Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item A needs assessment of operational and production practices of Montana beef prodcuers(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2024) Paul, Makayla Rae; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Shannon ArnoldMontana State University Extension provides educational programming for beef producers across the state of Montana. To develop programming opportunities for beef producers in Montana, Extension agents must first identify their needs. To determine the needs of beef producers in Montana, needs assessments should be conducted periodically. The purpose of this study was to explore Montana beef producers' operational and production practices and preferences for educational programming. This study used a descriptive research design. The study utilized a web-based survey for data collection and was distributed to participants utilizing email to examine the characteristics of Montana beef producers. The survey was delivered to county Extension agents employed by Montana State University, agents forwarded the survey information to beef producers located in their counties. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The study identified barriers to attending programming were timing of programming and scheduled dates. The preference of program delivery was identified to be traditional 1-2-hour meetings with applicable research, reading materials, and tools to take home. The data indicated Montana beef producers want education focused on cattle marketing, range management, and virtual fencing. It was also identified that producers utilize pocket-sized books to collect herd level data and most often collecting data on pregnancy rate. Respondents indicated they do not collect herd level data on liver and blood, fecal, and not harvested feedstuffs. When adopting new operational practices, the data declared cost to be a major concern to producers and their biggest daily concern to be cow/calf management. It was recommended for Extension agents to focus programming efforts to provide tools for producers to use on their operations. These tools should include tools to assist with cattle marketing, range management and accounting software. It was recommended for MontGuides to be developed for herd health, reproduction, and sampling of distinct types of feedstuffs and bodily fluid.Item Impact of cattle feeding-style on beef and human postprandial inflammation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2024) Spears, Meghan Leigh; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Mary P. Miles; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Purpose: Various cattle-feeding styles have arisen in recent years, impacting the sustainability and environmental practices of many producers. While these changes are known to have an impact on the environment, little is known about the direct impact cattle raised using different feeding styles has on human health. Acute response focused studies, like this, are a glimpse into the expected impact of a certain food on the diet over time. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of cattle-feeding style on postprandial inflammation. Methods: A randomized, double blind, crossover study design was used to compare grass-fed (GRA) and conventional (CON) beef. Subjects (n=10) were comprised of men and women with a healthy body mass index (BMI) and no preexisting metabolic conditions. Blood samples were collected fasted and postprandially for four hours. Blood samples were analyzed for inflammation markers (TNF-alpha, IL-23, IL-17, IL-10, IL-1beta, IL-6, IFN-gamma and GM-CSF) at hourly timepoints. To observe postprandial changes with and without consideration for cattle feeding style, the net area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. Maxchange and CMAXtime were calculated by finding the maximum value of each cytokine between hours one and hour postprandially and subtracting that from the fasting value. CMAXtime represents the time at which the maximum value of each cytokine was reached in hours. Maxchange and AUC responses were compared to zero using a one-sample t-test to determine if response was greater than fasting. Results: In response to beef, maxchange of all measured markers and IFNgamma AUC were significantly greater than zero (p< 0.05). No differences were shown between GRA and CON in inflammation AUC (p> 0.05). Conclusion: This demonstrates that beef consumption does increase postprandial inflammation, but cattle-feeding style does not significantly impact this response.Item Impact of increasing NaCl levels in livestock drinking water on the intake and utilization of low-quality forages by beef cattle(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2022) Nack, Makae Frances; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Timothy DelCurto; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Water is one of the most important nutrients for livestock production (Petersen et al., 2015) but its quality is often overlooked in western range settings. The western United States and more specifically, Montana, are prone to variable precipitation and droughts, reducing the quantity and quality of livestock drinking water as well as limited forage quality/quantity. Dormant season grazing of rangeland forages often involves utilizing self-fed, salt limited supplements to meet cattle nutrition requirements and better utilize forage. Self-fed supplements commonly add salt as an intake limiter because it is effective, cheap and necessary in beef cattle diets (Cardon et al., 1951). The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of