Feed Intake Study in Beef Cattle Could Lead to More Efficient Breeds
A change is coming to the cattle seedstock industry. Breed associations have long been interested in finding the genetic basis for feed efficiency, with the aim of breeding more efficient animals. But the first step – accurately measuring how much cattle eat across different life stages and diet types – has been a missing piece. A new study from the University of Illinois helps fill the gap.
Grain intake in the feedlot is easy to measure and the industry now has a substantial number of feed intake records. But, getting a
handle on forage intake while a cow is grazing is extremely difficult to measure. "We need to get a handle on that to really capture feed efficiency for the entire beef production system,” says Dan Shike, associate professor of beef cattle nutrition in the Department of Animal Sciences at University of Illinois.
Shike and a large team of collaborators from 11 institutions set out to determine if there was a relationship between feed efficiency in forage-fed cattle and in grain-fed cattle. Results showed that measures of dry matter intake and feed intake in heifers are relevant, no matter what they were fed.
The article, “Effects of Timing and Duration of Test Period and Diet Type on Intake and Feed Efficiency of Charolais-sired Cattle,” was published in the Journal of Animal Science. The
project was supported by a USDA NIFA grant, and the study’s authors include
researchers from the National Program for Genetic Improvement of Feed
Efficiency in Beef Cattle, as well as graduate students and staff.
New Topic on Federal Register Notices
NIFA is pleased to
announce a new email subscription topic titled Federal Register Notices. This
topic has recently been added to the subscription list. Now, it is easier than
ever to receive timely announcements and information relevant to proposed
rules, final rules, regulations and notices published by NIFA on the official
Federal Register site.
To add the Federal
Register Notices topic to your subscription list, please log in with your email
address at NIFA's Email Updates to update your subscription.
Updated NIFA Organizational Chart
NIFA has updated its Organizational Chart and it can be downloaded via the website.
Secretary Perdue Appoints New
Leadership for Food Safety
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue made two key appointments to help fulfill the vital mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply. Perdue announced that Carmen Rottenberg was selected as Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety and Paul Kiecker was named Acting Administrator for the Food Safety and Inspection Service. The two will serve in those capacities until presidential nominees are confirmed by the Senate for those roles. Read the full release.
 Technology Transfer Report Shows Broad Reach of USDA’s “Made in America” Research
by Dr. Ann Bartuska, USDA Acting Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics
Why is the U.S. Department of Agriculture involved with developing an anti-cancer drug? It’s all part of our work to conduct “Made in America” research that produces new technology and creates business opportunities and jobs.
USDA recently issued its annual Technology Transfer Report (PDF, 5.9 MB), which lists research accomplishments over the previous year. In 2016, according to the report, innovative efforts at agencies like our Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the U.S. Forest Service (FS) generated 244 new inventions and 109 patent applications.
While many of these innovations have an obvious link to the agriculture sector, some of them have a scope that might surprise people. The anti-cancer drug was related to health care and relevant to USDA because Omega-3 comes from agricultural and aquaculture products. Research like this helps us expand our markets while also helping to save lives. Read the full blog.
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Woteki Joins ISU Faculty
Dr. Catherine Woteki, who served six years as Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics and USDA Chief Scientist, has joined the faculty of Iowa State University's (ISU) Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.
Woteki, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, returns to ISU where she served as Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Director of the Agriculture Experiment Station from 2002 to 2005.
 UT Institute of Agriculture Appoints New Dean for Extension
Dr. Robert Burns is the new Dean for Cooperative Extension. He holds a Ph.D. in civil engineering, an M.S.
in environmental engineering and a B.S. in agricultural engineering, all from the University of Tennessee. He will manage UT Extension’s statewide educational and outreach program
that helps ensure the success of the state’s $4.3 billion+
agricultural industries. Burns will begin his
appointment August 1.
His contact information:
University of Tennessee Extension
2651 Morgan Circle, 121 Morgan Hall
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-4530
Telephone: (865) 974-7114
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 Next Farm Bill Listening Session in Illinois
House Agriculture
Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX) and Ranking Member Collin
Peterson (MN) announced a committee listening session, “The Next Farm Bill,
Conversations in the Field,” at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois, to
gather input from farmers, ranchers, and stakeholders.
Listening Session Schedule:
Aug. 30, at 9 a.m. in Decatur, Illinois.
Further details related to the listening session will be forthcoming.
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 NIFA Hosting Virtual Listening Session
To meet the needs of its stakeholders, NIFA will host a virtual listening session on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. EDT. All written comments must be received by 5 p.m. EDT on Aug. 15, 2017.
The focus of the listening session is to gather stakeholder input regarding capacity building grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture; The Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants Program; The Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields Program; The Higher Education Challenge Grants Program. NIFA is particularly interested in achieving the most impact and identifying suggested priorities in these programs.
Details on registration for the web-based listening session via Adobe Connect are on the Federal Register document.
A second Listening Session is scheduled for Aug. 24, 2017, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. EDT. The focus of the listening session is to gather stakeholder input for the Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program and the National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Grants Program Request for Applications in Fiscal Year 2018.
Details on registration for the web-based listening session via Adobe Connect are on the Federal Register document.
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2017 Acer Access and Development Program
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced that
$1 million in competitive grant funding is available for the Acer Access and
Development Program (Acer). This program supports the efforts of states,
tribal governments, and research institutions to promote the domestic maple
syrup industry.
Please review
the Request for Applications on the AMS website
for details about eligible projects. Applications
from eligible applicants must be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, through Grants.gov.
NOTE: AMS's publication of the Acer RFA to
Grants.gov is pending. If you would like to receive updates on this, or
have other questions, please contact Martin Rosier, or Karin French.
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