Animal Sciences | Open Access Articles | Digital Commons Network™

Birds Of The Great Plains: Family Certhiidae (Creepers), Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

Brown Creeper

Birds Of The Great Plains: Family Troglodytidae (Wrens), Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

House Wren
Bewick Wren
Winter Wren
Carolina Wren
Long-billed Marsh Wren (Marsh Wren)
Short-billed Marsh Wren (Sedge Wren)
Canyon Wren
Rock Wren

Go to article

Birds Of The Great Plains: Family Motacillidae (Wagtails And Pipits), Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

Sprague Pipit

Go to article

Birds Of The Great Plains: Family Laniidae (Shrikes), Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

Loggerhead Shrike

Go to article

Birds Of The Great Plains: Family Sturnidae (Starlings), Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

Starling

Go to article

Birds Of The Great Plains: Family Fringillidae (Grosbeaks, Finches, Sparrows, And Buntings), Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Lazuli Bunting
Painted Bunting
Dickcissel
Evening Grosbeak
Purple Finch
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
Lesser Goldfinch
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Green-tailed Towhee
Rufous-sided Towhee
Brown Towhee
Lark Bunting
Savannah Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Baird Sparrow
Henslow Sparrow
Le Conte Sparrow
Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Bachman Sparrow (Pine Woods Sparrow)
Cassin Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored and White-winged Juncos)
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Brewer Sparrow
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Song Sparrow
McCown Longspur
Chestnut-collared Longspur

Go to article

Birds Of The Great Plains: Appendix B -- Abundance And Breeding Status Of Birds At Selected Parks And Refuges In The Great Plains, Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

A 14-page table including wildlife refuges in the states of North Dakota (7), Minnesota (3), South Dakota (5), Nebraska (4), Kansas (4), Missouri (1), Oklahoma (4), and Texas (2).

Go to article

Establishing Priorities And Sticking To Them, Douglas Olsen

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Douglas Olsen farms and ranches in Banner County, located in the Nebraska Panhandle. Douglas and his father, Arthur, operate Olsen Ranches, Inc., a fourth generation family business with a Hereford/Red Angus commercial beef cattle operation that retains ownership of the cattle through harvest and a predominantly no-till farming operation raising wheat, corn, millet, peas, alfalfa, barley, and oats. Olsen Ranches, Inc. is the primary reference herd for the American Hereford Association National Reference Sire Program, participating in this program since 1999, and also served as one of the test herds for the National Cattlemen’s Tenderness Project.

Go to article

Advocates For Agriculture: Discovering Your Influential Power, Troy Hadrick, Stacy Hadrick

Range Beef Cow Symposium

One doesn’t have to watch any type of media source for very long these days to come across a story that is very negative towards agriculture. Specifically, animal agriculture has become a favorite target for many reporters, animal rights groups, and even some consumers. It seems that many of them chose not to even include the thoughts of actual farmers and ranchers when talking about agriculture. Instead they turn to the internet or other non-ag sources for their information. So with so much negative attention being placed on food production, what do we do as producers to combat this situation? …

Go to article

Animal Rights As A Mainstream Phenomenon [Shortened Version For Reading In Australia], Bernard E. Rollin

Range Beef Cow Symposium

The last 50 years have witnessed a dazzling array of social ethical revolutions in Western society. Such moral movements as feminism, civil rights, environmentalism, affirmative action, consumer advocacy, pro- and anti-abortion activism, homosexual rights, children‘s rights, the student movement, antiwar activism, public rejection of biotechnology, have forever changed the way governments and pubic institutions comport themselves. This is equally true for private enterprise: to be successful, businesses must be seen as operating solidly in harmony with changing and emerging social ethics. It is arguable that morally based boycotting of South African business was instrumental in bringing about the end of …

Go to article

Extensive Heifer Development Systems, Richard N. Funston, Jeremy Martin, Andy Roberts

