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Animal breeding reports in the Journal of Animal Science (JAS) and in its predecessor, Proceedings of the American Society of Animal Production, were counted and categorized. In 22 volumes of the Proceedings of the American Society of Animal Production, 155 articles had animal breeding content, of which 54% were research reports, 17% extension communications, and 28% syntheses or reviews. Several of the latter featured advice from the livestock industry to the scientific community. Thirty-one percent of articles concerned swine, whereas beef cattle, dairy cattle, and sheep each accounted for an additional 20%. In the 67 yr of JAS publication, 3,045 research papers were identified with animal breeding content, nearly half of them published since 1990. Growth in publication output was modest during the 1950s, robust in the 1960s through 1980s, moderate in the 1990s, and static in the 2000s. Important topics included genetic resource evaluation (a subject in 55% of all manuscripts), genetic parameter estimation, selection programs, and nonrandom mating systems. Maternal effects and genotype x environment interactions were featured in 17 and 15% of all manuscripts, respectively, whereas 6% dealt with a simply inherited trait. Only 4% of manuscripts included economic analysis of a breeding program or intervention. Interest in molecular biology and biometry has surged in the 1990s and 2000s. Approximately 50% of all papers involved cattle, a fifth of which concerned dairy cattle or beef x dairy crossbreds. A quarter of papers concerned swine, 15% concerned sheep, and 3% considered laboratory rodents, with the proportional contribution of sheep research decreasing across time. Authors from the Midwestern and Southern sections of the American Society of Animal Science had greater proportional contributions than Western and Northeastern section authors, and contributions of university and state experiment station authors outnumbered those of USDA-ARS authors. The proportional contribution of international authors increased across time, reaching 45% for the 2000s, as that of university and experiment station authors decreased and that of USDA-ARS authors remained fairly constant. Subjective analysis suggested substantial levels of creativity, innovation, and cooperation in JAS animal breeding research, a strong international perspective, but also a marked degree of imitation and repetition in subject matter content.

Meat has been important to human survival and personal enjoyment for thousands of years, and as societies become more affluent, the amount and quality of meat consumed increases. Ancient Egyptians are known to have consumed ground meat, whereas the Greeks and Romans enjoyed various types of sausages. Ground meat has been consumed throughout the world under various names and for several centuries. However, in recent years, microbial meat safety has become a major concern, and it appears that meat safety challenges will persist in future years. This paper provides a brief historical account of selected developments in microbiology, meat science, and safety, and associated industrial and regulatory highlights, and a brief overview of current and future food safety issues, concerns, and challenges.

During this centennial year of the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS), it is of interest to look back over the history of our Society and, in particular, to the many contributions made by researchers in the area of swine nutrition. A great number of basic and applied research studies involving the nutrition of weanling, growing, and finishing pigs, and gestating and lactating sows have been conducted by swine nutritionists during the past 100 yr. Most of these studies were conducted at universities by animal scientists or by the graduate students under their leadership. Others were conducted by nutritionists in the feed and pharmaceutical industries and government scientists at ARS/USDA research centers. Contributions were also made by animal scientists beyond our borders. Much of the research was published in the Journal of Animal Science during its 66 yr of existence. Before the first issue of the journal was published in 1942, some of the earlier studies were reported in the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Society of Animal Production, the forerunner of ASAS. These research studies have progressively led to a better understanding of the role and utilization of dietary energy, protein, AA, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins by pigs and have helped to quantify the nutrient requirements of pigs for various stages of growth, for sows during gestation and lactation, and to a limited extent, for boars. Determining the nutritional value of a wide array of feedstuffs, evaluating feeding strategies, and assessing the value of growth-promoting and carcass-enhancing agents have been important research contributions as well. To identify the particular studies that were among the most instrumental in contributing to our present knowledge of swine nutrition is, to say the least, a daunting assignment. To aid in this task, a survey of swine nutritionists was conducted in which they were asked to identify and rank the 10 most significant findings in swine nutrition during the past 100 yr. The results of that survey are presented in this paper.

Acute and subacute ruminal acidosis, bloat, liver abscesses, and polioencephalomalacia (PEM) were reviewed with respect to contributions published in the Journal of Animal Science (JAS) regarding these metabolic and digestive disorders in beef cattle. Increased grain feeding and expansion of the feedlot industry in the 1960s led to considerable research on acidosis, and early publications defined ruminal changes with acute acidosis. The concept of subacute acidosis was developed in the 1970s. Significant research was published during the 1980s and 1990s on adaptation to high-grain diets, effects of ionophores, and the development of model systems to study ruminal and metabolic changes in acidosis. Since 2000, JAS publications on acidosis have largely focused on individual animal variability in response to acid loads and the role of management strategies in controlling acidosis. Increased grain feeding also was associated with an increase in the incidence of liver abscesses, which were quickly linked to insults to the ruminal epithelium associated with acidosis. The role of antibiotics, particularly tylosin, in decreasing the incidence and severity of liver abscesses was a significant contribution of JAS publications during the 1970s and 1980s. Papers on bloat were among the earliest published in JAS related to metabolic and digestive disorders in cattle. Noteworthy accomplishments in bloat research chronicled in JAS include the nature of ruminal contents in legume and feedlot bloat, the role of plant fractions and microbial populations in the development of bloat, and the efficacy of poloxalene, ionophores, and, more recently, condensed tannins in decreasing the incidence and severity of bloat. Although less research has been published on PEM in JAS, early publications highlighting the association between PEM and ruminal acidity and the role of thiaminase in certain forms of the disorder, as well as more recent publications related to the role of sulfur in the development of PEM, are noteworthy contributions. Since the 1940s, outstanding and often-cited review articles have made JAS a highly visible source of information on these disorders. Thus, JAS has played a significant role as a repository for information pertaining to metabolic and digestive disorders in cattle and other ruminants, and it will no doubt continue to be a premier resource for information on these conditions during the second century of the American Society of Animal Science.

From a historical perspective, it is difficult to identify a specific date that launched the field of endocrinology. One "biomarker" of the inception of endocrinology traces back to Ernest Henry Starling, who first introduced the word hormone in a talk given in 1905 at the Royal College of Physicians in London (Starling, 1905). A historical look at the field of endocrine regulation of animal growth since 1905 conveys that countless scientists worldwide worked to advance the scientific evidence base, which led to the commercial development of hormone-based products that enhanced growth and beneficially changed carcass composition of meat animals. This review will discuss some of seminal contributions that include the discovery of hormones (like ST and beta-adrenergic agonists) that have been shown to play key roles in regulating growth and nutrient partitioning of livestock, the mechanisms by which these hormones act, and the development of products for application in animal agriculture.

