Control of gastrointestinal nematodes with copper oxide wire particles in a flock of lactating Polypay ewes and offspring in Iowa, USA.

Copper oxide wire particles (COWP) have been used to reduce infection of Haemonchus contortus in hair breed lambs in southeastern USA without signs of copper toxicity. However, copper sensitivity among breeds and regions varies. The objective was to determine the effectiveness and safety of COWP in lactating Polypay ewes and their offspring grazing alfalfa/bluegrass pasture in a rotational grazing system. Mature Polypay ewes were administered 0, 0.5, 1, or 2 g (n=8 or 9/dose) COWP approximately 60 days after lambing in mid-July 2005. Their offspring were administered 0 (n=6), 0.5 or 0.75 g (n=9), 1 or 2 g (n=6) COWP 2 weeks later in late July. The primary gastrointestinal nematode was H. contortus (70%). Between Days 7 and 35, FEC were greater in 0 and 0.5 g COWP groups compared with ewes administered 2 g COWP (COWP x day, P<0.004). PCV decreased in all groups of ewes between Days 0 and 21 (day, P<0.001). Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity, a measure of liver copper levels, and body weight was similar among groups of ewes. FEC decreased within 7 days in COWP-treated compared with untreated lambs and remained low throughout experiment (COWP x day, P<0.05). PCV increased in COWP-treated lambs between Days 7 and 35 and decreased in untreated lambs between Days 0 and 21 (COWP x day, P<0.009). AST activity was similar among groups of lambs. Administration of 2 g COWP to ewes prevented a rise in FEC, but a dose of 0.5 g was ineffective as an anthelmintic. Administration of all doses of COWP to lambs decreased FEC and increased PCV compared to untreated lambs. There were no signs of copper toxicity in ewes or lambs. Alternative suppression of H. contortus infections may be necessary in ewes, but COWP was effective in H. contortus management for lambs.

Depressant effects of fast sodium channel blockade on the electrical activity of ischaemic canine ventricle: mediation by the sympathetic nervous system.

In this study we examined the possibility that local anaesthetic agents such as tetrodotoxin may exacerbate electrical changes during acute myocardial ischaemia by inhibiting fast sodium channels, both in cardiac cells and in sympathetic nerve terminals. Bipolar electrograms were recorded during serial 2 to 5 min occlusions of the left anterior descending coronary artery in open-chest, anaesthetised dogs. Tetrodotoxin (1 or 2 micrograms X kg-1 iv) given prior to occlusion did not affect activation times or electrograms in normal myocardium but exacerbated activation delay and loss of electrogram amplitude during ischaemia. Bilateral stellectomy reversed the effects of tetrodotoxin during ischaemia. Tetrodotoxin (1 microgram X kg-1 iv) reduced changes in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure produced by stellate ganglia stimulation. Intracoronary infusion of tetrodotoxin (10(-5) mol X litre-1) during normal perfusion lengthened mean effective ventricular refractory periods and propranolol (0.5 mg X kg-1 iv) or bilateral stellectomy prevented this effect. Thus, tetrodotoxin appeared to increase ventricular refractoriness and exacerbate ischaemia-induced activation delay by inhibiting sympathetic nerve activity. Other agents with local anaesthetic properties may have similar effects.

Pulmonary embolism and premature labor in a patient with both factor V Leiden mutation and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene C677T mutation.

Multiple risk factors for thrombosis were found in a 21 year old female who experienced three episodes of premature labor and developed severe pulmonary embolism during her third pregnancy. This patient is heterozygous for factor V Leiden mutation and homozygous for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene nucleotide 677 C to T (C677T) point mutation. This is a first report of the concordance of homozygous MTHFR C677T mutation in an individual with factor V Leiden mutation. This new case provides further evidence that synergism of multiple genetic and acquired risk factors is often encountered in young patients with symptomatic venous thrombosis.

The National Sheep Improvement Program: a review.