increasing NaCl levels in water on low quality forage intake, digestibility, and rumen fermentation of cattle consuming low quality forage. Eight, ruminally-cannulated, Angus crossbred cows were individually stalled and used in two 4 x 4 Latin squares design. One square was hand fed a non-salt supplement; the second square was fed a salt limiting supplement. Two cows (one from each square) were assigned to one of four water treatments per period: 1) control, no added NaCl; 2) 1000 mg NaCl/L; 3) 2000 mg NaCl/L; and 4) 3000 mg NaCl/L. A 14-day adaption period allowed cattle to acclimate to the water; followed by a 6-day total collection period. Rumen fluid samples were collected on day 22 at hours 0, 4, 8, 12, 18 and 24; and on day 23 a total rumen evacuation was conducted to determine total rumen volume and collect rumen content samples. Increasing levels of NaCl did not influence intake in either study (P > or = 0.36). Rumen pH was influenced by water NaCl in study 1 (P = 0.01), however, post hoc analysis revealed no differences. Volatile fatty acids in both studies were not affected by NaCl in either study (P > or = 0.39). Our results suggest the NaCl levels in our study may have little influence on intake, rumen fermentation and liquid kinetics suggesting NaCl levels up to 3,000 are safe for cattle.Item Corn versus barley in beef cattle finishing diets: effect on steer performance, feeding behavior, and ruminal environment(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2021) DelCurto-Wyffels, Hannah Margaret; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Megan Van Emon; Julia M. Dafoe, Cory T. Parsons, Darrin L. Boss, Timothy DelCurto, Samuel A. Wyffels, Megan L. Van Emon and Janice G. P. Bowman were co-authors of the article, 'Corn versus barley in finishing diets: effect on steer performance and feeding behavior' in the journal 'Animals' which is contained within this dissertation.; Julia M. Dafoe, Cory T. Parsons, Darrin L. Boss, Timothy DelCurto, Samuel A. Wyffels, Megan L. Van Emon and Janice G. P. Bowman were co-authors of the article, 'The influence of environmental conditions on intake behavior and activity by feedlot steers fed corn or barley-based diets' in the journal 'Animals' which is contained within this dissertation.; Hannah M. DelCurto-Wyffels, Julia M. Dafoe, Cory T. Parsons, Darrin L. Boss, Timothy DelCurto, Samuel A. Wyffels, Megan L. Van Emon and Janice G. P. Bowman were co-authors of the article, 'Diurnal ruminal pH and temperature patterns of steers fed corn or barley-based finishing diets' in the journal 'Animals' which is contained within this dissertation.While corn is the most common feed ingredient in the United States, barley, which is more suitable for the growing and climatic conditions at northern latitudes, can be a common feed alternative to corn. The different digestive utilization of unique feedstuffs coupled with extreme environmental conditions can pose challenges to efficiently feeding cattle in different climates. Thus, to further our understanding of the use of barley in feedlot diets at northern latitudes this study evaluated the effects of barley and corn finishing rations on feedlot performance, feeding behavior, and ruminal environment. For two consecutive years, Angus-based yearling steer calves were fed in a feedlot trial (427.3 + or - 3.7 kg; n = 48 in year 1, and 406.8 + or - 3.4 kg; n = 47 in year 2). Steers were randomly assigned to one of two primary basal grain dietary treatments: 1) Number 2 feed corn or 2) Hockett barley. Steers were fed in a GrowSafe system to measure individual animal intake and behavior throughout the duration of the study. Twelve steers per treatment group for each year of the study were also fitted with a HOBO pendent G accelerometer to measure activity and a SmaXtec ruminal bolus for continuous rumen monitoring of temperature and pH. Limited differences were observed in regard to performance and eating behavior of steers fed corn or barley-based diets. The steer's diet interacted with short term environmental changes to influence animal feeding behavior, but diet had limited impact on cattle lying activity. Continuous ruminal monitoring revealed average daily ruminal pH and temperature were not impacted by diet; however, diet did affect daily variation in ruminal pH and temperature. Intake patterns were also different between corn and barley-fed steers in which corn-fed steers consumed more feed the first 6 hours directly after feeding while barley-fed steers consumed more feed later in the day. Presumably, these intake patterns could be influenced by differences in diurnal patterns of ruminal pH between corn and barley. Depending on cost and production year, both barley and corn can be high quality feedstuffs to use in beef cattle finishing rations.Item Evaluation of sustained release mineral boluses as a long-term nutrient delivery method for beef cattle(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2021) Carlisle, Tanner Jay; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Timothy DelCurto; Samuel A. Wyffels, Steve D. Stafford, Anna R. Taylor, Megan L. Van Emon and Timothy DelCurto were co-authors of the article, 'Evaluation of sustained release mineral boluses as a long-term nutrient delivery method for beef cattle' in the journal 'Animal feed science and technology' which is contained within this thesis.Two studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of sustained release mineral boluses as an alternative nutrient delivery method for beef cattle. For both studies 16 ruminally-cannulated cows were used in a completely