Meat Science Commons^™

2023 Cattlemen’S Day Full Report, Liz Boyle

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

This report includes research conducted in 2022 on beef cattle management, reproduction, nutrition, and meat science conducted at Kansas State University.

Effects Of Administration Of A Growth Promoting Implant During The Suckling Phase Or At Weaning On Growth, Reproduction, And Ovarian Development In Replacement Heifers Grazing Native Range, Shelby L. Rosasco, Emily A. Melchior-Tiffany, Cierrah J. Kassetas, Shad H. Cox, Richard L. Dunlap, Jennifer A. Hernandez Gifford, Eric J. Scholljegerdes, Robert A. Cushman, Adam F. Summers

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

Management strategies utilized during pre-breeding development of replacement heifers can impact fertility and the ovarian reserve. Angus- Hereford crossbred heifers (n = 233) were utilized over a 3-yr period to determine the effects of administration of a growth promoting implant at either branding or weaning on growth, reproduction, and ovarian development. Heifer calves were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: 1) nonimplanted controls (CON; n = 79), 2) implanted at approximately 2 mo of age (average calf age = 58 d) with Synovex-C (BIMP, n = 82), or 3) implanted at approximately 7 mo of age (average calf …

Relationship Of Molecular Breeding Value For Beef Tenderness With Heifer Traits Through Weaning Of Their First Calf, Robert A. Cushman, Gary L. Bennett, Richard G. Tait, Anthony K. Mcneel, Eduardo Casas, Timothy P.L. Smith, Harvey C. Freetly

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

Polymorphisms in μ-calpain (CAPN1) that beneficially associate with beef tenderness are reported to antagonistically associate with calving day in beef heifers and post-partum interval to estrus in beef cows. We, therefore, hypothesized that a molecular breeding value for slice shear force, calculated based on CAPN1 and calpastatin (CAST) genotypes, would demonstrate an antagonistic relationship between genomically predicted slice shear force and ordinal calving date in replacement beef heifers. A secondary objective of this study was to evaluate the association of a polymorphism in diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase (DGAT1) with reproductive traits in beef heifers. One hundred eighty-seven MARC III heifers (¼ Angus, …

Using Genomics To Measure Phenomics: Repeatability Of Bull Prolificacy In Multiple-Bull Pastures, Gary L. Bennett, John W. Keele, Larry A. Kuehn, Warren M. Snelling, Robert A. Cushman, Tara G. Mcdaneld, Aaron M. Dickey, Darrell Light

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

Phenotypes are necessary for genomic evaluations and management. Sometimes genomics can be used to measure phenotypes when other methods are difficult or expensive. Prolificacy of bulls used in multiple-bull pastures for commercial beef production is an example. A retrospective study of 79 bulls aged 2 and older used 141 times in 4–5 pastures across 4 years was used to estimate repeatability from variance components. Traits available before each season’s use were tested for predictive ability. Sires were matched to calves using individual genotypes and evaluating exclusions. A lower-cost method of measuring prolificacy was simulated for five pastures using the bulls’ …

Comparison Of Performance Of F1 Romanov Crossbred Ewes With Wool And Hair Breeds During Spring Lambing Under Intensive And Extensive Production Systems, Brad A. Freking, Thomas W. Murphy

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

The objective was to evaluate wool (Dorset and Rambouillet) and hair (Dorper, Katahdin, and White Dorper) breeds for their ability to complement Romanov germplasm in two distinct production systems by estimating direct sire and grandsire effects on lamb growth, survival, and ewe productivity traits. Rams of the five breeds (n = 75) were mated to Romanov ewes (n = 459) over a 3-yr period to produce five types of crossbred lambs (n = 2,739). Sire breed (P > 0.06) did not impact body weight or survival traits of the first-generation crossbred (F1) lambs. The productivity of retained crossbred ewes (n = …

Review: Perspective On High-Performing Dairy Cows And Herds, J. H. Britt, R. A. Cushman, C. D. Dechow, H. Dobson, P. Humblot, M. F. Hutjens, G. A. Jones, F. M. Mitloehner, P. L. Ruegg, I. M. Sheldon, J. S. Stevenson

