Meat Science Commons^™

Training Improves The Reliability Of Temperament Assessment In Cattle, Jamie T. Parham, Jessica J. Schmidt, Ronald M. Lewis

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Accurate and precise measurement of docility in cattle is paramount when including temperament as a criterion for selection. The value of training individuals in assigning a docility score was evaluated by comparing the reliability of individual assessments of temperament in beef cattle before and after various instructional methods. Preceding training, participants’ assessment of cattle behavior, videoed while each heifer was restrained in a chute, was not impacted by age, gender, or pre- existing cattle handling experience. Groups of participants that received additional training were more accurate and precise in evaluating temperament, regardless of training method, compared to those without. No …

Mineral Concentrations Of Forages For Livestock In Nebraska And South Dakota, Rebecca J. Kern, John W. Kern, Hannah M.G. Dorn, Carrie E. Putnam, Janna J. Block, Adele A. Harty, M. E. Drewnoski

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Forage samples from Nebraska and South Dakota submitted to Ward Laboratories, Inc. from 2012– 2019 were analyzed for mineral concentrations. Samples were categorized by forage species, quality based on protein content, and mineral concentration based on requirements for lactating beef cows. ! e data indicate that copper and zinc are frequently deficient across all species and levels of forage quality, emphasizing the need for supplementation. Except for magnesium, macro- mineral deficiencies are less likely to occur when feeding high quality forages in Nebraska and South Dakota. Corn feedstuffs are particularly likely to result in mineral deficiencies if fed without mineral …

Evaluation Of Models Used To Predict Dry Matter Intake In Forage- Based Diets, Aksel Wiseman, Andrea K. Watson, Rick Stock, Terry Klopfenstein

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Accurately predicting intake is critical to model performance of cattle in order to formulate diets to meet nutritional requirements. Modeling systems must be accurate in order to provide correct information to producers. Multiple studies with growing cattle consuming forage- based diets were summarized. Actual gain and weights of the cattle were used to determine predicted dry matter intake using the Beef Cattle Nutrient Requirements Model (2016). ! e predicted dry matter intakes were compared to observed dry matter intakes to determine accuracy of the prediction model. ! e model over predicted intakes at low TDN and under predicted intakes at …

Winter Growth Rate And Timing Of Marketing On Economics Of Yearling Systems, Michael Merical, M. E. Drewnoski, Jay Parsons

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Economic analyses were conducted examining 18 years of Nebraska monthly- average auction data to ! nd the e" ects of certain management decisions on the pro! tability of yearling production systems. A 2×2 experimental design was used to examine four possible scenarios. $ e variables were either fast winter growth (daily gain, 2.0 lb/ day) or slow winter growth (daily gain, 0.8 lb/day), and either a September or a July marketing date. In addition to pro! tability, risk management was also examined in this study. Average pro! tability of all scenarios was good, ranging from $112 to $143 per calf. …

Impact Of Masters Choice Corn Silage On Nutrient Digestion In Growing Cattle, Jiehua Xiong, Mitch M. Norman, Hannah C. Wilson, Caleb Crabtree, Galen E. Erickson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A digestion study was conducted to evaluate Masters Choice corn silage hybrids on nutrient digestibility in growing beef steers. ! e three hybrids evaluated were a conventional hybrid (CON) commonly grown in Eastern Nebraska which served as the control, Masters Choice hybrid MCT6365 RIB (MC1) that has been selected to improve " ber and starch digestion and Masters Choice hybrid MCT6733 GT3000 (MC2) selected to improve " ber digestion. Treatment diets consisted of 80% of the diet dry matter (DM) of each corn silage hybrid. Steers fed MC1 corn silage had the greatest organic matter (OM), energy digestibility, and digestible …

Organic Production Of Livestock And Livestock Products In Nebraska, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

First paragraph:

USDA “Certified Organic” is a form of production that has received considerable public attention in the last 10 years, particularly among small, beginning and/or minority farmers. Spiking retail prices for red meat and poultry have seemingly accelerated consumer’s interest in organic locally produced products. Consumers demonstrate their desire for these products by paying premiums when purchasing meat products. Producers receive premiums by either directly marketing live animals to consumers that are custom harvested or marketing animals to meat wholesalers. The primary difference is the way premiums are captured. Producers doing custom harvesting capture the full premium whereas producers …

