@article{rhea_camacho_amoriello_correa_lewbart_cruz_velez_castillo_pairis-garcia_2023, title={Assessing Livestock Production Practices on Small-Scale Multi-Species Farms Located on Floreana Island, Galapagos Islands}, volume={13}, ISSN={["2076-2615"]}, url={https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/4/686}, DOI={10.3390/ani13040686}, abstractNote={Simple Summary In the Galápagos Islands, food animal agriculture is an important source of local meat and eggs and is driven by smallholder farms. With anticipated future increases in production animal populations in the Galápagos—one of the most biodiverse and protected ecosystems on the planet—the health of humans, animals, and the environment must be considered. An integral component of sustainable agriculture is animal welfare, which considers the health, nutrition, housing, and behavior of animals. To our knowledge, no formal assessments of production animal welfare have been conducted in the Galápagos Islands. We evaluated animal welfare conditions on farms located on Floreana Island, Galápagos utilizing five basic measures of animal care. We identified opportunities for enhanced activities in two of these measures, animal health management and timely euthanasia. Future work should promote knowledge transfer and in-country capacity building in these areas. Efforts to positively impact smallholder farm livelihoods in the Galápagos Islands will sustainably support the interconnected realms of animal health and welfare, wildlife and environmental health, and food safety and security in this unique ecosystem. Abstract Globally to date, established international standards for animal welfare, a priority of sustainable agriculture, have primarily focused on large-scale producers. However, across Latin America, including in Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands, smallholder farms play a critical role in food safety and security. We assessed five basic animal welfare measures (feed and water access, shelter availability and housing systems, animal health management, animal behavior, and timely euthanasia) for poultry, pigs, and cattle on Floreana Island, Galápagos. Utilizing assessment standards from multiple US sources and international standards, we developed a questionnaire and used it to conduct in-depth interviews during 4–5 July 2022 with eight participating producers, representing 75% of animal agriculture on Floreana. While we identified opportunities to enhance competencies in animal health management and timely euthanasia, farms performed well in the other assessed measures. Future work should promote knowledge transfer and in-country capacity building in farm biosecurity, access to veterinary care, antimicrobial resistance surveillance, and euthanasia methods. Efforts to positively impact smallholder farm livelihoods in Galápagos—one of the most biodiverse and protected ecosystems on the planet—will sustainably support human health through the interconnected realms of animal health and welfare, wildlife and environmental health, and food safety and security.}, number={4}, journal={ANIMALS}, author={Rhea, Sarah and Camacho, Blanca E. and Amoriello, Carrisa W. and Correa, Maria and Lewbart, Gregory A. and Cruz, Marilyn and Velez, Alberto and Castillo, Paulina and Pairis-Garcia, Monique}, year={2023}, month={Feb} }
 @article{poole_womble_poore_poole_pickworth_2019, title={Effects of endophyte-infected tall fescue seed and protein supplementation on stocker steers: I. Growth performance and hemodynamic responses}, volume={97}, ISSN={0021-8812 1525-3163}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skz249}, DOI={10.1093/jas/skz249}, abstractNote={Fescue toxicosis is a multifaceted syndrome common in cattle grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue and is detrimental to growth and performance. Recent research has shown that supplementing protein has the potential to enhance growth performance in weaned steers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplemental crude protein (CP) on physiological parameters in stocker steers experiencing fescue toxicosis. Thirty-six weaned Angus steers (6 mo. of age) stratified by weight (196.1 ± 3.6 kg) were assigned to a 2 ✕ 2 factorial arrangement for 56d: endophyte-free (EF) seed and 14% CP (EF-14; n=9), EF seed and 18% CP (EF-18; n=9), endophyte-infected (EI) seed and 14% CP (EI-14; n=9), and EI seed and 18% CP (EI-18; n=9). Steer growth and hemodynamic responses were collected weekly during ergot alkaloid exposure. On d 14 of the trial, iButton® temperature data loggers were subcutaneously inserted in the lateral neck region to record hourly body temperature for 42 d. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS with repeated measures. No differences were observed in DMI, BW, ADG, F:G, or BCS during the treatment period (P > 0.05). Hair shedding scores, rectal temperatures, surface temperatures, and respiration rates were greater in EI steers compared to EF steers regardless of supplemental CP (P < 0.05). However, subcutaneous body temperature was greater in EI-14 steers (37.94°C) compared to other steer groups (37.60, 37.68, 37.72 ± 0.04°C for EF-14, EF-18, and EI-18, respectively; P < 0.05). Prolactin concentrations tended to be greater in EF steers when compared to EI steers (P = 0.07). Heart rate and hematocrit was reduced for EI-18 steers compared to other steer groups (P < 0.05). Caudal artery diameter was reduced in EI-18 steers compared to EI-14 steers (2.60 vs. 2.75 ± 0.05 mm, respectively; P < 0.05) and caudal vein diameter was reduced in EI-18 steers (3.20 mm) compared to all other steer groups (3.36, 3.39, 3.50 mm for EF-14, EF-18, and EI-14, respectively; P < 0.05). However, there was no difference observed in systolic or diastolic blood pressure during the treatment period (P > 0.05). Based on the data, exposure to low to moderate levels of ergot alkaloids during the stocker phase had a negative impact on hemodynamic responses and supplemental CP had minimal impact to alleviate symptoms. Therefore, feeding additional protein above established requirements is not expected to help alleviate fescue toxicosis.}, number={9}, journal={Journal of Animal Science}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Poole, Rebecca K and Womble, Carrisa M and Poore, Matthew H and Poole, Daniel H and Pickworth, Carrie L}, year={2019}, month={Jul}, pages={3776–3785} }
