Translational Animal Science最新文献

{"title":"Effects of acupuncture treatment through acupoints in ears on transport stress in domestic pigs.","authors":"Hiroaki Kawaguchi, Moe Ijiri, Motohiko Sato, Chihiro Kanno, Hiroshi Miura, Hisaya K Ono, Yoshikazu Fujimoto, Tomohide Matsuo","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf030","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txaf030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to investigate the effects of acupuncture treatment through ear acupoints on transport stress in domestic pigs. Experiment 1 [Safety test of new starch-circular transdermal needles (CTNs)]: Four experimental minipigs underwent the application of starch-CTNs to ear acupoints, and they were observed for 2 wk to identify any gross abnormalities. Experiment 2 (Transport stress experiment): thirty-four domestic pigs were divided into three groups: Group 1: control without treatment; Group 2: acupuncture treatment using stainless-CTNs; Group 3: acupuncture treatment using starch-CTNs. Blood samples were collected on bloodletting in the slaughterhouse, and stress and oxidative stress markers, and other biochemical factors were examined. Experiment 3 (Follow-up study): The incidence of abnormal internal organs on carcass inspection was investigated. In Experiment 1, no abnormalities were observed in any of the animals. In Experiment 2, the acupuncture treatment improved the changes in blood cortisol, noradrenaline, derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) and biological antioxidant potential (BAP)/d-ROMs ratio. In Experiment 3, The acupuncture treatment improved rates of an abnormal digestive tract, pancreas, and heart. In conclusion, it was suggested that the acupuncture treatment through acupoints in ears using stainless- and new starch-CTNs suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function, central catecholaminergic system, and affects blood oxidative stress, and consequently reduces transport stress, and can improve animal welfare for domestic pigs.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf030"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12070473/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144043628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of dietary <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> fermentation product on markers of inflammation and cartilage metabolism in young exercising horses challenged with intra-articular lipopolysaccharide.","authors":"Grace E Moore, Jessica L Leatherwood, Kati G Glass, Carolyn E Arnold, Brittany L Paris, Margaret M Carter, James M George, Alyson B Fontenot, Rafael E Martinez, Mark A Franklin, Sharon A Norton, Amanda N Bradbery, Tryon A Wickersham","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaf042","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The objective was to evaluate dietary <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> fermentation product (SCFP) on joint inflammation and cartilage metabolism in exercising yearlings challenged with intra-articular lipopolysaccharide (LPS), hypothesizing dietary SCFP (TruEquine^®C, Diamond V Mills, Inc.) would ameliorate joint inflammation and increase cartilage metabolism. Thirty Quarter Horse yearlings were stratified by bodyweight (BW), age, sex, and randomly assigned to dietary treatments (n = 10/treatment): control (0), 46, or 92 mg/kg BW/d SCFP. Treatments were top-dressed to 1% BW/d concentrate void of added microbials. Horses were stalled (3.6 m × 7.3 m), offered ad libitum Coastal bermudagrass hay, and exercised 30 min/d, 5 d/wk. On days 0, 21, 42, and 56, wither height, hip height, heart girth, body length, body condition scores (BCS), and BW were recorded. On day 46, one radial carpal joint received 0.8 mL of a 0.5 ng LPS solution or sterile lactated Ringer's solution (LRS) in the contralateral joint. Synovial fluid was collected pre- (0) and 6, 12, 24, and 336 hours post-injection and analyzed for prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), carboxypropeptide of type II collagen (CPII), and collagenase cleavage neopeptide (C2C) via commercial ELISA, and chemokines (CCL2, and CCL11) and cytokines (TNF <math><mstyle><mi>α</mi></mstyle> </math> and IL-10) via multiplex platform. Rectal temperature (RT), heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR), and carpal circumference (CC) were recorded prior to arthrocentesis. