Animal Sciences Commons^™

Impacts Of Estrous Synchronization On Cowherd Performance, G. Cliff Lamb

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Estrous synchronization and artificial insemination (AI) are reproductive management tools that have been available to beef producers for over 40 years. Synchronization of the estrous cycle has the potential to shorten the calving season, increase calf uniformity, and enhance the possibilities for utilizing AI. Artificial insemination allows producers the opportunity to infuse superior genetics into their operations at costs far below the cost of purchasing a herd sire of similar standards. These tools remain the most important and widely applicable reproductive biotechnologies available for beef cattle operations. However, beef producers have been slow to utilize or adopt these technologies into …

Animal Welfare Implications Of Beef Industry Practices Including Dehorning, Castration, And Branding, Jason K. Ahola

Range Beef Cow Symposium

An increasing number of consumers are making animal product purchasing decisions based on how animals were raised and cared for. This decision is, in most cases, based on labeling claims made on packaged products, point of purchase materials offered, and/or conversations with those selling the product. This issue is driven by consumers wanting to know more about how their food is raised and where it comes from. For the average consumer with no baseline knowledge, there appears to be a need for verification and validation that animals received appropriate care during their lifetimes and were treated as humanely as possible. …

Why Does Consumer Opinion Trump Science (Animal Welfare, Gmos, Food Animals Vs. Pets)?, Ronnie D. Green

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Slides of a presentation covering science denialism with respect to animal welfare, genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), food animals versus pets, etc.

De-Commoditizing The Feeder Calf Market: Providing Objective Information To Buyers, Tom Brink, Lee Leachman

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Beef is no longer a commodity as it is presented to consumers. Name brands and greater differentiation are everywhere. Fed cattle aren’t really a commodity either. Close to 70% of all fed cattle are sold on grids and formulas, which price these animals individually, according to their actual carcass value. Commercial bulls have been de-commoditized for years. Bulls in all major breeds are now sold with a plethora of specific and detailed information (even videos on individual animals) that allows prospective buyers to evaluate and compare bulls in a detailed and sophisticated manner, similar to how we might compare pickup …

The Focus My Millennial Generation Needs, Cassie Lapaseotes

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Generations

It’s no question that in today’s job market there are a variety of challenges especially when it comes to managing a workforce with multiple generations. The underlying problem especially in agriculture is trying to fit an increasingly nontraditional workforce into a largely traditional workplace. Each generation has been influenced by particular experiences that create specific preferences, expectations, beliefs, and work styles. It is important to understand characteristics of each generation to be successful in today’s workplace.

Incorporating A Yearling Stocker Enterprise To The Cow/Calf Operation: Buy, Sell, Or Hold?, Mark Frasier

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Many progressive cow/calf producers have considered adding a yearling stocker enterprise to their business model. There are significant benefits to diversification; yearling cattle can help to optimize available forage and balance the financial viability of a livestock operation. At the same time however, managing the dynamics of a secondary enterprise will add complexity and potentially elevate risk to the combined operation. The added dimension of market livestock will help a ranch utilize their forage resources more efficiently, but yearling cattle have different needs than cows and different objectives and require a dissimilar skill set than required to successfully wean a …

Effects Of Grazing On Grass, Casey A. Matney

Range Beef Cow Symposium

What is grazing? Grazing is the consumption of herbaceous plants by herbivores. Herbaceous plants include forbs (non-woody broadleaf flowering plants), grasses, and grass-like plants (sedges and rushes). Probably the most important and most identifiable herbaceous plant for grazing is grass (Family – Poaceae). There are well over 100 species of grass present on the rangelands of eastern Colorado, and approximately 10,000 grass species can be found across the globe. Grasses account for about a quarter of the earth’s vegetation and make up the preponderance of food (plant parts and seed) for both people and grazing animals. Management of grasses is …

Managing Compromised And Weak Calves, Franklyn B. Garry, Jason E. Lombard

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Take Home Messages

Many things can cause calves to be weak at birth, but dystocia is the single most common cause of compromised calves. Calves born without assistance experience hypoxia (low arterial blood oxygen), acidosis, and frequently hypothermia. Dystocia calves experience the same changes but to a greater degree. Dystocia has an immediate and prolonged effect on the health and productivity of calves. Perinatal mortality due to weakness and dystocia accounts for about half of all calf deaths through weaning and is not due to infectious disease. Simple interventions such as providing calves with mechanical breathing assistance, oxygen, colostrum, and …

High Altitude Disease, Pap, Feedlot Hypertension, And Respiratory Issues, J. M. Neary, F. B. Garry, T. N. Holt, G. M. Krafsur, P. S. Morley, R. D. Brown, K. R. Stenmark, R. Mark Enns, M. G. Thomas

