Animal Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of Salmonella Biofilm Cell Transfer From Common Food Contact Surfaces To Beef Products, Rong Wong, David A. King, Norasak Kalchayanand

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

Meat contamination by Salmonella enterica is a serious public health concern. Available data have suggested that biofilm formation at processing plants and contaminated contact surfaces might contribute to meat contamination. Because transfer from contact surfaces to food products via direct contact has been deemed the most common bacteria transmission route that can lead to contamination, we evaluated the effect of Salmonella biofilm forming ability, contact surface material, and beef surface tissue type on Salmonella biofilm transfer from hard surfaces to beef products. Salmonella biofilms developed on the common contact surfaces stainless steel (SS) and polyvinylchloride (PVC) were transferred consecutively via …

Comparison Of Methods To Estimate Ruminal Degradation And Intestinal Digestibility Of Protein In Hydrolyzed Feather Meal With Or Without Blood, Kassidy Buse, D. L. Morris, H. L. Diaz, O. R. Drehmel, Paul J. Kononoff

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Hydrolyzed feather meal (HFM) is a feedstuff high in rumen undegraded protein (RUP) that can be used as an effective source of metabolizable protein for dairy cattle. Because the production process may vary, the rumen degradability and intestinal digestibility of HFM may also vary. Additionally, some processes may incorporate additional blood into the final product to result in feather meal with poultry blood. To determine the rumen degradability and intestinal digestibility of these products, several laboratory assays can be used; the common assays are the mobile bag (MOB), modified three-step (MTS), and Ross (ROS) assays. Although all 3 assays determine …

Inflammatory Mediation Of Heat Stress-Induced Growth Deficits In Livestock And Its Potential Role As A Target For Nutritional Interventions: A Review, Micah S. Most, Dustin T. Yates

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Heat stress is detrimental to well-being and growth performance in livestock, and systemic inflammation arising during chronic heat stress contributes to these poor outcomes. Sustained exposure of muscle and other tissues to inflammation can impair the cellular processes that facilitate muscle growth and intramuscular fat deposition, thus reducing carcass quality and yield. Climate change is expected to produce more frequent extreme heat events, increasing the potential impact of heat stress on sustainable livestock production. Feedlot animals are at particularly high risk for heat stress, as confinement limits their ability to seek cooling from the shade, water, or breeze. Economically practical …

The Price Of Surviving On Adrenaline: Developmental Programming Responses To Chronic Fetal Hypercatecholaminemia Contribute To Poor Muscle Growth Capacity And Metabolic Dysfunction In Iugr-Born Offspring, Rachel L. Gibbs, Dustin T. Yates

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Maternofetal stress induces fetal programming that restricts skeletal muscle growth capacity and metabolic function, resulting in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) of the fetus. This thrifty phenotype aids fetal survival but also yields reduced muscle mass and metabolic dysfunction after birth. Consequently, IUGR-born individuals are at greater lifelong risk for metabolic disorders that reduce quality of life. In livestock, IUGR-born animals exhibit poor growth efficiency and body composition, making these animals more costly and less valuable. Specifically, IUGR-associated programming causes a greater propensity for fat deposition and a reduced capacity for muscle accretion. This, combined with metabolic inefficiency, means that these …

Impact Of Wood-Sourced Biochar On Carbon And Nitrogen Capture In Beef Feedlot Systems, Jessica L. Sperber

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

A feedlot growing and finishing experiment evaluated the effect of including pine-sourced biochar at 0.8 (growing) and 1.0% (finishing) of dietary DM on steer performance, carcass characteristics, and greenhouse gas (GHG) production (Exp 1). Two nutrient mass balance experiments were conducted during winter and summer seasons to evaluate the effect of spreading unprocessed red cedar biochar on the feedlot pen surface on manure nutrient capture and cattle performance (Exp 2). In Exp. 1, the inclusion of biochar in the growing diet did not impact steer performance. The inclusion of biochar in the finishing diet significantly reduced intake and gain, resulting …

Management Of Late Summer Planted Annual Forages For Grazing And The Impacts Of Novel Sweet Bran Plus Products On Performance And Carcass Characteristics Of Beef Finishing Steers, Devin Jakub