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS. By day 56, growth parameters increased (<i>P</i> < 0.01), BCS did not change (<i>P</i> = 0.39), and BW had a treatment × d interaction (<i>P</i> = 0.02) where control tended to be heavier than 92 mg/kg BW on day 56 (<i>P</i> = 0.07). Clinical parameters (RT, HR, RR, CC) were uninfluenced by diet (<i>P</i> ≥ 0.29) but varied over time (<i>P</i> ≤ 0.03). Treatments did not influence cartilage metabolism (CPII, C2C, and CPII:C2C) (<i>P</i> ≥ 0.46) or logPGE₂, logCCL2, CCL11, or logIL-10 (<i>P</i> ≥ 0.23). There was a treatment × h interaction for CCL11 (<i>P</i> = 0.04) where control was greater than SCFP groups at h 6. LogIL-10 had a treatment × h interaction where 46 mg/kg BW was lower than control and 92 mg/kg BW at h 12 (<i>P</i> = 0.05). There was a main effect of treatment for TNF <math><mstyle><mi>α</mi></mstyle> </math> (<i>P</i> = 0.04) where 92 mg/kg BW was lower than 46 mg/kg BW and tended to be lower than control. Results indicate that SCFP didn't influence cartilage metabolism or PGE₂, though SCFP may ameliorate inflammatory cytokines and chemokines following an acute, intra-articular insult.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf042"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12057563/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144014594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Grazed bite item diversity of beef cows grazing semi-natural grassland in relation to herbage nutritive value and the actually available diversity of bite items.","authors":"Caroline Siede, Alina Juch, Wiebke Pohlmann, Dina Hamidi, Johannes Isselstein, Martin Komainda","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf053","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txaf053","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heterogeneous extensive grassland offers herbivores a variation of potential bite items (BI) from which they can select. But there is a lack of knowledge on the relationship between the actually available (BI_a) and the grazed (BI_g) BI diversity albeit this information is essential to understand grass sward composition. We assessed the BI_a in the sward and the BI_g to evaluate the BI diversity under two grazing intensities in two seasons in the replicated long-term grazing experiment Forbioben. The BI_a diversity was measured pre-grazing using a modified sward stick (200 measurement points per 1-ha paddock) whereby at each point the botanical composition, phenological stage, color and height were recorded and consequently structured into BI_a. Herbage samples were taken for each BI and analyzed via near-infrared-reflectance spectroscopy for the concentration of crude protein (CP), acid-detergent fiber in the organic matter (ADF), in vitro digestibility of the organic matter (ivdOM) and metabolizable energy (ME) and labeled as grazed and non-grazed. For the BI_g diversity each cow was observed in the morning and afternoon four times, 2 min each on 1 d each season using an app for counting the bites and following video analysis to determine the composition of the BI_g. A reduction in growth rates during the hot and dry summer might have caused the decline of BI_a diversity of 25% under moderate and 22% under lenient grazing towards autumn (p < 0.0001). This also influenced the BI_g as in spring 50% and 53% of the BI_a diversity were grazed under moderate and lenient grazing, respectively. In autumn only 36% and 28% were grazed, respectively corresponding well to the generally lower herbage nutritive value of BI in autumn as the offered grassland resource changed over time and provided greater ivdOM and ME in spring compared to autumn (p < 0.0001). This shows a greater selectivity from the limited choice in autumn. All cows were able to maintain a good quality diet irrespective of grazing intensity which is underlined by the fact that the digestibility of ingested herbage was the same among the grazing intensities but greater in spring than in autumn.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf053"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12070483/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144038667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of feed withdrawal prior to marketing to improve carcass yield and reduce feed cost in finishing pigs.","authors":"Hilario M Cordoba, Joel M DeRouchey, Jason C Woodworth, Mike D Tokach, Robert D Goodband, Jordan T Gebhardt","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaf046","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fasting pigs prior to harvest benefits food safety and pork quality. Studies have examined the effect of feed withdrawal prior to marketing applied on groups of pigs marketed at one time but not across multiple marketing events. Therefore, this study determined the effects of three feed withdrawal times before the first and final marketing event on pig performance, carcass traits, and economic return. A total of 695 finishing pigs (117.6 ± 1.06 kg) were allotted in a randomized complete block design and assigned to 1 of 3 treatments (24 pens per treatment; 9 to 10 pigs per pen). Treatments