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Right-heart failure (RHF) due to pulmonary hypertension, more commonly known as brisket disease or high altitude disease, is a complex disease that is becomingly increasing problematic for the cattle industry–regardless of altitude. The disease became known as high altitude disease because until the mid-1960s RHF was only reported at altitudes over 7,000 ft. Today, RHF is still problematic in high altitude cow-calf operations and is occurring with increasing incidence in feedlot cattle. The clinical signs are commonly mistaken for chronic pneumonia, which complicates disease diagnosis and reporting. Moreover, cattle treated for pneumonia have 2 to 3 times greater risk of …

How To Use Commercially Available Genomic Predictions, Michael G. Gonda

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Genomic predictions for commercial cattle can be used to select replacement heifers, design mating strategies, and market calves. Presently, two companies (Igenity and Zoetis) offer genomic tests for commercial cattle. Like expected progeny differences (EPDs) on young bulls, these genomic tests do not perfectly predict genetic merit. However, these tests will be useful for identifying genetically superior and inferior animals for the traits tested. Some tests are useful only for predominantly Black Angus (≥ 75%) cattle, while other tests can be used on all Bos taurus beef breeds and crossbreds. Further, some tests are designed specifically for producers who are …

Mentoring And Managing Employees To Ensure Husbandry And Assure Consumers, Tracey Erickson

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Building your team…

1. Share Purpose, Mission and Vision
2. Train Employees – onboarding
3. Communicate and Evaluate
4. Include employees – farm planning and direction
5. Celebrate Success

Cow Supplementation: Getting The Best Bang For Your Buck, Ken Olson

Range Beef Cow Symposium

How do we get the best bang for the buck?

• 2 aspects:

1. Biology: Use the right feeds to provide the right nutrients
2. Economics: price the best feeds to provide the right nutrients

Vegfa: Just One Of Multiple Mechanisms For Sex-Specific Vascular Development Within The Testis?, Kevin M. Sargent, Renee M. Sargent, Renata Spuri Gomes, Andrea S. Cupp

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Testis development from an indifferent gonad is a critical step in embryogenesis. A hallmark of testis differentiation is sex-specific vascularization which occurs as endothelial cells migrate from the adjacent mesonephros into the testis to surround Sertoli-germ cell aggregates and induce seminiferous cord formation. Many in vitro experiments have demonstrated that Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGFA) is a critical regulator of this process. Both inhibitors to VEGFA signal transduction and excess VEGFA isoforms in testis organ cultures impaired vascular development and seminiferous cord formation. However, in vivo models using mice which selectively eliminated all VEGFA isoforms: in Sertoli and germ …

King Penguins Can Detect Two Odours Associated With Conspecifics, Gregory B. Cunningham, Francesco Bonadonna

Biology Faculty/Staff Publications

Recent studies on olfaction in penguins have focused on their use of odours while foraging. It has been proposed for some seabirds that an olfactory landscape shaped by odours coming from feeding areas exists. Islands and colonies, however, may also contribute to the olfactory landscape and may act as an orienting map. To test sensitivities to a colony scent we studied whether King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) could detect the smell of sand, feathers or feces by holding presentations beneath their beaks while they naturally slept on the beach. Penguins had a significantly greater response to the feathers and feces presentations …

Evaluating Equations Estimating Change In Swine Feed Intake During Heat And Cold Stress, R. R. White, P. S. Miller, M. D. Hanigan

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The objectives of this study were to evaluate heat stress feed intake models for growing swine using a data set assembled from the literature and to develop a series of new equations modeling the influence of the thermal environment and interactions between the thermal environmental and other factors on feed intake. A literature survey was conducted to identify studies assessing intake responses to temperature. The resulting data set comprised 35 studies containing 120 comparisons to thermoneutral intake. Intake as a fraction of thermoneutral intake (FFI) was the primary response variable, where a value of 1 represented no change from thermoneutral …

Fisheries Occasional Publication 121: Technical Manual For Camera Surveys Of Boat- And Shore-Based Recreational Fishing In Western Australia, Stuart J. Blight, C.B. Smallwood

Fisheries Occasional Publications

Recommended Citation:

Blight, S., and Smallwood, C. B. 2015. Technical manual for camera surveys of boat- and shore-based recreational fishing in Western Australia. Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 121. Department of Fisheries. Perth, Western Australia. 32 pp.

