Meat Science Commons^™

Economic Selection Index Development For Beefmaster Cattle I: Terminal Breeding Objective, Kathleen P. Ochsner, M. D. Macneil, Matthew L. Spangler

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to develop an economic selection index for Beefmaster cattle in a terminal production system where bulls are mated to mature cows with all resulting progeny harvested. National average prices from 2010 to 2014 were used to establish income and expenses for the system. Phenotypic and genetic parameter values among the selection criteria and goal traits were obtained from literature. Economic values were estimated by simulating 100,000 animals and approximating the partial derivatives of the profit function by perturbing traits one at a time, by 1 unit, while holding the other traits constant at their …

The Impact Of Training Strategies On The Accuracy Of Genomic Predictors In United States Red Angus Cattle, J. Lee, Stephen D. Kachman, Matthew L. Spangler

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Genomic selection (GS) has become an integral part of genetic evaluation methodology and has been applied to all major livestock species, including beef and dairy cattle, pigs, and chickens. Significant contributions in increased accuracy of selection decisions have been clearly illustrated in dairy cattle after practical application of GS. In the majority of U.S. beef cattle breeds, similar efforts have also been made to increase the accuracy of genetic merit estimates through the inclusion of genomic information into routine genetic evaluations using a variety of methods. However, prediction accuracies can vary relative to panel density, the number of folds used …

Genomics Symposium: Using Genomic Approaches To Uncover Sources Of Variation In Age At Puberty And Reproductive Longevity In Sows, Hiruni R. Wijesena, Clay A. Lents, Jean-Jack Riethoven, Melanie D. Trenhaile-Grannemann, Jennifer F. Thorson, Brittney N. Keel, Phillip S. Miller, Matt Spangler, Stephen D. Kachman, Daniel C. Ciobanu

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Genetic variants associated with traits such as age at puberty and litter size could provide insight into the underlying genetic sources of variation impacting sow reproductive longevity and productivity. Genomewide characterization and gene expression profiling were used using gilts from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln swine resource population (n = 1,644) to identify genetic variants associated with age at puberty and litter size traits. From all reproductive traits studied, the largest fraction of phenotypic variation explained by the Porcine SNP60 BeadArray was for age at puberty (27.3%). In an evaluation data set, the predictive ability of all SNP from highranked 1-Mb …

The Roles Of Age At Puberty And Energy Restriction |In Sow Reproductive Longevity: A Genomic Perspective, Hiruni R. Wijesena, Clay A. Lents, Melanie D. Trenhaile-Grannemann, Jean-Jack Riethoven, Brittney N. Keel, Jennifer F. Thorson, Phillip S. Miller, Rodger K. Johnson, Matthew L. Spangler, Stephen D. Kachman, Daniel C. Ciobanu

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Approximately 50% of sows are culled annually with more than one-third due to poor fertility. Our research demonstrated that age at puberty is an early pre-breeding indicator of reproductive longevity. Age at puberty can be measured early in life, has a moderate heritability, and is negatively correlated with lifetime number of parities. Detection of age at puberty is tedious and time consuming and is therefore not collected by the industry, which limits genetic progress. Genomic prediction is a viable approach to preselect gilts that will express puberty early and have superior reproductive longevity. The hypothesis that genetic variants explaining differences …

Economic Selection Index Development For Beefmaster Cattle Ii: General-Purpose Breeding Objective, Kathleen P. Ochsner, M. D. Macneil, Ronald M. Lewis, Matthew L. Spangler

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

An economic selection index was developed for Beefmaster cattle in a general-purpose production system in which bulls are mated to a combination of heifers and mature cows, with resulting progeny retained as replacements or sold at weaning. National average prices from 2010 to 2014 were used to establish income and expenses for the system. Genetic parameters were obtained from the literature. Economic values were estimated by simulating 100,000 animals and approximating the partial derivatives of the profit function by perturbing traits 1 at a time, by 1 unit, while holding the other traits constant at their respective means. Relative economic …

Development Of An Objective Feet And Leg Conformation Evaluation Method Using Digital Imagery In Swine, J. D. Stock, J. A. Calderon Diaz, C. E. Abell, T. J. Baas, M. F. Rothschild, B. E. Mote, K. J. Stalder

