Superovulation and embryo recovery from peripubertal Holstein heifers.

The use of peripubertal donors in embryo transfer (ET) programs presents significant opportunity to accelerate genetic gain in domestic livestock by reducing the generation interval. These studies were designed to evaluate feasibility of superovulation and embryo recovery in peripubertal heifers (starting at 7.8 months of age), and to determine whether subsequent reproductive and lactational performance of donor heifers were impaired.

Effects of feeding oleic acid or hydrogenated vegetable oils to lactating cows.

In feeding trials to clarify the mechanism by which unsaturated oils depress milk fat percentage, oleic acid at 250 or 500 ml per cow per day did not reduce milk fat percentage significantly. At 500 ml these changes were significant (control, oleic): rumen acetate 61.6, 60.