Animal Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Prepartum Supplementation Strategy On Cow-Calf Performance In May-Calving Mature Cows, J. A. Musgrave, Kacie L. Mccathy, J. Travis Mulliniks

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Implementation of minimal supplemental protein strategies during late gestation may have the potential to minimize any negative postweaning progeny performance while decreasing feed costs. A 3-yr study was conducted to evaluate the effects of mid- to late-gestation supplementation strategies on reproduction, cow body weight, and calf performance in May-calving mature range cows grazing upland native range. Supplementation was provided 2x weekly with treatments being 1) 05 lb per day of a 30% CP distillers-based supplement, 2) 1 lb per day of a 30% CP distillers-based supplement, 3) a negative control as a flexible supplementation strategy. The Flex strategy was developed …

The Effect Of Late Gestation Supplementation Strategy On Cow-Calf Performance In March-Calving Mature Cows, J. A. Musgrave, Kacie L. Mccathy, J. Travis Mulliniks

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Implementation of supplemental protein strategies during late gestation has been shown to positively affect postweaning progeny performance. A 2-yr study was conducted to evaluate the effects of late gestation supplementation strategies on reproduction, cow body weight, and calf performance in March-calving mature range cows grazing dormant upland range. Supplementation was individually fed and provided daily with treatments being: 1) no supplementation, 2) 2 lb per day of a 30% CP distillers-based supplement, 3) 2 lb per day of a 30% CP distillers-based supplement with the inclusion of 160 mg/cow daily of monensin, 4) 2 lb per day of a 30% …

Effect Of Glucogenic Feed Additive On Reproductive Performance In Young Postpartum Range Cows, Tasha M. King, J. A. Musgrave, Nicole M. Woita, Shelby L. Boerman, J. C. Macdonald, J. Travis Mulliniks

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Performance of young March-Calving range cows receiving a protein supplement with the addition of either monensin or propionate salt were compared to evaluate the effect of feed additive on overall production in the postpartum stage. cow body weight and body condition were not impacted by postpartum supplementation throughout the study. Calf body weights were not impacted by type of feed additive at birth, weaning, or 205-d. Twenty-four-hour milk production was not impacted by the type of feed additive. Conception rates for cows receiving postpartum supplementation containing propionate salt were greater than cows receiving monsensin. This implies that the addition of …

Effect Of Heifer Percent Mature Body Weight At Breeding On Heifer Performance, Calf Production, And Subsequent Pregnancy Rates, Josie N. Crouch, J. Travis Mulliniks, J. A. Musgrave, Kathy J. Hanford, Kacie L. Mccathy

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A retrospective study was done utilizing 1,434 March- and May- calving Red Angus x Simmental crossbred cows and heifers from 2005 through 2019. Heifer weight as a percentage of mature body weight at breeding was used to conduct a regression analysis from 50 to 70% of mature body weight to determine the impact of body weight at breeding on reproductive performance. Heifer pregnancy rates and second pregnancy rates as 2-year-olds were greater for heifers at 60, 65, and 70% of mature body weight at breeding than heifers at 50 and 55%. However, heifer percent mature body weight at breeding did …

Impact Of Increasing Level Of Milk Production On Cow-Calf Performance In Nebraska Sandhills, Selby L. Boerman, Jacki A. Musgrave, Kathryn J. Hanford, Mitchell B. Stephenson, J. Travis Mulliniks

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

In a 2-yr study, data were collected on 118 crossbred cow-calf pairs from March and May-calving herds. On approximately 30, 60, 90, 120, and 210 d postpartum, individual cow 24-h bilk yield was estimated through weigh-suckle weigh techniques. Cow body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS) were collected weekly through breeding. Calf BW was recorded at each milking. Individual cow milk area under the curve (AUC) values were calculated and data were analyzed using linear regression analysis. Results from this study illustrate that increasing total milk produced throughout the lactation period had minimal influence on the cow production parameters …

Use Of Otolith Microchemistry To Determine Natal Origins For Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys Molitrix In The Lower Mississippi River Basin, C. Barshinger, M. Eggleton, J. Spurgeon

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Two Otolith Processing Methods For Silver Carp Age Estimation, J. N. Stevens, C. E. Barshinger, J. J. Spurgeon, M. A. Eggleton, S. E. Lochmann

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Arctic Report Card 2024, United States National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration: Technical Reports and Related Materials

The Arctic Report Card from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for 2024.