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Background:The objectives of this study were to create an objective measurement method of joint angles for knee, hock, front and rear pasterns and a rear stance position in swine using digital imaging technology and to assess the repeatability of the objective measurement process. Methods and Findings: Forty-five multiparous sows (average parity 6.7 ± 2.5; parity range 5 to 14) from two commercial farms (n=21 farm 1 and n=24 farm 2) were used. Sows were moved to a pen where digital images of the profile and rear stance were captured. On average, 5.2 (± 2.6) profile and 2.6 (± 1.0) …

Effect Of Partially Replacing A Barley-Based Concentrate With Flaxseed-Based Products On The Rumen Bacterial Population Of Lactating Holstein Dairy Cows, E. Castillo-Lopez, J. Moats, N. D. Aluthge, H. A. Ramirez Ramirez, D. A. Christensen, T. Mutsvangwa, G. B. Penner, S. C. Fernando

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Aims: The effects of partial replacement of a barley-based concentrate with flaxseed-based products on the rumen bacterial population of lactating Holstein dairy cows were evaluated. Methods and Results: Treatments fed were CONT, a normal diet that included barley silage, alfalfa hay and a barley-based concentrate that contained no flaxseed or faba beans; FLAX, inclusion of a nonextruded flaxseed-based product containing 55-0% flaxseed, 37-8% field peas and 6-9% alfalfa; EXT, similar to FLAX, but the product was extruded and EXTT, similar to FLAX, but product was extruded and field peas were replaced by high-tannin faba beans. The rumen bacterial population was …

Genomic Relatedness Strengthens Genetic Connectedness Across Management Units, Haipeng Yu, Matthew L. Spangler, Ronald M. Lewis, Gota Morota

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Genetic connectedness refers to a measure of genetic relatedness across management units (e.g., herds and flocks). With the presence of high genetic connectedness in management units, best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) is known to provide reliable comparisons between estimated genetic values. Genetic connectedness has been studied for pedigree-based BLUP; however, relatively little attention has been paid to using genomic information to measure connectedness. In this study, we assessed genomebased connectedness across management units by applying prediction error variance of difference (PEVD), coefficient of determination (CD), and prediction error correlation r to a combination of computer simulation and real data (mice …

National Beef Quality Audit-2016: Transportation, Mobility, And Harvest-Floor Assessments Of Targeted Characteristics That Affect Quality And Value Of Cattle, Carcasses, And By-Products, L.C. Eastwood, C A. Boykin, M.K. Harris, A.N. Arnold, D.S. Hale, C R. Kerth, D.B. Griffin, J.W. Savell, K.E. Belk, D.R. Woerner, J.D. Hasty, R.J. Delmore Jr., J.N. Martin, T.E. Lawrence, T.J. Mcevers, D.L. Vanoverbeke, G.G. Mafi, M.M. Pfeiffer, Ty B. Schmidt, R.J. Maddock, D.D. Johnson, C.C. Carr, J. M. Scheffler, T.D. Pringle, A.M. Stelzleni

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The National Beef Quality Audit-2016 (NBQA-2016) was conducted to assess current transportation, mobility, and quality characteristics of U.S. fed steers and heifers. Data were collected at 17 beef processing facilities between March and November 2016. About 8,000 live cattle were evaluated for transportation and mobility, and about 25,000 carcasses were evaluated on the slaughter floor. Cattle were in transit to the slaughter facility for a mean duration of 2.7 h from a mean distance of 218.5 km using trailers with dimensions ranging from 17.84 m2 to 59.09 m2. Area allotted per animal averaged 1.13 m2 and ranged from 0.85 m2 …

National Beef Quality Audit–2016: Transportation, Mobility, Live Cattle, And Carcass Assessments Of Targeted Producer-Related Characteristics That Affect Value Of Market Cows And Bulls, Their Carcasses, And Associated By-Products, M.K. Harris, L.C. Eastwood, C.A. Boykin, A.N. Arnold, K.B. Gehring, D.S. Hale, C.R. Kerth, D.B. Griffin, J.W. Savell, K.E. Belk, D.R. Woerner, J.D. Hasty, R.J. Delmore Jr., J.N. Martin, T.E. Lawrence, T.J. Mcevers, D.L. Vanoverbeke, G.G. Mafi, M.M. Pfeiffer, Ty B. Schmidt, R.J. Maddock, D.D. Johnson, C.C. Carr, J.M. Scheffler, T.D. Pringle, A.M. Stelzleni