Discoveries, understanding, and innovations in meat science during the last century have led to revolutionary changes in meat and poultry production, processing, marketing, and consumption. American Society of Animal Science members have made key contributions in most, if not all, categories of advancement. The first US university meat science program was begun in Minnesota in 1905. Use of mechanical refrigeration in the meatpacking industry, improved transportation and packaging, and home refrigeration provided more flexibility, variety, and consistency in meat and meat products in the early 1900s. Cooperative meat research was begun by 27 universities in 1925, with a focus on the observational characterization of carcass traits and composition, meat quality attributes, and causes of the wide variation in these variables. Scientific study of genetic, nutritional, and environmental influences on the growth, physiology, and postmortem biochemistry of muscle often used muscle-comparative investigations. Rigor mortis, cold shortening and thaw rigor, postmortem muscle metabolism, postmortem tenderization and tenderness variation, and postmortem myoglobin and lipid oxidation were studied vigorously in the 1960s and beyond, defining the biochemical bases for associated outcomes in fresh and processed products. Value-added benefits resulted from implementation of electrical stimulation, boxed beef and modified-atmosphere packaging, restructuring technologies, collagen recovery, and muscle profiling work. Isolation, purification, and definition of the primary structure and biophysical properties of the myofribillar and cytoskeletal proteins in muscle aided the understanding of contraction and postmortem changes. The role of Ca-dependent proteases in meat tenderness and muscle growth is being clarified. The chemistry of meat curing, meat emulsion formation, fermentation, and other processing methods led to new technologies, new meat products, and new benchmarks in product shelf life and quality. Meat safety assurance and our ability to manage the microbiological causes of food-borne illness and spoilage are imminently important now and in the future.

American Society of Animal Science members, publishing in Journal of Animal Science (JAS), completed research that resulted in understanding the estrous cycle of cattle, which led to the ability to inseminate cattle on a given day with pregnancy rates similar to those achieved by 21-d breeding by a fertile and sound bull. Research published in JAS led to understanding estrus, ovulation, the estrous cycle, and postpartum interval for cattle (1930s through 1960s) and hormonal factors affecting corpus luteum lifespan of cattle (1950s through 1980s). Research during the 1940s to 1960s, using gonadotropins and progesterone to manage the estrous cycle of cattle, established the concepts for estrous synchronization and stimulated commercial research directed at developing cost-effective progestogen estrous synchronization products, leading to commercially available products from 1967 through today (Repromix, melengestrol acetate, Syncro-Mate-B, controlled internal drug release). Prostaglandin F(2alpha) products were approved for estrous synchronization (1970s, 1980s), and GnRH products were approved for use in cattle to treat ovarian follicular cysts (1970s, 1980s). Research published in JAS was essential for understanding the biology of and potential value of both PGF(2alpha) and GnRH and contributed both to new knowledge and scientific bases for future Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine approval of those products. Research during the1980s through 2000s led to understanding ovarian follicular waves and described the timing of follicular recruitment, selection, dominance, and atresia; this research was essential for the ability to effectively manage follicles to achieve success with timed AI. The knowledge gained through research published in JAS resulted in development of the numerous estrous synchronization and breeding management protocols that are cost-effective and meet the breeding management needs of most beef and dairy enterprises.

Over the next quarter century in North America, the following eventualities are likely for physiology and endocrinology research with agricultural animals. 1) Total funding adjusted for inflation will change little but will come less from public sources, and most of that will be in the context of human health. Much of the privately funded research will be herd specific and remain proprietary. 2) The numbers of MS, PhD, and postdoctoral students probably will decrease, but research in the context of credentialing will remain important. 3) Resources such as expanded databases in genomics and proteomics, and remarkable new tools such as small inhibitory RNA will continue to become available, likely at a faster rate than in the previous 25 yr. 4) The huge amounts of data from production agriculture will make agricultural animals ideal models for some kinds of basic research, such as studying fetal programming, resulting in synergy with more applied research. Most of these experimental animals will be in private production herds and flocks, even when work is publicly funded. 5) The trend toward more interdisciplinary research will continue, especially considering interactions among reproduction, health, nutrition, selective breeding, management factors, and societal concerns; reductionist research probing deeper into cellular and molecular mechanisms will remain important, as will whole-animal approaches. 6) Agricultural animals are a product of evolution plus selective breeding. Insights drawn from the former will aid progress in the latter. One focus of research in physiology and endocrinology will be understanding heterosis, inbreeding depression, and epigenetic effects as it becomes possible to manipulate and identify the allelic structure of individual animals. 7) Additional insightful concepts will evolve that will simplify thinking in some respects, such as the maternal to embryonic shift in transcribed RNA in early embryos; however, animal biology will turn out to be even more complex than most of us currently imagine.

The last century of food animal agri- culture is a remarkable triumph of scientific research. Knowledge derived through research has resulted in the development and use of new technologies that have in- creased the efficiency of food production and created a huge animal production and food manufacturing in- dustry capable of feeding the US population while also providing significant quantities of high-quality food for export to other countries. Although the US food sup- ply is among the safest in the world, the US Center for Disease Prevention and Control estimates that 76 million people get sick, more than 300,000 are hospital- ized, and 5,000 die each year from foodborne illness. Consequently, preventing foodborne illness and death remains a major public health concern. Challenges to providing a safe, abundant, and nutritious food sup- ply are complex because all aspects of food produc- tion, from farm to fork, must be considered. Given the national and international demand and expectations for food safety as well as the formidable challenges of producing and maintaining a safe food supply, food safety research and educational programs have taken on a new urgency. Remarkable progress has been made during the last century. Wisdom from a century of ani- mal agriculture research now includes the realization that on-farm pathogens are intricately associated with animal health and well-being, the production of high- quality food, and profitability. In this review, some of the developments that have occurred over the last few decades are summarized, including types, sources, and concentrations of disease-causing pathogens encoun- tered in food-producing animal environments and their association with food safety; current and future meth- ods to control or reduce foodborne pathogens on the farm; and present and future preharvest food safety research directions. Future scientific breakthroughs will no doubt have a profound impact on animal agriculture and the production of high-quality food, but we will also be faced with moral, ethical, and societal dilemmas that must be reconciled. A strong, science-based ap- proach that addresses all the complex issues involved in continuing to improve food safety and public health is necessary to prevent foodborne illnesses. Not only must research be conducted to solve complex food safety is- sues, but results of that research must also be commu- nicated effectively to producers and consumers.