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Studies in numerous species provide evidence that diet during development can partially control physiological changes necessary for puberty (Frisch, 1984). Energy balance or plane of nutrition influences reproductive performance in heifers and cows (Butler and Smith, 1989; Randel, 1990; Robinson, 1990; Short and Adams, 1988; Swanson, 1989). Numerous studies have reported inverse correlations between postweaning growth rate and age at puberty (Arije and Wiltbank, 1971; Ferrell, 1982; Short and Bellows, 1971; Wiltbank et al., 1966, 1969, 1985) and pregnancy rates in heifers were shown to be dependent upon the number displaying estrus prior to or early in the breeding season …

Go to article

Common $Ense Heifer Management, Patsy Houghton

Range Beef Cow Symposium

The replacement heifer is a mixed blessing for cow-calf operators. On one hand, she represents the future profitability and genetic improvement of the cow herd; thus her selection and development are of paramount importance to the continued success of any cow herd. On the other hand, the replacement heifer is an inconvenience at best. She is essentially non-productive for the first two-and-a-half years of her life; thus she places a significant drain on a rancher’s cash flow, making her easy prey for mismanagement. Nevertheless, proper growth and development of the replacement female from birth until she produces her first calf …

Go to article

Impact Of Method Of Heifer Development And Post-Ai Management On Reproductive Efficiency, George Perry, Julie Walker, Cody Wright, Ken Olson

Range Beef Cow Symposium

An important part of any production system is the reproductive performance and costs associated with developing replacement heifers. The cost of developing replacement heifers has a tremendous impact on the profitability and sustainability of cow-calf operations, and reproductive failure costs the U.S. beef and dairy industries approximately $1 billion annually (Bellows et al., 2002). Heifers need to calve by 24 months of age to achieve maximum life-time productivity (Patterson et al., 1992), and heifers that lose a pregnancy or conceive late in the breeding season are likely to not have enough time to rebreed during a defined breeding season. In …

Go to article

Profitable Cow And Heifer Pregnancy Rates, Jack C. Whittier

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Wow! What a challenging topic. Why is it challenging? Because there is not one right answer; nor is the question easy to define or analyze. However, there are some underlying principles that I believe apply in most situations. I will spend most of my time on those principles with the hope that you as a cattle manager can use these principles to make good decisions.

Go to article

Integrating Information Into Selection, Connee R. Quinn

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Integration: To make into a whole by bringing all parts together. As ranchers we intuitively know the unique resources that make up the whole of our operations and use these resources to cost effectively produce a product. Ranch resources can be simply categorized into forage, genetics and people and the rancher‘s commitment to good management practices. Add to that, information or knowledge management, management of relationships and, of course, managing for the end product. The glue that holds these parts together is the rancher-- the heart, the passion of the operation.

Go to article

Integrating Information Into Selection, Loren Berger

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Berger’s Herdmasters is located on the southern edge of the Sandhills near North Platte, Nebraska and is home to our composite seedstock operation with a base of approximately 350 head. Our business is focused on the production of hybrid bulls consisting of Red Angus X Simmental and Angus X Simmental, plus we do have some high percentage Angus bulls (both Red and Black) that are designed to be used on heifers. Our operation conducts an annual bull sale on the second Saturday in February and continues to see expansion each year. This year’s offering will consist of around 180 bulls …

Go to article

New Beef Products Research, Chris R. Calkins

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Muscle profiling research conducted in the early part of this decade by the University of Nebraska and the University of Florida for The Beef Checkoff was highly successfully. This research led to the development of the flat iron steak, the petite tender, and the ranch cut from the shoulder clod and has been credited with increasing the value of market cattle by $50 - $70 per head. In 2007, over 92 million pounds of flat iron steaks, 40 million pounds of petite tenders, and 37 million pounds of ranch steaks were sold into foodservice. Although difficult to track, additional sales …

Go to article

Selecting For Efficiency, Nick Hammett

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Why is efficiency so important to the beef industry? "Efficiency impacts unit cost of production, thereby having the potential to increase beef's competitiveness in both the domestic and global marketplace, to improve industry profitability, and to enhance long-term sustainability of the industry." (Ritchie, 2001). In simple terms, from a producer’s standpoint, efficiency can make you more money by lowering costs, increasing returns, or both. But, only if measured, interpreted and implemented correctly.