A nationally organized sheep improvement program for sheep producers in the United States was implemented in 1987 under the name of the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP). This program completed a 3-yr Phase I project on February 16, 1990, that involved the definition of a uniform set of performance guidelines, development of an NSIP records processing center with associated performance recording materials and computer software, and the enrollment of both purebred and commercial flocks. Organizers of the NSIP have defined 12 traits of economic importance to the U.S. sheep industry for genetic evaluation: number of lambs born, total ewe productivity, six growth traits, and four wool traits. Genetic evaluations are currently being conducted on a within-flock basis and will move to an across-flock, within-breed basis when sufficient genetic ties between flocks are established. The genetic evaluations use BLUP procedures and provide genetic merit values in the form of expected progeny differences for every animal in a flock.

Feeding high levels of vitamin D3 does not improve tenderness of callipyge lamb loin chops.

The objective of this study was to determine whether feeding high doses of vitamin D3 7 d before slaughter would increase muscle Ca++ levels and result in more tender loin chops. Market lambs (n = 4 callipyge and 4 normal in Exp. 1, and n = 16 calipyge and 16 normal in Exp. 2) were randomly and equally assigned to feeding groups based on callipyge genotype and experimental diet, (vitamin D3 or control). Serum Ca++, muscle Ca++, Warner-Bratzler shear force, and troponin-T degradation data were analyzed. In Exp. 1, vitamin D3 was supplemented at 1 or 2 x 10(6) IU/d. The 2 x 10(6) IU dose resulted in the greatest serum Ca++ reponse and was chosen for Exp. 2. In Exp. 2, serum Ca++ concentration was higher (P < 0.05) for normal and callipyge lambs fed the vitamin D3 diet than for the control diet fed lambs. Muscle Ca++ concentrations, however, were not higher (P = 0.28) for the vitamin D3-fed lambs. Warner-Bratzler shear values were higher (P < 0.05) for callipyge than for normal lambs, but no differences were observed with vitamin D3 supplementation. These data were supported by results from Western blot analysis of troponin-T degradation, in which no differences were observed for vitamin D3 vs control diet lambs at 14 d postmortem. This experiment showed that feeding 2 x 10(6) IU/d of vitamin D3 to market lambs, callipyge or normal, raised serum Ca++ concentration, but did not increase muscle Ca++ concentration. This lack of response in muscle Ca++ was likely the reason that no differences were observed for Warner-Bratzler shear force values or troponin-T degradation data between the vitamin D3 and control loin chops. A higher dose of vitamin D3 may be required to improve tenderness.

National sheep improvement program: age adjustment of weaning weight.

Lamb weaning weights at 30 +/- 14, 60 +/- 28, and 90 +/- 28 d were used to evaluate the effect of birth weight on the linear adjustment of weaning weight to a constant age and the effect of deviations from target dates on the accuracy of linear age adjustment. The data consisted of 13,501 birth weights, 3,721 30-d records, 10,988 60-d records, and 3,285 90-d records from the National Sheep Improvement Program data base for the Dorset, Polypay, Rambouillet, Columbia, Hampshire and Suffolk breeds. The effect of using constant vs actual birth weights in a standard linear age adjustment was evaluated using various sex, type-of-birth, and breed type constants. Product moment and rank correlations indicated that a constant birth weight should be used when the actual birth weight is not known, but the choice of constant makes little difference in average bias or maximum adjustment error. The linear age adjustment procedure and the optimal age range for recording weaning weight were examined using a model including effects for contemporary group, sex, type of birth and rearing, age of dam, and breed. The linear age adjustment did not remove the effect of age for the small breed type (Dorset, Polypay, and Rambouillet breeds) at 30 d and the large breed type (Columbia, Hampshire, and Suffolk breeds) at 60 d for age ranges greater than +/- 7 d (P less than .01) but was adequate for all lambs weaned at 30 +/- 7 d, 60 +/- 7 d, and 90 +/- 28 d of age.

Productivity and hay requirements of beef cattle in a Midwestern year-round grazing system.