Relationship Between Socking Rate And Production Of Stocker Hybrid Tilapia And Water Quality In A Mixtotrophic Biofloc System, Bartholomew W. Green, Steven D. Rawles, Candis L. Ray, Matthew E. Mcentire

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

Intensified production of stocker-size tilapia can be accomplished using the biofloc technology production system. Stocker-size tilapia (ca. 10–200 g/fish) are raised for subsequent stocking for grow-out to market size. The relationship between stocking rate and the production of stocker-size hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis aureus x O. niloticus) was evaluated in two studies in outdoor mixotrophic biofloc tanks. Hybrid tilapia were stocked in 18.6-m² (15.7-m³) tanks at 50–150 fish/m² (59–178 fish/m³) in 25 fish/m² (30 fish/m³) increments in Study 1 and grown for 141–143 days. Stocking rates evaluated in 4.7-m …

Statistics Used In The Nebraska Beef Reports And Their Purpose, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

The purpose of beef cattle and beef product research at UNL is to provide reference information that represents the various populations (cows, calves, heifers, feeders, carcasses, retail products, etc) of beef production. Obviously, the researcher cannot apply treatments to every member of a population; therefore he/she must sample the population. The use of statistics allows the researcher and readers of the Nebraska Beef report the opportunity to evaluate separation of random (chance) occurrences and real biological effects of a treatment. Following is a brief description of the major statistics used in the beef report. For a more detailed description of …

Evaluation Of Vivalto® On Growth Performance And Carcass Characteristics In Growing And Finishing Beef Steers, Garrett N. Lemon, Rebecca Mcdermott, Galen E. Erickson, Jeff Heldt, Pablo L. Loza

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A finishing trial conducted at the Pan-handle Research, Extension, and Education Center (PREEC) near Scottsbluff, NE evaluated the effect of Vivalto^®, a B-vitamin complex, on the feeding performance and carcass characteristics of feedlot steers. The design of the study was completely randomized block design with three treatments, control without Vivalto^®, 1g Vivalto^®/steer/day, and 2g Vivalto^®/steer/day. Cattle fed the diets that included Vivalto^® feed had lower intakes during the first 56 days than cattle that received no Vivalto^® in the diet. No significant differences were observed for ADG, intake, feed efficiency …

Effect Of Biochar On Enteric Methane Production And Cattle Performance, Hanna Cronk, Holly Heil, Rebecca Mcdermott, Mitch Norman, Galen E. Erickson, Andrea Watson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Because ruminant animals, including cattle, emit methane, strategies are actively being sought to reduce these emissions. Pistachio shell-sourced biochar was included at 0.5% of a finishing cattle diet to determine effects on methane emissions and cattle performance. Eight pens of cattle were rotated through a 2-chambered emissions barn to analyze methane and carbon dioxide produced by the cattle. Biochar tended to increase methane emissions on a g/d basis with no effect on methane emissions as g/lb of feed intake and no differences in carbon dioxide emissions. There were no differences …

Impact Of Strip-Grazing Stockpiled Annual/Cover Crop Forages On Carrying Capacity And Animal Performance, Shelby L. Davies-Jenkins, Abigail Sartin, Devin Jakub, Zac Carlson, Erin Laborie, Jack Arterburn, Ben Beckman, Brad Schnick, M. E. Drewnoski

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Annual forages/cover crops can be used to fill the fall/winter grazing gap, and strip grazing may increase carrying capacity by reducing trampling losses of the forage. The current experiment utilized a series of on-farm experiments across two growing seasons to compare continuous and strip grazing of various summer planted cover crops. Strip grazing increased carrying capacity by an average of 47 ± 15% and gain per acre by 44 ± 5% compared to continuous grazing although significant variability in the amount of increase was observed. This variability can likely be attributed to forage type (quality), frequency of moves, and forage …

Strategies For Ddgs Supplementation Frequency To Frazing Yearling Streers, Sydney T. Vanderhoff, Rebecca L. Sjostrand, Mitchell M. Norman, Isaque F. Vicci, Jim C. Macdonald, Mary E. Drewnoski

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Infrequent supplementation saves labor and may reduce animal performance, but recent research with reduced fat distillers grains has provided inconsistent results. This experiment evaluated the effects of daily and three times a week supplementation of dried distillers grains on yearling steer performance grazing smooth bromegrass pastures from May to August. Daily supplemented steers received 5.6 pounds of dry matter per steer of dried distillers grains with solubles 7 days/week. The three times a week supplemented steers received 13.0 pounds of dry matter per steer of dried distillers grains with solubles three days/week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). A control treatment received no …