Levels Of Copper And Zinc In Diets For Growing And Finishing Pigs Can Be Reduced Without Detrimental Effects On Production And Mineral Status, A Hernandez, J R. Pluske, D N. D'Souza, B P. Mullan

Animal production and livestock research articles

One hundred and sixty pigs were used to evaluate dietary copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) supplementation on performance, fecal mineral levels, body mineral status and carcass and meat quality. Diets differed in mineral form (MF) (Cu and Zn in the form of proteinate amino acid chelate (organic) or sulfate (inorganic)) and inclusion level (IL) (27 mg/kg of total Cu and 65 mg/kg of total Zn (‘low’) or 156 mg/kg of total Cu and 170 mg/kg of total Zn (‘high’)) according to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Pigs were used from 25 to 107 kg body weight (BW) …

The Use Of Inorganic And Organic Acids As Short Duration Antimicrobial Dips On Mitigating Pathogens Present On Commercial Chicken During Peri-Harvest, Dana Kristen Dittoe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With poultry being the most consumed meat in the United States, poultry processors must provide consumers with safe, wholesome products. As a consequence, poultry processors are faced with the challenge of reducing the presence of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter jejuni among raw poultry products. Though multi-hurdle approaches using antimicrobials are placed throughout processing to reduce these pathogens, Salmonella and C. jejuni still persist among raw poultry. Thus, it was the objective of the current dissertation to investigate various antimicrobials, organic and inorganic acids, as short duration dips and sprays as means to reduce common pathogens (Salmonella, …

Characterization Of Growth Patterns And Meat Quality Characteristics Of Four Commercial Broiler Strains In Small Bird And Large Bird Programs In The United States, Clay Johnny Maynard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Through current trends in animal protein consumption, the United States poultry industry has seen a drastic rise in production and popularity. Over the last few decades, poultry meat has surpassed both beef and pork production to become the most widely consumed animal protein. This rise may be accredited to an increased transition to more health-conscious consumers. As more consumers purchase poultry as a lean source of protein, the need for a superior quality product is of great interest to poultry integrators.

Relationships between commercial broiler lines have been well documented in previous years, but constant and intensive genetic selection in …

Evaluation Of Selected Bacillus Direct-Fed Microbial Candidates In Reduced Energy Diets On Live Performance, Carcass Characteristics, And Foot Pad Dermatitis, Kyle Teague

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bacillus spp. are ubiquitous, Gram-positive, spore forming bacteria that are commonly recovered from the environment and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of poultry. These spores are capable of withstanding harsh condition such as feed pelletization, which facilitates inclusion in poultry feeds. Once ingested by the bird, spores germinate into metabolically active vegetative cells which can produce extracellular enzymes which can hydrolyze otherwise indigestible components of the feed. Soybean meal (SBM) is the gold standard vegetable protein source for non-ruminant animals worldwide and is included in practically all poultry diets in the United States at levels ranging from 10 to more than 30%. …

Effect Of Feed Additives And Toxic Elements On Swine Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Immune Function And Reproductive Performance, Richard A. Mudarra Hernández

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To evaluate the effects of peptide in combination of zinc oxide (Zno) or acidifiers (Exp 1), and gossypol (G) from cottonseed meal (CSM) ( Exp 2&3) on growth performance, complete blood cell counts (Exp 1, 2&3), nutrient digestibility (Exp 1), plasma gossypol (Exp 2&3) and semen quality (Exp 3), weaned pigs (Exp 1), growing gilts (Exp 2) and growing boars (Exp 3) were randomly allotted to dietary treatments. Treatments for Exp 1 during phase 1&2 were: (1) Positive Control (PC), formulated to meet NRC (2012) nutrient requirements; (2) Negative control (NC), fish meal was reduced to achieve -0.13% SID lysine; …

Effects Of Commercial Feed Additives On Growth Performance And Gut Microbiota Of Nursery Pigs, Xiaoyuan Wei

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To secure animal welfare and maximum production, feed additives are often added to nursery pig diets to increase nutrition digestibility, enhance intestinal health, and prevent or mitigate disease, with the ultimate goal of improving growth performance. This thesis performed a longitudinal analysis using next-generation sequencing to investigate the dynamic changes of gut microbiota in weaned pigs fed commercial feed additives. Chapter II was used to evaluate the effects of organic acid mixture on growth performance and gut microbiota of weaning pigs. This study demonstrated that the inclusion of 0.035% (SBA0.035) or 0.070% (SBA0.070) sodium butyrate in a diet containing 0.5% …