Our objective was to evaluate a replicated (n = 2) Midwestern year-round grazing system's hay needs and animal production compared with a replicated (n = 2) conventional (minimal land) system over 3 yr. Because extended grazing systems have decreased hay needs for the beef herd, it was hypothesized that this year-round system would decrease hay needs without penalizing animal production. In the minimal land (ML) system, two replicated 8.1-ha smooth bromegrass-orchardgrass-birdsfoot trefoil (SB-OG-BFT) pastures were rotationally stocked with six mature April-calving cows and calves and harvested as hay for winter feeding in a drylot. After weaning, calves were finished on a high-concentrate diet. Six mature April-calving cows, six mature August-calving cows, and their calves were used in the year-round (YR) grazing system. During the early and late summer, cattle grazed two replicated 8.1-ha SB-OG-BFT pastures by rotational stocking. In mid-summer and winter, April- and August-calving cows grazed two replicated 6.1-ha, endophyte-free tall fescue-red clover (TF-RC) and smooth bromegrass-red clover (SB-RC) pastures, respectively, by strip-stocking. In late autumn, spring-calving cows grazed 6.1-ha corn crop residue fields by strip-stocking. Calves were fed hay with corn gluten feed or corn grain over winter and used as stocker cattle to graze SB-OG-BFT pastures with cows until early August the following summer. First-harvest forage from the TF-RC and SB-RC pastures was harvested as hay. Body condition scores of April-calving cows did not differ between grazing systems, but were lower (P < or = 0.03) than those of August-calving cows from mid-gestation through breeding. Preweaning calf BW gains were 47 kg/ha of perennial pasture (P < 0.01) and 32 kg/cow (P = 0.01) lower in the YR grazing system than in the ML system. Total BW gains ofpreweaning calf and grazing stocker cattle were 12 kg/ha of perennial pasture less (P = 0.07), but 27 kg/cow greater (P = 0.02) in pastures in the YR grazing system than in the ML system. Amounts of hay fed to cows in the ML system were 1,701 kg DM/cow and 896 kg DM/cow-stocker pair greater (P < 0.05) than in the YR grazing system. Extended grazing systems in the Midwest that include grazing of stocker cattle to utilize excess forage growth will decrease stored feed needs, while maintaining growing animal production per cow in April- and August-calving herds.

Length of docked tail and the incidence of rectal prolapse in lambs.

A multistate cooperative study was conducted to study the current issue of tail length in docked lambs and its relationship to incidence of rectal prolapse. A total of 1,227 lambs at six locations were randomly allocated to two or three tail dock treatments: 1) short--tail was removed as close to the body as possible, 2) medium--tail was removed at a location midway between the attachment of the tail to the body and the attachment of the caudal folds to the tail, and 3) long--tail was removed at the attachment of the caudal folds to the tail. Short-docked lambs had a greater (P < 0.05) incidence of rectal prolapse (7.8%) than lambs with a medium (4.0%) or a long (1.8%) dock. Female lambs had a higher (P < 0.05) incidence of rectal prolapse than male lambs. At two stations, lambs were finished either in a feedlot on a high-concentrate diet or on pasture with no grain supplementation. At one station, with a very low incidence of rectal prolapse, there was no difference in incidence between lambs finished in the feedlot or on pasture; however, at the station with a relatively high incidence of rectal prolapse, lambs in the feedlot had a higher (P < 0.05) incidence than lambs on pasture. The half-sib estimate of heritability for the incidence of rectal prolapse was low (0.14). The results of this study strongly implicate short dock length as a cause of rectal prolapse in lambs finished on high-concentrate diets. Furthermore, the results of this study and the only other study known conducted on this issue strongly suggest that docking lambs at the site of the attachment of the caudal folds to the tail will result in a negligible incidence of rectal prolapse.

Pasture size effects on the ability of off-stream water or restricted stream access to alter the spatial/temporal distribution of grazing beef cows.

