News Update
January 25, 2018
Hold the Salt
We are often warned of the dangers of high levels of salt in our diet, yet the risks of salt consumption and the effects of salt on the body, including the brain, are not entirely clear. In a new mouse study, scientists link changes in the gut caused by a high-salt diet to impaired blood flow in the brain. This reduced blood flow can eventually lead to impaired cognition that could be reversed by changing back to a normal diet. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, also provides molecular clues for treating these problems.
“For years researchers have wondered how a high-salt diet harms the brain,” said Jim Koenig, program director at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which supported the study. “This mouse study provides a detailed cellular and molecular diagram for how the problems start in the gut and opens unexpected paths towards new treatments.”
In this study, mice were fed a high-salt diet (HSD) containing 16 times the amount of sodium chloride typically found in their food.
Continue reading this Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
USDA Principles a Great Start for Farm Bill
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said, of the farm bill discussions:
“Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue (Jan. 24) released his roadmap for the 2018 Farm Bill, and it is a good one for farmers, ranchers and rural communities. The secretary’s farm bill principles look to the future while securing the present for farmers and ranchers who continue to face a prolonged period of reduced farm income. We are pleased the secretary and his team have highlighted not just the importance of risk management on the farm, but also rural development, research and development, trade, conservation, and nutrition. We applaud Secretary Perdue’s clear signal that he is looking forward to working with agriculture’s leaders in Congress, just as is Farm Bureau, to arrive at a farm bill that will bring out the best agriculture has to offer the American people and the world.”
Dealing with Cold Stress in Calves
Cold temperatures bring additional challenges when accompanied by wind or wet weather. Russ Daly, Extension veterinarian and associate professor at South Dakota State University, says that even very young calves can handle fairly cold temperatures if they are dry and have the insulating effect of a fluffy hair coat.
It’s also crucial to make sure calves suckle adequate colostrum very soon after birth to have adequate energy to keep warm.
“A calf is born with less than a day’s worth of energy, in the form of brown fat, to burn for body heat. If he doesn’t get colostrum, once that brown fat is gone there is no energy available for the calf to maintain or regulate body heat,” says Daly.
Colostrum has two to three times more fat than regular milk, Daly explains. It’s a very good first meal for young calves and really makes a difference in getting them up and going, he adds. A calf that has nursed a full feeding of colostrum can stay warmer in cold weather.
Read more of this Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
Five Rivers Cattle Feeding Bought by Investment Firm
Affiliates of Pinnacle Asset Management L.P., a leading commodities and natural resources investment firm, announced they have entered into an agreement to acquire the U.S.-based cattle-feeding assets and farms, collectively known as Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, from JBS USA, a leading global food company, for approximately $200 million (USD).
Five Rivers Cattle Feeding is the largest cattle-feeding operation in the world, with roots in the United States dating back to the 1920s. The transaction includes 11 feedyards across Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, with feeding capacity of more than 900,000 head of cattle, and a long-term agreement to supply cattle to JBS USA beef processing plants. The current Five Rivers management team will remain in place, led by president and CEO Mike Thoren, to ensure business continuity and build upon Five Rivers’ strong track record of innovation and stewardship.
“The sale of the Five Rivers Cattle Feeding assets and farms is a strategic move that will allow JBS USA to more efficiently deploy working capital and focus on the company’s core food and value-added products businesses,” said Andre Nogueira, CEO of JBS USA.
For more information, read this Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
Overgrazing will be Feb. 1 Range Webinar Topic
“The Sin of Overgrazing” will be the topic of the Feb. 1 natural resources webinar conducted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service ecosystem science and management unit.
The webinar is a part of the Texas Range Webinar Series scheduled the first Thursday of each month from noon to 1 p.m., said Pete Flores, AgriLife Extension webinar coordinator in Corpus Christi.
Emi Kimura, AgriLife Extension agronomist in Vernon, will be the presenter. She said the webinar will help producers identify common signs of overgrazing and understand how it affects forage production and animal performance.
“Overgrazing is the worst enemy to pasture and rangeland during the drought conditions persisting across Texas,” Kimura said. “I will discuss when, where and how to effectively quantify your forage supply for sustainable utilization of forage resources.”
No Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered during this webinar, so there is no fee, Flores said.
This webinar and others in the series can be accessed at http://naturalresourcewebinars.tamu.edu. For more information on the webinars, contact Flores at Pete.Flores@ag.tamu.edu.
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