A Transgenic Pig Model Expressing A Cmv-Zsgreen1 Reporter Across An Extensive Array Of Tissues, Amy T. Desaulniers, Rebecca A. Cederberg, Elizabeth P. Carreiro, Channabasavaiah B. Gurumurthy, Brett R. White

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Since genetic engineering of pigs can benefit both biomedicine and agriculture, selecting a suitable gene promoter is critically important. The cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter, which can robustly drive ubiquitous transgene expression, is commonly used at present, yet recent reports suggest tissue-specific activity in the pig. The objective of this study was to quantify ZsGreen1 protein (in lieu of CMV promoter activity) in tissues from pigs harboring a CMV-ZsGreen1 transgene with a single integration site. Tissue samples (n=35) were collected from neonatal hemizygous (n=3) and homozygous (n=3) piglets and ZsGreen1 abundance was determined via immunoblotting. ZsGreen1 was detected in all tissues, except …

Using Triallelic Snps For Determining Parentage In North American Yak (Bos Grunniens) And Estimating Cattle (B. Taurus) Introgression, Theodore S. Kalbfleisch, Jessica L. Petersen, R. G. Tait Jr., Jiansheng Qiu, Veronica Basnayake, Peter H. Hackett, Michael P. Heaton

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Background: Genetic testing for pedigree accuracy is critical for managing genetic diversity in North American (NA) yak (Bos grunniens ), a population expanded mostly from imported zoological park specimens. DNA testing also enhances species conservation by identifying recent B. taurus F1 hybrid ancestors (within three generations). Biallelic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can accomplish either task, but increases the marker count and costs necessary to achieve both. Our aim was to identify novel, multifunctional, triallelic yak SNPs (tySNPs), with each having two alleles for yak parentage testing, and a third allele for identifying recent cattle introgression.

Methods: Genome sequences were …

Mandibulofacial Dysostosis Attributed To A Recessive Mutation Of Cyp26c1 In Hereford Cattle, Renae L. Sieck, Anna M. Fuller, Patrick S. Bedwell, Jack A. Ward, Stacy K. Sanders, Shi-Hua Xiang, Sichong Peng, Jessica Lynn Petersen, David J. Steffen

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

In spring 2020, six Hereford calves presented with congenital facial deformities attributed to a condition we termed mandibulofacial dysostosis (MD). Affected calves shared hallmark features of a variably shortened and/or asymmetric lower mandible and bilateral skin tags present 2–10 cm caudal to the commissure of the lips. Pedigree analysis revealed a single common ancestor shared by the sire and dam of each affected calf. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 20 animals led to the discovery of a variant (Chr26 g. 14404993T>C) in Exon 3 of CYP26C1 associated with MD. This missense mutation (p.L188P), is located in an α helix of …

Impact Of Mixed Biofilm Formation With Environmental Microorganisms On E. Coli O157:H7 Survival Against Sanitization, Sapna Chitlapilly Dass, Joseph M. Bosilevac, Maggie Weinroth, Christian Elowsky, You Zhou, Angela Anandappa, Rong Wang

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

Biofilm formation by foodborne pathogens is a serious threat to food safety and public health. Meat processing plants may harbor various microorganisms and occasional foodborne pathogens; thus, the environmental microbial community might impact pathogen survival via mixed biofilm formation. We collected floor drain samples from two beef plants with different E. coli O157:H7 prevalence history and investigated the effects of the environmental microorganisms on pathogen sanitizer tolerance. The results showed that biofilm forming ability and bacterial species composition varied considerably based on the plants and drain locations. E. coli O157:H7 cells obtained significantly higher sanitizer tolerance in mixed biofilms by …

Effect Of Method Of Drying Piglets At Birth On Rectal Temperature Over The First 24 H After Birth, Katherine D. Vande Pol, Andres F. Tolosa, Caleb M. Shull, Catherine B. Brown, Stephan A.S. Alencar, Michael Ellis

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

Piglets are born wet, and evaporation of that moisture decreases body temperature, increasing the risk of mortality. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of two commercially applicable methods for drying piglets at birth on piglet rectal temperature over 24 h after birth. The study was carried out in standard commercial farrowing facilities with 52 litters, using a completely randomized design with three Drying Treatments: Control (not dried); Desiccant (dried at birth using a cellulose-based desiccant); Paper Towel (dried at birth using paper towels). Litters were randomly allotted to treatments at the birth of the first piglet. …

