A3O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 27,1989
NEW YORK, NY The latest
research data in animal nutrition
and disease research were pre
sented to several hundred scien
tists, nutritionists and feed indus
try representatives at the 37 th
Annual Pfizer Research Confer
ence recently in Kansas City, Mo.
A highlight of the conference was
CBS anchorman Charles Kuralt.
Five university experts pre
sented new research information.
The speaker were: Dr. Steve Lee
son, University of Guelph; Dr.
James Pettigrew, Jr., University of
Minnesota; Dr. George Fahey, Jr.,
University of Illinois; Dr. Elliot
Block, McGill University; and Dr.
Duane Ullrey, Michigan State
University.
Their topics were, respectively:
maximizing egg production by
monitoring diet in poultry; the
relationship of diet and reproduc
tive performance in swine; factors
affecting fiber digestion by rumin
ants; strategic deworming of dairy
cattle; and how to determine nutri
tional requirements of zoo
animals.
Feeding for
egg production
The first conference speaker,
poultry nutrition expert Dr. Steve
Leeson, reported that to maximize
egg production, today’s producers
must carefully monitor their birds’
nutritional condition long before
the egg-laying stage.
In Leeson’s estimation, the key
to successful egg production is
“ensuring adequate availability of
nutrients.” He warns, “With mod
em strains of chickens and turk
eys, such nutrients come from
body reserves as well as feed.”
Greathouse Receives
National Jersey Award
REYNOLDSBURG, OH
David Greathouse, Parkersburg,
111., has been awarded The Ameri
can Jersey Cattle Club’s 1989
Young Jersey Dairyman Award.
Greathouse is among seven win
ners from across the United States
who have excelled in dairy farm
ing and Jersey cattle breeding.
They have also been very active in
AJCC programs and Jersey func
tions. The winners will be honored
at an awards breakfast June 17 at
the AJCC-NAJ Annual Meeting in
Cedar Rapids, lowa.
From the lime David Great
house started with Jerseys, his
Owens Receives
National Jersey Award
REYNOLDSBURG. OH
Waller Owens, Frederic, Wis., has
been awarded The American
Jersey Gallic Club’s 1989 Young
Jersey Dairyman Award. Owens
is among seven winners from
across Ihc United States who have
excelled in dairy farming and
Jersey cattle breeding. They have
also been very active in AJCC
programs and Jersey functions.
The winners will be honored at an
awards breakfast June 17 at the
AJCC-NAJ Annual Meeting in
Cedar Rapids, lowa.
Owens Farm’s 287-cow herd
maintains a rolling herd average
of 11,742 lbs. milk, 603 lbs. fat
and 479 lbs. protein. One of the
outstanding producers in the herd
Animal Nutritionists Discuss New Research Data
For that reason, Leeson said
rearing programs must be tailored
to provide body reserves in prop
ortion to the expected deficit
between voluntary feed intake and
egg mass output.
With broiler breeders, Leeson
explained, the major cause of fai
lure to reach peak production is
inadequate supply of total nutri
ents from the feed and body
reserves. With leghorn birds, sti
mulating feed intake during early
egg production becomes critical.
For breeder hens, nutritional prog
rams must consider both egg pro
duction and composition of the
egg in relation to successful
incubation.
“Feeding for optimum egg pro
duction has become a little more
complicated than simply formu
lating laying diets,” Leeson
concluded.
Hog diets
and reproduction
Long-term effects of diet are
also being studied in the swine
industry. Dr. James Pettigrew, Jr.,
an expert in swine nutrition,
unveiled a mathematical model
that is being used to determine the
connection between diet and
reproductive performance.
The mathematical model of lac
tating sow metabolism estimates
body weight and composition,
milk yield and composition, and
metabolite concentrations under
various sets of conditions.
“This model is not intended for
Held use, but is a tool to help nutri
tionists understand the biological
system and clarify questions to be
addressed by animal studies,” Pet
tigrew said.
“There is increasing evidence
main objective has been to
improve them. Greathouse’s first
rolling herd average was 7,827
lbs. milk and 366 lbs. fat. Today
with 24 milking cows his rolling
herd average is 13,418 lbs. milk,
596 lbs. fat and 516 lbs. protein.
Two cows partially responsible
for the increase in production for
Greathouse are Samson Sleeping
Goldie and Maple Glen Top Brass
Fun. “Goldie” has a projected
actual record of 17,560 lbs. milk
and 825 lbs. fat with a projected
m.e. of 19,919. “Fun,” calving as
a yearling, has a projected actual
record of 13,210 lbs. milk and 659
lbs. fat with an m.e. of 20,574.
has been O.F. Fascinator Charity.