Effect Of Methionine Supplementation During Late Gestation In Beef Females, Landon F. Tadich, Jim R. Teichert, Kathryn J. Hanford, Jacki A. Musgrave, Rich N. Funston

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Some amino acids are known to be essential to cattle and effect protein availability to the animal, especially during gestation when nutrient requirements are higher. Methionine is found to be one of the most limiting in low quality forage diets. Two 3-yr studies were performed to evaluate the impact of methionine supplementation during late gestation on intake, body weight, average daily gain, and subsequent calf performance in primiparous and multiparous females. In exp 1, 120 artificially inseminated pregnancy heifers were placed in a Calan gate feeding system (n=40/yr) and assigned 1 of 3 treatments during late gestation and fed ad …

Artificial Insemination Of Beef Heifers With Multi-Sire Semen, Dempster Christenson, Jordan Thomas, Daniel J. Kelly, John G. Maddux, R. Funston

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

The study compared pregnancy rates of beef heifers artificially inseminated with multi-sire semen to single-sire semen at ranch 1 and demonstrated pregnancy to multi-sire sexed semen at rand 2. It was hypothesized pregnancy rates resulting from multi-sire semen would be increased compared to single-sire semen. Ranch 1 heifers were inseminated with either single-sire or multi-sire semen and all heifers expressing estrus at ranch 2 were inseminated with multi-sire semen averaged numerically greater pregnancy rate than the average single-sire pregnancy rate and pregnancy outcomes from multi-sire sexed semen exceed previous literature but cannot be directly compared. Despite similar pregnancy results between …

Long-Term Performance Of Steers Grazing Smooth Bromegrass Pastures, Morgan Hodges, Holly Heil, Rebecca Mcdermott, Anastasios Mazis, Tala Awada, Galen E. Erickson, Andrea K. Watson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

Body weight gain of yearling steers grazing smooth bromegrass pastures was measured across 17 years from 2005 to 2021. Three treatments were applied, (1) control pastures with no additional inputs, (2) pastures fertilized with 80 lb of N per acre, and (3) pastures grazed with cattle supplemented daily with approximately 5 lb of dry distillers grains. The cnntrol treatment pastures (1.4 acres/steer) were stocked 30% lighter than the fertilized and supplemented pastures (1.0 acre/steer). Across the 17 years, the supplemented cattle gained 2.24 lb/day while the non-supplemented cattle (both control and fertilized treatments) gained 1.57 lb/day. Body …

Steps Towards Operationalizing One Health Approaches, Kim M. Pepin, Keith M. Carlisle, Dean Anderson, Michael G. Baker, Richard B. Chipman, Jackie Benschop, Nigel P. French, Suzie Greenhalgh, Scott Mcdougall, Petra Muellner, Emil Murphy, Dion R. J. Neale, Michael J. Plank, David T. S. Hayman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

One Health recognizes the health of humans, agriculture, wildlife, and the environment are interrelated. The concept has been embraced by international health and environmental authorities such as WHO, WOAH, FAO, and UNEP, but One Health approaches have been more practiced by researchers than national or international authorities. To identify priorities for operationalizing One Health beyond research contexts, we conducted 41 semi-structured interviews with professionals across One Health sectors (public health, environment, agriculture, wildlife) and institutional contexts, who focus on national-scale and international applications. We identify important challenges, solutions, and priorities for delivering the One Health agenda through government action. Participants …

Changing Fire Regimes And Nuanced Impacts On A Critically Imperiled Species, Jeremy T. Rockweit, Katie M. Dugger, Damon B. Lesmeister, Raymond J. Davis, Alan B. Franklin, J. Mark Higley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildfire activity throughout western North America is increasing which can have important consequences for species persistence. Native species have evolved disturbance-adapted traits that confer resilience to natural disturbance provided disturbances operate within their historical range of variability. This resilience can erode as disturbance regimes change and begin operating outside this range. We assessed wildfire impacts during 1987–2018 on the northern spotted owl, an imperiled species with complex relationships with late and early seral forest in the Pacific Northwest, USA. We analyzed population- and individual-level wildfire impacts across the frequent-fire portion of the owl’s geographic range at two spatial scales and …

