All antibiotics for livestock will soon require a vet’s prescription

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 Extension Service wants producers to be aware that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is continuing the phasing in of a law that requires a prescription for any antibiotic use in animals raised for human consumption, as well as for all companion animals. Prescriptions, livestock and your vet A prescription is already required for most antibiotics… Read More →

Is a bacon shortage coming?

By Adam Russell What you need to know about the reports of a looming 2020 bacon shortage Amid popular reports of a possible bacon shortage, many consumers wonder what the future holds for their favorite cut of pork. The future of U.S. bacon supplies isn’t clear enough for consumers to panic about a  potential shortage in 2020, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist. David Anderson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist, College Station, quoted Taylor Swift in saying we “need to calm down” when talking about numerous reports regarding a bacon… Read More →

Sheep, cattle Pregnancy Ultrasound School set Dec. 5-6 in San Angelo

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is now accepting applications for the Pregnancy Ultrasound School for sheep and cattle. The school will be held Dec. 5-6 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at 7887 U.S. Highway 87 N. in San Angelo. Participants will learn how to determine pregnancy in sheep and cattle via ultrasonography. Students will be instructed on how to read ultrasound images, determine the stage of pregnancy and how to count litter size. Space is limited and applications will be accepted until the school is full,… Read More →

Texas Monthly BBQ FEST 2019

One of the benefits of conducting the Texas Monthly ‘Cue Course is to attend the BBQ FEST to visit with old and new friends in the barbecue business, see current and former students, and to eat some of the greatest food around. Davey Griffin, Ray Riley, Brogan Horton, and Jeff Savell represented the Department of Animal Science of Texas A&M University at the BBQ FEST on Sunday, November 3, 2019. Below are some photos of the great people we got to spend our day with. Via source, Agriculture & Life Sciences | Texas Monthly… Read More →

Aggies participate in Texas Monthly ‘Cue Course

Davey Griffin, Brogan Horton, and Jeff Savell joined Texas Monthly Barbecue Editor, Daniel Vaughn, at the Texas Monthly ‘Cue Course, held on November 2, 2019. This is the third ‘Cue Course offered by Texas Monthly. The event was hosted by Stiles Switch BBQ, Austin, Texas, which served a wonderful meal to the participants and allowed a behind-the-scenes look at the the pits and pitmasters at work. General topics of this year’s ‘Cue Course included brisket grades and anatomy, a discussion of beef short ribs and back ribs, and quick… Read More →

Labs renovated in Kleberg Animal & Food Sciences Center

Changes are happening in the Kleberg Animal & Food Sciences Center. Several labs are being renovated and modernized. Lab 016 in the basement was the first to be updated. Students in classes studying reproduction were able to use the “new” lab for the first time during the Fall 2019 semester. Following the completion of 016, renovations began on 033 and will be followed by 026. These renovations are made possible through funding generously provided by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and are a necessary step towards achieving… Read More →

Dr. Leatherwood selected as the 2019 Montague-CTE Scholar Winner

Dr. Jessica Leatherwood, assistant professor of equine science in the Department of Animal Science, has been selected by the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) as a 2019 Montague-CTE Scholar. She was presented this honor on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. The Montague-CTE Scholar award is named in honor of Kenneth Montague ’37, a distinguished alumnus and outstanding trustee of Texas A&M University Development Foundation, who had a long and storied career in the Texas oil industry. Ken and Judy Montague endowed a generous gift in 1991 to benefit the… Read More →

Meat Judging Team returned home with high honors from MSA American Royal Meat Judging Contest

The Department of Animal Science Meat Judging Team brought home high honors from the AMSA American Royal Meat Judging Contest on Oct. 13, 2019. They beat ten teams with a score of 4074 points to win the contest. Following TAMU, Kansas State University was second, Texas Tech University third, Colorado State University fourth, and the University of Illinois fifth. In addition to winning the contest, Brenyn Burkholder of Boerne, Texas, placed third individually, and Kaylee Greiner of Christiansburg, Va, placed sixth individually. Additional members of the 2019 Meat… Read More →

Two Researchers Awarded Grants to Commemorate Soft Bones 10th Anniversary and Hypophosphatasia Awareness Day

BOONTON, N.J., Oct. 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — To commemorate hypophosphatasia awareness day, Soft Bones, Inc., an organization dedicated to providing information, education and support to those affected by hypophosphatasia (HPP), is pleased to award its tenth annual Maher Family Grant to Dana Gaddy, Ph.D., Professor of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences at Texas A&M University to study a sheep model for hypophosphatasia; and Dobrawa Napierala, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Oral Biology at the Center for Craniofacial Regeneration, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine; to study adolescents and adults with HPP. In commemoration of its tenth anniversary, Soft Bones… Read More →

New FDA antibiotic law creates client-vet relationship

By: Roland Rodriguez The U.S. Food and Drug Administration now is moving forward with a law to bring all antibiotics used on animals grown for human food consumption under veterinary oversight. What this means is that producers will only be able to get antibiotics for their animals by prescription only. The FDA is responsible for protecting public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy and security of human and animal drugs and the food supply, among other things. The Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine is requiring… Read More →