Pastures, forages, and grasslands dominate the landscape across the United States and support a large ruminant population that supplies the nation with value-added animal products. A historical perspective is presented of the innovations as they occurred in the Journal of Animal Science over the past 100 yr in pasture and forage research. Consideration was given to both animal and pasture perspectives. Areas given consideration from the animal perspective were schemes for feedstuff analysis, experimental design and statistics, forage sample preservation, indirect methods of measuring intake and digestion, TDN and energy, nutritive value, harvested forage, and innovations in the grazing environment. Areas given consideration from the forage perspective were a framework for forage-animal interface research, determining pasture yield, choice of stocking method, grazing management, partitioning of forage DM, near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy technology, antiquality constituents, and forage sample preservation. Finally, the importance was discussed of applying research results from the forage-animal interface to general ruminant nutrition research beyond the interface that is focused on altered diets.

The development of a beef industry, heavily dependent on corn utilization, began to occur in the 1940s. Begun as a means to add value to the grain while improving consumer acceptance of beef, corn has become an integral part of beef production. Developments in the 21st century including unprecedented cattle prices, changes in beef demand, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, surge in energy costs, pricing differentiation of cattle prices based on quality, and industry consolidation have dramatically changed the price of corn and cost of beef production. The future of the beef industry will be dependent on our ability to continue producing high-quality beef for a global market through effective use of genetics, new technologies, and economic management strategies.

One hundred years ago, there were more than 48 million sheep in the United States. In 1910, they were valued at $4/head, with 43% of income coming from the sale of sheep, lambs, and meat and 57% coming from wool. Over the years, fluctuations in this ratio have challenged the breeder and researcher alike. By 2007, sheep numbers had declined to 6.2 million, with the average sheep shearing 3.4 kg of wool (representing

We are a nation of dog lovers. Never before in our history have we spent more time, money, and emotional energy on a group of animals that are kept solely for companionship. Pet food sales are a multi-billion dollar industry, and pet owners are spending more than 11 billion dollars each year on veterinary care. This devotion is further illustrated by the exponential growth of the pet supply industry, including increasing numbers of pet superstores, play-parks, training centers, and doggie day care centers. During the 1980s, recognition of the human-animal bond led to serious study of the roles that dogs play in our lives. These studies have shown that pets provide significant benefits to our emotional, physical, and social well being. It is ironic then, that at a time when we recognize and appreciate our bonds with animal companions, dark elements of this relationship are equally pervasive. Animal shelters in the United States kill between 3 and 4 million dogs and cats annually. Dog fighting, although outlawed, has reached epidemic proportions in some areas of the country. Episodes of animal cruelty and neglect are reported with alarming frequency in the media; so frequently that discussions of the connection between animal cruelty and human violence have become daily parlance. How then did we come to have such paradoxical perceptions and treatment of our canine companions? This question is explored through an examination of the ancestry of the dog and the prevailing myths and facts about domestication. Historical and present-day perceptions of the wolf and the impact that these attitudes may have upon perceptions of dogs are examined.

Development of nutritional energetics can be traced to the 1400s. Lavoisier established re- lationships among O2 use, CO2 production and heat production in the late 1700s, and the laws of thermo- dynamics and law of Hess were discovered during the 1840s. Those discoveries established the fundamental bases for nutritional energetics and enabled the funda- mental entity ME = retained energy + heat energy to be established. Objectives became: 1) to establish re- lationships between gas exchange and heat energy, 2) to devise bases for evaluation of foods that could be re- lated to energy expenditures, and 3) to establish causes of energy expenditures. From these endeavors, the basic concepts of energy partitioning by animals were developed, ultimately resulting in the development of feeding systems based on NE concepts. The California Net Energy System, developed for finishing beef cattle, was the first to be based on retained energy as deter- mined by comparative slaughter and the first to use 2 NE values (NEm and NEg) to describe feed and animal requirements. The system has been broadened concep- tually to encompass life cycle energy requirements of beef cattle and modified by the inclusion of numerous adjustments to address factors known to affect energy requirements and value of feed to meet those needs. The current NE system remains useful but is empiri- cal and static in nature and thus fails to capture the dynamics of energy utilization by diverse animals as they respond to changing environmental conditions. Consequently, efforts were initiated to develop dy- namic simulation models that captured the underlying biology and thus were sensitive to variable genetic and environmental conditions. Development of a series of models has been described to show examples of the con- ceptual evolution of dynamic, mechanistic models and their applications. Generally with each new system, advances in prediction accuracy came about by adding new terms to conceptually validated models. However, complexity of input requirements often limits general use of these larger models. Expert systems may be uti- lized to provide many of the additional inputs needed for application of the more complex models. Additional information available from these systems is expected to result in an ever-increasing range of application. These systems are expected to have increased generality and the capability to be integrated with other models to allow economic evaluation. This will eventually allow users to compute solutions that allow development of optimal production strategies.

Development of nutritional energetics can be traced to the 1400s. Lavoisier established relationships among O(2) use, CO(2) production and heat production in the late 1700s, and the laws of thermodynamics and law of Hess were discovered during the 1840s. Those discoveries established the fundamental bases for nutritional energetics and enabled the fundamental entity ME = retained energy + heat energy to be established. Objectives became: 1) to establish relationships between gas exchange and heat energy, 2) to devise bases for evaluation of foods that could be related to energy expenditures, and 3) to establish causes of energy expenditures. From these endeavors, the basic concepts of energy partitioning by animals were developed, ultimately resulting in the development of feeding systems based on NE concepts. The California Net Energy System, developed for finishing beef cattle, was the first to be based on retained energy as determined by comparative slaughter and the first to use 2 NE values (NE(m) and NE(g)) to describe feed and animal requirements. The system has been broadened conceptually to encompass life cycle energy requirements of beef cattle and modified by the inclusion of numerous adjustments to address factors known to affect energy requirements and value of feed to meet those needs. The current NE system remains useful but is empirical and static in nature and thus fails to capture the dynamics of energy utilization by diverse animals as they respond to changing environmental conditions. Consequently, efforts were initiated to develop dynamic simulation models that captured the underlying biology and thus were sensitive to variable genetic and environmental conditions. Development of a series of models has been described to show examples of the conceptual evolution of dynamic, mechanistic models and their applications. Generally with each new system, advances in prediction accuracy came about by adding new terms to conceptually validated models. However, complexity of input requirements often limits general use of these larger models. Expert systems may be utilized to provide many of the additional inputs needed for application of the more complex models. Additional information available from these systems is expected to result in an ever-increasing range of application. These systems are expected to have increased generality and the capability to be integrated with other models to allow economic evaluation. This will eventually allow users to compute solutions that allow development of optimal production strategies.

Proteomics holds significant promise as a method for advancing animal science research. The use of this technology in animal science is still in its infancy. The ability of proteomics to simultaneously identify and quantify potentially thousands of proteins is unparalleled. In this review, we will discuss basic principles of doing a proteomic experiment. In addition, challenges and limitations of proteomics will be considered, stressing those that are unique to animal sciences. The current proteomic research in animal sciences will be discussed, and the potential uses for this technology will be highlighted.