For 2 grazing seasons, effects of pasture size, stream access, and off-stream water on cow distribution relative to a stream were evaluated in six 12.1-ha cool-season grass pastures. Two pasture sizes (small [4.0 ha] and large [12.1 ha]) with 3 management treatments (unrestricted stream access without off-stream water [U], unrestricted stream access with off-stream water [UW], and stream access restricted to a stabilized stream crossing [R]) were alternated between pasture sizes every 2 wk for 5 consecutive 4-wk intervals in each grazing season. Small and large pastures were stocked with 5 and 15 August-calving cows from mid May through mid October. At 10-min intervals, cow location was determined with Global Positioning System collars fitted on 2 to 3 cows in each pasture and identified when observed in the stream (0-10 m from the stream) or riparian (0-33 m from the stream) zones and ambient temperature was recorded with on-site weather stations. Over all intervals, cows were observed more (P ≤ 0.01) frequently in the stream and riparian zones of small than large pastures regardless of management treatment. Cows in R pastures had 24 and 8% less (P < 0.01) observations in the stream and riparian zones than U or UW pastures regardless of pasture size. Off-stream water had little effect on the presence of cows in or near pasture streams regardless of pasture size. In 2011, the probability of cow presence in the stream and riparian zones increased at greater (P < 0.04) rates as ambient temperature increased in U and UW pastures than in 2010. As ambient temperature increased, the probability of cow presence in the stream and riparian zones increased at greater (P < 0.01) rates in small than large pastures. Across pasture sizes, the probability of cow presence in the stream and riparian zone increased less (P < 0.01) with increasing ambient temperatures in R than U and UW pastures. Rates of increase in the probability of cow presence in shade (within 10 m of tree drip lines) in the total pasture with increasing temperatures did not differ between treatments. However, probability of cow presence in riparian shade increased at greater (P < 0.01) rates in small than large pastures. Pasture size was a major factor affecting congregation of cows in or near pasture streams with unrestricted access.

Effects of pasture management and off-stream water on temporal/spatial distribution of cattle and stream bank characteristics in cool-season grass pastures.

A 2-yr grazing experiment was conducted to assess the effects of grazing management on cattle distribution and pasture and stream bank characteristics. Six 12.1-ha cool-season grass pastures in central Iowa were allotted to 1 of 3 treatments: continuous stocking with unrestricted stream access (CSU), continuous stocking with stream access restricted to 4.9-m-wide stabilized crossings (CSR), or rotational stocking with stream access restricted to a riparian paddock (RP). Pastures were stocked with 15 fall-calving Angus cows (Bos taurus L.) from mid-May to mid-October for 153 d in 2008 and 2009. A global positioning system (GPS) collar recording cow position every 10 min was placed on at least 1 cow per pasture for 2 wk of each month from May through September. Off-stream water was provided to cattle in CSU and CSR treatments during the second of the 2 wk when GPS collars were on the cattle. A black globe temperature relative humidity index (BGTHI) was measured at 10-min intervals to match the time of the GPS measurements. Each month of the grazing season, forage characteristics (sward height, forage mass, and CP, IVDMD, and P concentrations) and bare and fecal-covered ground were measured. Stream bank erosion susceptibility was visually scored in May, August, and October (pre-, mid-, and post-stocking). Cattle in RP and CSR treatments spent less time (P < 0.10) within the stream zone (0 to 3 m from stream center) in June and August and in the streamside zone (0 to 33 m from stream zone) in May through August and May through September, respectively, than cattle in CSU pastures. However, off-stream water had no effect on cattle distribution. Compared with the CSU treatment, the CSR treatment reduced the probability (P < 0.10) that cattle were within the riparian zone (0 to 36 m from stream center) at BGTHI of 50 to 100. Bare ground was greater (P < 0.10) in pastures with the CSU than CSR and RP treatments in the stream and streamside zones in September and October and in July and September. Streams in pastures with the CSU treatment had less stable banks (P < 0.10) mid- and post-stocking than RP or CSR treatments. Results show that time spent by cattle near pasture streams can be reduced by RP or CSR treatments, thereby decreasing risks of sediment and nutrient loading of pasture streams even during periods of increased BGTHI.

Effects of stocking rate and corn gluten feed supplementation on performance of young beef cows grazing winter-stockpiled tall fescue-red clover pasture.