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

Two separate grazing studies were conducted to evaluate: 1) the effects of rapeseed inclusion into late summer planted oats on the performance of growing steers during late fall and winter (Exp. 1) and 2) the effects of forage allocation on forage utilization and performance of steers grazing a late summer planted oat-rapeseed mix (Exp. 2). Variation in the corn wet milling process can result in negative effects on animal performance, nonetheless, there remains interest in further exploration and refinement of corn wet milling byproducts to achieve optimal byproduct compositions and cattle performance. Thus, another experiment was conducted to evaluate the …

Utilizing Online Resources To Enhance Distribution Of Competitive Animal Evaluation Knowledge And Benefits, Brooke L. Parrish

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

In recent years, the shift toward online education has revealed new challenges for learners to retain information, and for educators to find new and engaging ways to present content. This mixed methods, action research study explores the need and creation of online resources for competitive horse judging through surveys and pilot groups. The study was broken into four cycles. The first was an adult learner analysis survey, distributed through email Listservs and extension social media pages, to aid in answering the research questions: what expert horse judging instructors indicate their students should be learning, and what resources they need. Based …

Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Two Contrasting Beef Systems From Birth To Slaughter In Eastern Nebraska, Levi Mcphillips

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

Over the last 15 years, the increase in land use for corn and soybean has come at the expense of acres of grasslands and perennial forages employed in conventional beef-production systems. Implementing alternative cow-calf production systems into existing cropping systems may be a solution for reduced land availability and reducing total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Therefore, GHG from a conventional (CONV) pasture-based cattle production system with cows wintered on corn residue and summer grazing of brome pasture were compared to partial-confinement system (ALT) with cows and calves in a drylot during the summer and grazing cover crops and corn residue …

Biodiversity Scale-Dependence And Opposing Multi-Level Correlations Underlie Differences Among Taxonomic, Phylogenetic And Functional Diversity, Nadejda A. Mirochnitchenko, Erica F. Stuber, Joseph J. Fontaine

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Aim: Biodiversity is a multidimensional property of biological communities that represents different information depending on how it is measured, but how dimensions relate to one another and under what conditions is not well understood. We explore how taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity can differ in scale-of-effect dependence and habitat-biodiversity relationships, and subsequently how spatial differences among biodiversity dimensions may arise. Location: Nebraska, United States. Taxon: Birds. Methods: Across 2016 and 2017, we conducted 2,641 point counts at 781 sites. We modeled the occupancy of 141 species using Bayesian Bernoulli-Bernoulli hierarchical logistic regressions. We calculated species richness (SR), phylogenetic diversity (PD), …

Transcriptome Profiles Of The Skeletal Muscle Of Mature Cows During Feed Restriction And Realimentation, Hannah C. Cunningham-Hollinger, Larry A. Kuehn, Kristi M. Cammack, Kristin E. Hales, William T. Oliver, Matthew S. Crouse, Celine Chen, Harvey C. Freetly, Amanda K. Lindholm-Perry

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

Objective: Realimentation can compensate for weight loss from poor-quality feedstuffs or drought. Mature cows fluctuate in body weight throughout the year due to nutrient availability. The objective of this study was to determine whether cows that differ in weight gain during realimentation also differ in the abundance of transcripts for enzymes associated with energy utilization in skeletal muscle. Mature cows were subjected to feed restriction followed by ad libitum feed. Skeletal muscle transcriptome expression differences during the two feeding periods were determined from cows with greater (n = 6) and less (n = 6) weight gain during the ad libitum …

Northern Saw-Whet Owl Autumn Migration In Eastern Nebraska: Results From A Three-Year Banding Study, Stephen J. Brenner, Joel G. Jorgensen

Nebraska Bird Review

Prior to 2019, records of NSWOs in Nebraska during fall were limited. There were fewer than five accepted reports in eastern Nebraska since the 1950s (Silcock and Jorgensen, 2021). The Hitchcock banding station along the Missouri River bluffs in nearby western Iowa has captured, banded, and released 20-50 birds during autumn migration for a number of years (J. Toll, personal communication). Furthermore, a single season banding study in central Nebraska during fall 2004 captured 14 NSWOs (Kim 2005), suggesting the species may migrate annually over much of the state in fall, or at least in more years than previously thought. …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 89 Number 4, December 2021

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August - November 2021 by W. Ross Silcock

Book Review: Nest Records of Nebraska Birds by Wayne J. Mollhoff Reviewed by W. Ross Silcock