Meat has been important to human survival and personal enjoyment for thousands of years, and as societies become more affluent, the amount and quality of meat consumed increases. Ancient Egyptians are known to have consumed ground meat, whereas the Greeks and Romans enjoyed various types of sausages. Ground meat has been consumed throughout the world under various names and for several centuries. However, in recent years, microbial meat safety has become a major concern, and it appears that meat safety challenges will persist in future years. This paper provides a brief historical account of selected developments in microbiology, meat science, and safety, and associated industrial and regulatory highlights, and a brief overview of current and future food safety issues, concerns, and challenges.

During this centennial year of the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS), it is of interest to look back over the history of our Society and, in particular, to the many contributions made by researchers in the area of swine nutrition. A great number of basic and applied research studies involving the nutrition of weanling, growing, and finishing pigs, and gestating and lactating sows have been conducted by swine nutritionists during the past 100 yr. Most of these studies were conducted at universities by animal scientists or by the graduate students under their leadership. Others were conducted by nutritionists in the feed and pharmaceutical industries and government scientists at ARS/USDA research centers. Contributions were also made by animal scientists beyond our borders. Much of the research was published in the Journal of Animal Science during its 66 yr of existence. Before the first issue of the journal was published in 1942, some of the earlier studies were reported in the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Society of Animal Production, the forerunner of ASAS. These research studies have progressively led to a better understanding of the role and utilization of dietary energy, protein, AA, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins by pigs and have helped to quantify the nutrient requirements of pigs for various stages of growth, for sows during gestation and lactation, and to a limited extent, for boars. Determining the nutritional value of a wide array of feedstuffs, evaluating feeding strategies, and assessing the value of growth-promoting and carcass-enhancing agents have been important research contributions as well. To identify the particular studies that were among the most instrumental in contributing to our present knowledge of swine nutrition is, to say the least, a daunting assignment. To aid in this task, a survey of swine nutritionists was conducted in which they were asked to identify and rank the 10 most significant findings in swine nutrition during the past 100 yr. The results of that survey are presented in this paper.

Forage-animal production agriculture is implementing infrastructure changes and management strategies to adjust to increased energy-related costs of fuel, feed grains, fertilizers, and seeds. The primary objectives of this position paper are to assess future research and extension scientific needs in forage utilization, financial support for the discipline, and changing status and number of scientists. A survey questionnaire returned from 25 land-grant universities in the eastern half of the United States rated the top 4 research needs as 1) pasture systems and efficiency of production; 2) interfacing with energy concerns; 3) forage cultivar evaluations and persistence; and 4) environment impacts. Plant-animal future research needs at 11 USDA-ARS regional locations are targeted at sustainable management and improved livestock performance, ecophysiology and ecology of grasslands, environment impacts, and improved technologies for nutritive value assessments. Extension scientists from 17 southern and northeastern states listed the top 3 needs as forage persistence, soil fertility and nutrient management, and pasture systems and efficiency of production. Grant funds currently provide more than 40% of land-grant university research and extension efforts in forage utilization, and scientists estimate that this support base will increase to 55 to 60% of the funding total by 2013. Reduced allocation of state and federal funding has contributed to a reduction in the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) scientists engaged in forage utilization research and extension activities. The current 25 state FTE conducting research number about 2.8 per state. This includes 10 states with >3, 11 states with

Teaching has a long and varied history in the life of departments of animal science and the American Society of Animal Science. Some of the earliest reports from meetings of the society have strong indication that planning the curriculum was a prominent feature of the meetings. Teaching symposia were also included almost from the beginning. The society went through a lengthy period from the 1940s through most of the 1960s when teaching was not a prominent focus, but a symposium in 1968 appeared to be a catalyst for change, and, since that date, teaching has again been an important part of the meetings. In recent years, outstanding symposia and contributed papers have made the teaching section a vibrant entry. Departments of animal science have changed considerably since the early days in which "men taught boys" and the primary goal was to produce farmers. More female students, more urban students, interest in a wide variety of animals, and greatly diversified career goals have been emerging during the last few decades. Departments of animal science and the American Society of Animal Science are positioning to be able to respond to change and face the challenge of providing excellence in teaching during the next century.

In an era in which academic institutions are held more accountable, a problem, which does not seem to have an immediate resolution, exists: how does one demonstrate the quality of one's work? Specifically, how does one show that his or her research is making an impact and is thought to be important? A variety of measures of scientific journal article importance, reflected mostly by citation analyses, have been focused on as being potential gold standards. However, although several measures have been reported, keeping a record of citation of individual research papers, primarily due to the effort involved in finding accurate information, is not for wimps.

Acute and subacute ruminal acidosis, bloat, liver abscesses, and polioencephalomalacia (PEM) were reviewed with respect to contributions published in the Journal of Animal Science (JAS) regarding these metabolic and digestive disorders in beef cattle. Increased grain feeding and expansion of the feedlot industry in the 1960s led to considerable research on acidosis, and early publications defined ruminal changes with acute acidosis. The concept of subacute acidosis was developed in the 1970s. Significant research was published during the 1980s and 1990s on adaptation to high-grain diets, effects of ionophores, and the development of model systems to study ruminal and metabolic changes in acidosis. Since 2000, JAS publications on acidosis have largely focused on individual animal variability in response to acid loads and the role of management strategies in controlling acidosis. Increased grain feeding also was associated with an increase in the incidence of liver abscesses, which were quickly linked to insults to the ruminal epithelium associated with acidosis. The role of antibiotics, particularly tylosin, in decreasing the incidence and severity of liver abscesses was a significant contribution of JAS publications during the 1970s and 1980s. Papers on bloat were among the earliest published in JAS related to metabolic and digestive disorders in cattle. Noteworthy accomplishments in bloat research chronicled in JAS include the nature of ruminal contents in legume and feedlot bloat, the role of plant fractions and microbial populations in the development of bloat, and the efficacy of poloxalene, ionophores, and, more recently, condensed tannins in decreasing the incidence and severity of bloat. Although less research has been published on PEM in JAS, early publications highlighting the association between PEM and ruminal acidity and the role of thiaminase in certain forms of the disorder, as well as more recent publications related to the role of sulfur in the development of PEM, are noteworthy contributions. Since the 1940s, outstanding and often-cited review articles have made JAS a highly visible source of information on these disorders. Thus, JAS has played a significant role as a repository for information pertaining to metabolic and digestive disorders in cattle and other ruminants, and it will no doubt continue to be a premier resource for information on these conditions during the second century of the American Society of Animal Science.