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The National Beef Quality Audit–2016 marks the fourth iteration in a series assessing the quality of live beef and dairy cows and bulls and their carcass counterparts. The objective was to determine the incidence of producer-related defects, and report cattle and carcass traits associated with producer management. Conducted from March through December of 2016, trailers (n = 154), live animals (n = 5,470), hide-on carcasses (n = 5,278), and hide-off hot carcasses (n = 5,510) were surveyed in 18 commercial packing facilities throughout the United States. Cattle were allowed 2.3 m2 of trailer space on average during transit indicating some …

A Potential Role For Mtorc1/2 In Β2 Adrenergic Regulation Of Skeletal Muscle Glucose Oxidation In Models Of Intrauterine Growth Restriction, Robert J. Posont, Caitlin N. Cadaret, Taylor L. Barnes, Dustin T. Yates

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The epidemic of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) continues to be a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality throughout the world. This condition has been linked to the development of metabolic health problems such as obesity, hypertension, glucose intolerance, and type 2 diabetes at all ages. Previous studies have demonstrated that IUGR fetal adaptations impair proper glucose homeostasis in part via changes in insulin responsiveness in key tissues including skeletal muscle and liver, and that these deficits persists into adulthood. Many components of insulin signaling pathways associated with glucose metabolic regulation have been evaluated in IUGR tissues for adaptive changes. …

Cooled Perch Effects On Performance And Well-Being Traits In Caged White Leghorn Hens, J Y. Hu, P Y. Hester, M M. Makagon, G Vezzoli, R S. Gates, Y Xiong, H W. Cheng

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

We assessed the effects of chilled water cooling perches on hen performance and physiological and behavioral parameters under “natural” high temperatures during the 2013 summer with a 4-hour acute heating episode. White Leghorns at 16 wk of age (N = 162) were randomly assigned to 18 cages (n = 9) arranged into 3 units. Each unit was assigned to one of the 3 treatments through 32 wk of age: 1) cooled perches, 2) air perches, and 3) no perches. Chilled water (10◦C) was circulated through the cooled perches when cage ambient temperature exceeded 25^◦C. At the age of …

Intrauterine Growth-Restricted Sheep Fetuses Exhibit Smaller Hindlimb Muscle Fibers And Lower Proportions Of Insulin-Sensitive Type I Fibers Near Term, Dustin T. Yates, Caitlin N. Cadaret, Kristin A. Beede, Hannah E. Riley, Antoni R. Macko, Miranda J. Anderson, Leticia E. Camacho, Sean W. Limesand

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Intrauterine growthrestricted sheep fetuses exhibit smaller hindlimb muscle fibers and lower proportions of insulin-sensitive Type I fibers near term. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 310: R1020–R1029, 2016. First published April 6, 2016; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00528.2015.—Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) reduces muscle mass and insulin sensitivity in offspring. Insulin sensitivity varies among muscle fiber types, with Type I fibers being most sensitive. Differences in fibertype ratios are associated with insulin resistance in adults, and thus we hypothesized that near-term IUGR sheep fetuses exhibit reduced size and proportions of Type I fibers. Placental insufficiency-induced IUGR fetuses were 54% smaller (P < 0.05) than controls and exhibited hypoxemia and hypoglycemia, which contributed to 6.9- fold greater (P < 0.05) plasma norepinephrine and 53% lower (P < 0.05) plasma insulin concentrations. IUGR semitendinosus muscles contained less (P < 0.05) myosin heavy chain-I protein (MyHC-I) and proportionally fewer (P < 0.05) Type I and Type I/IIa fibers than controls, but MyHC-II protein concentrations, Type II fibers, and Type IIx fibers were not different. IUGR biceps femoris muscles exhibited similar albeit less dramatic differences in fiber type proportions. Type I and IIa fibers are more responsive to adrenergic and insulin regulation than Type IIx and may be more profoundly impaired by the high catecholamines and low insulin in our IUGR fetuses, leading to their proportional reduction. In both muscles, fibers of each type were uniformly smaller (P < 0.05) in IUGR fetuses than controls, which indicates that fiber hypertrophy is not dependent on type but rather on other factors such as myoblast differentiation or protein synthesis. Together, our findings show that IUGR fetal muscles develop smaller fibers and have proportionally fewer Type I fibers, which is indicative of developmental adaptations that may help explain the link between IUGR and adulthood insulin resistance