Go to article

Impacts Of Calf Nutritional Management On Quality Grade, Scott Lake

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Why is quality important? An enormous amount of research and money have been invested in determining the impacts of just about every management practice on the effects of marbling. Marketing and management practices have been developed around the choice/select spread. But the question begs to be asked, “Is marbling important?” Regardless of the choice/select spread or any other premiums received due to carcass quality, the answer to that question should be a resounding “YES”, for no other reason than the importance of a quality eating experience from consumers. The 2005 National Quality Beef Audit reports that the #1 concern of …

Go to article

Managing Annual Bromes In The Northern Great Plains, Lance Vermeire, Matt Rinella, Jennifer Muscha

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Annual bromes periodically have substantial impact on rangelands in the northern Great Plains. The often rapid increases in annual brome populations and there negative effects on forage and animal production are justified cause for concern. However, population increases are predictable and management tools have been successfully identified for short-term control. Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory is examining new applications of established methods and testing whether careful timing and integration of control methods may be key to long-term reduction of annual bromes.

Go to article

The Two Best Decisions I Have Made, John Maddox

Range Beef Cow Symposium

You might be surprised when I tell you the two best decisions made on our ranch, are much easier to come up with than the two worst decisions. Now, not even for a second, do I believe that I haven’t made some big mistakes. A matter of fact some of them have been real dousies. And there have been so many big mistakes somehow prioritizing them in order to come up with two of the worst is not only difficult but they are painful to recollect! So lets start with the best decisions.

Go to article

U.S. Beef Demand Drivers And Enhancement Opportunities: A Research Summary, James R. Mintert, Glynn T. Tonsor, Ted C. Schroeder

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Large shifts in domestic beef demand have had substantial impacts on the beef industry. Before the late 1970s, growth in the U.S. economy and rising consumer incomes contributed to beef demand increasing for a sustained period. In response to growing product demand, the beef industry increased in size. However, starting about 1980, domestic retail beef demand weakened and subsequently declined every year through 1998. The long-run decline in retail beef demand contributed to a reduction in cattle industry size, particularly in relation to competing meat sectors such as poultry and pork. In 1999, following nearly 20 consecutive years of decline, …

Go to article

Rumen Physiology For The Rancher, Ivan G. Rush

Range Beef Cow Symposium

The ruminant animal has two unique features – it chews its cud and has four distinct compartments in the stomach. More importantly the ruminant can convert forages that are comprised by large quantities of cellulose, that is poorly digestible by non-ruminants, into high quality protein (muscle) that provides excellent eating experiences and nutrients for humans. Rumen Physiology is the study of the mechanical, physical and biochemical function of the rumen. When I first enrolled in an animal nutrition course I felt this area was unnecessary in order to feed cattle. All I wanted to learn was does the cow need …

Go to article

Two Best And Two Worst Decisions, Kory Bierle

Range Beef Cow Symposium

My name is Kory Bierle and I am from a family ranch just east of Midland, South Dakota, on the Bad River. The name of our ranch is the Madsen Ranch. We use that name because it was my mother’s family that settled and started the place. My great-great-grandfather showed my great-grandfather where a good place for a ranch would be, and we’ve been there ever since. My house is just a few yards from where the original log house was. The gal that talked to me about participating in the Range Beef Cow Symposium this year said that, from …

Go to article

Bovine Respiratory Disease & Diagnostic Veterinary Medicine (Managing Respiratory Diseases In The Herd), Donald Montgomery

