SPILLOVERS AND THE RETURNS TO AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FOR POTATOES

Returns to investments in potato research were estimated for the United States and six subregions. The study combines time-series and cross-sectional data to estimate the supply response for potatoes. Two research variables, research within the state and within the region, were included as exogenous variables to identify spillovers of research results. The rate of return to investments in potato research in the U.S. is estimated at 79%. Of this, 31% accrues to states conducting the research and 69% is accounted for by the spillover effects.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Effects of Feed Restriction and Energy-Protein Relationships on Egg Production

Feed restriction is frequently used in handling broiler breeder hens to maximize performance and to economize feed costs. Some attempts have been made to apply this technique to egg laying strains. In the test to be reported here, 80 groups (24 hens per group) of caged egg-production strain pullets were fed four diets on a restricted and full-fed basis. The four diets provided two levels of protein (13.9 and 18.3%) and two levels of energy (2500 and 3300 Cal ME). Feed restriction was accomplished by covering the feeders at 3:00 PM and removing the covers the following morning at 7:00 AM. This permitted the restricted hens to feed 8 hours each day. The full-fed hens had access to feed 14 hours per day

Copper and Nystatin for Growing Turkeys

Previous experiments at this station have shown that we can expect a growth response of approximately 500 grams at maturity when extra copper (120 ppm of the diet) is fed to growing turkeys. This response is usually manifested during the later part of the growing period. Liver tissue analyses indicate that this level of dietary copper does not increase the amount of tissue copper. Since the extra copper apparently is not absorbed by the animal, perhaps part of the beneficial response comes from the effect of copper on the feed itself, i.e., by preventing growth of undesirable organisms. However, concern has been voiced that the extra copper in the manure of turkeys thus fed constitutes a pollutant and an environmental hazard. For this reason a fungicidin (Nystatin) was evaluated as a possible alternative for copper

Some Effects of Copper and High and Low Protein Diets on Aortic Rupture and Growth of Turkeys

Previous work at this Station has indicated that feed costs of growing turkeys may be reduced by using lower protein diets properly supplemented with amino acids. Aortic ruptures frequently cause high death losses, particularly among the heavy type males. Inelasticity of the arteries, resulting from improper elastin formation, is considered a contributing cause to the ruptures. Both copper and lysine are involved in elastin synthesis

Economical Turkey Broiler Diets

Approximately 600 large white and 150 broiler type poults were started, intermingled, in battery brooders. At three weeks of age, the poults were transferred to pens with crushed corn cob litter on the floors. Each poult had 2 sq. ft. of floor space. When the broilers were sold at 15 weeks, the remaining poults each then had 2.5 sq. ft. of floor space. The large turkeys were sold at 24 weeks of age. The turkeys were grown in complete confinement in a windowless house with a cement floor

Feed Restriction Studies With Layers

Limiting feed intake frequently is used to reduce the feed cost of producing eggs. Reducing the nutrient intake can be accomplished by limiting the daily feeding period, available feed or by including fiber to reduce the density of the diet. In a previous experiment in which feeders were covered at 3:00 p.m. and uncovered the following morning at 8:00 a.m., feed restriction adversely affected rate of egg production, feed conversion, egg size and the feed cost of producing eggs. The effects were more severe on the low energy low protein diets

Bactracin Supplements for Egg Production

Antibiotics have been used in feed supplements for laying hens for over 25 years. Where controlled studies have been conducted, their use has been shown to improve reproductive performance, especially under adverse conditions. From time to time feeding trials have been conducted at this laboratory to evaluate their potential and perhaps to obtain some leads as to their mode of action

Feed Restriction with High and Low Energy and Protein Layer Diets

Current reports in the literature Indicate that the feed cost of producing eggs can be reduced by limiting feed Intake. This is true when laying diets of high nutrient density are used and the feed restriction is applied after the flock peaks in production. Previous tests at this station have shown that, under some feed cost situations, lower density diets also can reduce the feed cost of eggs. This experiment tested the effects of restricting both low and high density diets on hen performance

Probiotics for Broilers and Turkeys

The objective of this test was to measure the growth response and feed conversion of broiler chicks when fed graduated levels of Probiotic No. 1 with two levels of dietary protein. This material is reported to be a killed culture of lactobacillis and other organisms suspended in the culture media. The duration of the test was 8 weeks starting with day-old Golden Giant broiler male chicks

Supplementing Milo-Soy Layer Diets with Selenium

Four graded levels of selenium up to 1 ppm were added to milo-soy diets and fed to laying hens during a 6-month period. The basal diet contained 15.2% protein, 3056 Calories of metabolizable energy per kg and 0.4 ppm selenium on a calculated basis. Each treatment was replicated four times with 12 hens in 16 inch cages for a total of 48 hens per treatment