Adrenal Demedullation And Oxygen Supplementation Independently Increase Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Concentrations In Fetal Sheep With Intrauterine Growth Restriction, Antoni R. Macko, Dustin T. Yates, Xiaochuan Chen, Leslie A. Shelton, Amy C. Kelly, Melissa A. Davis, Leticia E. Camacho, Miranda J. Anderson, Sean W. Limesand

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

In pregnancies complicated by placental insufficiency and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), fetal glucose and oxygen concentrations are reduced, whereas plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine concentrations are elevated throughout the final third of gestation. Here we study the effects of chronic hypoxemia and hypercatecholaminemia on β-cell function in fetal sheep with placental insufficiency-induced IUGR that is produced by maternal hyperthermia. IUGR and control fetuses underwent a sham (intact) or bilateral adrenal demedullation (AD) surgical procedure at 0.65 gestation. As expected, AD-IUGR fetuses had lower norepinephrine concentrations than intact-IUGR fetuses despite being hypoxemic and hypoglycemic. Placental insufficiency reduced fetal weights, but the severity …

Feeding Wet Distillers Grains Plus Solubles With And Without A Direct-Fed Microbial To Determine Performance, Carcass Characteristics, And Fecal Shedding Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 In Feedlot Heifers, B. K. Wilson, B. P. Pulsipher, D. L. Step, M. E. Jacob, D. L. Vanoverbeke, C. J. Richards, T. G. Nagaraja, C. R. Krehbiel

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The inclusion of wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS) in feedlot diets has become a common practice in many regions of the United States due to the expanded production of byproducts and fluctuating corn prices related to ethanol production and other factors. In addition, societal concerns over the continued use of antimicrobials in agriculture production combined with an enhanced interest in disease and pathogen prevention in the food supply have led to an increased interest in use of direct-fed microbials (DFM) in growing and finishing cattle. Direct-fed microbials have been shown to improve ADG and feed efficiency, alter ruminal fermentation, …

Joint Mouse–Human Phenome-Wide Association To Test Gene Function And Disease Risk, Xusheng Wang, Ashutosh K. Ciobanu, Megan K. Mulligan, Evan G. Williams, Khyobeni Mozhui, Zhengsheng Li, Virginija Jovaisaite, L. Darryl Quarles, Zhousheng Xiao, Jinsong Huang, John A. Capra, Zugen Chen, William L. Taylor, Lisa Bastarache, Xinnan Niu, Katherine S. Pollard, Daniel C. Ciobanu, Alexander O. Reznik, Artem V. Tishkov, Igor B. Zhulin, Junmin Peng, Stanley F. Nelson, Joshua C. Denny, Johan Auwerx, Lu Lu, Robert W. Williams

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Phenome-wide association is a novel reverse genetic strategy to analyze genome-tophenome relations in human clinical cohorts. Here we test this approach using a large murine population segregating for ~5 million sequence variants, and we compare our results to those extracted from a matched analysis of gene variants in a large human cohort. For the mouse cohort, we amassed a deep and broad open-access phenome consisting of ~4,500 metabolic, physiological, pharmacological and behavioural traits, and more than 90 independent expression quantitative trait locus (QTL), transcriptome, proteome, metagenome and metabolome data sets—by far the largest coherent phenome for any experimental cohort (www.genenetwork.org). …

Differential Contribution Of Genomic Regions To Marked Genetic Variation And Prediction Of Quantitative Traits In Broiler Chickens, Rostam Abdollaha- Arpanahi, Gota Morota, Bruno D. Valente, Andreas Kranis, Guilherme J. M. Rosa, Daniel Gianola

