass as hay for feeding beef cattle in Kentucky. The effect of increasing maturity on crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and nutritive values of switchgrass hay has been well documented, but few in vivo intake and digestibility trials have been conducted to assess this effect on animal performance when feeding beef cattle. Two in vivo intake and digestibility trials were conducted in 2011 …

Growing South Dakota (Winter 2014), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

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

This issue contains the 2013 SDSU Agricultural Experiment Station Annual Report

[Page] 2 The World’s First: Collaborative Effort Produces Multi-Hybrid Planter To Advance Precision Ag
[Page] 4 70 Years Of Data: Ranchers Benefit From Long-Term Grazing Studies
[Page] 6 Better Beef: Fetal Programming Study Analyzes Effects Of Cow Nutrition On Meat Quality
[Page] 7 Winter College News
[Page] 8 Consumer Sciences, Animal Health, Livestock Marketing: Important Research Continues In These Areas
[Page] 10 Improving Human Health: Role Of Nondigestible Fiber, Antioxidants Studied To Prevent Disease
[Page] 11 Food Safety Focus: Targeting Heat-Resistant Microbes To Improve Dairy Products
[Page] 12 Engineering …

A Northward Range Extension Of The Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon Hispidus) In Missouri, Cody W. Thompson, Elmer J. Finck

The Prairie Naturalist

The hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) is a widely distributed rodent with a geographic range extending from north-central Mexico to southern Nebraska and central Virginia and from southeastern Arizona east to Florida (Carleton et al. 1999, Peppers and Bradley 2000, Wilson and Reeder 2005) with isolated populations in Arizona (Bradley et al. 2012) and California (Clark 1972). Range expansions for the species have been well documented (Clark 1972, Farney 1975, Benedict et al. 2000, Wright et al. 2010, Wills et al. 2011). The majority of these range expansions have occurred across the Central Plains during the 20th century …

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2011, Leah English, Jennie Popp, Wayne Miller

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

This report is the eighth in a series of reports examining agriculture’s economic contribution on the Arkansas economy. Utilizing data from the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and Minnesota IMPLAN Group, Inc. (MIG), the economic contribution of agriculture on the Arkansas economy was estimated for the most recent year available, 2011. The total economic contribution of agriculture (direct, indirect, and induced effects) to value added, employment, and labor income was estimated using the Impact Analysis for Planning System (IMPLAN). The economic contributions of agricultural production and processing …

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

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

[Page] 2 Crop Watchers: Plant Science Department Research Efforts Strive To Enhance Farming Practices
[Page] 5 Profiles In Leadership: David Wright; Collegiate Leadership Matters
[Page] 6 Fall Collegiate News
[Page] 8 Opportunities To Explore: College’s Summer Camps Help Spark Career Interests
[Page] 10 Collaborative Campaign: Sales Of Cull Cows Helping Fund New SDSU Cow-Calf Facility
[Page] 12 Notable
[Page] 13 A Message From The SDSU Foundation

Back Matter Agricultural Research Magazine August 2013

Agricultural Research Magazine

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Magazine

5601 Sunnyside Ave.

Beltsville, MD 20705-5128

Prescription For Curing Citrus Greening, Dennis O’Brien, Yongping Duan

Agricultural Research Magazine

Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, is the most serious threat to the Florida citrus industry in its history and is costing millions of dollars each year. Working with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), Yongping Duan and his Agricultural Research Service colleagues in Fort Pierce, Florida, have found a formula for curbing HLB, offering the industry a glimmer of hope.

Duan has published details of work showing that heating potted citrus seedlings in greenhouses kills off the HLB bacterium and can rid the seedlings of citrus greening symptoms. Monitoring efforts show that the benefit can last for …

Early Weaning: A Good Bet For Beef Producers In Drought-Stricken Areas, R.C. Waterman, Sandra Avant

Agricultural Research Magazine

At the beginning of 2013, cattle-ranchers in the Northern Plains were among U.S. agricultural producers still feeling the lingering effects of the sweltering 2012 drought, the worst in half a century.

Beef cow numbers were at the lowest in 50 years as U.S. beef producers—severely affected by extended drought—tried to recover from some of the driest months on record.