 @article{womble_poole_poole_pickworth_2018, title={142 Impact of Protein Supplementation on Physiological Response of Steers Consuming Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue Seed.}, volume={96}, ISSN={0021-8812 1525-3163}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/sky027.142}, DOI={10.1093/jas/sky027.142}, abstractNote={Fescue toxicosis in beef cattle is caused by consumption of ergot alkaloids produced by endophyte-infected tall fescue and results in chronic decreases in productivity and growth performance. It was hypothesized that protein supplementation may have a positive effect on the physiological responses of growing steers consuming ergot alkaloids. In this study, 36 weaned steers (196.1 ± 3.6 kg) were used in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments to evaluate physiological responses to chronic exposure to ergot alkaloids via fescue seed and dietary protein. Steers were blocked by weight and randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups for 56 d: endophyte-free seed diet (0 ppm ergovaline) with 14% CP (EF-14), endophyte-free seed diet with 18% CP (EF-18), endophyte-infected seed diet (500 ppm ergovaline) with 14% CP (EI-14), and endophyte-infected seed diet with 18% CP (EI-18). Steers were fed at a calculated rate of 2.35% BW to achieve similar intake among treatment groups. Weekly physiological measurements were collected to evaluate the steers’ responses to the diets. On d 14, iButton temperature data loggers were subcutaneously inserted in the lateral neck region to record hourly body temperature. Steers received the bovine viral diarrhea types 1 and 2 and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis vaccines on d 28, then were administered booster vaccines on d 42. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure in SAS with repeated measures. Statistical significance was determined at P < 0.05 and a tendency at 0.05 < P < 0.10. The DMI expressed as % BW and kg per day was uniform across treatments. No differences were observed in BCS, BW, and ADG among treatment groups. However, the EI-14 steers had a less efficient F:G ratio compared to other treatment groups (6.18, 5.6, 5.7, 5.5 for EI-14, EI-18, EF-14, EF-18, respectively; P < 0.05). In contrast to previous studies, hair coat score and hair coat shedding score were not different among treatment groups (P > 0.05). The EI-18 steers had a lower heart rate compared to other groups (88.0, 98.0, 93.2, 94.8 beats per minute for EI-18, EI-14, EF-14, EF-18, respectively; P < 0.05). Meanwhile, EI steers had higher rectal temperatures and respiratory rates starting on d 35 of the feeding period compared to EF steers (P < 0.05). Diurnal rhythms in subcutaneous body temperatures varied among treatment groups throughout the feeding period (P < 0.05). Overall, physiological responses to fescue toxicosis were minimal in the growing steers.}, number={suppl_1}, journal={Journal of Animal Science}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Womble, C M and Poole, R K and Poole, D H and Pickworth, C L}, year={2018}, month={Mar}, pages={75–76} }
 @article{poole_womble_pickworth_poole_2018, title={41 “Effect of Protein Supplementation on Immune Response of Weaned Steers Consuming Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue Seed”.}, volume={96}, ISSN={0021-8812 1525-3163}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/sky027.041}, DOI={10.1093/jas/sky027.041}, abstractNote={Fescue toxicosis is a multifaceted disease that negatively impacts growth and performance. Cattle grazing endophyte-infected fescue have a depressed immune response to vaccinations. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of protein supplementation on weaned calves’ physiological and immune responses while consuming an ergot alkaloid toxin (i.e. ergovaline) commonly produced by endophyte-infected tall fescue. Thirty-six naïve beef steers (196.1 ± 3.6 kg) were blocked by weight and randomly assigned to receive one of four treatments in a total mixed ration (TMR): endophyte-free seed (0 ppm ergovaline) and 18% protein supplementation (EF-18; n=9), endophyte-free seed and 14% supplementation (EF-14; n=9), endophyte-infected seed (500 ppm ergovaline) and 18% supplementation (EI-18; n=9), and endophyte-infected seed and 14% supplementation (EI-14; n=9). Diameter of caudal artery and vein were recorded weekly by ultrasound. On d14 of the feeding trial, iButton® temperature data loggers were inserted in the lateral neck region to hourly record the subcutaneous body temperature. On d28, steers were vaccinated against infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) and bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) types 1 and 2 viruses. Steers received a booster two weeks later (d42). Blood samples were collected at d0, 42, and 56 to evaluate titers to IBR and BVDV1b. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS with repeated measures. A treatment interaction was observed with EI-14 steers experiencing vasodilation of the caudal artery (27.4 mm2) in comparison to other steer groups (P<0.05; 26.8, 26.1, 25.8 ± 0.5 mm2 for EF-18, EF-14, and EI-18, respectively). A similar effect of greater caudal vein diameters was observed in EI-14 steers (35.0 mm2) when compared to other steer groups (P<0.05; 33.6, 32.8, 32.0 ± 0.6 mm2 for EF-18, EF-14, and EI-18, respectively). Subcutaneous body temperature was higher in EI-14 steers compared to EF-14 steers after the vaccination (P<0.05; 38.0 and 37.7 ± 0.1 °C, respectively) and booster (P<0.05; 37.9 and 37.6 ± 0.1 °C, respectively). A tendency was observed in the seroconversion of IBR and BVDV1b antibody titers with a greater seroconversion in EI-18 steers compared to EF-18 steers (P=0.09; 66.7 and 44.4 ± 9.2% for IBR and P=0.08, 66.7 and 48.2 ± 7.5% for BVDV1b, respectively), no differences were observed when compared to other steer groups. Overall, a unique response was observed in steers consuming ergovaline as a result of protein supplementation, with 14% protein effecting blood flow and 18% protein having a potential impact on the animal’s immune response.}, number={suppl_1}, journal={Journal of Animal Science}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Poole, R K and Womble, C M and Pickworth, C L and Poole, D H}, year={2018}, month={Mar}, pages={21–22} }