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Background: Genome-wide association studies in humans have found enrichment of trait-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in coding regions of the genome and depletion of these in intergenic regions. However, a recent release of the ENCyclopedia of DNA elements showed that ~80 % of the human genome has a biochemical function. Similar studies on the chicken genome are lacking, thus assessing the relative contribution of its genic and non-genic regions to variation is relevant for biological studies and genetic improvement of chicken populations. Methods: A dataset including 1351 birds that were genotyped with the 600K Affymetrix platform was used. We partitioned …

Epds And Risk, L. Dale Van Vleck

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

About 30 years ago there was concern in both the beef and dairy industries that too much emphasis was being given to accuracy of genetic evaluation. This article will discuss attempts to reduce emphasis on accuracy and, thus increase emphasis on the predictor of genetic value itself which is commonly known as estimated breeding value (EBV). Accuracy is a key component of more useful measures of risk such as standard error of prediction which can be used to create confidence ranges in units of measurement for true breeding value based on the EBV and the standard error of prediction. The …

Effects Of Sorghum Wet Distillers Grains Plus Solubles In Steam-Flaked Corn–Based Finishing Diets On Steer Performance, Carcass Characteristics, And Digestibility Characteristics, E. K. Buttrey, K. H. Noel, F. T. Mccollum Iii, N. A. Cole, L. O. Tedeschi, James C. Macdonald

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of sorghum wet distillers grains (SWDGS) in finishing diets on steer performance, carcass characteristics, and nutrient digestibility. In Exp. 1, 240 steers (initial BW = 379 ± 1 kg) were fed steam-flaked corn–based diets with or without 25% SWDGS and 7.5, 10.0, or 12.5% alfalfa hay. There were no effects of alfalfa hay concentration on BW, DMI, ADG, or G:F (P ≥ 0.16). Including SWDGS reduced (P ≤ 0.05) ADG and G:F. Fat thickness decreased (P = 0.03) and DP tended to decrease (P = 0.09) linearly as level of alfalfa hay …

Effects Of Increasing Soybean Hulls In Finishing Diets With Wet Or Modified Distillers Grains Plus Solubles On Performance And Carcass Characteristics Of Beef Steers, Curtis Bittner, Brandon L. Watson, C. J. Schneider, Dirk Burken, L. J. Johnson, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Galen E. Erickson

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Two experiments evaluated feeding soybean hulls (SBH) in finishing diets that contain distillers grains plus solubles on performance and carcass characteristics. Dietary concentrations of SBH were 0, 12.5, 25, and 37.5% of diet DM. In Exp. 1, 167 crossbred yearling steers (395 ± 22 kg of BW) were fed for 117 d in a randomized block design in which pelleted SBH replaced dry-rolled corn. All diets contained 25% modified distillers grains plus solubles, 15% corn silage, and 5% liquid supplement. As SBH concentration increased, DMI decreased linearly (P = 0.04). Gain and G:F decreased linearly (P < 0.01) in response to increasing concentrations of SBH, which decreased relative energy value from 91 to 79% of corn. Hot carcass weight linearly decreased (P < 0.01) by 24 kg as SBH increased. In Exp. 2, a randomized block design used 160 backgrounded steer calves (363 ± 16 kg of BW) in a 138-d finishing study with 0, 12.5, 25, or 37.5% SBH in the meal form. Basal ingredients consisted of a 1:1 ratio of high-moisture corn and dry-rolled corn, 40% wet distillers grains plus solubles, 8% sorghum silage, and 4% dry meal supplement. There was a tendency (P = 0.12) for a quadratic increase in ADG and G:F as dietary SBH increased, with numerically greatest ADG and G:F with 12.5% SBH. Feeding 12.5 to 25% SBH with 40% wet distillers grains plus solubles (Exp. 2) had little effect on performance but decreased ADG and G:F in diets with 25% modified distillers grains plus solubles (Exp. 1).

