Interest is increasing in grazing winter canola () as an alternative crop in winter wheat () rotations in the Southern High Plains (SHP) of the USA and similar environments. In this stidy, winter cereal rye () and winter canola pastures (forage) were compared for two winter growing seasons at New Mexico State University's Rex E. Kirksey Agricultural Science Center at Tucumcari, NM, USA, to determine the relative effect of pasture type on late-gestation beef cows and growing yearling cattle, along with the effect of grazing on canola grain production.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVirtual fencing systems have emerged as a promising technology for managing the distribution of livestock in extensive grazing environments. This study provides comprehensive documentation of the learning process involving two conditional behavioral mechanisms and the documentation of efficient, effective, and safe animal training for virtual fence applications on nursing Brangus cows. Two hypotheses were examined: (1) animals would learn to avoid restricted zones by increasing their use of containment zones within a virtual fence polygon, and (2) animals would progressively receive fewer audio-electric cues over time and increasingly rely on auditory cues for behavioral modification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimal welfare monitoring relies on sensor accuracy for detecting changes in animal well-being. We compared the distance calculations based on global positioning system (GPS) data alone or combined with motion data from triaxial accelerometers. The assessment involved static trackers placed outdoors or indoors vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study evaluated the effects of supplementing calf milk replacer with essential AA on immune responses, blood metabolites, and nitrogen metabolism of 32 Holstein bull calves [28 d of age, 44 ± 0.8 kg of body weight (BW)] exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Calves were bottle-fed a commercial milk replacer (20% crude protein and 20% fat, dry matter basis) twice daily along with a calf starter (19% crude protein, dry matter basis) for 45 d.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere were 463,000 head of beef cows in New Mexico as of January 1, 2021 (NASS, 2020), down roughly 4% from 2020 (NASS, 2019). Frequent drought often results in herd reduction and loss of valuable genetic progress. Bull selection is critical due to their influence on herd development.
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