Posted on November 12, 2019 by kaitlyn.arnold Cattle, and all other livestock, will soon require a vet’s prescription for injectable antibiotics. (AgriLife Extension photo ) By Susan Himes No longer will producers who need injectable antibiotics for their cattle be able to just grab them at their local feed store or order them online. The Texas A&M AgriLife… Read More →
Department Updates
Is that cow pregnant?
Posted on October 1, 2019 by kaitlyn.arnold By Robert Fears The first step in increasing calving percentage is to select proven herd sires and then check cows for pregnancy. Characteristics of an ideal pregnancy test are the ability to identify correctly pregnant animals (high sensitivity) and non-pregnant animals (high specificity) as well as being simple and inexpensive to… Read More →
Tame Your Selection Criteria
Posted on September 24, 2019 by kaitlyn.arnold By Natalie Jones You keep looking to beef quality, maternal and feed efficiency for herd improvement. What about docility? Research says it may have more impact than you realize. A study by Gordon Carstens’ team at Texas A&M University with feedlot Angus, Brangus, Braford and Simbra heifers found the share grading… Read More →
Here’s the beef: Basics for selecting a bull
Posted on October 1, 2019 by kaitlyn.arnold Bulls provide the biggest proportion of calf crop genetics, so it is important to select a herd sire that can produce desired offspring. Basics to consider in selecting a bull include breed type, parentage (pedigree), physical appearance, performance records and genetics. Each one of these factors was discussed by Joe Paschal… Read More →
Protecting Penned Animals from Fire Ants
Posted on July 31, 2019 by harkin802 By: Molly Keck and Bastiaan M. Drees The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), poses serious threats to many small and young animals. While true for animals that roam free or are confined in a large corral or pasture, animals that are even more confined are at a… Read More →
A One of a Kind Collection Reaches a Major Milestone
Posted on July 5, 2019 by harkin802 By Dennis O’Brien When the sample of semen from the Duroc boar—a breed of domestic pig—arrived in Fort Collins, Colorado this spring, it went largely unnoticed. But the scientists and staff at the Agricultural Research Service’s National Animal Germplasm Collection knew they had reached a milestone. The boar semen was the… Read More →
Commentary: Will reinstating horse slaughter in the U.S. improve horse welfare?
By Courtney L. Daigle It is in the best interest of the horse to reinstate horse slaughter for human consumption in the United States. Related: Horse Slaughter Ban Still A Hot Topic Here’s why: Abolition of horse slaughter in the United States for human consumption has eliminated one of the management tools needed to provide horses with good welfare. This… Read More →
Texas has the largest cow herds in the US
Posted on April 12, 2019 by harkin802 By Rolan Rodriguez Now beef cattle numbers in the state are the largest in the country for the first time in years. Unfortunately for those who love steak and hamburgers, the expanding herd size hasn’t translated into dropping the retail prices. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist Dr. Joe Paschal… Read More →
Important roles of animal protein in human nutrition and health
Posted on April 1, 2019 by maggielberger By Dr. Guoyao Wu, [email protected] or 979.845.1817 The English word protein originated from the Greek ‘‘proteios,’’ meaning prime or primary. This term is very appropriate in human nutrition, because protein is the most fundamental component of tissues in the body. Dietary protein (the source of amino acids) provides the body with nitrogen, hydrocarbon… Read More →
Ground beef from grass-fed and grain-fed cattle: Does it matter?
Posted on December 7, 2013 by maggielberger By Stephen B. Smith, Ph.D.Regents Professor, Department of Animal Science The internet is awash in websites proclaiming the nutritional benefits of ground beef from grass-fed cattle. However, researchers in the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University have published the only two research studies that actually compared the effects of… Read More →