Research, Monitoring, Assessment And Development Plan 2015 – 2020, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Integrating Resource Selection Into Spatial Capture-Recapture Models For Large Carnivores, K. M. Proffitt, Joshua F. Goldberg, Mark Hebblewhite, R. Russell, B. S. Jimenez, H. S. Robinson, K. Pilgrim, M. K. Schwartz

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

Wildlife managers need reliable methods to estimate large carnivore densities and population trends; yet large carnivores are elusive, difficult to detect, and occur at low densities making traditional approaches intractable. Recent advances in spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models have provided new approaches for monitoring trends in wildlife abundance and these methods are particularly applicable to large carnivores. We applied SCR models in a Bayesian framework to estimate mountain lion densities in the Bitterroot Mountains of west central Montana. We incorporate an existing resource selection function (RSF) as a density co-variate to account for heterogeneity in habitat use across the study area …

Population Dynamics And Movement Of Channel Catfish In The Red River Of The North, Stephen F. Siddons

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Channel Catfish are widely distributed across North America and highly valued as a sport fish and for food. While most Channel Catfish fisheries are managed under liberal harvest regulations, the Red River of the North (Red River) in Manitoba, Canada is managed with restrictive harvest regulations to promote a trophy fishery. Two barriers (dams) are present on the main stem of the Red River and may fragment the population to some degree. My objectives were to: 1) analyze population dynamics of the trophy Channel Catfish population on the lower Red River, 2) compare population characteristics of Channel Catfish in selected …

Seismic Surveys And Marine Turtles: An Underestimated Global Threat?, Sarah E. Nelms, Wendy Dow Piniak, Caroline R. Weir, Brendan J. Godley

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Seismic surveys are widely used in marine geophysical oil and gas exploration, employing airguns to produce sound-waves capable of penetrating the sea floor. In recent years, concerns have been raised over the biological impacts of this activity, particularly for marine mammals. While exploration occurs in the waters of at least fifty countries where marine turtles are present, the degree of threat posed by seismic surveys is almost entirely unknown. To investigate this issue, a mixed-methods approach involving a systematic review, policy comparison and stakeholder analysis was employed and recommendations for future research were identified. This study found that turtles have …

Arkansas Animal Science Department Report 2015, Paul Beck, Jason Apple, Beth Kegley, Charles Rosenkrans Jr.

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

High Quality Draft Genomes Of The Mycoplasma Mycoides Subsp. Mycoides Challenge Strains Afadé And B237, Anne Fischer, Ivette Santana-Cruz, Jan Hegerman, Hadrien Gourlé, Elise Schieck, Mathieu Lambert, Suvarna Nadendla, Hezron Wesonga, Rachel A. Miller, Sanjay Vashee, Johann Weber, Jochen Meens, Joachim Frey, Joerg Jores

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Members of the Mycoplasma mycoides cluster' represent important livestock pathogens worldwide. Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides is the etiologic agent of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), which is still endemic in many parts of Africa. We report the genome sequences and annotation of two frequently used challenge strains of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides, Afadé and B237. The information provided will enable downstream 'omics' applications such as proteomics, transcriptomics and reverse vaccinology approaches. Despite the absence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae like cyto-adhesion encoding genes, the two strains showed the presence of protrusions. This phenotype is likely encoded by another set of genes.

Factors Influencing The Choice Of A Safe Haven For Offloading Illegally Caught Fish: A Comparative Analysis Of Developed And Developing Economies, Nerea Marteache, Julie S. Viollaz, Gohar A. Petrossian

Publications and Research

Using data from 72 countries, this study focuses on factors that affect illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing vessels’ choice of country to offload their catch, with a specific emphasis on the differences between developed and developing economies. The concept of choice-structuring properties is applied to analyze whether the following factors influence the selection of a country: concealability of vessels and illegally caught fish; convenience of the ports; strength of fisheries monitoring, control, and surveillance measures; effectiveness of country governance; and commitment to wildlife protection regulations. Results indicate that, rather than a country’s level of development, situational factors play a …

Antioxidant Effect Of Spent, Ground, And Lyophilized Brew From Roasted Coffee In Frozen Cooked Pork Patties, Katrina Maryse Malixi Jully, Criselda Toto, Lilian Were

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

The ability of light and dark roasted coffee (1 g/kg) in varying application forms (spent ground [SCG], whole ground [WGC], or lyophilized brew [LBC]) to inhibit lipid and protein oxidation in cooked pork patties stored at −18 °C was monitored over 3 months. Malondialdehyde (MDA) for the negative control (NC) increased from 0.31 to 1.11 mg MDA/kg pork over 3 months, while pork with coffee or rosemary oleoresin had lower values at month 3 (0.054–0.40 mg MDA/kg pork). The NC had the highest values for hexanal, octanal, and nonanal (2.59, 0.10, and 0.13 mg/kg pork, respectively), while light and dark …

The First Whole Genome And Transcriptome Of The Cinereous Vulture Reveals Adaptation In The Gastric And Immune Defense Systems And Possible Convergent Evolution Between The Old And New World Vultures, Oksung Chung, Seondeok Jin, Yun Sung Cho, Jeongheui Lim, Hyunho Kim, Sungwoong Jho, Hak-Min Kim, Jehoon Jun, Hyejin Lee, Alvin Chon, Junsu Ko, Jeremy Edwards, Jessica A. Weber, Kyudong Han, Stephen J. O'Brien, Andrea Manica, Jong Bhak, Woon Kee Paek

Biology Faculty Articles

Background: The cinereous vulture, Aegypius monachus, is the largest bird of prey and plays a key role in the ecosystem by removing carcasses, thus preventing the spread of diseases. Its feeding habits force it to cope with constant exposure to pathogens, making this species an interesting target for discovering functionally selected genetic variants. Furthermore, the presence of two independently evolved vulture groups, Old World and New World vultures, provides a natural experiment in which to investigate convergent evolution due to obligate scavenging.