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

Milk and dairy products provide highly sustainable concentrations of essential amino acids and other required nutrients for humans; however, amount of milk currently produced per dairy cow globally is inadequate to meet future needs. Higher performing dairy cows and herds produce more milk with less environmental impact per kg than lower performing cows and herds. In 2018, 15.4% of the world's dairy cows produced 45.4% of the world's dairy cow milk, reflecting the global contribution of high-performing cows and herds. In high-performing herds, genomic evaluations are utilized for multiple trait selection, welfare is monitored by remote sensing, rations are formulated …

Table Of Contents

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

No abstract provided.

Optimizing Reproductive Performance In The Goat Herd, Dahlia O'Brien, Stephen Wildeus

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

Reproductive efficiency impacts pregnancy rates, kidding/lambing frequency and number of offspring available for market each year. To enhance reproductive performance, consider breed, selection, nutrition and health, and understand basic female and male reproduction. Proper ration formulation and feeding promotes reproductive function and leads to more offspring. Selecting the highest performing females while culling unproductive does increases reproductive rates. Diseases affect the reproduction and survival of kids, so adopting disease prevention strategies including routine vaccinations and deworming protocols that promote good herd health is necessary. Understanding male and female reproduction are critical in managing puberty, minimizing the effects of seasonality …

The Impact Of Heat Load On Cattle, Angela M. Lees, Veerasamy Sejian, Andrea L. Wallage, Cameron C. Steel, Terry L. Mader, Jarrod C. Lees, John B. Gaughan

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Heat stress and cold stress have a negative influence on cattle welfare and productivity. There have been some studies investigating the influence of cold stress on cattle, however the emphasis within this review is the influence of heat stress on cattle. The impact of hot weather on cattle is of increasing importance due to the changing global environment. Heat stress is a worldwide phenomenon that is associated with reduced animal productivity and welfare, particularly during the summer months. Animal responses to their thermal environment are extremely varied, however, it is clear that the thermal environment influences the health, productivity, and …

Influence Of Crossbreeding On Meat Goat Doe Fitness When Comparing Boer F1 With Base Breeds In The Southeastern United States, Piush Khanal, Maria L. Leite-Browning, Richard Browning Jr.

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Understanding fitness level among various breeds is essential for sustainable meat goat production. Research on the relative fitness of Boer F₁ does and straightbred base breed has been limited. Meat goat does of various genotypes (Boer, Kiko, Spanish, Boer × Kiko reciprocal F₁ crosses, and Boer × Spanish reciprocal F₁ crosses) were studied to evaluate breed effects on doe fitness traits and the expression of heterosis over 7 production years. The herd was semi-intensively managed under humid subtropical pasture. Doe age affected (P < 0.05) various traits. Boer × Kiko does were heavier (P < 0.05) than Boer does at fall breeding, but Boer × Spanish does did not differ (P > 0.05) from Boer does for breeding weight. The body weights of …

Triennial Reproduction Symposium: Looking Back And Moving Forward—How Reproductive Physiology Has Evolved, Deb L. Hamernik, Andrea S. Cupp, John S. Davis

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR), a Triennial Reproduction Symposium was cosponsored by SSR and the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS). The Society for the Study of Reproduction was formed in 1967 when a group of reproductive biologists that were members of ASAS met with physician scientists and decided to organize a new scientific society. The goal of SSR was to promote the study of reproduction by fostering interdisciplinary communication among scientists, holding conferences, and publishing meritorious studies. Today after its 50th anniversary, the mission for SSR is to harness …

Influence Of Steroids And Gonadotropins On Reproduction In Beef Cattle, Thomas L. Devine

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the influence of steroids and gonadotropins on reproduction in beef cattle. In experiment 1, beef heifers were used to determine the influence of growth-promoting implants on growth, reproductive development, estrous behavior, and pregnancy rate. Heifers were assigned to 1 of 4 implant treatment groups: control (CON); trenbolone acetate (TBA); trenbolone acetate plus estradiol (TBA+E2) or zeranol (ZER). Heifers were implanted once, A.I. and exposed to bull during this experiment. Body weight, BCS, HH, RTS, estrous behavior and pregnancy data were collected throughout this experiment. Average daily gain of heifers was greater for …