Heating Decoys To Mimic Thermal Signatures Of Live Animals For Drones, Landon R. Jones, Cerise Mensah, Jared S. Elmore, Kristine O. Evans, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Brad F. Blackwell, Raymond B. Iglay

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Method name

Heating animal decoys to mimic thermal signatures for drones

Abstract

Thermal sensors mounted on drones (unoccupied aircraft systems) are popular and effective tools for monitoring cryptic animal species, although few studies have quantified sampling error of ani- mal counts from thermal images. Using decoys is one effective strategy to quantify bias and count accuracy; however, plastic decoys do not mimic thermal signatures of representative species. Our objective was to produce heat signatures in animal decoys to realistically match thermal images of live animals obtained from a drone-based sensor. We tested commercially available methods to heat plastic decoys of …

Competitive Behaviors Between Black Vultures (Coragyps Atratus) And Turkey Vultures (Cathartes Aura) During Scavenging / Comportamientos Competitivos Entre Coragyps Atratus Y Cathartes Aura Durante El Carroñeo, Amanda M. Herbert, Patrick A. Zollner, Landon R. Jones, Marian L. Wahl, Grant N. Burcham, Bryan M. Kluever, Lee A. Humberg, Brandon M. Quinby

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Abstract

Interference competition occurs when an individual prohibits another’s access to a resource through antagonistic interactions. Despite considerable research on scavenger interactions at carrion, the limited evidence for competitive interactions between black vultures (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) relies upon the frequency of antagonistic interactions without considering other forms of competition. Using remote cameras, we recorded the duration of aggression, scavenging, and vigilance behaviors exhibited by individual black vultures and turkey vultures scavenging stillborn domestic cattle carcasses within flocks composed of one or both vulture species. We tested for differences of durations of each …

The Texas Feral Swine Eradication And Control Pilot Program, David R. Pipkin, Bruce R. Leland, Katherine Garwood, Linda Tschirhart-Hejl, Michael J. Bodenchuk, John M. Tomecek

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The United States Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) established the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program. The program funded US$75M for 5 years, split evenly between the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), both programs within the United States Department of Agriculture. The agencies solicited joint programs from states with high densities of feral swine in two phases. In Texas, NRCS and APHIS submitted three multi-county project areas along watersheds for Phase I funding and one eradication effort along with two crop protection projects in Phase II. …

Spatiotemporal Partitioning Of Two Invasive Ungulates In Guam [Abstract], Kelly J. Koriakin, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Nathan P. Snow, D. Buck Jolley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Interspecific interactions are crucial in shaping ecosystem dynamics (Connell 1983, Tilman 1987, Barbosa and Castellanos 2005). Non-native ungulates have been introduced across the globe (Ferretti and Lovari 2014, Volery et al. 2021) and in environments where multiple invasives thrive, these co-occurring sympatric species may shift spatiotemporal patterns to minimize interspecific competition (Schoener 1974, Chesson 2000). Spatiotemporal shifts can lead to cascading effects to the native flora and fauna (Simberloff and Von Holle 1999). Given the potential negative impacts, understanding these interactions is vital for effective management of these ecosystems.

Two invasive ungulates, the wild pig (Sus scrofa) and …

2024-2025 Report Of The Iucn Species Survival Commission And Secretariat, John P. Carroll, Rahul Kaul

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

The Galliformes Specialist Group is committed to the worldwide conservation and sustainable management of all native populations of Galliformes species and their habitats.

Includes projected impact for 2021–2025, targets for 2021–2025, and statistics and information about the network, communications, and activities of the group for 2024–2025.

Ethyl-Iophenoxic Acid As A Serum Marker For Oral Baiting Of Tasmanian Devils, Ruth Pye, David Nichols, Sally A. Nofs, Amy T. Gilbert, Andrew S. Flies

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Oral baits containing vaccines, medicants or toxicants have been delivered to a broad range of wildlife species to protect against or treat disease, or suppress populations. Ethyl-Iophenoxic acid (Et-IPA) is used as a biomarker to determine oral bait consumption by wildlife species to assess and refine baiting strategies. Et-IPA is a persistent biomarker in many eutherian mammal species but not in the two marsupial species, swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) and brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), tested to date. Et-IPA has not previously been evaluated in carnivorous marsupials. The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), the largest extant …