randomized design. In study 1, we evaluated degradation rates of two bolus prototypes and cow age (2-yr-old versus 3-yr-old cows) over an 87-d study period. In study 2, we evaluated two bolus types (90-d degradation target versus 180-d degradation target), as well as two diet qualities contrasting low-quality high-fiber forage (> 65% NDF and < 8% CP) and high-quality low-fiber forage (< 55% NDF and > 15% CP). For both Studies intake and digestion periods were conducted to evaluate cow age (study 1) or diet quality (study 2) effects on intake and rumen/reticulum function. In study 1, models containing an asymptotic effect of day and an interaction between day and bolus type received virtually all support of candidate models for bolus degradation rate. Cow age did not affect bolus degradation rates (Beta = -0.81 + or - 1.13; P= 0.48) and degradation rates were greater for bolus prototype B compared to bolus A (Beta prototype B = -20.39 + or - 1.13; Beta prototype A = -9.64 + or - 0.81; P < 0.01). In study 2, models containing a linear effect of day and an interaction between day and diet received virtually all support of candidate models for the degradation rate of the 90-d and 180-d prototype. In addition, both bolus protoypes displayed a diet quality + or - time interaction (P < 0.01) for bolus degradation rate. Cattle treated with the 90-d bolus and fed a high-quality diet had greater degradation rates (Beta High-quality = -2.64 + or - 0.08; Beta Low-quality = -1.97 + or - 0.10; P < 0.01) than the cows that were fed a low-quality diet. In contrast, cattle treated with the 180-d bolus expressed greater degradation rates (Beta Low-quality = -0.09 + or - 0.007; Beta High-quality = -0.04 + or - 0.005; P < 0.01) with cows on the low-quality diet versus the high-quality diet. Across both studies, two of four bolus prototypes met target release rates at 90 days. However, bolus degradation characteristics varied and were influenced by diet quality.Item Salt limited intake: impacts of salt level and form of supplement on intake, nutrient digestion, and variability of supplement intake in beef cattle(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2021) White, Hayley Christina; Co-chairs, Graduate Committee: Megan Van Emon and Timothy DelCurto (co-chair); M. L. Van Emon, H. M. DelCurto-Wyffels, S. A. Wyffels and T. DelCurto were co-authors of the article, 'Impacts of form of salt-limited supplement on supplement intake behavior and performance with yearling heifers grazing dryland pastures' submitted to the journal 'Journal of feed science & technology' which is contained within this thesis.; M. L. Van Emon, H. M. DelCurto-Wyffels, S. A. Wyffels and T. DelCurto were co-authors of the article, 'Impacts of increasing levels of salt on intake, digestion, and rumen fermentation with beef cattle consuming low-quality forages' submitted to the journal 'Journal of animal science' which is contained within this thesis.For centuries, salt has been used as a cost effective intake-limiter of supplements for ruminants. Beef cattle production in the western United States relies on self-fed, salt-limited supplement to offset seasonal nutrient deficiencies which, in turn, may improve performance and increase forage intake. However, research has found high variation in individual supplement intake among animals and across days. If cattle are over consuming high-salt diets, this may result in negative impacts on animal performance and additional cost for the producer. Two studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of form of supplement on supplement intake behavior, body weight, and body condition change and the impacts of supplemental salt levels on forage intake, water intake, dry matter digestibility, and rumen fermentation of yearling heifers consuming low quality forages. During a two-year summer grazing trial, individual supplement intake, time spent at the feeder, and frequency of visits was measured. It was found that supplementation and form of supplement did not influence heifer weight gain or intake CV (P = 0.26), but heifers in the pelleted treatment consumed more supplement (grams/kg BW), and at a faster rate compared to heifers fed the loose supplement form (P < 0.01). In study 2, six ruminally cannulated heifers were assigned to treatments to determine the effect of salt levels on digestibility and rumen parameters. Salt treatments consisted of: 1) control, no salt (CON), 2) 0.05% of BW salt (LOW), and 3) 0.1% of BW salt (HIGH). Forage and water intake, digestibility, and rumen parameters were measured. Supplemental salt tended to decrease forage intake (grams/kg BW; P = 0.06) and tended to increase DM fill (P = 0.07). Both water intake and liquid fill increased with increasing level of salt (P < 0.01). Ruminal pH and ammonia levels decreased with increasing salt (P < 0.01) while acetate concentration increased (P < 0.01). Digestibility was not influenced by salt levels (P > 0.05). Our results suggest that pelleting salt-limited supplements has a masking effect on the intake regulation of salt. Additionally, increasing levels of salt modifies rumen fermentation and digestion suggesting lower efficiency of intake and use with high-salt diets.Item A comparative approach to refine molecular mechanisms impacting meat quality and carcass characteristics(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2021) Schumacher, Madison Lee; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jennifer Thomson and Jane A. Boles (co-chair)Fat deposition is important to both producers and consumers. Producers decide when to harvest animals based on a fat