Northern Saw-whet Owl Autumn Migration in Eastern Nebraska: Results from a Three-year Banding Study by Stephen J. Brenner and Joel G. Jorgensen

Mute Swan Observation at Gavins Point Dam Area, Cedar/Knox Co., Nebraska by Caleb Strand and Mark A. Brogie

Book Review: The Sandhill Crane State: A Naturalist's Guide to Nebraska by Paul Johnsgard, Reviewed by Ruth Stearns

Index to Volume 89

Subscription and Organization Information

Mute Swan Observation At Gavins Point Dam Area, Cedar/Knox Co., Nebraska, Caleb Strand, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (NOURC) considers Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) to be Accidental in Nebraska (NOURC 2017) with only two accepted records. A review of Mute Swan status in the Midwest and Nebraska, how individual records in Nebraska are evaluated to determine wild provenance, and a review of Nebraska reports can be found in “The Mute Swan in Nebraska: History and Current Status” (Brogie et al. 2016).

The following is an account of the third NOURC accepted record for Mute Swan in Nebraska. On 11 June 2021 we observed two sub-adult Mute Swans on Lake Yankton, Cedar County, …

Review Of Nest Records Of Nebraska Birds By Wayne J. Mollhoff, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This book summarizes a lifetime of investigation of Nebraska’s breeding birds by Wayne Mollhoff. Even though I say the book summarizes a lifetime of investigation, I would not be surprised if Wayne resurfaces in a few years with a follow-up of some sort, intrepid investigator that he is. Over the years Wayne has spent innumerable days in the field climbing trees in full forestry gear, wading and kayaking marshes and rivers, hiking over prairies, and bushwhacking through dense forests (there are still a few in Nebraska). But this isn’t the totality of Wayne’s talents; he is a determined researcher with …

Review Of The Sandhill Crane State: A Naturalist’S Guide To Nebraska By Paul Johnsgard, Ruth Stearns

Nebraska Bird Review

Dr. Paul Austin Johnsgard left us one last gift, in this reference guide to all places natural in Nebraska. Published posthumously, and available for purchase or free via UNL’s Digital Commons, this book arrived at my doorstep like a veritable “seed catalog” of Nebraska’s places of wonder to delight and inspire fair weather adventures just before the long winter set in. He wants us to explore the state as he had done, to be excited by all the out-ofdoors Nebraska has to offer.

Index To Volume 89

Nebraska Bird Review

Adams, Marie 52

to

Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii 168 leucophrys 75, 168-169 oriantha 75, 169

Fall Field Report, August-November 2021, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

INTRODUCTION Recent years have seen increasing reports of birds lingering quite late, and this fall was no exception. Notable groups exhibiting tardy departures were shorebirds and vireos. Tardy shorebirds were record late Solitary Sandpipers, near-record late Dunlin, and late Long-billed Curlew, Ruddy Turnstone, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitcher, and Wilson’s Phalarope. Among the vireos, all regular species were at least tardy; record late was a Red-eyed Vireo, a Warbling Vireo was record late for the Panhandle, and a Blue-headed Vireo was second latest on record. Record late was a Barn Swallow, and a Mountain Bluebird was record late in …

Landscape Transformations Produce Favorable Roosting Conditions For Turkey Vultures And Black Vultures, Jacob E. Hill, Kenneth F. Kellner, Bryan M. Kluever, Michael L. Avery, John S. Humphrey, Eric A. Tillman, Travis L. Devault, Jerrold L. Belant

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Recent increases in turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) and black vulture (Coragyps atratus) populations in North America have been attributed in part to their success adapting to human-modified landscapes. However, the capacity for such landscapes to generate favorable roosting conditions for these species has not been thoroughly investigated. We assessed the role of anthropogenic and natural landscape elements on roosting habitat selection of 11 black and 7 turkey vultures in coastal South Carolina, USA using a GPS satellite transmitter dataset derived from previous research. Our dataset spanned 2006–2012 and contained data from 7916 nights of roosting. Landscape …

Towards A More Comprehensive Understanding Of Wild Pig (Sus Scrofa) Impacts On Agricultural Producers: Insights From A Texas Case Study, Keith M. Carlisle, Nicole Didero, Sophie Mckee, Julie Elser, Stephanie A. Shwiff

