Evaluating Stocker Steer Gains on Tallgrass Native Range with Two Burn Dates and Spices in Mineral

Objective: The overall objective of this study was to evaluate management practices that may impact stocker steer gains on a 90-day double stocking grazing system in tallgrass native range. Specific objectives include evaluating the timing of burning, addition of spices in a complete free-choice mineral, and determination if the effects are additive. Study Description: Two pasture burning times (March or April) and free-choice mineral with or without addition of spices were evaluated using 281 head of stocker steers on eight pastures of tallgrass native range. The spices included garlic oil in powder form and Solace (Wildcat Feeds LLC). Cattle were weighed at the start of the study and the end. Steers grazed pastures for 87 days. Data analyzed included average daily gain, total gain, and final weight. The Bottom Line: Burning pastures in April results in a greater calf gain than burn­ing in March, while the addition of spices to a free-choice complete mineral shows promise as a cost-effective method to increase gains in stocker steers on tallgrass na­tive range

Comparison of Two Organic Trace Mineral Supplements for Cows Grazing Tall Fescue

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of two sources of organic trace mineral and two sources of magnesium supplementation on cow performance of springcalving cows on K31 endophyte-infected fescue. The two treatments were organic trace minerals (zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn)) offered free choice as an amino-acid chelate with magnesium (Mg) as an amino acid chelate (CHEL) or organic trace mineral supplement with amino-acid complex with magnesium supplied as magnesium oxide (COMP). Mineral was offered free-choice beginning 30 days before breeding season on 4 ranches with 6 pastures per treatment (cows n = 203). Blood samples were collected prior to mineral supplementation and at pregnancy evaluation and serum was analyzed for Mg, Zn, Cu, and Mn. One ranch had an anaplasmosis event, therefore analysis was completed with and without this ranch. Pregnancy rate was not different (P = 0.46) when all 4 ranches were analyzed even though pregnancy rates were 89.3 and 92.9% for COMP and CHEL, respectively. Cows on the COMP mineral calved 6 days earlier (P = 0.04). When removing the anaplasmosis ranch, pregnancy rate was closer to approaching a tendency for a difference (P = 0.15) with pregnancy rates of 95.5 and 87.2% for CHEL and COMP, respectively, with a tendency (P = 0.12) for COMP cows to calve 5 days earlier. All serum mineral levels were lower at pregnancy detection than initial blood draw primarily due to reduction in mineral levels in fescue late in summer and a reduction in intake at the end of the project. Serum Mg tended (P = 0.11) to stay more stable with the CHEL mineral such that the difference in final and initial Mg were similar. Serum Zn, Cu, and Mn were not different (P \u3e 0.10) with the exception of some ranch-to-ranch variations. Additionally, CHEL intake was 6% lower than COMP. Even with the lower intake of the CHEL mineral, serum mineral levels were similar between both treatments; this indicates that CHEL minerals are more bioavailable. Overall, chelated minerals appear to provide an advantage to spring-calving cows on K31 fescue especially from a chelated magnesium source

The Impact of Intensity on Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress in Trained Men

Exercise has been noted in some, but not all studies, to elicit an oxidative stress response. The discrepancy in findings may be related to differences in exercise intensity across study protocols. Biomarkers of oxidative stress were compared for aerobic and anaerobic exercise bouts of different intensities and durations. On different days, exercised-trained men (n=12; 21-35 yrs) performed aerobic cycle exercise (60 min at 70% HR reserve) and anaerobic cycle sprints (five, 60 sec sprints at 100% max GXT watts; and ten, 15 sec sprints at 200% max GXT watts). Blood was collected before and 0, 30, and 60 min post-exercise and analyzed for malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC). No differences were noted in MDA or H2O2. TEAC was significantly higher at 30 and 60 min post-exercise. In exercise-trained men, no increase was noted in post-exercise oxidative stress, possibly due to the increase in antioxidant defense

