Modifying an Outdoor Farrowing Hut for Alternative Indoor Farrowing During Summer and Winter

The objective of this project was to modify an outdoor farrowing hut for winter and summer farrowing indoors to meet niche pork market requirements. Typical modified A-frame plywood outdoor farrowing huts were used to farrow sows indoors in summer and winter. The farrowing occurred in an insulated lean-to shed of a larger machine shed. During summer, the huts were fitted with a common 20-inch box fan positioned in the hut roof blowing down on the sow (Figures 2 and 3). This helped keep air moving over the sow during hot weather. At night when the temperature dropped, a thermostat in the fan would switch the fan off. A hover was built for the back of each hut and fitted with two heat lamps (Figure 4). This attachment provided a warm draft-free area for the piglets away from the sow. Also, the heat lamps were inaccessible to the sow to minimize risk of fire. These simple modifications helped keep the sows comfortable and piglets warm in a bedded alternative farrowing arrangement

AFS Server Logging

The AFS servers at the Center for Information Technology Integration have been modified to trace and log file server activity. This report discusses the AFS modifications and the structure of the trace files and data. We also describe three large datasets collected from the logging servers, available to other researchers.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107953/1/citi-tr-93-10.pd

Triticale—A Possible Third Crop for Iowa

Triticale (trit-ah-kay-lee) is a close relative of wheat that results from pollinating durum wheat with rye pollen, and then using that cross in a breeding program to produce stable, self-replicating varieties. Triticale yield, stress tolerance, and disease resistance are greater than that of wheat. Triticale doesn’t currently possess the grain traits of bread wheat, so its greatest marketing potential is as animal feed

Grass-Finishing High Value Beef: A Pilot Project in Northern United States

This project examined the feasibility of producing USDA Choice beef—without grain-based finishing—through genetic selection and pasture management. Purebred Angus heifers with high-marbling potential and small/medium frame size were born spring 2011. Heifers were allotted to either pasture (grass-finishing) or feedlot (grain-fed) treatments based on liveweight and intramuscular fat content. When reaching market weight (±1,000 lb) heifers were harvested and carcass data was collected. Feedlot cattle were marketed on August 27, 2012. The grass-finished cattle were marketed on November 1, 2012. Starting and end weights were similar for both treatments but feedlot cattle reached market weight 50% faster (3.9 vs 2.1 lb/day). The average intramuscular fat percent was not different at the start of the trial but there was a trend of grain-fed cattle to have greater intramuscular fat. Rib eye area, yield grade, and number grading Choice were numerically higher for feedlot cattle. This project demonstrated that it is feasible to combine high marbling genetics with pasture management to produce Choice beef in Iowa. Grass-finished cattle were able to achieve 2.1 pounds of gain per day and 60% of the grass-finished cattle ultimately graded Choice. Selection of small-framed, high-marbling potential beef cattle is essential because of the relatively low-energy density of the grass-based diet and the limited grazing season. Efforts to improve pasture quality and extend the grazing season would be beneficial to meet this goal

Grass-finished Beef Pilot Project: Cattle Performance

Consumer interest in the potential benefits of grass-finished beef is high, but adoption of this approach to cattle feeding has been limited in Iowa. Although some producers successfully meet this niche market demand, consistently producing a high-value carcass from forage-fed cattle is challenging. Intramuscular fat or marbling is a major factor in quality grading of beef. Marbling is heavily influenced by cattle genetics and energy concentration of the diet. Finishing cattle on grain is a proven approach to consistently produce a high-value carcass for the commodity beef market. Researchers at Iowa State University have pioneered the use of ultrasound measurements to select Angus cattle with high-marbling potential. Forage quality can be manipulated through pasture management, ultimately influencing cattle growth and performance. It is hypothesized that grass-finished cattle will consistently produce high value carcasses if excellent pasture management is combined with combining high-marbling genetics

Oxalate-Induced Damage to Renal Tubular Cells

Our own studies and those of others have shown that the incidence of calcium oxalate stones and plaques is markedly increased by nephrotoxins. The possible role of oxalate as a nephrotoxin has not been fully appreciated. However, recent studies in experimental animals and in cultured cells support this possibility. The results of these studies led us to hypothesize that hyperoxaluria promotes stone formation in several ways: by providing a substrate for the formation of the most common form of renal stones, calcium oxalate stones, and by inducing damage to renal epithelial cells. Damaged cells in turn would produce an environment favorable for crystal retention and provide membranous debris that promotes crystal nucleation, aggregation and adherence. The present report summarizes evidence for oxalate nephrotoxicity and discusses the potential importance of oxalate toxicity in the pathogenesis of stone disease