Effect of Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Training on Dairy Worker Knowledge and Welfare-Related Practices

A study was conducted to determine whether on-farm dairy beef quality assurance (BQA) training affected dairy worker knowledge of BQA and welfare-related practices. Dairy personnel who participated in the BQA training were administered an exam before and after the training to gauge the amount of knowledge gained. The average exam score was 21.0 points higher after the training, increasing from 54.4 to 75.4. Improvement in dairy worker knowledge suggests that BQA training programs have the potential to positively influence the dairy industry through the education of dairy owners and workers on BQA and welfare-related practices

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Animal Welfare Implications of Beef Industry Practices Including Dehorning, Castration, and Branding

An increasing number of consumers are making animal product purchasing decisions based on how animals were raised and cared for. This decision is, in most cases, based on labeling claims made on packaged products, point of purchase materials offered, and/or conversations with those selling the product. This issue is driven by consumers wanting to know more about how their food is raised and where it comes from. For the average consumer with no baseline knowledge, there appears to be a need for verification and validation that animals received appropriate care during their lifetimes and were treated as humanely as possible. As consumers want more information about their food products, and as brands are working to differentiate themselves, the third-party verification of these credence attributes (i.e. those claims made about a product that can’t be determined by simply looking at the product) continues to be in demand. And, scrutiny over the use of traditional cattle industry practices (i.e. dehorning, castration, and branding) and whether pain mitigation is provided to cattle undergoing these procedures, is increasing

Animal Welfare & Beef Industry Practices: Dehorning, Castration, & Branding

Reality of Societal Concerns 1. Society and beef consumers are becoming increasingly aware of animal welfare concerns 2. There are several on-farm and on-ranch husbandry procedures under scrutiny 3. Some European countries mandate the use of analgesia with surgical procedures (e.g. castration) older than 2 months of ag

Copper, zinc, and manganese in beef cattle production: effects of supplementation and source on reproduction, mineral status, feedlot performance, immunity, and carcass characteristics

2004 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.Over a two-year period, crossbred mature beef cows ( n = 178, Year 1; n = 148, Year 2) and young females (n = 43 nulliparous heifers, Year 1; n = 37 primiparous cows, Year 2) grazing in eastern Colorado were used to evaluate the effects of Cu, Zn, and Mn supplementation and source on reproduction, mineral status, immunity, and cow and calf performance. Cow treatments included: 1) control (no supplemental Cu, Zn, or Mn); 2) organic (50% organic and 50% inorganic Cu, Zn, and Mn); and 3) inorganic (100% inorganic CuSO4, ZnSO4, and MnSO4) trace minerals. Heifer treatments included: 1) organic, or 2) inorganic trace minerals. Free-choice mineral feeders were used to provide current NRC-recommended concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Mn from 54 and 82 d (Year 1, heifers and cows, respectively) and 81 d (Year 2) prior to the average calving date of the herd through 110 and 119 d (Year 1, cows and heifers, respectively) and 135 d (Year 2) post-calving. Terminal steer and heifer calves from each year's calf crop were maintained on their appropriate pasture trace mineral treatments and had exclusive access to mineral treatments via creep feeders from approximately 95 d of age until weaning. After weaning, calves were grown and finished in a feedlot on the same pre-weaning trace mineral treatments. Performance, immune response, mortality, morbidity, mineral status, carcass traits, and longissimus dorsi fatty acid profiles were evaluated. In the grazing portion of the experiment, results indicate that trace mineral supplementation in cows and source in cows and heifers affected trace mineral status. Reproductive results were variable in heifers; however, in cows trace mineral supplementation improved pregnancy rate to AI compared to cows not supplemented with Cu, Zn, or Mn for more than 1 yr. Calf performance was greater in non-supplemented control calves vs. supplemented calves in both years, while source also affected calf performance but not consistently in both years. Trace mineral source did not affect calf performance in young grazing females. During the feedlot phase in Year 1, gain to feed ratio was greater in Inorganic vs. Organic calves in both the growing and finishing phases and greater in non-supplemented control calves vs. supplemented calves only during the finishing phase; however, gain to feed ratios were not affected by either supplementation or source in Year 2. Liver Cu and Mn concentrations were affected by supplementation, however immune response, morbidity, carcass traits, and longissimus dorsi fatty acid profiles were not different across treatments. Based on the reduced reproductive performance in non-supplemented cows, as well as literature indicating that Cu affects luteinizing hormone (LH) release, the effect of Cu status, supplementation and source on pituitary responsiveness to gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) were evaluated using 12 multiparous, non-pregnant, non-suckling, ovariectomized Angus cows. After receiving 5 mg Mo/kg diet and 0.3% S during a 216-d Cu depletion phase, nine cows were considered Cu deficient (liver Cu concentrations < 30 mg Cu/kg) and were stratified based on age, BW, BCS, and liver Cu concentration and randomly assigned to treatments. Treatments included: 1) control (deficient Cu status; no supplemental Cu), 2) organic (adequate Cu status; 100% organic Cu, 10 mg Cu/kg diet), and 3) inorganic (adequate Cu status; 100% inorganic CuSO4 , 10 mg Cu/kg diet). By d 77 of the 159-d repletion phase all supplemented cows had adequate liver Cu, and liver Cu concentrations were greater in supplemented cows vs. non-supplemented controls, and this was maintained throughout the repletion phase. Beginning on d 99, cows were catheterized every fifth day and blood samples were collected at 15 min. intervals for 1 h prior to, and 4 h after, GnRH administration at low (0, 3, and 9 ug; experiment one) and high doses (0, 27, and 81 ug; experiment two) and analyzed for LH concentration. Copper status, supplementation, and source had no effect on pituitary sensitivity to GnRH (based on basal, peak, and total LH released at varying GnRH doses) or pituitary stores of LH