Effect Of Drying And/Or Warming Piglets At Birth On Rectal Temperature Over The First 24 H After Birth, Katherine D. Vande Pol, Andres F. Tolosa, Caleb M. Shull, Catherine B. Brown, Stephan A. S. Alencar, Michael Ellis

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

Piglets experience a rapid decrease in body temperature immediately after birth, increasing the risk of mortality. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of drying and/or warming piglets at birth on rectal temperature over the first 24 h after birth. The study was carried out at a commercial sow facility using a completely randomized design with four treatments (applied to piglets at birth): Control (no drying or warming), Desiccant (dried using a desiccant), Warming Box (placed in a box under a heat lamp for 30 min), and Desiccant + Warming Box (both dried and warmed as above). …

Genomic Analysis Of Igg Antibody Response To Common Pathogens In Commercial Sows In Health-Challenged Herds, Leticia P. Sanglard, Piggen Canada, Benny E. Mote, Philip Willson, John C.S. Harding, Graham S. Plastow, Jack C.M. Dekkers, Nick V.L. Serão

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Losses due to infectious diseases are one of the main factors affecting productivity in the swine industry, motivating the investigation of disease resilience-related traits for genetic selection. However, these traits are not expected to be expressed in the nucleus herds, where selection is performed. One alternative is to use information from the commercial level to identify and select nucleus animals genetically superior for coping with pathogen challenges. In this study, we analyzed the genetic basis of antibody (Ab) response to common infectious pathogens in health-challenged commercial swine herds as potential indicator traits for disease resilience, including Ab response to influenza …

Uncertainties Abound In Nebraska Livestock Market Forecasts, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

About one of the only things certain about forecasts this year has been the great deal of uncertainty. Numerous “novel” situations have confronted the industry making it difficult to estimate price magnitudes rather than just price direction. Clustered plant closures, government quarantine restrictions, and increasing at home phone consumption are just a few of the major issues the beef industry has had to tackle in the last six to eight months. Some things have returned to “normal” such as packing plant capacity and food service demand. Others are still in ongoing recovery.

Who knows what “normal” or “standard operating procedure” …

Comparing Profitability And Management Factors Across Operation Type: Independent Vs. Contract Growing, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

First paragraph:

There is strong local and national interest in adding hog barns to existing row crop operations. Declining on farm income over the past several years has accelerated this interest. Grain operations cite diversifying farm income, adding another family to the farm operation, and/or replacing commercial fertilizer expense as the primary reasons for adding a hog barn.

A Historical Perspective On The Holcomb Fire: Differences And Similarities To The Covid-19 Situation And Other Significant Market Events, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

Copyright 2020, the author. Used by permission.

Hog Barn Density And Location In U.S. And Nebraska, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

There is strong local and national interest in adding hog barns to existing row crop operations. Declining on farm income over the past several years has accelerated this interest. Grain operations cite diversifying farm income, adding another family to the farm operation, and/or replace commercial fertilizer expense as the primary reasons for adding a hog barn.

While there is industry demand to increase hog contract growing, these agreements can possess significant benefits and risks to producers. This is the first of a four part series which will discuss some financial and legal implications of adding a hog barn to an …

Free Calcium Concentration, Calpain-2 Activity, And Final Product Tenderness Of Electrically Stimulated Beef, B J. Buseman, T M. Weber, J A. Nasados, P D. Bass, J B. Van Buren, J M. Lancaster, J H. Smart, M E. Doumit, G K. Murdoch, W J. Price, K Insausti, M J. Colle

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of timing of electrical stimulation on free calcium concentration, calpain-2 activity, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), and consumer sensory analysis. Twenty-three beef steers were harvested and stimulated (S) using extra-low voltage or not stimulated (NS), at exsanguination and/or 1 h postmortem, resulting in 4 different stimulation treatments: NS-NS, NS-S, S-NS, or S-S. Samples were removed from the longissimus lumborum (LL) and semimembranosus (SM) for free calcium and calpain-2 analysis on days 1, 4, and 14 postmortem. WBSF and sensory analysis steaks were removed on day 4 and frozen (4 d) or …