Across the Northern and Southern Plains, beef producers hit the hardest by drought are threatened by limited forage resources for cows, which restricts calf growth, resulting in lighter calf weaning weights. In addition, drought can decrease cow body weight and condition …

Scientific Works Of Art Reveal A Hidden World, Gary Bauchan, Jan Suszkiw

Agricultural Research Magazine

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and at the Agricultural Research Service’s Electron and Confocal Microscopy Unit (ECMU) in Beltsville, Maryland, this adage couldn’t be more true. Led by unit director Gary Bauchan, the ECMU is tasked with producing highresolution images that provide a window to the extraordinary world of the unseen.

“We have observed viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, insects, mites, and parasites that threaten global food security, and we’ve contributed to the discovery of how pathogens spread by helping elucidate their relationship to the environment, hosts, and vectors,” says Bauchan. “We’ve also described …

Novel Ways To Combat Plant Pathogens, Deborah Fravel, Gail C. Wisler

Agricultural Research Magazine

Plant diseases must be managed to successfully and reliably produce crops to meet humanity’s growing food, fiber, feed, and fuel needs. Plant disease management relies on many different types of tools—from disease-resistant plant varieties and pesticides to cultural and biological strategies. Agricultural Research Service scientists are seeking new methods of managing plant diseases, more efficient means of using older methods, and combinations of these methods. Two of the oldest ways of reducing plant diseases are crop rotation and organic amendments to soil.

In Orono, Maine, for example, ARS scientists are evaluating a holistic approach to suppressing soilborne pathogens of potato, …

Possible Links Between Soil Microbial Communities And Stroke Risk, Ann Perry

Agricultural Research Magazine

“A big part of our Agricultural Research Service culture is cross-talking with outside researchers,” says ARS soil and water scientist Patrick Hunt. “Partnerships are what we do.”

So one day in 2011, Hunt called Medical University of South Carolina professor Daniel Lackland to discuss a paper Lackland had published about stroke risk in the state. South Carolina is part of the U.S. “Stroke Belt,” where residents have a significantly higher incidence of stroke than the rest of the U.S. population. South Carolina counties with the highest rates of stroke—between 89 and 115 cases per 100,000 residents—are found within the Southern …

Fungal Foam Tested Against Avocado Threat, Jan Suszkiw

Agricultural Research Magazine

Avocados aren’t just nutritional powerhouses; they’re also the chief ingredient in such party favorites as guacamole dip.

More than 99 percent of the nation’s $322 million avocado crop is grown in south Florida and southern California (less than 1 percent is produced in Hawaii), which makes recent infestations of groves there by invasive, wood-boring ambrosia beetles so alarming. A host of counter strategies are in the works, including a biobased foam originally developed by Agricultural Research Service scientists for use against Formosan subterranean termites.

In Miami-Dade County, Florida, avocado growers are contending with Xyleborus glabratus, the redbay ambrosia beetle. …

Fire Ant Venom Compounds May Be Useful As A Fungicide, Jan Suszkiw, Jian Chen, Xixuan Jin

Agricultural Research Magazine

Red imported fire ants are named for the firelike burn of their sting. Now, the same venom that packs such a painful wallop may actually do some good for a change.

Studies by scientists at the Agricultural Research Service’s Biological Control of Pests Research Unit in Stoneville, Mississippi, have shown that certain alkaloid compounds in the venom—namely, piperideines and piperidines—can hinder growth of Pythium ultimum, a top crop pathogen worldwide.

Chemical controls, delayed plantings, and crop rotation are among methods now used against P. ultimum, which causes damping-off diseases that decay the seed or seedlings of vegetable, horticultural, …

August 2013- Locations Featured In This Magazine Issue

Agricultural Research Magazine

Albany, California

9 research units ■ 241 employees

San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, Parlier, California

3 research units ■ 125 employees

Northwest Watershed Research Center, Boise, Idaho

1 research unit ■ 18 employees

Tucson, Arizona

2 research units ■ 54 employees

U.S. Sheep Experiment Station, Dubois, Idaho

1 research unit ■ 10 employees

Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, Miles City, Montana

1 research unit ■ 25 employees

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska

6 research units ■ 117 employees

Grazinglands Research Laboratory, El Reno, Oklahoma

2 research units ■ 43 employees

National …

Ars Validates Soil Moisture Data Collected Via Satellite, Ann Perry

Agricultural Research Magazine

The European Space Agency’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission includes the latest advance in using Earth-orbiting satellites for estimating soil moisture across the globe. The SMOS satellite was launched in 2009 and was designed to estimate soil moisture levels to within 4 percent, which is like measuring a teaspoon of water in a handful of dry soil.