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Year in and year out, diseases of the respiratory system are a major cause of illness and death in cattle from 6 weeks to two years of age. Sadly, this is as true today as it was 30 years ago despite development of new and improved vaccines, new broad spectrum antibiotics, and increased fundamental knowledge as to the cause of disease. WHY? I don‟t have the answer and I doubt if anyone does. As a pathologist, I often see firsthand the devastating effects that bacteria can have in the lungs of cattle that die from respiratory disease complex or shipping …

Go to article

Winter Grazing System And Supplementation During Late Gestation Influence Performance Of Beef Cows And Steer Progeny, Daniel Larson, J. L. Martin, Don C. Adams, Richard N. Funston

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

A 2 × 2 factorial study evaluated effects of cow wintering system and last trimester CP supplementation on performance of beef cows and steer progeny over a 3-yr period. Pregnant composite cows (Red Angus × Simmental) grazed winter range (WR; n = 4/yr) or corn residue (CR; n = 4/yr) during winter and within grazing treatment received 0.45 kg/d (DM) 28% CP cubes (PS; n = 4/yr) or no supplement (NS; n = 4/yr). Offspring steer calves entered the feedlot 14 d postweaning and were slaughtered 222 d later. Precalving BW was greater (P = 0.02) for PS than NS …

Go to article

Characterization Of 24 Microsatellite Loci In Delta Smelt, Hypomesus Transpacificus, And Their Cross-Species Amplification In Two Other Smelt Species Of The Osmeridae Family, Kathleen M. Fisch, Jessica Lynn Petersen, Melinda R. Baerwald, John K. Pedroia, Bernie May

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

We characterized 24 polymorphic tetranucleotide microsatellite loci for delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) endemic to the San Francisco Bay Estuary, California, USA. Screening of samples (n = 30) yielded two to 26 alleles per locus with observed levels of heterozygosity ranging from 0.17 to 1.0. Only one locus deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, suggesting these individuals originate from a single panmictic population. Linkage disequilibrium was found in two pairs of loci after excluding the locus out of Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Twenty-two primer pairs cross-amplified in wakasagi smelt (Hypomesus nipponensis), and 15 primer pairs cross-amplified in longfin smelt ( …

Go to article

Basking Behavior Of Emydid Turtles (Chysemys Picta Marginata, Graptemys Geographica, And Trachemys Scripta Elegans) In An Urban Landscape, W. E. Peterman, Travis J. Ryan

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Basking is common in emydid turtles and is generally accepted to be in thermoregulatory behavior. In 2004, we quantified and described the basking behavior of turtles in the Central Canal of Indianapolis. This canal system runs through an urban landscape that is dominated by fragmented woodlots, residential areas. and commercial areas. We observed that basking turtles exhibited variable basking behavior. with spatial and temporal shins in basking behavior from east-facing banks in the morning to west-facing banks in the afternoon. Turtles in the Central Canal are subject to frequent disturbance, which altered basking behavior. Many turtles forewent aerial basking on …

Go to article

Assessment Of River Herring And Striped Bass In The Connecticut River: Abundance, Population Structure, And Predator/Prey Interactions, Justin P. Davis, Eric T. Schultz, Jason Vokoun

EEB Articles

Populations of anadromous alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and blueback herring A. aestivalis, collectively referred to as river herring, have declined in the Connecticut River. An explanatory hypothesis for these declines is that predation pressures have increased as a result of recent increases in abundance of sympatric striped bass Morone saxatilis. We sampled river herring and striped bass from the stretch of the Connecticut River between Wethersfield, CT and Holyoke, MA during the vernal migration seasons of 2005-2008. The objectives of the sampling program were to assess abundance, temporal/spatial distribution, and population structure of both river herring and striped bass, …

Go to article

Estimating Predation On Declining River Herring: Tag-Recapture Study Of Striped Bass In The Connecticut River, Eric T. Schultz, Justin P. Davis, Jason Vokoun