endpoint while consumers equate marbling to tenderness. USDA quality grade is determined by physiological age and marbling. While quality grades help provide insight about product palatability, there is too often variation within the same quality grade. The control of fat deposition is important to determination of carcass endpoint and efficiency of production. The purpose of this study was to increase our understanding of the regulation of fat deposition and muscle growth in relation to USDA quality grade, and to utilize a species comparison to highlight genes and pathways regulating these tissues in multiple meat producing species. Fifteen wethers and fifteen steers from the Red Bluff Research Center were fed to end points that represented Standard, Select, and Choice quality grades endpoints for steers while sheep were fed to fat thicknesses typical to industry endpoints. Subcutaneous adipose tissue and muscle samples were collected for gene expression analysis. Loin were removed from each animal for shear force analysis. Shear force analysis showed a significant reduction in shear force values as quality increased in beef (p < 0.05). RNA extracted from the adipose and muscle tissue was sent to Novogene for RNAseq analysis. The largest difference observed in this study was found within the ovine muscle tissue. Comparing Class 3 to Class 1 muscle tissue resulted in 723 genes down regulated and 1,853 genes up regulated. Class 3 to Class 2 showed 1,127 genes down regulated and 2,272 genes up regulated. When comparing bovine samples, there was an equal distribution of up and down regulated genes. Differentially expressed genes were associated with fat metabolism, cellular signaling, and inflammation in beef. Poor annotation limited the functional analysis of differentially expressed genes in sheep. This study emphasized the need for additional studies evaluating the relationship between gene expression and fat deposition.Item The use of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and measures of cattle temperament to predict feedlot perfromance of commercial beef cattle(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2021) Bouffiou, Jesse James; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jennifer ThomsonThe objective of this study was to identify small molecule metabolites in a serum sample taken at entry into the feedlot that can predict performance, and animal health. One-hundred and thirty-one Angus x Simmental steers from a single ranch were sampled at a commercial feedlot. Blood samples for metabolite analysis, chute score, exit velocity, and blood lactate concentration for temperament classification were collected in addition to feedlot performance data and carcass quality measurements. The GLM and LSM procedures of SAS were used to evaluate differences between temperament classifications. Steers were divided into three exit velocity classifications with fast animals having exit velocity greater than one standard deviation from the mean and slow animals having exit velocities lower than one standard deviation from the mean. Forty metabolites were quantified using 1H NMR Spectroscopy from serum. Metaboanalyst was used to analyze serum metabolites and phenotypic values using one way- ANOVA, PCA, PLS-DA, and a permutation test to cross validate. Data was normalized and scaled. No metabolites were predictive of any of the animal health metrics collected. Five metabolites were different in exit velocity class at p < 0.01 (methanol, isopropanol, lactate, isobutyrate, and pyruvate). Similarly, 7 metabolites were different between chute score classes at p < 0.01 (methanol, isobutyrate, creatinine, dimethyl sulfone, hippurate, isopropanol, and succinate). Furthermore, several metabolites in serum at entry in the feedlot were related to carcass quality metrics: back fat (urea and 2-hydroxyisobutyrate at p < 0.01), a trend for prediction of quality grade at p = 0.068, carcass value p = 0.085. The relationship between serum metabolites, feedlot performance traits, and eventual carcass quality warrants further research to elucidate the roles these metabolites play during the feedlot period and in predicting carcass merit.Item Dormant season grazing of northern mixed grass prairies: effect of supplementation and winter environmental conditions on beef cattle grazing behavior, residual vegetation conditions and variation in supplement intake(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2019) Wyffels, Samuel Aaron; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Lance McNew; Janice G. P. Bowman (co-chair); Lance B. McNew, Janice G.P. Bowman, Mark K. Petersen, Darrin L. Boss and Bok F. Sowell were co-authors of the article, 'Dormant season grazing of northern mixed grass prairies: the effect of supplementation strategies on heifer resource utilization and vegetation use' submitted to the journal 'Rangeland ecology & management' which is contained within this thesis.; Lance B. McNew, Janice G.P. Bowman, Mark K. Petersen, Darrin L. Boss and Bok F. Sowel were co-authors of the article, 'Dormant season grazing on northern mixed grass prairie agroecosystems: does protein supplementation and individual animal variation impact beef cattle resource use, vegetation and residual cover for wildlife' submitted to the journal 'Rangeland ecology & management' which is contained within this thesis.; Lance B. McNew, Janice G.P. Bowman, Mark K. Petersen, Darrin L. Boss and Bok F. Sowell were co-authors of the article, 'The influence of age and environmental conditions on supplement intake by beef cattle winter grazing a northern mixed-grass rangeland in