Effects Of Fat And/Or Methionine Hydroxy Analog Added To A Molasses-Urea-Based Supplement On Ruminal And Postruminal Digestion And Duodenal Flow Of Nutrients In Beef Steers Consuming Low-Quality Lovegrass Hay, R. Lopez, G. D. Bernhard, J. E. Guerra-Liera, S. A. Soto-Navarro, L. A. Balstad, M. K. Petersen, D. V. Dhuyvetter, M. S. Brown, C. R. Krehbiel

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Five crossbred beef steers (initial BW = 338.6 ± 7.8 kg) fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulas were used in a 5 × 5 Latin square design experiment to evaluate the effects of methionine hydroxy analog (MHA) and/or yellow grease (fat) added to a molassesurea- based supplement on intake and characteristics of digestion. Steers were fed low-quality hay (long-stem lovegrass Eragrostis curvula: 3.3% CP, 76.8% NDF; DM basis) ad libitum and supplemented with 0.91 kg/d (as fed) of 1 of 4 supplements in a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial arrangement of treatments. Supplemental treatments were 1) control (no supplement, …

Erratum: Divergent Activity Of The Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor Gene Promoter Among Genetic Lines Of Pigs Is Partially Conferred By Nuclear Factor (Nf)- Kb, Specificity Protein (Sp)1-Like And Gata-4 Binding Sites, Emily A. Mcdonald, Jacqueline E. Smith, Rebecca Cederberg, Brett R. White

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mesh-Informed Enrichment Analysis And Mesh-Guided Semantic Similarity Among Functional Terms And Gene Products In Chicken, Gota Morota, Timothy M. Beissinger, Francisco Peñagaricano

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Biomedical vocabularies and ontologies aid in recapitulating biological knowledge. The annotation of gene products is mainly accelerated by Gene Ontology (GO) and more recently by Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Here we report a suite of MeSH packages for chicken in Bioconductor and illustrate some features of different MeSH-based analyses, including MeSH-informed enrichment analysis and MeSH-guided semantic similarity among terms and gene products, using two lists of chicken genes available in public repositories. The two published data sets that were employed represent (i) differentially expressed genes and (ii) candidate genes under selective sweep or epistatic selection. The comparison of MeSH with …

Extension Demonstration Project Outcomes: Industry Adoption And Translation Of Project Deliverables, Matt Spangler

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Unfortunately, the amount of feed intake data available to U.S. beef breed associations is spars compared to the amount of data available for growth traits. This makes traditional pedigree-based genetic evaluation for feed intake or efficiency challenging. However, progress in this trait complex could be made as we know that dry matter intake and various “efficiency” traits would respond favorably to selection. Table 1 below depicts the heritability (on the diagonal) and genetic correlations (on the off diagonal) of several feed efficiency traits.

Effect Of Increasing Initial Implant Dosage On Feedlot Performance And Carcass Characteristics Of Long-Fed Steer And Heifer Calves1,2, F. H. Hilscher, M. N. Streeter, K. J. Vander Pol, B. D. Dicke, R. J. Cooper, D. J. Jordon, T. L. Scott, A. R. Vogstad, R. E. Peterson, B. E. Depenbusch, G. E. Erickson

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Three experiments evaluated initial implant strategies for finishing cattle. In Exp. 1, heifers (n = 1,405; initial BW = 282 kg) were given (1) Revalor-IH followed by Revalor-200 (REV-IH/200), (2) Revalor-H followed by Revalor-200 (REV-H/200), or (3) Revalor-200 followed by Revalor-200 (REV-200/200). Intake, ADG, and G:F were not affected (P ≥ 0.14) by implant strategies, nor were HCW and LM area (P ≥ 0.16). Percent USDA Choice was greater (P < 0.01) for Rev-IH/200 compared with Rev-H/200 and Rev-200/200. Experiment 2 used steers (n = 1,858; initial BW = 250 kg) given (1) Revalor-IS reimplanted with Revalor-200 (Rev-IS/200), (2) Revalor-XS followed by Revalor-IS (Rev-XS/IS), (3) Revalor-XS followed by Revalor-S (Rev-XS/S), or (4) Revalor-XS followed by Revalor-200 (Rev-XS/200). Implanting strategies did not affect (P ≥ 0.32) DMI or G:F. Carcass traits were not different (P ≥ 0.18) among treatments, except steers implanted with Rev-XS/200 had greater (P < 0.01) LM area. In Exp. 3, steers (n = 1,408; initial BW = 305 kg) were given (1) Rev-IS/200, (2) Rev-200/200, or (3) Rev-XS/200. Gain and G:F did not differ (P ≥ 0.36) among the 3 implant strategies, nor did HCW or marbling score (P ≥ 0.15). Steers given Rev-XS/200 had greater (P < 0.01) LM area and decreased (P ≤ 0.05) 12th-rib fat and YG compared with Rev-200/200 and Rev-IS/200. Using Rev-200/200 and Rev-XS/200 increased (P = 0.03) USDA Select compared with Rev-IS/200. Using greater-initial-dose implant strategies may not affect ADG or G:F but appears to increase leanness.