“Charity” has completed a best
record of 5-6 305 17,070 4.5%
767 3.9% 657.
Owens and his family enjoy
showing their Jerseys at local and
national shows. Sunny Slope
Designers Ladygirl, E-92%, has
done well in the show ring. She
has been Grand Champion at the
Wisconsin State Junior Fair and
placed as high as third in the All
American Junior and Open shows.
Owens has been personally
responsible for starting several
other young farmers in the Jersey
business. He has also been very
active in promoting Jerseys and'
the dairy industry to 4-H youth,
FFA and college students.
that energy and protein nutrition
of the sow during her first lacta
tion may affect the interval
between weaning and estrus after
the first litter and the size of the
second litter,” Pettigrew said.
Research of this type is proving
that common reproductive prob
lems in commercial pork produc
tion may be related to improper
nutrition.
Fiber digestion
in cows
Like the mathematical model
Pettigrew uses, new research
methods also are helping answer
questions in the area of ruminant
nutrition. According to Dr.
George Fahey Jr., ruminant
researchers are attempting to iden
tify and examine factors affecting
fiber digestion by using new tech
niques that quantify plant fiber
components.
“It is likely that several factors,
acting in concert, may affect fiber
digestibility,” Fahey said. “It is
also important to recognize that
constraints to digestion are likely
to involve differences in cell wall
organization as well as differences
in composition and structure of
the individual cell wall
components.
“This is why some researchers
are now advocating a holistic
approach to the study of plant cell
wall degradation,” he explained.
“The isolation of individual com
ponents of the cell wall can alter
their nature and change the inhi
bitory effects.”
Fahey identified several plant
cell-wall characteristics that affect
fiber digestion - lignification of
the cell wall, covalent bonding of
phenolic acids to cell wall car
bohydrates, the crystalline struc
ture of the plant cellulose, a lim
ited fibrolytic enzyme accessible
space, the proportion of fiber that
is resistant to ruminal digestion
and the rate of digestion and pas-
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Deworming
controls
Other ruminant research pre
sented at the conference addressed
the problem of parasites - particu
larly in dairy cattle.
“Parasites cost the North
American dairy industry an esti
mated $350 million a year. Recent
New England research shows 98
percent of dairy herds are subclin
ically infested,” Dr. Elliot Block
told conference attendees.
This costly and widespread
problem can be controlled with
the use of broad-spectrum anthel
mintics. However, Block warned
that the timing of deworming is
extremely important.
“It appears that the most effec
tive strategy is to deworm just
prior to pasture turnout,” Block
said. “Thic reduces the number of
new eggs deposited onto pastures.
In 30 days, a second deworming
will help eliminate new infections
acquired from the pasture,
“Single-dose treatment at
improper times will not accom
plish control,” Block continued.
“A one-time treatment at calving
will eliminate gastrointestinal
worms, but does not control pas
ture larvae. As soon as the cows
return to pasture, new infections
are acquired.”
Block’s research has shown that
addressing the pasture parasite
problem, with timely strategic
deworming, is the most effective
means of obtaining long-term
parasite control.
Feeding wild
animals in captivity
In addition to domestic animals,
this year’s Pfizer conference also
reviewed nutrition research deal
ing with wild animals, as Dr.
Duane Ullrey addressed the chal
lenge of feeding wild animals in
captivity.
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‘There are hundreds of animal
species to consider representing
millions of years of evolutionary
adaption to particular ecological
niches,” Ullrey said. “However,
very little controlled research has
been done on the dietary needs of
wild animals.”
Ullrey has found that diets for
wild animals should be formulated
by;
1) considering the animals’
natural eating patterns in the wild;
2) recognizing the animals’
unique physical characteristics;
3) reviewing the needs of simi
lar species whose requirements
are (mown;
4) evaluating the environmental
features that influence energy and
nutrient need.
“The space, shelter, tempera
ture and humidity in the environ
ment in which animals are con
fined will also influence their
energy requirements. And food
items growing in that environment
will affect the need for supple
mental food,” Ullrey concluded.
Kuralt keynote
Printed Proceedings of the con
ference were presented to all in
attendance. Included in the Pro
ceedings is a review of research,
conducted this past year, relating
to each speaker’s topic area.
In addition to the university
speakers, the conference was
highlighted by an address from
Charles Kuralt. Kuralt, anchor
man of CBS News’ “Sunday
Morning” and explorer/reporter
for “On The Road” news seg
ments, spoke about his 30-year
career and travels throughout the
United States.
Pfizer is a worldwide research
based company with businesses in
health care, agriculture, specialty
chemicals, materials science and
consumer products. The company
reported sales of approximately
$5.3 billion in 1988. 4
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