Montana' submitted to the journal 'Rangeland ecology & management' which is contained within this thesis.Dormant season grazing reduces reliance on harvested feeds, but typically requires protein supplementation to maintain animal performance and vegetation utilization across the landscape. However, information relating supplementation strategies and supplement intake behavior to individual grazing behavior and resource utilization on dormant forage is lacking. Thus, the intent of this research is to examine cattle resource utilization, supplement intake behavior, residual cover of vegetation and utilization on rangelands grazed during the dormant season. One hundred weaned heifer calves were randomly selected and placed into one of two supplementation treatments in each of 2 years (50 heifers/treatment/year); one receiving a free access 62% crude protein self-fed mineral/protein concentrate, and the other receiving a daily hand-fed 20% crude protein cake while grazing December through March. Additionally, a commercial herd of 300 bred cows ranging in age from 1- to 12-yr-old were provided a 30% crude protein self-fed supplement with 25% salt to limit intake in a SmartFeed Pro self-feeder system to measure individual animal supplement intake from November to January in each of 2 years. In both grazing trials, transects were randomly located within each pasture for measuring vegetation composition, production and quality, canopy cover and visual obstruction readings pre and post grazing. Grazing locations were monitored for individuals with Global Positioning System collars containing head position sensors that record daily space use and location of grazing activities. Data sets were used to quantify space use with generalized linear models to assess cattle resource utilization and supplementation behavior. Cattle provided the hand-fed cake selected grazing location near supplement delivery sites and spent less time grazing per day than self-fed supplemented cattle. Substantial amounts of herd-level variability in both studies suggests individual attributes are major drivers in cattle resource use. Supplement treatment and grazing intensity had little impact on residual vegetation conditions, however, the timing of grazing and year did affect the response of residual vegetation to grazing. Younger cattle consumed more supplement with less variability than older aged cattle. This research provides multidimensional insight to stakeholders concerning grazing behavior and the ecological impacts of late season use on Montana rangelands.Item Grazing, feed intake, and milk production differences in beef cows of varying efficiency classification and size(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2018) Williams, Alyson Rose; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Timothy DelCurto; C.T. Parsons, J.G.P. Bowman, D.L. Boss and T. DelCurto were co-authors of the article, 'The influence of weaning weight ratio and cow size on feed intake behavior, milk yield, and milk constituents' submitted to the journal 'Journal of animal science' which is contained within this thesis.; S.A. Wyffels, C.T. Parsons, J.G.P. Bowman, D.L. Boss and T. DelCurto were co-authors of the article, 'The influence of weaning weight ratio and cow size on winter grazing and supplement intake behavior' submitted to the journal 'Journal of animal science' which is contained within this thesis.Metrics that identify beef cow efficiency in extensive rangeland environments has long been desired in both beef cattle research and production settings. However, research is limited relative to matching cattle metrics to western production systems. Previous research has suggested the ratio of calf weight weaned to cow weight, or weaning weight ratio, is an accurate estimate of cow efficiency. Furthermore, milk production has been attributed to influence calf pre-weaning average daily gain. Few studies have evaluated how cow type or cow characteristics influence grazing distribution and supplement consumption on native landscapes. The objectives of this study were to assess cow feed intake, grazing behavior, supplement intake, and milk production differences between cows of differing weaning weight ratio and body weight classification. Individual cow average daily feed consumption, average daily feeding bout duration, number of visits per day, and total time spent eating per day were collected during a feed intake period and a supplement intake period. Total distance traveled and time spent grazing were collected on individual cows with global positioning system collars. Milk samples were analyzed for fat, solids not fat, total solids, protein, and lactose content, and milk yield was calculated as the change in calf weight following a weigh-suckle-weigh procedure. High weaning weight ratio cows consumed more feed when expressed on a g/kg bodyweight basis (P < 0.001) but did not differ in supplement consumption (P > 0.10). High weaning weight ratio cows produced more milk both in total kg (P < 0.03) and when expressed as /kg bodyweight (P < 0.001). Heavy bodyweight cows tended to consume more feed than light bodyweight cows (P < 0.09) but neither bodyweight group ate more supplement than the other (P > 0.10). High weaning weight ratio cows spent an hour longer grazing per day than low weaning weight ratio cows (P < 0.02). Total distanced traveled per day did not differ (P > 0.10). Results suggest weaning weight ratio and cow size are not accurate metrics of cow efficiency and the use of weaning weight ratio may unintentionally favor cows with higher milk production and higher feed requirements.