From a historical perspective, it is difficult to identify a specific date that launched the field of endocrinology. One "biomarker" of the inception of endocrinology traces back to Ernest Henry Starling, who first introduced the word hormone in a talk given in 1905 at the Royal College of Physicians in London (Starling, 1905). A historical look at the field of endocrine regulation of animal growth since 1905 conveys that countless scientists worldwide worked to advance the scientific evidence base, which led to the commercial development of hormone-based products that enhanced growth and beneficially changed carcass composition of meat animals. This review will discuss some of seminal contributions that include the discovery of hormones (like ST and beta-adrenergic agonists) that have been shown to play key roles in regulating growth and nutrient partitioning of livestock, the mechanisms by which these hormones act, and the development of products for application in animal agriculture.

Compared with the more traditional sciences of nutrition, physiology, and reproduction, the acceptance of animal welfare science in its own right is still relatively new. Seven colleagues, who had an aver- age of 10 yr experience with beef (n = 5), swine (n = 5), dairy (n = 2), poultry (n = 1), and sheep (n = 1) were asked several questions on the opportunities and challenges facing the field. The information collected was pooled for anonymity. General challenges identi- fied by the group were (1) are we making progress and how can this be defined, (2) demand for information has outpaced the science, and (3) pressures from stake- holders. Solutions were (1) to continue providing sound science that has been validated, measured objectively, and is reliable; and (2) to continue to have animal sci- ence and veterinary medicine departments employ fac- ulty trained in farm animal welfare. Highlights for the future were willingness for animal welfare scientists to work across disciplines and across departments, within the same institution, and enthusiastically across state lines, and expansion of new teaching models. In con- clusion, new and innovative tools, personalities, and dedication to the field of animal welfare will continue to provide scientific information and direction for farm animal welfare science.

The past century has seen animal breeding and genetics evolve and expand from definition and validation of basic population genetics theory to development of selection index theory to today's relatively sophisticated genetic prediction systems enabling industry genetic improvement. The end of the first century of the American Society of Animal Science coincides with the rapid movement of the field into the era of genome-enabled genetic improvement and precision management systems. Led by recent research infrastructure investments by the United States and international partners to develop chicken, bovine, swine, ovine, and equine "genomic toolboxes," the animal breeding community is poised to play a crucial role in the century to come. These genomic toolboxes provide the needed platforms for developing whole-genome selection programs based on linkage disequilibrium for a wide spectrum of traits; allow the opportunity to redefine genetic prediction based on allele sharing as opposed to traditional pedigree relationships; and provide for the first time simultaneous information upon which to practice genetic selection and plan precision management of specific genotypes, all early in the life of the animal. An area of major focus will be mining of the genomes through systems biology approaches to better understand gene and metabolic networks--what has previously been lumped into poorly understood genotype by environment and genotype by genotype interactions. Perhaps the greatest obstacle to the successful merger of genomic and quantitative approaches will be the lack of necessary animal resource populations to appropriately define and measure phenotypes (i.e., the so-called phenomic gap) for difficult-to-measure traits such as resistance to disease and stress, adaptability, longevity, and efficiency of nutrient utilization. Additionally, because of de-emphasis of quantitative genetics and animal breeding programs in academia over the past quarter century, a dearth of qualified young scientists to effectively mine the genomes must immediately be addressed. Although the motivating factors may have changed, the need for high-quality animal breeding and genetics research and education has never been greater.

Knowledge of general aspects of mammary gland function, including metabolic pathways and hormonal regulation of mammary gland development and lactation, in livestock species was obtained several decades ago. As basic biological information of growth factor action, apoptotic mechanisms, and signal transduction events has exploded, the mouse became the model of choice for studying fundamental mechanisms regulating mammary function. A complete sequenced genome also has made the mouse amenable for studies of mammary gene network expression. Advances in molecular biology techniques currently allow researchers to genetically modify mice to either overexpress or completely lack specific genes, thereby studying their function in an in vivo setting. Furthermore, the use of mammary-specific promoters has allowed genes related to mammary gland function to be eliminated from the mammary gland in a developmental and tissue-specific manner. These studies have demonstrated the complexity that underlies mammary gland development and function in rodents and may provide insight into the mechanisms that ultimately allow the ruminant or swine mammary gland to function in a coordinated fashion throughout puberty, pregnancy, lactation, and involution. The challenge facing animal scientists is how to obtain similar information in much larger and expensive livestock. One possible approach is to manipulate gene expression in vitro using mammary cell culture models derived from domestic animals (e.g., genes can be "knocked down" using small interfering RNA approaches). Ultimately, major advances in understanding lactation biology may come from coupling basic mechanistic information with functional genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics approaches. A strong foundation in bioinformatics will also be required to optimize use of these new technologies. Stem cell biology also represents an exciting area in the next decade that holds promise for improving lactation efficiency. Strong training of our future scientists in these areas should facilitate livestock-focused mammary gland research that will allow basic information to be gained at unprecedented amounts, ultimately leading to optimization of livestock production.

Goat research in the United States has increased but at a rate less than that in production. Research on goat meat includes nutritional quality, packaging, color, sensory characteristics, and preslaughter management. Goat skins have value for leather, but quality of goat leather has not been extensively studied. Research in the production, quality, antibiotic residues, and sensory characteristics of goat milk and its products has aided development of the US dairy goat industry. Limited progress has been made in genetic improvement of milk or meat production. There is need to explore applications of genomics and proteomics and improve consistency in texture and functionality of goat cheeses. New goat meat and milk products are needed to increase demand and meet the diverse tastes of the American public. Despite research progress in control of mohair and cashmere growth, erratic prices and sale of raw materials have contributed to further declines in US production. Innovative and cooperative ventures are needed for profit sharing up to the consumer level. Internal parasites pose the greatest challenge to goat production in humid areas largely because of anthelmintic resistance. Study of alternative controls is required, including immunity enhancement via nutrition, vaccination, pasture management such as co-grazing with cattle, and genetic resistance. Similarly, the importance of health management is increasing related in part to a lack of effective vaccines for many diseases. Nutrition research should address requirements for vitamins and minerals, efficiencies of protein utilization, adjusting energy requirements for nutritional plane, acclimatization, and grazing conditions, feed intake prediction, and management practices for rapid-growth production systems. Moreover, efficient technology transfer methods are needed to disseminate current knowledge and that gained in future research.

