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Texas A&M AgriLife receives grants for animal disease response, prevention
Two grants awarded to Texas A&M AgriLife will fund studies to improve responses to outbreaks of animal diseases like avian and swine flu in the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program, NADPRP, awarded two grants totaling $668,166 to Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases, IIAD. The grant funding is directed toward two projects designed to address animal disease outbreak response and mitigation.
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2022 Department of Animal Science award winners recognized
In 2012, the Department of Animal Science introduced an External Awards Program to celebrate outstanding alumni and non-alumni who have brought excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect and selfless service to the field of animal science. The Outstanding Young Alumni and Outstanding Alumni Awards as well as the Animal Science Hall of Fame recognize alumni and non-alumni for their outstanding leadership and significant contributions to animal science.
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New veterinary app, website to track disease symptoms
With the touch of a smartphone button, veterinarians will be able to check online to determine if what they see in the field is unique to their area or part of a greater pattern, thanks to a new veterinary app and website created by a group of Texas A&M AgriLife faculty.
The Veterinary Syndromic Surveillance System, VSS, website and app are now live and will provide veterinarians a tool to access and input disease information to a central database, said Tom Hairgrove, DVM, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service cattle veterinary specialist in the Texas A&M University Department of Animal Science, Bryan-College Station.
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Selecting dairy replacements based on heat stress
With heat stress increasingly becoming a part of life in places not historically hot, there is a need to determine which cows are best suited to deal with the warmer temperatures, said Courtney Daigle, Ph.D., an animal welfare specialist in the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
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Breeds of cattle best suited for grass-fed beef
Any breed can be used to produce grass-fed beef. Some breeds are more suitable than others depending on several considerations, both economic and environmental.
Production can be centered around a cow herd specifically selected for grass-fed production, or it might entail purchase of feeder animals from others to simply “run” on grass for finishing. All these can be affected by the genetics or selection of the breeds or classes of animals chosen.
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Making pork production more efficient
Pigs eat crops, pigs leave nutrients in manure, manure is used to fertilize crops and pigs eat crops – it is a sustainable operation that puts pork on the table across the nation and worldwide.
But the system can be improved. Better diets for the animals result in better nutrients. Increasing the precision in the process results in higher efficiencies.
That’s the purpose of a new National Pork Board grant-funded project being conducted by a team from the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Department of Animal Sciences.
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Youth education in the Department of Animal Sciences at Texas A&M University
The development and education of our youth, including both current and future students, is a priority for the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Animal Science.
The department offers a number of programs to help young people better themselves by learning skills while actively involved in 4-H and FFA programs as well as skills that can be employed throughout their lives, preparing them for the future.
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Getting Involved
The competitive teams program at Texas A&M University is rich in tradition, attracting students from across the country. By competing on these teams, students acquire work ethic, public speaking capabilities, leadership development and critical thinking skills. The teams are self-supporting and also rely on support from former judging team members and former students.
Help support our competitive teams and their high-impact learning opportunities.
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Meat Judging Team
Texas A&M University sent a team to the National Meat Animal Evaluation Contest this year in Lubbock, hosted by Texas Tech University and sponsored by the American Meat Science Association.
The meat animal evaluation contest is the superbowl of judging contests. Students compete in live market animal, breeding animal and meat evaluations, as well as a communication division. This is the first team the department has sent in 15 years. The team placed ninth out of 15 teams, with Kyle Despain receiving high individual in the overall swine division.
Ian Lovell, meat science graduate student, serves as the coach. Team members include: Trent Stowolski, Ashley Hahn, Sage Boleman, Hunter Bean, Kyle Despain, Allyson Fontenot, Sterling Pieniazek and Kenzy Hoffmann.
The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Meat Judging Team is holding a meat judging camp July 21-23 at the Rosenthal Meat Science and Technology Center. The team is looking forward to hosting students from across the state.
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Dairy Challenge Team
The Texas A&M Dairy Challenge Team travelled to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to participate in the National Intercollegiate Dairy challenge held April 30-May 4. The team was able to tour three dairy farms including a modern robotic dairy barn. The team performed very well and used the opportunity to learn and network with dairy professionals around the country. Members of the team include Nicole Koke, Hannah Czerminski, Maria Renee Fuentes Ayala, Wyatt Harlan and coach, Sushil Paudyal.
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Ranch Horse Team
The 2022 Hughes Trailer National Ranch and Stock Horse Show is officially in the books. There were 115 riders from seven states making up 14 different teams. The Aggies came home fourth in the Division 1 category along with a few individual successes.
We enjoyed visiting students from across the country and sharing our love for the sport.
We also want to recognize the winners of our second annual Gig'Em Goat Roping. We appreciate all of you that came out to join us! Needless to say, it was another great year, and we’re already counting down the days until the next one!
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Rodeo Team
The Texas A&M Women’s Rodeo team will be sending six qualifiers to the College National Finals Rodeo, CNFR, in Casper, Wyoming, in June. They were the top team in the Southern Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association accumulating over 3300 points.
The ladies won all three women’s events and the all around cowgirl was Madalyn Richards, who also won goat tying. Britta Strain won the Barrel racing event, Victoria Procter was the reserve barrel racer and Emma Smith was third. Madi Outhier was the top breakaway roper for the year. Also qualifying in the goat tying was Sonora Schueneman.
On the men’s side, Carson Neal was fourth in saddle bronc riding and Connor Atkinson was fourth in tie down roping. The top three in each event advance to the CNFR.
Rodeo Team CampaignThe Texas A&M Rodeo Team launched its $1 million capital campaign, which will set up the “Dr. Al Wagner ’69 Rodeo Coach Endowment Fund.” Contributions to the fund will allow the team to hire its first full-time rodeo coach, who will reside within the Department of Animal Science.
This announcement follows the recent development that the Texas A&M Rodeo Team is now designated a competitive team within the Department of Animal Science.
https://youtu.be/fbRDfDhGx50
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About the Department of Animal Science
The Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University has achieved national and international prominence as one of the largest and most complex departments of its kind in the country. The Department of Animal Science strives to meet the needs of all citizens by providing outstanding teaching, research and Extension programs.
We aim to improve lives through discovery, integration, dissemination and application of science-based knowledge of animals and animal products. To more effectively fulfill the mission of the Department of Animal Science, we have identified five areas of excellence.
aglifesciences.tamu.edu | animalscience.tamu.edu
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