consisted of 12, 18, or 24 h (including transportation and lairage) of feed withdrawal prior to harvest to determine its effects on hot carcass weight (HCW), carcass yield, and economic costs vs. benefits of pigs marketed at two different marketing events (3 heaviest pigs per pen marketed 14-d prior to the final marketing of all remaining pigs). There were no differences in growth performance during the 14-d period between marketing events. However, pigs with 24 h of feed withdrawal prior to harvest had lower (<i>P</i> < 0.05) live BW at the first marketing event and at both events combined than pigs with 12 h of feed withdrawal. For carcass responses, pigs at the final marketing with 12 h of feed withdrawal prior to harvest had increased (<i>P</i> < 0.05) HCW compared to pigs with 24 h of feed withdrawal, leading to a tendency (<i>P</i> = 0.055) for increased HCW overall for the combined marketing events (0.5 kg heavier). When evaluating carcass yield using live weights at 24 h prior to harvest, pigs in the final marketing group with 12 h of feed withdrawal prior to harvest had greater yield (<i>P</i> < 0.05) than pigs marketed with 24 h of feed withdrawal; however, using live weights 12 h prior to harvest to calculate yield, pigs with 24 h of feed withdrawal prior to harvest had increased yield (<i>P</i> < 0.05) compared to pigs marketed with 12 h of feed withdrawal for both marketing events. There were no differences in backfat, loin depth, and percentage lean between treatments. Feed consumed and cost were reduced (<i>P</i> < 0.05) with 24 h treatment compared to 12 h in the overall period. In conclusion, withholding feed at the first marketing event did not impact pigs' growth performance or HCW. However, carcass yield was affected by the feed withdrawal time prior to harvest, with greater HCW for pigs with 12 h compared to 24 h of feed withdrawal at the final marketing event.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf046"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12057559/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144049956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Yield of hybrid rye silage and its use as a replacement for barley silage on feed intake, growth performance, and carcass quality of growing and finishing steers.","authors":"Fuquan Zhang, Rebecca S Brattain, Herman Wehrle, Vern Baron, Gabriel O Ribeiro, Gregory B Penner","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaf048","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study compared the yield of barley and hybrid rye when harvested for silage, and evaluated the effects of replacing barley silage (BARS) with hybrid rye silage (HRS) on dry matter intake (DMI), growth, and carcass characteristics of feedlot steers. The whole-plant hybrid rye (late milk) and barley (soft dough) were each harvested from 3 replicate 7.85-ha plots in 2022 and 2023 and ensiled (n = 3/treatment/yr). In each year, 192 steers were allocated to 1 of 16 pens in a completely randomized block design for growing (4 pens/treatment/yr) and finishing (5 or 6 pens/treatment/yr) phases. Treatments during the growing phase (84 d) included a control diet (GCON) that contained 60% BARS, and in the remaining treatments HRS replaced 33 (GLOW), 67 (GMED), or 100% (GHIGH) of the BARS (DM basis). Steers were then re-randomized and allocated to 1 of 16 pens for the finishing phase with diets that contained (DM basis) 10% BARS (FCON) or diets where HRS replaced 50% (FMED) or 100% (FHIGH) of the BARS. Steers were fed for 112 d. Forage DM yield did not differ between whole plant hybrid rye and barley (3.96 vs. 3.70 mT/ha). During the growing phase, increasing the HRS inclusion at the expense of BARS decreased DMI (quadratic, <i>P </i>= 0.02), average daily gain (ADG; quadratic, <i>P</i> < 0.01), and final BW (quadratic, <i>P</i> = 0.02) with the magnitude of the response increasing with increasing HRS inclusion. In addition, the gain:feed (G:F) ratio linearly decreased (<i>P </i>< 0.01) with increasing HRS inclusion. During finishing, DMI tended to linearly decrease (<i>P </i>= 0.06), ADG decreased and then increased (quadratic, <i>P </i>= 0.04) with the lowest ADG observed for FMED, while G:F was unaffected. Carcass weight for steers fed FMED and FHIGH did not differ but were lighter (quadratic, <i>P</i> = 0.02) than FCON, and dressing percentage decreased linearly from 58.81 to 58.34% (<i>P</i> = 0.03) as HRS inclusion increased. Carcass yield grade and marbling were unaffected. Increasing HRS inclusion at the expense of BARS linearly decreased the proportion of steers with minor (<i>P </i>= 0.02) and severe (<i>P </i>= 0.04) liver abscesses. In conclusion, while forage yield may not differ between hybrid rye and barley, increasing the inclusion rate of HRS in diets for growing steers reduced DMI and ADG. During finishing, increasing the inclusion of HRS may decrease DMI and resulted in lighter hot carcass weight without affecting carcass yield grade or marbling.