Results: We sequenced the genome of a cinereous vulture, and mapped it to the bald …

Interaction Of Isoflavones And Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue Seed Extract On Vasoactivity Of Bovine Mesenteric Vasculature, Yang Jia, David L. Harmon, Michael D. Flythe, James L. Klotz

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

It was hypothesized that isoflavones may attenuate ergot alkaloid-induced vasoconstriction and possibly alleviate diminished contractility of vasculature after exposure to ergot alkaloids. The objective of this study was to determine if prior incubation of bovine mesenteric vasculature with the isoflavones formononetin (F), biochanin A (B), or an ergovaline-containing tall fescue seed extract (EXT) and their combinations affect ergotamine (ERT)-induced contractility. Multiple segments of mesenteric artery and vein supporting the ileal flange of the small intestine were collected from Angus heifers at slaughter (n = 5, bodyweight = 639 ± 39 kg). Duplicates of each vessel …

Laterality Enhances Numerical Skills In The Guppy, Poecilia Reticulata, Marco Dadda, Christian Agrillo, Angelo Bisazza, Culum Brown

Sentience Collection

It has been hypothesized that cerebral lateralization can significantly enhance cognition and that this was one of the primary selective forces shaping its wide-spread evolution amongst vertebrate taxa. Here, we tested this hypothesis by examining the link between cerebral lateralization and numerical discrimination. Guppies, Poecilia reticulata, were sorted into left, right and non-lateralized groups using a standard mirror test and their numerical discrimination abilities tested in both natural shoal choice and abstract contexts. Our results show that strongly lateralized guppies have enhanced numerical abilities compared to non-lateralized guppies irrespective of context. These data provide further credence to the notion that …

Maturity Characteristics Of Pacific Saury During Fishing Season In The Northwest Pacific, Wen-Bin Huang, Yu-Chun Huang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Pacific saury is a commercially important fish in the Northwest Pacific. This study examined the maturity characteristics, gonadosomatic index (GSI), condition factor (CF), and ovarian developmental stage of the saury stock in three months of the fishing season (from May to December) in the Northwest Pacific. The maturity characteristics of saury varied among these three months (May, July, and October) in 2009. In May, large GSI and CF values with advanced ovarian developmental stages but small knob lengths (KnL) and body weights (BW) were found. Also in this month, the large-sized saury (> 29 cm) possessed large GSI values and …

Cytokine Gene Expression In The Maternal-Fetal Interface In Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Pregnancies In Small Ruminants, Heloisa M. Rutigliano, Amanda Wilhelm, Justin Hall, Bi Shi, Qinggang Meng, Rusty Stott, Tom D. Bunch, Kenneth L. White, Christopher J. Davies, Irina A. Polejaeva

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The present retrospective study investigates pregnancy rates, incidence of pregnancy losses and large offspring syndrome (LOS), and immune-related gene expression of sheep and goat somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) pregnancies. We hypothesized that significantly higher pregnancy losses observed in sheep SCNT pregnancies compared to goats are due to the increased amounts of T-helper 1 cytokines and pro-inflammatory mediators at the maternal-fetal interface. Sheep and goat SCNT pregnancies were generated using the same procedure. Control pregnancies were established by natural breeding. Although SCNT pregnancy rates at 45 days were similar in both species, pregnancy losses between 45 and 60 days and …

The Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Favipiravir Protects Guinea Pigs From Lethal Lassa Virus Infection Post-Disease Onset, David Safronetz, Kyle Rosenke, Jonna B. Westover, Cynthia Martellaro, Atsushi Okumura, Yousuke Furuta, Joan Geisbert, Greg Saturday, Takashi Komeno, Thomas W. Geisbert, Heinz Feldmann, Brian B. Gowen

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

With up to 500,000 infections annually, Lassa virus (LASV), the cause of Lassa fever, is one of the most prevalent etiological agents of viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) in humans. LASV is endemic in several West African countries with sporadic cases and prolonged outbreaks observed most commonly in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria. Additionally several cases of Lassa fever have been imported into North America, Europe and Asia making LASV a global threat to public health. Despite this, currently no approved therapeutic or vaccine exists to treat or prevent LASV infections. Here, using a passaged strain of LASV that is …