Training Sessions Provide Working Knowledge of National Animal Identification System

One in-service and two train-the-trainer workshops were conducted by University of Idaho Extension faculty, Idaho State Department of Agriculture personnel, and allied industry representatives to increase Extension educators\u27 knowledge and awareness of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and related topics. Training sessions included a number of NAIS-related presentations and the distribution of NAIS materials. The percent increase in knowledge of these topics ranged from 6.5 to 140.6%. As a result of the train-the-trainer workshops, 100% of attendees indicated they were better equipped to handle questions related to the NAIS

Animal Identification and Beef Quality Assurance Topics Offered in Combined Workshops to Increase Effectiveness and Participation

Nineteen workshops conducted by University of Idaho Extension and industry organizations combined the topics of Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) and the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) to increase workshop attendance and participation. Voluntary certification/re-certification in the Idaho BQA Program and on-site NAIS premises registration were provided at no cost. Of 641 attendees, 86.1% became BQA Certified and 73.9% completed a written evaluation. Using a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = never, 5 = always), 29.7% indicated that they always followed BQA guidelines prior to the workshop, while 58.6% indicated that they will always follow BQA guidelines due to the workshop

Soil health changes following transition from an annual cropping to perennial management‐intensive grazing agroecosystem

Abstract Management‐intensive grazing (MiG) on irrigated, perennial pastures has steadily increased in the western United States due to pressure for reducing public lands grazing, overall declining land available for pasture, and decreasing commodity prices. However, there are still many unknowns regarding MiG and its environmental impact, especially with regards to soil health. Over a 2‐yr period, a study evaluating the change in soil health under a full‐scale, 82‐ha pivot‐irrigated perennial pasture system grazed with ∼230 animal units (AUs) using MiG. Soil analysis included 11 soil characteristics aggregated into the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF), which outputs results for soil biological, physical, nutrient, chemical, and overall soil health indices (SHIs). Over time, positive impacts were observed in the chemical and biological SHI due to decreases in salt content and increases in microbial and enzymatic activities. Soil organic C (SOC) remained unchanged, yet positive biological SHI changes are potential precursors to future SOC increases. The chemical and nutrient SHI increased in the soil surface due to reductions in salt content in conjunction with increased plant‐available soil P, as a result of salt leaching via irrigation and pre‐study inorganic P fertilizer application in conjunction with manure deposition due to MiG, respectively. Finally, a negative impact was also observed in the physical SHI, driven primarily by increasing bulk density due to hoof pressure from cattle grazing. If managed correctly, compaction issues can be avoided, with MiG systems having potential success in supporting grazing while promoting soil health for environmental and economic sustainability

Evaluation of performance and carcass traits for a five-cohort All Heifer, No Cow beef production system demonstration herd

La Universidad de Costa Rica apoyó el programa de doctorado de José Alberto Arce CorderoThe All Heifer, No Cow (AHNC) beef production system is an alternative to con ventional cow/calf production that involves in semination of nulliparous heifers with sexed semen to produce female calves that are early weaned at 3 mo of age. Dams are finished on a high-concentrate diet and harvested before reach ing 30 mo of age. Objectives of this research were to document reproductive, feedyard, calf, and carcass performance of an AHNC herd; evaluate effects of carcass maturity on carcass quality; and determine if performance of initial cohorts (i.e., cohorts 1 and 2) differed from sustaining cohorts (i.e., cohorts 3–5). A total of 272 heifers were en rolled in the AHNC system via five annual co horts. The system was initiated with 51 yearling, Angus-based heifers, and a replicate set (n = 56) was started 12 mo after. Heifers in cohorts 3 (n = 53), 4 (n = 56), and 5 (n = 56) were primarily offspring of prior cohorts (i.e., cohort 3 heifers born to cohort 1 females), but some were pur chased to maintain inventory. Angus replacement heifers were purchased in cohorts 3 (n = 26), 4 (n = 26), and 5 (n = 28). Mean (±standard de viation) pregnancy rate at 30 d after fixed-time artificial insemination (AI) with sexed semen was 50.8% ± 9.4%, and 140-d pregnancy rate was 93.0% ± 1.5%. With AHNC, 61.0% ± 6.5% of fe males replaced themselves with a heifer. During finishing, average daily gain (ADG) was 1.9 ± 0.4 kg • d−1 and dry matter intake (DMI) was 14.9 ± 1.9 kg • d−1. Hot carcass weight (HCW) was 367 ± 35 kg. The USDA grading system clas sified 20.5% of all carcasses (n = 220) as C ma turity (A00 = 100, B00 = 200, etc.), 62.4% ± 29.1% of carcasses as USDA Choice. USDA yield grade (YG) was 2.6 ± 0.7. Based on cohorts 1 and 2, there were no differences (P = 0.96) in Warner– Bratzler shear force values between A and B ma turity vs. C maturity carcasses. Across all cohorts, there were no differences in USDA YG, marbling score (MA), and lean maturity between A and B maturity vs. C maturity carcasses; there were differences in age (P < 0.001), bone maturity (P < 0.001), and overall maturity (P <0.001). A comparison of initial vs. sustaining cohorts showed that initial cohorts had lower (P < 0.001) DMI, heavier (P < 0.001) HCW, and more ad vanced (P < 0.05) bone maturity. However, there were no differences for 30- and 140-d pregnancy rates, ADG, USDA YG, and MA between initial and sustaining cohorts. The AHNC beef produc tion system can effectively produce female calves and quality carcasses for harvest.Universidad de Costa Rica/[]/UCR/Costa RicaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Facultad de Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Escuela de Zootecni