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf048"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12057561/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144015994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relationship between phenotypic subcutaneous backfat thickness and spermiogram outcomes in young beef bulls.","authors":"Molly S Smith, Jorge Octavio Solano Aguilar, Grace Nyhuis, Francine Messias Ciriaco, Saulo M Zoca, Lew Strickland, R Lawton Stewart, Jason D Duggin, Pedro Levy Piza Fontes","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaf039","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigated the relationship between subcutaneous backfat thickness (SCBF) and semen quality in young beef bulls. We hypothesized that bulls with increased SCBF would have decreased semen quality compared with bulls of adequate SCBF, despite being fed the same diet. Data collected from yearling beef bulls (<i>n</i> = 710) enrolled in two bull development programs were utilized in an observational retrospective cohort study. Bulls were developed according to industry standard practices and growth performance was evaluated over 84 or 112 d following a 14- or 21-d adaptation period. At the end of the growth performance evaluation period, carcass ultrasonography was performed to evaluate ribeye area (REA), SCBF, and intramuscular fat. Furthermore, breeding soundness examinations (BSE) were performed within 40 d after carcass ultrasonography. Bulls that failed the BSE for reasons unrelated to semen quality were excluded from this study. To evaluate the relationship between SCBF and fertility variables, bulls were categorized into three cohorts based on SCBF estimates using two distinct thresholds. Within each location and year, bulls were retrospectively ranked according to their SCBF and classified into the top 10% (TOP10; n = 71), middle 80% (MID80; n = 569), and bottom 10% (BTM10; n = 70). To further investigate the relationship between SCBF and fertility, bulls were also categorized into the top 20% (TOP20; n = 153), middle 60% (MID60; n = 419), and bottom 20% (BTM20; n = 138) based on SCBF. TOP10 and TOP20 bulls had greater initial and final body weight, SCBF, REA, and IMF (<i>P</i> ≤ 0.01) compared with their respective cohorts. In contrast, SCBF classifications did not impact average daily gain, scrotal circumference, and sperm motility (<i>P</i> ≥ 0.29). The percentage of morphologically normal sperm was decreased in TOP10 and TOP20 bulls compared with their respective cohorts (<i>P </i>< 0.01), which are similar among them (<i>P </i>≥ 0.31). These differences resulted in a greater proportion of TOP10 (<i>P</i> < 0.01) and TOP20 (<i>P</i> < 0.01) bulls classified as deferred compared with their respective cohorts. In summary, elevated SCBF in bulls exposed to the same diet was associated with an increase in sperm morphological abnormalities and resulted in a larger proportion of bulls classified as deferred during their first BSE.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf039"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12035814/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143983012","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of including sprouted barley in the diets of Western white face feeder wether lambs.","authors":"Zachary Cal Crump, Anthony Fernando Alberto, Bailee Lynn Brown, Bryce Wayne Roholt, Lillian Lelehua Okamoto, Ryan Arthur Spurling, Fallon Lee Johnson, Ryan Feuz, Robert Lynn Harding, Sanjeewa Dilshan Ranathunga, Brady Morris Blackett, Jordan Ray Atkinson, Chad Mc Bride Page, Kara Jean Thornton","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf040","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txaf040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The growing population is driving demand for animal protein which increases pressure on the agricultural industry. Vertical farming could potentially help by reducing land and water requirements while operating independently of weather. However, it is unknown how sprouted barley (SB), grown in a controlled environment system, impacts typical measures of production (body weight (BW) gain, dry matter intake (DMI), feed efficiency (G:F), feeding behavior, carcass traits, economics etc.), of western white face wether lambs. Wether lambs (N = 76) were stratified by initial BW (40.9 kg, ± 0.84) into one of four different dietary groups: a typical ration as the control (CON; n = 18) and diet groups with 10% (n = 20), 20% (n = 18), or 30% (n = 20) dry matter (DM) inclusion of SB, replacing some rolled barley, alfalfa, and