To capture this data, SMOS uses a new sensor technology that is the first passive L-band system—measuring microwave radiation emitted around the frequency of 1.4 gigahertz—in routine operation. But the accuracy of the information collected by this new technology still needs …

New Strategies To Thwart Pecan Scab, Sharon Durham

Agricultural Research Magazine

Pecans are great for eating out of the shell or in a myriad of recipes. But abundant pickings of high-quality nuts are only possible if the tree escapes the devastating disease called “pecan scab.” Caused by the fungus Fusicladium effusum, it is the most destructive disease of pecan in the southeastern United States. When scab is severe, most often when rainfall is above average, nut size is reduced, and total crop loss might occur.

Scientists at the Southeastern Fruit and Tree Nut Research Laboratory in Byron, Georgia, are working to help pecan growers mitigate the effect of pecan scab. …

Screening Fresh Oranges With Uv Study Pinpoints New Value Of Detection Tactic, David M. Obenland, Joseph L. Smilanick, Marcia Wood

Agricultural Research Magazine

Fresh, deliciously sweet navel oranges, on display at your local supermarket, may have been quickly inspected with ultraviolet (UV) light when they were still at the packinghouse. Usually, the purpose of this special sorting and screening is to see if circular spots—which glow a bright, fluorescent yellow and may be about the size of a quarter or larger—show up on the fruit’s peel.

More often than not, these spots, which scientists refer to as “lesions,” are telltale indicators of the presence of microbes that cause decay, namely Penicillium italicum, responsible for blue mold, or P. digitatum, the culprit …

Agricultural Research Magazine August 2013

Agricultural Research Magazine

Table of Contents

4 Prescription for Curing Citrus Greening: Apply Heat and Wait

7 Screening Fresh Oranges With UV: Study Pinpoints New Value of Detection Tactic

8 Breed Matters: Selecting Rams for Rangeland Production

10 Scientific Works of Art Reveal a Hidden World

13 ARS Validates Soil Moisture Data Collected Via Satellite

14 New Strategies To Thwart Pecan Scab

15 Fire Ant Venom Compounds May Be Useful as a Fungicide

16 Possible Links Between Soil Microbial Communities and Stroke Risk

18 Early Weaning: A Good Bet for Beef Producers in Drought-Stricken Areas

20 Fungal Foam Tested Against Avocado Threat

21 …

Storage Technique Preserves Citrus, Kills Pathogens, Gayle Volk, Jan Suszkiw

Agricultural Research Magazine

Americans consume about 84 pounds of fresh and processed citrus per person each year, with oranges topping the list at 61 pounds annually. The availability of these favored fruits in grocery stores, fresh markets, and other consumer outlets is a testament to growers’ success in managing the ever-present threat of pests and diseases to the nation’s $3.4 billion citrus crop (2011-12), most of which is produced in Florida and California.

A major threat is citrus greening disease, also known as “Huanglongbing.” First detected in Florida in August 2005, citrus greening today is the target of a multifaceted effort by federal, …

Detecting Deadly Colonies Of E. Coli, Rosalie Marion Bliss

Agricultural Research Magazine

Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serogroup O157:H7 has long been associated with severe forms of foodborne illnesses. But these bacterial bad guys have many cousins, and six other STEC groups have also been linked to serious illnesses and outbreaks of disease.

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a regulation that, as of June 2012, certain beef products that test positive for any of these six groups, nicknamed the “Big Six,” would be banned from being sold for public consumption. As USDA’s regulatory arm, FSIS employs inspectors who collect meat samples on the front …