EEB Articles

Populations of anadromous alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and blueback herring Alosa aestivalis, collectively referred to as river herring, have declined in the Connecticut River. A hypothesis for why river herring have declined is that predation pressures have increased associated with recent increases in abundance of striped bass Morone saxatilis. Information on striped bass abundance, size structure, and consumption rates are required to test this hypothesis. This study was designed to provide estimates of striped bass population size in the Connecticut River during the spring migration season, via an intensive mark-recapture exercise and either an open or robust mark-recapture model. …

Go to article

Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences

Birds Of The Great Plains: Family Certhiidae (Creepers), Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

Birds Of The Great Plains: Family Troglodytidae (Wrens), Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

Birds Of The Great Plains: Family Motacillidae (Wagtails And Pipits), Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

Birds Of The Great Plains: Family Laniidae (Shrikes), Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

Birds Of The Great Plains: Family Sturnidae (Starlings), Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

Birds Of The Great Plains: Family Fringillidae (Grosbeaks, Finches, Sparrows, And Buntings), Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

Birds Of The Great Plains: Appendix B -- Abundance And Breeding Status Of Birds At Selected Parks And Refuges In The Great Plains, Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition, 2009) by Paul Johnsgard

Establishing Priorities And Sticking To Them, Douglas Olsen

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Advocates For Agriculture: Discovering Your Influential Power, Troy Hadrick, Stacy Hadrick

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Animal Rights As A Mainstream Phenomenon [Shortened Version For Reading In Australia], Bernard E. Rollin

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Extensive Heifer Development Systems, Richard N. Funston, Jeremy Martin, Andy Roberts

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Common $Ense Heifer Management, Patsy Houghton

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Impact Of Method Of Heifer Development And Post-Ai Management On Reproductive Efficiency, George Perry, Julie Walker, Cody Wright, Ken Olson

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Profitable Cow And Heifer Pregnancy Rates, Jack C. Whittier

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Integrating Information Into Selection, Connee R. Quinn

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Integrating Information Into Selection, Loren Berger

Range Beef Cow Symposium

New Beef Products Research, Chris R. Calkins

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Selecting For Efficiency, Nick Hammett

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Impacts Of Calf Nutritional Management On Quality Grade, Scott Lake

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Managing Annual Bromes In The Northern Great Plains, Lance Vermeire, Matt Rinella, Jennifer Muscha

Range Beef Cow Symposium

The Two Best Decisions I Have Made, John Maddox

Range Beef Cow Symposium

U.S. Beef Demand Drivers And Enhancement Opportunities: A Research Summary, James R. Mintert, Glynn T. Tonsor, Ted C. Schroeder

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Rumen Physiology For The Rancher, Ivan G. Rush

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Two Best And Two Worst Decisions, Kory Bierle

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Bovine Respiratory Disease & Diagnostic Veterinary Medicine (Managing Respiratory Diseases In The Herd), Donald Montgomery

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Winter Grazing System And Supplementation During Late Gestation Influence Performance Of Beef Cows And Steer Progeny, Daniel Larson, J. L. Martin, Don C. Adams, Richard N. Funston

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Characterization Of 24 Microsatellite Loci In Delta Smelt, Hypomesus Transpacificus, And Their Cross-Species Amplification In Two Other Smelt Species Of The Osmeridae Family, Kathleen M. Fisch, Jessica Lynn Petersen, Melinda R. Baerwald, John K. Pedroia, Bernie May

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Basking Behavior Of Emydid Turtles (Chysemys Picta Marginata, Graptemys Geographica, And Trachemys Scripta Elegans) In An Urban Landscape, W. E. Peterman, Travis J. Ryan

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Assessment Of River Herring And Striped Bass In The Connecticut River: Abundance, Population Structure, And Predator/Prey Interactions, Justin P. Davis, Eric T. Schultz, Jason Vokoun

EEB Articles

Estimating Predation On Declining River Herring: Tag-Recapture Study Of Striped Bass In The Connecticut River, Eric T. Schultz, Justin P. Davis, Jason Vokoun

EEB Articles