The last century of food animal agriculture is a remarkable triumph of scientific research. Knowledge derived through research has resulted in the development and use of new technologies that have increased the efficiency of food production and created a huge animal production and food manufacturing industry capable of feeding the US population while also providing significant quantities of high-quality food for export to other countries. Although the US food supply is among the safest in the world, the US Center for Disease Prevention and Control estimates that 76 million people get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die each year from foodborne illness. Consequently, preventing foodborne illness and death remains a major public health concern. Challenges to providing a safe, abundant, and nutritious food supply are complex because all aspects of food production, from farm to fork, must be considered. Given the national and international demand and expectations for food safety as well as the formidable challenges of producing and maintaining a safe food supply, food safety research and educational programs have taken on a new urgency. Remarkable progress has been made during the last century. Wisdom from a century of animal agriculture research now includes the realization that on-farm pathogens are intricately associated with animal health and well-being, the production of high-quality food, and profitability. In this review, some of the developments that have occurred over the last few decades are summarized, including types, sources, and concentrations of disease-causing pathogens encountered in food-producing animal environments and their association with food safety; current and future methods to control or reduce foodborne pathogens on the farm; and present and future preharvest food safety research directions. Future scientific breakthroughs will no doubt have a profound impact on animal agriculture and the production of high-quality food, but we will also be faced with moral, ethical, and societal dilemmas that must be reconciled. A strong, science-based approach that addresses all the complex issues involved in continuing to improve food safety and public health is necessary to prevent foodborne illnesses. Not only must research be conducted to solve complex food safety issues, but results of that research must also be communicated effectively to producers and consumers.

Pastures, forages, and grasslands dominate the landscape across the United States and support a large ruminant population that supplies the nation with value-added animal products. A historical perspective is presented of the innovations as they occurred in the Journal of Animal Science over the past 100 yr in pasture and forage research. Consideration was given to both animal and pasture perspectives. Areas given consideration from the animal perspective were schemes for feedstuff analysis, experimental design and statistics, forage sample preservation, indirect methods of measuring intake and digestion, TDN and energy, nutritive value, harvested forage, and innovations in the grazing environment. Areas given consideration from the forage perspective were a framework for forage-animal interface research, determining pasture yield, choice of stocking method, grazing management, partitioning of forage DM, near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy technology, antiquality constituents, and forage sample preservation. Finally, the importance was discussed of applying research results from the forage-animal interface to general ruminant nutrition research beyond the interface that is focused on altered diets.

Utilizing different dietary fiber sources has been studied in piglets to help mitigate post-weaning diarrhea and improve post-weaning performance. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of adding sugar beet pulp or a stimbiotic (Signis; AB Vista) on nursery pig performance. Barrows (n = 216; average initial BW = 5.1kg) were randomly allotted to one of three dietary treatments and fed a 4 phase feeding program; 1) Control (Con), Insoluble/Soluble fibre ratio (I/S), P1; 4.47, P2; 5.84, P3; 5.82, P4; 7.08. 2) High Soluble (HS) with sugar beet pulp added at 5% (P1 and P2) and 2.5% (P3 and P4) giving the following I/S ratio; P1; 2.63, P2; 2.91, P3; 5.02 and P4; 5.42. 3) Control plus stimbiotic added at 100 g/t (SIG). Pen weight and feed disappearance were recorded weekly to calculate ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Fecal score was visually ranked by pen daily from wean to 35 days. Blanket water medications were not provided. Instead, individual pigs that needed treatment were identified and injected with individual antibiotic interventions, and the number of interventions per pig was recorded. Performance data were submitted to ANOVA using JMP with mean separation by Tukey test and a contingency analysis was used to compare antibiotic injections. At day 14, pigs had a Rotavirus A and B challenge. Addition of HS or SIG reduced (P < 0.05) individual antibiotic treatments by 56 and 32% compared to the CON, respectively. No differences were observed in scour scores or overall ADG. Overall intake was greater (P < 0.01) in HS (0.560 kg) than CON (0.491 kg) or SIG (0.492 kg). Pigs fed SIG (0.671) had a better (P = 0.011) G:F over SBP (0.602), with CON (0.649) being intermediate. In conclusion, HS increased intake where stimbiotic improved feed efficiency, and both decreased antibiotic treatments.

The objectives were to evaluate differences in productivity (mortality, number of pigs weaned and litter weights) and electricity usage between farrowing crates equipped with the HAVEN device or standard heat lamps. The HAVEN is a heat element designed to create a microclimate for newborn pigs. A total of 314 sows (Camborough; PIC, Hendersonville, TN) were initially allotted to the study in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) based on parity (P1, P2, P3+). Treatments consisted of control group (standard heat lamps) and treatment group (HAVEN device). Around d112 of gestation the sows were moved to the farrowing house and randomly allotted to the treatment. After farrow, litters were cross-fostered within treatment until 24-h after farrowing to equalize litter number to teat count. Litter size and weight were collected at the time of cross-fostering and at weaning. Sows had an ad libitum access to feed and water during lactation. Data were analyzed as an RCBD using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS with litter as the experimental unit and block as a random effect. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between treatments on litter growth performance. However, there were significant differences (P < 0.05) between the Control and Haven groups on piglets mortality and removals (%). The Control group had a higher incidence of mortality when compared to the Haven group (11.42% vs. 9.06%, respectively). In addition, the Control group had a higher (P < 0.05) percentage of pigs removed compared to the Haven group (18.41% vs. 15.55%, respectively). Regarding electricity usage, on average the HAVEN device consumed 1.55 Wh/day compared to 2.41 Wh/day from the heat lamp. In conclusion, under the conditions of this trial the HAVEN provided production benefits reducing mortality and removals (%), and also potential savings in electricity.

