Specialists use technology to stop the spread of disease among flocks

By Susan Himes SAN ANGELO — It is a brisk morning in central west Texas. Sheep are penned behind the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Service building in San Angelo. Several are run into a chute. A member of the AgriLife sheep and goat team holds a pneumatic gun. In less than 10 seconds, four rounds of vaccine have been fired off and another four ewes have been given their annual booster vaccination in preparation for lambing season. Old Problems, New Solutions An AgriLife team in San… Read More →

Texas has the largest cow herds in the US

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 says Texas has the largest cow herd in the U.S., including cattle, calves, and dairy cattle. He estimates the total at about 94 million head. “Right now, based on the number of heifers that are entering the feed… Read More →

US cattle inventory continues to build

By Blair Fannin FORT WORTH – As the nation’s cattle inventory continues its expansion, consumer demand is increasing at a steady clip, according to experts speaking at the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Convention in Fort Worth. For Texas producers, the year is off to a good start with above-average rainfall and green forage on pastures for grazing. “We are wet,” said Randy Blach, CEO of CattleFax, looking at a U.S. drought map during his CattleFax beef outlook presentation. “There’s not much red on the map.” Blach said… Read More →

Meat Perspectives: Demystifying soft bellies

By Jeff Savell and Kerri Gehring Quality is a point of discussion, and sometimes debate, in the pork industry. Like beauty, quality sometimes lies in the eyes of the beholder and may differ between the producer, processor and consumer. Quality of lean typically relates to muscle color, texture/firmness, marbling, pH, overall functionality, tenderness and flavor. Attributes that are associated with fat quality frequently include color, texture, firmness, oxidative stability, odor and flavor. Both lean and fat quality are important to the success of the pork industry. Fat quality… Read More →

AMR forum tackles ‘complex, global issue’

By Tim Lundeen Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a “complex, global issue to be addressed globally,” according to Dr. Sara Steinlage with Elanco in introducing an April 2 forum “Antibiotics in Animal Agriculture: What You Need to Know,” organized by the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS). The forum was the culmination of a year-long process looking into the topic of AMR in animal agriculture, according to Dr. Gilles Bergeron, who heads the nutrition science section at NYAS. The effort, sponsored by Elanco, resulted in five new papers published… Read More →

Texas A&M students earn top cash prize at Savma Pitch Competition

Two Texas A&M visionaries are $10,000 closer to bringing to life their invention after earning first place in a pitch competition at the 2019 Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) Symposium, held March 9-11 at the University of Georgia in Athens. Brianna Boyle, a third-year veterinary student in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, and Stephanie Young, a sophomore animal science major, beat out 25 teams from across the U.S. and England to take home the top prize. In the competition, they pitched their product SkyPaws,… Read More →

Agriculture experts discuss future of meat production at Texas A&M summit

By Kenny Wiley Agriculture experts from across the country and Brazos Valley-area producers and academics gathered inside the Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center Monday for a wide-ranging summit on the meat production industry and related fields. Richard Teague, a Texas A&M AgriLife range ecologist, and Dan Hale, a meat specialist at A&M, were among more than a dozen speakers at Raising Meat: A New Food Economy Summit. Kimberly Ratcliff, the manager of Caney Creek Ranch  in Freestone County, spoke on experiences of ranchers and producers of color…. Read More →

Cattle production offers sound environmental ‘hoof print’

By Jennifer M. Latzke The proposed “Green New Deal” has thrown a lot of focus onto cattle lately—a plan that would limit cattle production to an extent in an effort to curb their greenhouse gas “hoof print.” But recently released research quantifies the role cattle play in the natural carbon cycle, and how they serve an upcycling purpose in turning feedstocks into higher value protein that humans can eat Baseline measurements Al Rotz is an an agricultural engineer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Ag Research Service and… Read More →

Cardoso wins the Dr. William A. Dugas Early Career Award for Research Excellence

By Kaitlyn Harkin Dr. Rodolfo Cardoso, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science, received the 2018 Dr. William A. Dugas Early Career Award for Research Excellence from Texas A&M AgriLife Research. The Dr. William A. Dugas Early Career Award for Research Excellence was established in 2018 as recognition to Dr. Dugas upon his retirement. The $5,000 annual award honors an early career AgriLife Research Faculty member, who has “made an exceptional contribution to the agency and research in the prior year.” Cardoso received a D.V.M. in 2005… Read More →

Vice Chancellor’s Awards in Excellence presented to Texas A&M faculty and staff

By Laura Muntean COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M AgriLife faculty and staff received the Vice Chancellor’s Awards in Excellence honors during a ceremony Jan. 7 on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station. The awards, established in 1980, recognize the commitment and outstanding contributions displayed across Texas A&M AgriLife and allow for the opportunity to celebrate those contributions and achievements of faculty, students and staff members. “We are extremely proud of each of these recipients who have demonstrated a high level of excellence across Texas A&M AgriLife,” said… Read More →