Genome-Wide Prediction Of Age At Puberty And Reproductive Longevity In Sows, Julie Kathleen Tart, Rodger K. Johnson, Justin W. Bundy, N. N. Ferdinand, A. M. Mcknite, Jennifer R. Wood, Phillip S. Miller, M. F. Rothschild, Matthew L. Spangler, Dorian J. Garrick, Stephen D. Kachman, Daniel C. Ciobanu

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Traditional selection for sow reproductive longevity is ineffective due to low heritability and late expression of the trait. Incorporation of DNA markers into selection programs is potentially a more practical approach for improving sow lifetime productivity. Using a resource population of crossbred gilts, we explored pleiotropic sources of variation that influence age at puberty and reproductive longevity. Of the traits recorded before breeding, only age at puberty significantly affected the probability that females would produce a first parity litter. The genetic variance explained by 1-Mb windows of the sow genome, compared across traits, uncovered regions that influence both age at …

Genome-Wide Association Analyses Of Sow Reproduction And Lifetime Productivity, Daniel Ciobanu

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Concurrent with increased prolificacy, high sow death losses and replacement rates are serious economic and welfare issues facing producers. Reproductive failure is the most frequent reason for culling sows. Lifetime productivity is characterized by moderate heritability and high phenotypic variance and, as a result, substantial genetic variation is expected to exist in most populations. Traditional selection for sow reproductive longevity results is ineffective due to low heritability and late expression of the trait. The primary goal of this research project was to identify DNA markers associated with reproductive and sow lifetime productivity that can be used in nucleus herds to …

Identification Of Markers Associated With Sow Lifetime Productivity For Whole Genomic Selection, Daniel Ciobanu

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Sows are more productive today than ever before. However, concurrent with increased prolificacy, high sow death losses and replacement rates are serious economic and welfare issues facing producers. Reproductive failure is the most frequent reason for culling sows. Length of productive life is moderately heritable and has high variance; thus, substantial genetic variation is expected to exist in most populations. Genetic improvement in the swine industry occurs from selection in nucleus herds and is then transmitted through the breeding pyramid in the multiplication process. Thus, it is critical to identify selection methods that can be applied in nucleus herds that …

Effects Of Body Condition On Reproductive Performance Of Beef Cows, P.A. Momont, R.J. Pruitt

South Dakota Beef Report, 1986

Cows were fed differing nutritional levels before and after calving to create a wide range of cow body condition or fleshiness prior t o calving and at the beginning of the breeding season. Cows that were fleshier prior t o calving and when turned on pasture in early May (30 days prior t o the beginning of the breeding season) had a higher cycling rate in early May, June and July. Cows maintaining or increasing slightly in body condition (precalving to early May) tended to have a higher cycling rate during the breeding season than cows which lost body condition …

Effectiveness Of Albendazole Against Parasites And Cow And Calf Performance, H.L. Miller, J. Berthelsen, B.A. Petitjean, R.H. Haigh

South Dakota Beef Report, 1986

Albendazole was utilized in drench and feed additive form to determine its effectiveness against parasite control, cow weight and conception rate and calf weaning weights. Fecal oocyte number was decreased by administration of Albendazole. Calf weaning weights from treated cows were heavier the first two years (14.5 lb for heifers and 10.5 lb for bulls) but decreased the third year (13 lb and 6 lb for heifers and bulls, respectively). Conception rates were similar between the two groups, with the only difference occurring the third year when control cows had a higher conception rate from the second AI than treated …

Effects Of Level Of Energy Supplement In Early Winter And Level Protein After Calving On Beef Cows Grazing Native Range, R.J. Pruitt

South Dakota Beef Report, 1986

Simmental-Angus crossbred cows grazing native range near Cottonwood, SD, were fed two precalving levels of energy supplement and two postcalving levels of protein supplement. Cow weight change and reproductive performance were similar for all treatments. Although calves from cows supplemented with higher levels of energy gained faster from birth to early May, gains to weaning were similar for all treatments.