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

This research investigates the impacts of invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa Linneaus) on agricultural producers in Texas, with the aim of identifying and describing all categories of wild pig impacts and quantifying the extent of producers’ over- or underestimation of their total wild pig-related costs in 2018, as compared to calculations based upon data subsequently provided by the producers about individual wild pig-related costs and losses. Based on interviews with 23 producers in 16 Texas counties, we identified more than 20 discrete categories of negative impacts and negligible positive impacts associated with wild pigs. Among them were categories that have …

Sex And Nest Type Influence Avian Blood Parasite Prevalence In A High-Elevation Bird Community, Marina D. Rodriguez, Paul F. Doherty, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Kathryn P. Huyvaert

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: The prevalence of avian haemosporidian parasites and the factors influencing infection in the Colorado Rocky Mountains are largely unknown. With climate change expected to promote the expansion of vector and avian blood parasite distributions, baseline knowledge and continued monitoring of the prevalence and diversity of these parasites is needed.

Methods: Using an occupancy modeling framework, we conducted a survey of haemosporidian parasite species infecting an avian community in the Colorado Rocky Mountains in order to estimate the prevalence and diversity of blood parasites and to investigate species-level and individual-level characteristics that may influence infection.

Results: We estimated the prevalence …

Reproductive Success Of Captive-Reared Allegheny Woodrats (Neotoma Magister) Released Into Genetically Depauperate Populations, Miracle M. Davis, Timothy J. Smyser, Scott A. Johnson, Joseph Duchamp, Jeffery L. Larkin, Robert K. Swihart, Jacqueline M. Doyle

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Habitat fragmentation and degradation have led to a proliferation of small and isolated populations that are vulnerable to genetic erosion. Reduction in habitat and concomitant declines in population connectivity can expediate the collapse of species that exist as natural metapopulations. In recent years, Allegheny woodrats (Neotoma magister) have experienced local extirpations and declines in genetic diversity across their range due to disease-related mortality, reduced food availability, and disruption of connectivity among subpopulations. In response, we developed a captive-breeding program to facilitate genetic management of isolated woodrat populations in Indiana. Between 2010 and 2012, 27 captive-reared individuals were released to four …

Economic Estimates Of Wild Hog (Sus Scrofa) Damage And Control Among Young Forest Plantations In Alabama, Micah Fern, Rebecca Barlow, Chris Slootmaker, John Kush, Stephanie Shwiff, Larry Teeter, Jim Armstrong

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Operating as ecological engineers, the increased distribution and abundance of wild hogs (Sus scrofa) has caused considerable socio-economic impacts. The international scope of economic research providing wild hog damage estimates are often confined to agricultural crops, while damage estimates among forest plantations are lacking. In Alabama, private landowners hold the majority of timberland acreage and are less equipped to absorb financial losses from wild hog damage than their industrial counterparts. A survey was conducted to estimate the economic impact of wild hogs, namely costs of damage and control, to privately owned forestlands. The survey was distributed in the …

Responses Of Turkey Vultures To Unmanned Aircraft Systems Vary By Platform, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Bradley F. Blackwell, Thomas W. Seamans, Bruce N. Buckingham, Joshua L. Hoblet, Patrice E. Baumhardt

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A challenge that conservation practitioners face is manipulating behavior of nuisance species. The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) can cause substantial damage to aircraft if struck. The goal of this study was to assess vulture responses to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for use as a possible dispersal tool. Our treatments included three platforms (fixed-wing, multirotor, and a predator-like ornithopter [powered by flapping flight]) and two approach types (30 m overhead or targeted towards a vulture) in an operational context. We evaluated perceived risk as probability of reaction, reaction time, flight-initiation distance (FID), vulture remaining index, and latency to return. …

Potential Use For Serosurveillance Of Feral Swine To Map Risk For Anthrax Exposure, Texas, Usa, Rachel M. Maison, Courtney F. Pierce, Izabela K. Ragan, Vienna R. Brown, Michael J. Bodenchuk, Richard A. Bowen, Angela M. Bosco-Lauth

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Anthrax is a disease of concern in many mammals, including humans. Management primarily consists of prevention through vaccination and tracking clinical-level observations because environmental isolation is laborious and bacterial distribution across large geographic areas diffi cult to confi rm. Feral swine (Sus scrofa) are an invasive species with an extensive range in the southern United States that rarely succumbs to anthrax. We present evidence that feral swine might serve as biosentinels based on comparative seroprevalence in swine from historically defi ned anthrax-endemic and non–anthraxendemic regions of Texas. Overall seropositivity was 43.7% (n = 478), and logistic regression revealed county endemicity …

