Animal Production
Animal Scientists Pioneer New Methods for Culturing Swine Gut Microbiomes
The gut microbiome is an environment of microbial communities living in the intestinal tract of animals, including humans and agricultural animals like swine. Microbiomehealth, including the presence or absence of and interactions…
Evaluation of the Phosphorus Intake on Beef Heifer Growth Performance and Conception
Many husbandry practices in the beef industry are focused on improving production and minimizing costs. In northwest Arkansas, there has been an increase in phosphorus concentrations in soil where livestock and poultry manure…
Reducing Carbon Footprint of Swine Production
Nitrogen compounds derived from excess amino acids in crude protein ingredients in swine feed end up in the manure and urine, from which they contribute significantly to the carbon footprint of animal agriculture. Those excreted nitrogen…
Improving Poultry Meat Quality
Casey Owens is tackling the problem of meat toughness. Casey Owens Novus International Professor of Poultry Science Contact Casey Owens The Problem The American poultry industry has risen to the challenge of meeting consumer demand for more and bigger chicken meat,...
Nutritional Interactions with Live Coccidiosis Vaccines in Poultry
Coccidiosis is the most prevalent disease in commercial poultry production. As an enteric disease, it directly impacts how efficiently the bird can use nutrients. The most effective anticoccidial drugs also have some antibiotic activity, so as producers move…
Oxygen, Poultry Feed Efficiency and Human Health
The overproduction of reactive oxygen species — also known as ROS or oxidants — can lead to oxidative stress, a cellular imbalance when sufficient antioxidants are not available to neutralize them. This imbalance, which largely takes place in mitochondria…
Avian Neuroscientists Identify New Stress Response Component in Poultry Brain
Stressed poultry tends to eat less, gain less weight and have health issues. Stressors can also affect the quality of the bird’s meat. A better understanding of stress response pathways could help discover ways to alleviate such physiological stressors…