soybean meal. On days 0, 30, and 58 BW and rumen pH were measured. Additionally, BW was also assessed on days 15 and 65. Feed intake and feeding behavior were quantified using Vytelle technology and averaged every 15 d at timepoints of days 15, 30, 45, and 69. All animals were harvested at a commercial lamb abattoir and carcasses were camera graded on day 69. The PROC MIXED procedure of SAS was used to analyze all data, with day as a repeated measure to assess effects of diet, day and the interaction. No diet × day <i>(P = 0.21)</i> for DMI was observed. However, diet <i>(P = 0.0006)</i> and day <i>(P = 0.004)</i> both impacted DMI, such that DMI increased <i>(P = 0.02)</i> over time and DMI of all SB diets was less <i>(P = 0.0001)</i> than CON. Lambs receiving CON had increased <i>(P ≤ 0.05)</i> nutrient intake of net energy maintenance, net energy gain, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent compared to SB. No differences <i>(P > 0.17)</i> were found in any carcass measurements. Net return (NR) for 30% SB was decreased <i>(P = 0.04)</i> relative to 10% SB, but was not different <i>(P > 0.10)</i> from the NR for 20% SB and CON. The CON diet had increased <i>(P < 0.01)</i> total feed costs (TFC) compared to 10% SB diets, but was not different <i>(P > 0.10)</i> from the TFC for 20% SB and 30% SB. The 10% SB diet had decreased <i>(P < 0.05)</i> cost of gain (COG) relative to 30% SB, but was not different <i>(P > 0.10)</i> from COG for CON and 20% SB. These results suggest incorporating SB into the diet of feeder wethers at levels of 10, 20, or 30% (DM) may enhance feed efficiency by lowering DMI, while maintaining production standards and improving COG.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf040"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12070474/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144011342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Digestible and metabolizable energy in soybean meal and soybean hulls when fed to growing pigs or sows.","authors":"Yeonwoo Kim, Su A Lee, Hans H Stein","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaf041","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that the apparent total tract digestibility (<b>ATTD</b>) of gross energy (<b>GE</b>) and concentrations of digestible energy (<b>DE</b>) in soybean meal (<b>SBM</b>) and soybean hulls are greater when fed to gestating sows or lactating sows than to growing pigs, and that there is no difference in ATTD of GE between gestating and lactating sows. Three experimental diets were prepared. The basal diet consisted of corn as the sole source of energy, and two additional diets contained corn and 30% SBM or corn and 20% soybean hulls. All diets were fed to growing pigs and gestating and lactating sows. Twenty-four growing pigs and twenty-four gestating sows were housed in metabolism crates, and fecal and urine samples were quantitatively collected. Twenty-four lactating sows were housed in farrowing crates and feces were grab-sampled. The ATTD of GE, DE, and metabolizable energy (<b>ME</b>) were calculated in diets fed to growing pigs and gestating sows, and DE and ME in SBM and soybean hulls were calculated as well. The ATTD of GE and DE were also determined in diets fed to lactating sows, and DE was determined for SBM and soybean hulls. Results from growing pigs indicated that DE and ME were greater (<i>P</i> < 0.05) in corn and SBM compared with soybean hulls. For gestating sows, DE in corn and SBM was also greater (<i>P</i> < 0.05) than in soybean hulls, and ME in corn was greater (<i>P</i> < 0.05) than in SBM, whereas soybean hulls had the least (<i>P</i> < 0.05) ME. Results for lactating sows indicated that DE in corn and SBM was greater (<i>P</i> < 0.05) than in soybean hulls, but lactating sows had greater (<i>P</i> < 0.05) DE for soybean hulls than gestating sows and growign pigs, whereas gestating sows had greater (<i>P</i> < 0.05) DE for corn than lactating sows. Gestating sows also had greater (<i>P</i> < 0.05) ME for corn than growing pigs whereas growing pigs had greater (<i>P</i> < 0.05) ME for SBM than gestating sows. In conclusion, soybean hulls contain less DE and ME than corn and SBM, but there are no consistent differences in DE and ME among growing pigs, gestating, and lactating sows.