A winter grazing experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of stocking rate and corn gluten feed supplementation on forage mass and composition and the BW and BCS of bred 2-yr-old cows grazing stockpiled forage during winter. Two 12.2-ha blocks containing Fawn, endophyte-free, tall fescue and red clover were each divided into 4 pastures of 2.53 or 3.54 ha. Hay was harvested from the pastures in June and August of 2003 and 2004, and N was applied at 50.5 kg/ha at the initiation of stockpiling in August. On October 22, 2003, and October 20, 2004, twenty-four 30-mo-old Angus-Simmental and Angus cows were allotted by BW and BCS to strip-graze for 147 d at 0.84 or 1.19 cow/ha. Eight similar cows were allotted to 2 dry lots and fed tall fescue-red clover hay ad libitum. Corn gluten feed was fed to cows in 2 pastures to maintain a mean BCS of 5 (9-point scale) at each stocking rate and in the dry lots (high supplementation level) or when weather prevented grazing (low supplementation level) in the remaining 2 pastures at each stocking rate. Mean concentrations of CP in yr 1 and 2 and IVDMD in yr 2 were greater (P < 0.10) in hay than stockpiled forage over the winter. At the end of grazing, cows fed hay in dry lots had greater (P < 0.05) BCS in yr 1 and greater (P < 0.10) BW in yr 2 than grazing cows. Grazing cows in the high supplementation treatment had greater (P < 0.10) BW than cows grazing at the low supplementation level in yr 1. Cows in the dry lots were fed 2,565 and 2,158 kg of hay DM/cow. Amounts of corn gluten feed supplemented to cows in yr 1 and 2 were 46 and 60 kg/ cow and did not differ (P = 0.33, yr 1; P = 0.50, yr 2) between cows fed hay or grazing stockpiled forage in either year. Estimated production costs were greater for cows in the dry lots because of hay feeding.

Grazing and feedlot performance of yearling stocker cattle integrated with spring- and fall-calving beef cows in a year-round grazing system.

Effects of calving season and finishing system on forage and concentrate consumption and carcass characteristics of calves were compared. In each of 3 yr, two replicates of three growing and finishing systems were compared including 1) spring calves finished on a high-grain diet in a feedlot immediately post-weaning (WF); 2) spring calves backgrounded on a hay-corn gluten diet over winter for 179 +/- 18 d after weaning, grazed for 98 +/- 9 d in cool-season grass-legume pastures, and finished on a high-grain diet in a feedlot (SGF); and 3) fall calves backgrounded on a hay-corn gluten feed diet over winter for 69 +/- 31 d after weaning, grazed for 98 +/- 9 d in cool-season grass-legume pastures, and finished on a high-grain diet in a feedlot (FGF). During the grazing phase, calves on the SGF and FGF treatments were equally stocked with spring-calving cow-calf pairs before grazing by pregnant fall-calving cows in a first-last rotational stocking system at a rate of 1.9 standard livestock units/ha. As designed, retained calves in the FGF system spent 110 fewer days in the drylot during backgrounding than retained calves in the SGF system (P = 0.01), resulting in less feed provided during winter. A greater (P < 0.01) quantity of hay was fed to SGF calves after weaning over winter (1,305 kg of DM per calf) than the quantity fed to FGF calves (305 kg of DM per calf). Quantity of grain (including commercial starter) fed to SGF calves after weaning did not differ (P = 0.28) from that fed to FGF calves (126 vs. 55 kg of DM per calf); however, calves in the FGF system required 80 and 71 kg of DM per calf more concentrate to finish to an equivalent external fat thickness compared with SGF and WF calves, respectively (P = 0.02). Average daily gains in the feedlot were greater (P < 0.01) for SGF and FGF calves than for WF calves during all 3 yr. There were no differences (P = 0.69) in carcass quality grades among calves in all groups, but SGF calves had greater (P < 0.01) hot carcass weight and LM area measurements at slaughter than FGF or WF calves. Although calves in the FGF system were 25 kg lighter than calves in the WF system at slaughter (P = 0.03), and had a lower dressing percent (P = 0.03), other carcass characteristics did not differ between these two groups. Lower stored-feed requirements and similar carcass quality characteristics made retention of a fall calf crop advantageous over retention of a spring calf crop for use as stocker animals before finishing.