Landscape-Scale Epidemiological Dynamics Of Sars-Cov-2 In White-Tailed Deer, Joshua Hewitt, Grete Wilson-Henjum, Derek T. Collins, Timothy J. Linder, Julianna B. Lenoch, Jonathan D. Heale, Christopher A. Quintanal, Robert Pleszewski, Dillon S. Mcbride, Andrew S. Bowman, Jeffrey C. Chandler, Susan A. Shriner, Sarah N. Bevins, Dennis J. Kohler, Richard B. Chipman, Allen L. Gosser, David L. Bergman, Thomas J. Deliberto, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Understanding pathogen emergence in new host species is fundamental for developing prevention and response plans for human and animal health. We leveraged a large-scale surveillance dataset coordinated by United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and State Natural Resources Agencies to quantify the outbreak dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in North American white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; WTD) throughout its range in the United States. Local epidemics in WTD were well approximated by a single-outbreak peak followed by fade out. Outbreaks peaked early in the northeast and mid- Atlantic. Local effective reproduction ratios of SARS-CoV-2 were between …

Probabilistic Genetic Identification Of Wild Boar Hybridization To Support Control Of Invasive Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa), Timothy J. Smyser, Peter Pfaffelhuber, Rachael M. Giglio, Matthew G. Desaix, Amy J. Davis, Courtney F. Bowden, Michael A. Tabak, Arianna Manunza, Valentin Adrian Bâlteanu, Marcel Amills, Laura Iacolina, Pamela Walker, Carl Lessard, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The rapid expansion of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) throughout the United States has been fueled by unlawful introductions, with invasive populations causing extensive crop losses, damaging native ecosystems, and serving as a reservoir for disease. Multiple states have passed laws prohibiting the possession or transport of wild pigs. However, genetic and phenotypic similarities between domestic pigs and invasive wild pigs—which overwhelmingly represent domestic pig and wild boar hybrids—pose a challenge for the enforcement of such regulations. We sought to exploit wild boar ancestry as a common attribute among the vast majority of invasive wild pigs as a means …

Efficacy Of X-Ray Phytosanitary Irradiation On The Infectivity And Reproduction Of Angiostrongylus Cantonensis In Experimentally Infected Rats, Susan I. Jarvi, Lisa M. Kaluna, Steven C. Hess, Lindsey Hamilton, Carmen Antaky, Robert T. Sugihara, Israel L. Leinbach, Yaeko Tagami, Argon Steel, Kathleen Howe, Steven Jacquier, Forrest Cookman, Jocelyn Diaz, John Jacob, Peter Follett

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a globally distributed nematode and the leading cause of eosinophilic meningitis in humans. As a global hotspot for this disease, Hawaii’s agricultural exports may be contributing to the spread of A. cantonensis. Phytosanitary irradiation doses of 150 or 400 Gy provide quarantine security against multiple insect pests. We evaluated the in vitro and in vivo effects of phytosanitary irradiation on infectious, third-stage A. cantonensis juveniles. In vitro experiments directly exposed juveniles to irradiation doses ranging from 200 to 1,000 Gy. Results showed low mortality and no dose response across all treatments 27 days post-irradiation. …

Potential Landscape Connectivity For Invasive Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) Across The Northern Prairies Of North America, Corey J. Kramer, Melanie R. Boudreau, Ryan Powers, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Ryan S. Miller, Ryan K. Brook

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Understanding landscape scale connectivity is an essential component in the management of invasive species since connectivity facilitates their invasion potential. Invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are among the most prolific invaders on the planet, causing billions of dollars in agricultural and environmental damage annually. Newly introduced to Canada in the 1980s, we examined wild pig invasion potential across the northern prairies from western Canada into the currently wild pig-free northern U.S. states. We used GPS collar data collected in the Canadian prairies to quantify resource selection and incorporated results into an electric circuit theory framework to evaluate potential …

Eradication Of Feral Swine From A Barrier Island In Florida, Usa: An Examination Of Effort And Multi-Method, Multi-Species Population Indexing, Richard M. Engeman, Eric A. Tillman, Betsy A. Evans, John C. Griffin, Garrison Grobaski, Bradley S. Smith, John Stark, Bryan M. Kluever

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) were targeted for and successfully eradicated from Saint Vincent Island (SVI), a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) along the coast of Florida’s panhandle to protect its habitats and uncharacteristically high diversity of wildlife species for barrier islands in the region, including federal and state-listed threatened and endangered species. The eradication effort was initiated in early 2015 and concluded in 2019. A total of 438 feral swine were removed from the Island, 417 by federal control experts and 21 by recreational hunters. In general, the amount of effort needed to eradicate each feral swine slowly increased …