Respiratory Chain Activity And Protein Expression In Skeletal Muscles From High And Low Feed Efficient Swine Within The Same Genetic Line, Earsie L. Alcorn De Feliz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current as well as past studies have provided evidence for a connection between macroeconomic/agricultural and cellular/biochemical basis of feed efficiency (FE; gain:feed) in farm animal production. Our investigation of respiratory chain activity, mitochondrial protein oxidation and protein expression was an expansion to the subcellular/molecular level. In this study we investigated the entire complex (Cx) of the electron transport chain (ETC) for differences in Cx activities in mitochondria isolated from skeletal muscle in high (HFE) and low (LFE) feed efficient swine within the same genetic line. Review of literature provided information for the connection between feed efficiency, mitochondrial function, and muscle …

Effects Of Supplementing Crystalline L-Valine And L-Isoleucine And A Novel Threonine Biomass In Reduced Crude Protein Diets Fed To Broilers, Derrell Trevor Lee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poultry nutritionists continue to identify methods to lower feed price without compromising broiler growth performance, processing yields, or animal well-being. A common approach is to reduce dietary crude protein (CP), the second most expensive component in a broiler diet. Subsequently, reducing CP will reduce the inclusion levels of intact protein sources (e.g., soybean meal [SBM]), which can be accomplished by supplementing individual amino acids (AA). This methodology not only reduces diet cost, pending if feed-grade AA are more economical, but can contribute to improving broiler health and environmental sustainability. Therefore, two experiments were conducted to evaluate individual feed-grade AA in …

The Effects Of Excess Dietary Sulfur Using Supplemental Sodium Sulfate On Beef Steer, Heifer, And Progeny Productive And Physiological Responses, Jamie Hawley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For studies 1 through 3, 20 steers of predominantly Angus breeding, were stratified by body weight (279 ± 13.2 kg), assigned randomly to 6 paddocks, and fed a low S ground corn and soybean meal supplement that did not contain any byproduct feeds (0.31% total dietary S; LS) or LS supplement with an additional 0.25% S provided from sodium sulfate (Na2SO4; 0.58% total dietary S; HS) for a 114-d growing phase. Steers were moved to feedlot (373 ± 0.2 kg), remained on prior dietary S treatments, and fed corn and soybean meal diets (0.19 and 0.42% total dietary S; LS …

Assessing Outcomes Of Genetic Selection Panels To Predict Marbling In Crossbred Beef Cattle, Tanya M. Weber, B J. Buseman, James A. Nasados, Jessica M. Lancaster, Jessie B. Van Buren, Jaxon H. Smart, Phillip D. Bass, Gordon K. Murdoch, Kizkitza Insausti, Michael J. Colle

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of genetic panel marbling indexes [Igenity (IT) and PredicGEN (PG)] to predict marbling and tenderness of crossbred cattle. Steers (n = 23) were harvested at the University of Idaho Meat Science Laboratory, and blood samples were submitted to Neogen and Zoetis for genetic panel analysis. Forty-eight hours postharvest, one boneless strip loin was collected from each carcass, and six 2.54-cm thick steaks were cut from each strip loin. Steaks were aged for 14 and 21 d and assigned to consumer sensory evaluation or Warner–Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF) analysis. Results were …

Reduction Of Fat Content In Processed Meats Using Hot-Boning And Cold-Batter Mincing Technology, Morgan P. Wonderly

Master's Theses

Processed meats have received negative publicity due to high fat contents that have been linked to adverse effects on human health. Fat is an essential ingredient in many processed meat products, so reducing this all while maintaining the desired characteristics of the product is a challenge. The purpose of this study was to generate low-fat meat products using a combination of hot-boning/crust-freeze-air-chilling (HB-CFAC) and cold-batter mincing (CBM) technologies. Pork hams were subjected to HB-CFAC or chill-boning/crust-freeze-air-chilling (CB-CFAC) prior to 3 min pre-mincing and 6 min mincing for control gels with back-fat addition or low-fat gels with water addition instead of …

Air Temperature, Carbon Dioxide, And Ammonia Assessment Inside A Commercial Cage Layer Barn With Manure-Drying Tunnels, W Zheng, Y Xiong, R S. Gates, K W. Koelkebeck

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Understanding the air temperature distribution, ammonia (NH₃) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels in poultry housing systems are crucial to poultry health, welfare, and productivity. In this study, 4 Intelligent Portable Monitoring Units and 7 temperature sensors were installed inside and between the cages and above 2 minimum ventilation fans of a commercial stacked-deck cage laying hen house in the Midwest United States (425,000 laying hens) to continuously monitor the interior environment over a 6-month period. During cold conditions (March 12th–May 22nd), there was a variation noted, with barn center temperatures consistently being highest in the longitudinal …