Comparison Of Joint Angles For Feet And Leg Conformation Traits Between Gilts At Selection And At Their Second Gestation And Sows Parity 5 And Above, Joseph D. Stock, Julia A. Calderón Díaz, Benny E. Mote, Kenneth J. Stalder

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

This study is a portion from the validation process of an objective methodology to measure feet and leg joint angles and to evaluate their relationship with sow longevity. Joint angle measurements from five feet and leg conformation traits (knee, hock, front and rear pasterns and rear stance) that have been previously described in the literature as being related with sow longevity were obtained from maternal gilts at selection and during their second gestation and compared with those obtained from 45 crossbred sows parity 5 and above. Significant differences (P < 0.05) between parities were identified in the knee, both pasterns, hock and rear stance joint angle measurements. These results suggest that as pigs age, structural changes occur. The range of which these changes occur could carry implications for the use of objective feet and leg angles towards future selection programs and protocols.

Genomic Differences Between Preweaning Survival And Mortality Of Piglets Following Pedv Outbreaks, Francesca Bertolini, John C.S. Harding, Benny Mote, Graham S. Plastow, Max Rothschild

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) is a serious and potentially devastating disease in the US and Canadian pig industries. To investigate if there is genetic resistance to PEDV a total of 156 dead and 106 surviving neonatal piglets infected with PEDV were genotyped with over 60,000 genetic markers to investigate genetic differences between the two groups. This allows for the identification of genomic regions that could be linked to susceptibility/resistance to virus infection and in cellular components that are involved in the PED virus infection cycle, providing new insights on the genetic resistance to this disease.

Joint Angles For Feet And Leg Conformation Traits In Second Gestation Sows, Joseph D. Stock, Julia A. Calderón Díaz, Benny Mote, Kenneth J. Stalder

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

This study is a portion from the validation process of an

objective methodology to measure feet and leg joint angles

and to evaluate their relationship with sow longevity. Five

feet and leg conformation traits (knee, hock, front and rear

pasterns and rear stance) that have been described in the

literature as being related with sow longevity were selected

for this study. Profile and rear stance digital images were

obtained from 277 sows during their 2nd gestation (26.7 ±

17.2 days of gestation; range 0 to 87 days). Sows were

obtained from a single gilt population and were moved to

three …

Genetic And Genomic Basis Of Antibody Response To Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome (Prrs) In Gilts And Sows, Nick V. Serão, Robert A. Kemp, Benny Mote, Philip Willson, John C.S. Harding, Stephen C. Bishop, Graham S. Plastow, Jack C.M. Dekkers

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Background: Our recent research showed that antibody response to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), measured as sample-to-positive (S/P) ratio, is highly heritable and has a high genetic correlation with reproductive performance during a PRRS outbreak. Two major quantitative trait loci (QTL) on Sus scrofa chromosome 7 (SSC7; QTL_MHC and QTL₁₃₀) accounted for ~40 % of the genetic variance for S/P. Objectives of this study were to estimate genetic parameters for PRRS S/P in gilts during acclimation, identify regions associated with S/P, and evaluate the accuracy of genomic prediction of S/P across populations with different prevalences of …

Rumen Bacterial Community Composition In Holstein And Jersey Cows Is Different Under Same Dietary Condition And Is Not Affected By Sampling Method, Henry A. Paz, Christopher L., Makala J. Muller, Paul J. Kononoff, Samodha C. Fernando

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The rumen microbial community in dairy cows plays a critical role in efficient milk production. However, there is a lack of data comparing the composition of the rumen bacterial community of the main dairy breeds. This study utilizes 16S rRNA gene sequencing to describe the rumen bacterial community composition in Holstein and Jersey cows fed the same diet by sampling the rumen microbiota via the rumen cannula (Holstein cows) or esophageal tubing (both Holstein and Jersey cows). After collection of the rumen sample via esophageal tubing, particles attached to the strainer were added to the sample to ensure representative sampling …