The objective was to determine the influence of feed intake (FI) and fiber source on hindgut disappearance of energy and nutrients in pigs. Ten canulated barrows with an initial body weight (BW) of 38.3 ± 5.4 kg were allotted to a replicated 5 × 4 Latin square design with 5 treatments and 4 periods. A corn-soybean meal-based basal diet (BD) and 2 × 2 factorial treatment arrangement with 2 amounts of FI (9.0 and 4.5% × BW0.75) and 2 fiber sources of sugar beet pulp (SBP) and corn cob were used. Three diets were 1) a BD, 2) a diet replacing 30% of corn and soybean meal in BD with SBP as a source of soluble dietary fiber (SDF), and 3) a diet replacing 15% of corn and soybean meal in BD with corn cobs as a source of insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) to obtain a similar IDF concentration as in the SBP diet. Each period consisted of 7-d adaptation, 2-d fecal collection, and 2-d ileal collection. Apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of energy, dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), and crude protein (CP) in SBP diet was less (P < 0.001) than that in corn cob diet, whereas AID of neutral detergent fiber in SBP were greater (P < 0.001) than in corn cob diet. Hindgut disappearance of energy, DM, OM, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber in SBP diet was greater (P < 0.05) than that in corn cob diet. However, no interaction between FI and fiber source on the AID, apparent total tract digestibility, and hindgut disappearance of nutrients was observed. Overall, hindgut disappearance of nutrients in sugar beet pulp diet was greater than that in corn cob diet. However, the influence of feed intake or the interaction between feed intake and fiber source was not observed.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of adding 0% (T1), 6% (T2), 12% (T3) and 18% (T4) of a mixture (83% dried citrus pulp (DCP) and 17% eggshell) into a sorghum-soybean meal-limestone based diet for laying quails, on production efficiency and quality of egg. Thirty-two quails were individually housed and randomly assigned (n = 8) to the four experimental diets, during the first 5 week of the laying cycle. Quail LW and feed intake were recorded weekly. Produced eggs were weighed (n = 457) and egg mass production recorded. Proportions of albumen, yolk and shell, egg yolk color, and shell thickness, were determined (n = 55/treatment). On week 5, total excreta of 24 laying quails (n = 6) were collected throughout 96 h, to determine metabolizable utilization of DM, energy, crude protein and ash. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS® software. Initial and final LW, feed intake and egg production were similar (P >0.05) among treatments. Egg mass was higher (P < 0.05) in T2 than T4. Egg weight of quails fed T1 and T2 was higher than others (P < 0.05). The eggshell of quails fed T2 was thicker (248 vs 236 μm; P < 0.05) than T1. Eggshell proportion of quails fed the mixture was higher (P < 0.05) than in T1 (11.3 vs 10.5%). Yolk proportion of T1 was higher (P < 0.05). The b* parameter was lower (P < 0.05) for T1. Metabolizable utilization of dietary DM (72.1%) and energy (68.8%) of T1 was 13% higher (P < 0.05) than T4, however protein (avg 41.4%) and ash (avg 46.7%) utilization were similar (P > 0.05) among treatments. In conclusion, adding up to 12% of the mixture (83% DCP and 17% eggshell) in quail diets, resulted in similar egg production parameters, and metabolizable utilization of dietary DM, crude protein, energy and ash, however improved thickness of eggshell, compared to the control diet.

Lignocellulose is an alternative fiber source for dogs; however, it has not yet been studied as a feed ingredient for the nutrition of dogs. Eight adult Beagles were involved in the study, which consisted of 3 feeding periods of 8 to 12 wk each. All dogs received 3 different diets, which either had the same concentration of fiber sources (2.7% sugar beet pulp or lignocellulose) or were formulated for a similar concentration of approximately 3% crude fiber: 12% sugar beet pulp (highSBP; 3.1% crude fiber), 2.7% sugar beet pulp (lowSBP; 0.96% crude fiber), or 2.7% lignocellulose (LC; 2.4% crude fiber). Feces samples were collected at the end of each feeding period, and the apparent nutrient digestibility, daily amount, and DM content of feces and fecal cell numbers of relevant bacteria were analyzed. The daily feces amount was lower and the feces DM was higher when dogs were fed the LC diet and the lowSBP diet compared with the highSBP diet ( < 0.001). Apparent digestibility of CP, Na, and K was highest with the lowSBP diet followed by the LC and highSBP diets ( < 0.001). After feeding LC, the bacterial cell counts of spp., spp., and the cluster were reduced compared with feeding highSBP and even more reduced after feeding lowSBP ( < 0.001). The bacterial cell count of the cluster was lower in LC and lowSBP compared with highSBP ( < 0.001). The feces of dogs fed LC and lowSBP had lower concentrations of acetate ( < 0.001), propionate ( < 0.001), -butyrate ( = 0.015), total fatty acids ( < 0.001), and lactate ( < 0.001) compared with dogs fed highSBP. The concentration of -butyrate was higher in the feces of dogs fed with LC compared with dogs fed high and low sugar beet pulp (SBP; < 0.001). The pH of the feces of the LC-fed dogs was highest followed by lowSBP- and highSBP-fed dogs ( < 0.001). Depending on the concentration, the use of LC and SBP as fiber sources in dog feed has different impacts on the fecal microbiota and the apparent digestibility of nutrients. Therefore, different areas of application should be considered.

The use of filter crucibles to determine the degradability increases the time required in the analytical process, thus reducing the speed of obtaining experimental data. This has made it necessary to search for alternative methods that ensure a homogeneous digestion and filtration system for all samples and provide accurate and accurate results. The study evaluated the in vitro dry matter degradability of five treatments: 1) Filter crucible; 2) F57 bags (Ankom®) with non-degradable mass; 3) TNT bags weighing g/m2 with non-degradable mass; 4) F57 bags (Ankom®); 5) TNT bags weighing g/m2. The in vitro gas production method used was the semiautomatic one with pressure transducer, for that 8 bovines Nellore castrated male were used as content and ruminal liquid donors. A completely randomized experimental design was used, with 5 treatments, 4 blocks (inocula), and three replicates within each block. PROC GLM was used to adjust for multiple comparisons of the data using the Tukey’s test at 5% significance. There was no difference in the in vitro dry matter degradability for 24 or 96 hours (P-value 0.0554 and 0.1411, respectively), regardless of the treatment. Thus, the possibility of using TNT made bag to the detriment of the F57 bag is affirmed because of the high cost of this one in relation to that one.

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of deoxynivalenol (DON) on growth performance and intestinal microbiota in weaning piglets, and potential efficacy of a modified hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS) binder to detoxify DON toxicity. Four groups of 21-day-old male piglets (n = 7/group) were fed either a control diet, or diet adding 1.0 or 3.0 mg/kg DON, or 3.0 mg/kg DON plus 0.05% modified HSCAS for 28 d. Compared to the control, dietary DON at 1.0 and/or 3.0 mg/kg decreased (P < 0.05) the feed intake (18.1–38.7%) and body weight gain (16.0–60.8%) during the whole experiment, and increased (P < 0.05) the feed/gain ratio (12.8–33.8%) during d 1–14. Worse results were obtained at 3.0 mg/kg DON in comparison to 1.0 mg/kg for most of these variables. DON exposure reshaped gut microbial structure by drastically dysregulating the abundance of several bacterial phyla, families, and genera, such as dysbiosis of Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria in small intestine. Notably, dietary modified HSCAS binder supplementation mitigated the negative effects of DON on growth performance of piglets and improved the intestinal flora disorder. Therefore, this study has revealed that the modified HSCAS binder can mitigate DON-induced adverse effects and could be used as a promising countermeasure for detoxifying DON toxicity.