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf041"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12057562/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144020197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Building value for dairy farmers and advisors in the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management Environmental Stewardship Program.","authors":"MaryGrace Erickson, Maristela Rovai, Patricia Villamediana, Amy M Schmidt, Richard R Stowell, Erin L Cortus","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaf038","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Major industry-led efforts aim at reducing the cradle-to-farmgate environmental impacts of milk production (e.g., U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative). Our qualitative, exploratory work sought to characterize farmer and advisor perceptions of an environmental sustainability assessment program [FARM ES Version 2] in the Upper Midwest. We aimed to 1) explore the ways participants valued environmental stewardship (ES) assessments, 2) describe feasible on-farm improvement strategies identified regionally, and 3) characterize how participants assigned responsibility for enacting selected improvement strategies. In Fall 2023, we held a series of 2 to 3 focus groups for each of 5 regions (n = 14 meetings total) including farmers (n = 24), advisors (n = 20), and processor representatives (n = 1). Facilitators guided participants through semi-structured prompts to generate qualitative data including meeting transcriptions, consensus lists, and consensus diagrams. First, we used a deductive-inductive process to analyze meeting transcriptions and identify themes related to the value of environmental stewardship assessments. Results suggested that participants valued simplicity, ease of data entry, availability of regional comparisons, and the ability to enumerate a baseline for environmental performance. Conversely, participants reported skepticism about accuracy and fairness and the usefulness of assessments as decision-support tools. Second, we examined consensus documents to generate a list of feasible strategies for on-farm improvement. Participants identified immediately feasible management strategies including cover cropping, genetic improvement, no-/minimum-tillage, precision nutrient management, herd/facility management technologies, monensin supplementation, and the conversion of fossil fuel to electric motors. Finally, we inspected collaborative actor-network diagrams generated with participants, which illustrated that participants envisioned implementation as complex and (in some instances) contingent on cooperation across supply chains and allied industries. Overall, our findings suggested that dairy farms need both accessible entry points into ES management and advanced technical and social support for implementing changes.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf038"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12035815/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144039947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of vegetative diversity during the stocker phase on carcass characteristics and economic returns of beef steers.","authors":"Sydni E Borders, Logan R Vandermark, Jameson R Brennan, Christina E Bakker, Keith R Underwood, Judson K Grubbs, John R Jaeger, Kenneth C Olson, Amanda D Blair","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaf037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Stocker cattle can be managed in many grazing environments (variable range health, forage quality and quantity), which could impact subsequent performance and carcass attributes. The objective of this research was to determine the influence of vegetative composition and diversity driven by grazing history during the stocker phase on carcass traits and economic returns of beef steers. Yearling steers (n = 134, 116, 131, in 2020, 2021, 2022, respectively) were assigned randomly to grazing pastures that had been managed at three levels of stocking rate (low, moderate, and high) since 1942, creating three distinct plant communities (high, moderate, and low diversity) that represent the treatments in this study. At the completion of the stocker phase, steers were maintained in their pasture groups for finishing and within year were harvested at a common compositional endpoint. Finishing phase performance and carcass data were collected. Production (kg/ha) and economic return per carcass and per ha were calculated. Vegetative diversity as a result of stocking rate treatment did not influence (<i>P</i> > 0.05) weight gain in the stocker phase, feedlot performance, carcass traits or carcass value. However, pastures with lower vegetative diversity as a result of high stocking rate returned greater overall beef production and economic value per ha due to the increase in animals produced per unit of land, thus demonstrating that stocking rate can influence the profitability of an operation without negatively impacting carcass traits.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf037"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12019960/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143987956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}