The Influence Exposure Has on Consumer Behavior

Advertising has been around for thousands of years and has proven to be a valuable asset to company revenue. The methods used in advertising have been examined closely more recently, specifically from a psychological standpoint. The human brain reacts to advertisements in different ways. Low and high involvement advertisements stimulate the brain in the subconscious and conscious state effectively. While each of these advertising methods are useful, complex messaging techniques seem to stimulate recall more effectively than simple messaging. In the age of digital advertising, sponsors look to put new resources to use to ensure paid advertisements are doing their job. With data mining and location based services available, advertisers are getting more in touch with the consumer than ever before. The bombardment of advertising is changing the consumer’s eye for low and high involvement and the advertising industry will be forced to adjust yet again

Spices Fed to Growing Heifers on Bromegrass Result in Increased Gains with Some Effects on Tick Populations

Alternative methods to antibiotics/chemical usage in cattle production have been of interest in recent years and essential oils/spices have been promoted to fill this niche. The purpose of this research was to evaluate effect of feeding spices on heifer gains and as a control method for ticks. Eight bromegrass pastures were stocked (March to November) with four heifers per pasture to compare control mineral (CON) to mineral containing spices (SPICE; garlic + proprietary blend of 4 spices). Mineral (4 oz/hd/d) was blended in dried distillers grains (DDGs) and total blend was supplemented daily at 0.5% of heifer body weight. Heifers were weighed on two consecutive days at the start and end of the study and every 28 d. Weekly (first 10 weeks), ticks were counted and removed from every heifer. Average daily gain was increased by 0.15 lb/d with the SPICE mineral, and heifers on SPICE gained 33 lb more over the entire grazing period than heifers on CON. The gain advantage for SPICE was observed within the first four months on supplement and continued through the end of the study. Overall, these heifers had a low tick population (137 total ticks collected). Even so, there was a tendency for SPICE heifers to have more ticks/heifer than CON heifers when measured on weeks 2 and 3, yet at weeks 8 and 10 SPICE heifers tended to have fewer ticks/heifer than CON. SPICE in a mineral blended with DDGs increased heifer gains and appeared, after a minimum of 4 weeks of consumption, to show some repellent effects to ticks

Relationship Between Metabolic By-Products and Nervous System Failure/Fatigue

Fatigue has generally been defined as an acute impairment of exercise/sport performance that includes both an increase in the perceived effort necessary to exert a desired force or power output, and the inability to produce the desired force or power output. The majority of research to date looking at fatigue has focused upon substrate utilization, however, what is relatively unknown is the contribution the nervous system has upon fatigue. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to investigate potential mechanisms that relate to neural fatigue. An additional purpose was to determine if there were any relationships between metabolic by-products and EMG characteristics following exercise. The first investigation sought to determine changes in EMG M-wave amplitude of the gastrocnemius following the calf raise exercise. There were no significant changes in M-wave EMG amplitude following exercise. The second investigation compared changes in muscle contractile properties and EMG characteristics of the VL, RF, and VM following a high-intensity exercise. There was a significant decrease in MDF of the VL only. Additionally, there was a decrease in peak force and rate of force development. The last investigation utilized the same exercise protocol as the second investigation, but added the supplementation of aspartate and sodium bicarbonate. Both supplements were effective in reducing ammonia concentrations following exercise. Additionally, supplementation with sodium bicarbonate resulted in an increase in rate of force development following exercise. As for EMG characteristics, there was a significant decrease in MDF for the RF, but not the VL. There were no significant changes in PF or EMG amplitude. Currently, no relationship between the metabolic and nervous systems during times of fatigue can be determined at this point

Journeying Toward Liberation: Creating Civic Utopias through Restorative Literacies

In this article, we forward three narratives from educators whose lived experiences moving from underrepresented youth to queer educators support the necessity of furthering representation for historically marginalized youth across classroom spaces. We begin with situating our argument in response to current policies that would seek to silence historically marginalized voices, histories, literacies, and thereby inhibit a more just social and civic future. Our narratives provide three varied perspectives of lived experiences as youth moving toward our current status as queer educators. Finally, we seek to call in other educators to engage advocacy and resources to support this work in challenging times