Byproducts are an important component of many beef production systems in the southeast. A variety of byproducts are used as supplemental nutrition for pastured cattle, and a byproduct-based total mixed ration is commonly used in backgrounding enterprises. Byproducts of corn (wet and dry milling), soybean, cotton, peanuts, rice, citrus, brewing and vegetable processing are widely available. Regional availability will determine what optimal byproducts will be for a given area. The value of an alternative feed for beef cattle is commonly determined based on the TDN and CP levels relative to corn and soybean meal (the Peterson Method). This simple approach allows the user to calculate a $ per ton value at a given corn and soybean meal price, but may result in misleading information. Research comparing alternative feeds to the standard often find that a “realized value” is different than the calculated value. Intake may be stimulated or depressed by a given ingredient. Hidden costs including handling and shrinkage are often a problem for wet materials. Sometimes dramatic side effects occur despite a high calculated value for the feed. For example, fermented sweet potato cannery waste has a very high nutritive value that is realized when fed at low levels in a total mixed ration. However, when fed free-choice, it may cause severe dental erosion resulting in reduced gains in yearlings and early tooth loss in cows. Culled cured sweet potatoes coming from cold storage have a high calculated value yet can cause death in cows because of a lung toxin. There is actually a limited amount of research published with byproducts in southern beef production systems. Due to diversity of forage-base and wide variety of ingredients with potential associative effects, more research is needed to fully understand how byproducts are best utilized.

Cattle originating from 2 different herds were used during growing and finishing programs to evaluate differences in CH4 and CO2 production. The conventional (CONV) herd used spring calving, summer grass grazing, and winter corn residue grazing. An alternate (ALT) herd housed cows in confinement pens during summer, calved in summer, grazed cover crops in fall and grazed corn residue before returning to confinement pens in spring. Each herd had 4 groups of 20 cows. For 2 years calves from each herd were weaned at the same age and then fed ad libitum for a 120-d growing (GR) period and fed a forage-based diet (NEg 1.23 Mcal/kg). Cattle were then adapted to a grain-based finishing (FIN) diet (NEg 1.51 Mcal/kg) and fed until reaching 1.27 cm backfat. Both CH4 and CO2 were collected in two pen-scale chambers by collecting air samples continuously from each pen ambient air. Each group was evaluated in the pen-scale chambers for 5 days during both the GR and FIN phases. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS with day in barn as a repeated measure. Whether cattle originated from CONV or ALT had no impact (P > 0.25) on CH4 or CO2 production. Feeding GR resulted in greater (P < 0.03) CH4 than FIN in grams per day (125.4 vs 117.5), grams per kg of intake (16.1 vs 11.5), or g per kg of body weight (0.50 vs 0.24). Greater CO2 production was observed for FIN as compared to GR which is due to greater size and energy intake. Diet impacts CH4 more so than cow-calf production system cattle originate from.

The corn distilling industry is a major processor of grain, but the high fiber co-product (DDGS), has limited application in feed. Simple mechanical stillage separation downstream of fermentation produces a high protein (52.4 % DM), highly digestible, low crude fiber (4.4% DM) product containing approximately 25% DM spent brewer’s yeast (high density distillers’ protein: HDDP). Currently, approximately 300 ktons of HDDP are produced annually in the USA, and the volume will double in 2020. The effect of graded inclusion levels of HDDP on growth, feed efficiency, nutrient utilization, blood chemistry and gut histology of 525 post-smolt Atlantic salmon (initial body weight 304 ± 10.7g), randomly allocated to three tanks per treatment, was tested in a salt-water recirculating aquaculture system. One control diet with no HDDP was formulated to meet the nutrient requirements of Atlantic salmon. Four test diets were formulated to contain graded levels of HDDP at 5, 10, 15 and 20% respectively. HDDP partially replaced soy protein concentrate and corn protein concentrate in the diets. Salmon were hand-fed to satiety, 3 times daily during the 84-day trial. Throughout the trial the performance of fish on all treatments exceeded commercial growth rates with thermal growth coefficients (TGC) in excess of 0.160 and feed conversion efficiency of ≤ 1.0. Overall HDDP was a nutritious feed ingredient and had no significant impact on performance. Overall TGC was highest (0.200 over the 84-day trial period) in fish fed the diet containing 10% HDDP. Both villi length and villi width in the distal intestine of salmon fed diets containing HDDP tended to be higher than in the controls. Overall, HDDP derived from the dry grind ethanol process was a safe and nutritious novel feed ingredient for Atlantic salmon, and the potential beneficial effect on gut morphology merits investigation.

Sugarcane bagasse, a lignocellulosic biomass produced by sugar production, is rarely utilized directly due to economic concerns. However, pretreatment of this biomass could make it suitable as a feedstock for the beef cattle industry. Accordingly, this study investigated the effects of different steam explosion conditions on bagasse digestibility using in vitro fermentation techniques, scanning electron microscopy, and detailed chemical analyses. In vitro incubation of an untreated sample and samples pretreated at 6 different pressures ranging from 0.6 to 1.6 MPa at intervals of 0.2 MPa for 5 min was conducted out for 96 h. Results showed that increasing the pressure in the steam explosion pretreatment induced degradation of the hemicellulose and increased soluble sugar content, especially for arabinose (L; P < 0.01) and xylose contents (Q; P < 0.01). In vitro incubation showed that compared with untreated bagasse, gas production and degradation rate of the bagasse improved linearly (L; P < 0.01) after all treatments. The lag time disappeared with steam pressure above 1.0 MPa and the maximum gas production was obtained under pretreatment at 1.4 MPa for 5 min. Furthermore, pretreatment of bagasse by steam explosion enhanced (Q: P < 0.01) quadratically estimated energy values and OM digestibility. Thus, the current results demonstrate that sugarcane bagasse may be effectively used as a potential beef cattle feedstock after steam explosion pretreatment.

This research summarizes a large existing data base collected over fifteen years to examine origin and fate of nitrogen and phosphorous in an open lot beef system, as impacted by seasonal changes, diets, and management practices. Data from 15 winter trials, including 200 pens, and 15 summer trials, including 216 pens were reviewed for nutrient mass balance, which was then used to determine the correlations of season, diet, and management with nitrogen and phosphorous intake, retention, manure harvested, loss, and runoff. All relationships were evaluated using linear regression SAS. Results suggested N in harvested manure for winter and summer averaged 90 and 51 g/steer daily, respectively (compared to ASABE standard of 88.5) and P harvested in manure for winter and summer averaged 26 and 17.7 g/steer daily, respectively (compared to ASABE standard of 37.5). Results of this summary show that the amount of nitrogen lost and retained in the manure is correlated to season (winter versus summer feeding period). Nitrogen in the manure (R2=0.21) and amount lost (R2=0.65) correlations with N intake in the summer were greater compared to winter (R2=0.06) and (R2=0.22). There is a greater correlation of phosphorous intake with amount harvested in manure (R2=0.32) in the winter versus the summer (R2=0.19). Results of the mass balance data compared with ASABE standards suggest greater observed dietary nutrient intakes than assumed by these standards. For example, average winter and summer nitrogen intakes of 220 and 250 g/steer daily exceeds the ASABE standard of 192 g/steer daily. These unique data describe the variability of nutrient recovery and losses from beef systems—and the importance of basing standard planning estimates on dietary concentration and evolving with current practices.