Deterring Non-Target Birds From Toxic Bait Sites For Wild Pigs, Nathan P. Snow, Joseph M. Halseth, Justin A. Foster, Michael J. Lavelle, Justin W. Fischer, Michael P. Glow, Ingrid A. Messer, Seth M. Cook, Kurt C. Vercauteren

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Toxic baiting of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) is a potential new tool for population control and damage reduction in the US. Field trials testing a prototype toxic bait (HOGGONE 2 containing 5% sodium nitrite [SN]), though, revealed that wild pigs spilled small particles of toxic bait outside of bait stations which subsequently created hazards for non-target species that consumed those particles, primarily passerine birds. To deter non-target birds from consuming particles of spilled bait, we tested four deterrents at mock bait sites (i.e., baited with bird seed) in north-central Colorado, USA during April–May 2020. We found a programable, inflatable deterrent …

Feeding A New Corn Milling Coproduct To Lactating Dairy Cattle; Examination Of Whole Animal Energy And Nitrogen Balance, Addison Carroll

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

New coproducts are continually developed in the ethanol production industry. With that, the new product originates from the dry milling process which is unlike the traditional process as nitrogenous based particles are concentrated from the residual fiber by sieving post fermentation. Although high protein coproducts have been available since the mid 2000’s. These new products must be evaluated for chemical composition so that they can be accurately described in feed libraries that are used in commercial ration formulation software. While chemical composition provides us an initial and useful description of a feed product, in vivo nitrogen and energy balance studies …

Small Grain Cereal Cover Crops For Late Fall Or Early Spring Grazing, Kallie Calus

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

Beef cattle operations are confronted with early spring and late fall forage deficiencies. Producers in integrated crop and livestock systems can fill forage gaps using cover crops as a forage source in between cash crops.

A five-year study evaluating forage production, growing calf performance and economics of grazing an oats cover crop planted after corn silage (CS) and high moisture corn (HMC) corn harvests was conducted. The economic analysis accounted for costs of establishing and grazing the oats and the value of calf gain to determine fall grazing system profitability. Steers had greater average daily gain grazing oats after CS …

Host Genetics And Phenotype Associations Within The Bovine Rumen Microbiome, Waseem Abbas

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

Rumen microbes have a symbiotic relationship with the host where the host provides a suitable environment and microbial fermentation fulfill nearly 70% of the energy needs of the host. Rumen microbes play a central role in host performance and health. To date, most rumen microbiome studies have focused on the influence of diet on microbial species composition. In addition to dietary factors, studies have suggested that host genetic markers could influence the colonization of gastrointestinal microbiota. However, our understanding of the host-microbiome interaction and how host phenotype is influenced by the rumen microbiome is limited. This dissertation demonstrates: (1) host …

Evaluation Of Cattle Management For Systems With Limited Perennial Pasture, Morgan Grabau

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

Due to the conversion of perennial pasture and hay land to cropland in the western corn belt region, alternative methods of cow/calf management are being used to decrease reliance on perennial forages. These include grazing corn residue and feeding cow/calf pairs in confinement. Previous research has shown that limit-feeding a diet of low-quality forage and energy-dense co-products to cows in confinement is cost-effective. However, this strategy may limit the intake of the young calf and thus their performance. A study was conducted to evaluate the impacts of two alternative calf management strategies when pairs are in confinement, early weaning or …

How Do Genetic Relatedness And Spatial Proximity Shape African Swine Fever Infections In Wild Boar?, Tomasz Podgórski, Kim M. Pepin, Anna Radko, Angelika Podbielska, Magdalena Łyjak, Grzegorz Woźniakowski, Tomasz Borowik

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The importance of social and spatial structuring of wildlife populations for disease spread, though widely recognized, is still poorly understood in many host-pathogen systems. In particular, system-specific kin relationships among hosts can create contact heterogeneities and differential disease transmission rates. Here, we investigate how distance-dependent infection risk is influenced by genetic relatedness in a novel host-pathogen system: wild boar (Sus scrofa) and African swine fever (ASF).We hypothesized that infection risk would correlate positively with proximity and relatedness to ASF-infected individuals but expected those relationships to weaken with the distance between individuals due to decay in contact rates and …