Search Results

< Back 2018-136: Use of bacteriophage-derived lysins in combatting multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens that cause bovine respiratory disease (BRD) Researcher: Dongyan Niu Funding: $45,774 1) Engineer a part of the bacteriophage (bacteria-killing viruses) to specifically a􀄴ack the most drug-resistant pathogens. 2)Antimicrobial resistance is increasing, and it is difficult to treat some bacteria common in bovine respiratory disease. 2) There has been success in mice and humans. Results Waiting for research results.

< Back 2020-109: Using watering bowls to monitor the respiratory bacterial resistome in cattle by location and time within the feedlot Researcher: Murray Jelinski Funding: $22,500 Antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly alarming risk. Treatments for sick cattle, without knowing for certain what is causing their illness, increases resistance on farms, which then necessitates a search for other more useful drugs. It could also lead to greater beef mortality. Easy, cost-effective Results Waiting for research results.

< Back 2019-003: Plant-soil interactions and stand decline in alfalfa: Mechanisms and potential mitigation strategies Researcher: Jonathan Bennet Funding; $55,936 Project Description: Plant mixes and polycultures have gained increasing interest from producers over the past several years. Many producers are also interested in how to maintain a healthy stand, and are curious as to whether winterkill and overgrazing are the only definitive reasons why some stands don’t persist. Jonathan Bennett, a plant scientist from the University of Saskatchewan, will work to understand how a single crop stand and how multiple plants in a crop stand age, as well as their influences on soil microbes and it’s productivity. As alfalfa suffers from multiple root diseases with unknown causes, the SCA Board was interested in potential solutions this research might bring. Results: In order to understand legume decline over time in plant stands, this team sampled soil microbiome in 24 alfalfa monocultures and alfalfa-grass mixtures that were between one and six years old. They had four alfalfa varieties, and included six other forage species (sainfoin, red clover, American vetch, purple prairie clover, crested wheatgrass, and northern wheatgrass). They found that some alfalfa varieties, namely Brett Young 3010, can take advantage of older pasture soils - that variety increased its growth by 36% due to the presence of specific arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the soil. Sainfoin grew 35% better in grass-alfalfa mixtures than in sterile soil, likely due to the presence of certain beneficial bacteria in those soils (not rhizobia). Conversely, red clover grew better and had more nodules in alfalfa seed production soils suggesting that it can take advantage of alfalfa associated rhizobia in those fields but doesn’t do as well if those rhizobia are diluted, as in mixed stands. Combined this suggests that certain alfalfa varieties and sainfoin may be better choices for rejuvenating pasture than red clover because they are helped by the microbiome in these fields. Native plant species did poorly when inoculated with microbes from weedy fields, likely due to shared pathogens, suggesting that if you are seeding native species, pre-seeding weed management may be critical. However, more tests are underway or in the planning stages.

< Back 2019-005: The use of sensory additives to boost feed intake and immune function of newly arrived feedlot cattle Researcher: Diego Moya Funding: $49,777 This study will determine whether feed additives like cinnamon or sweeteners help newly arrived calves adjust to feedlot bunks. As calves travelling between farms, auction marts, and back can be stressed, causing potential illnesses. To reduce this possibility, calves will be provided cost-effective flavours along with standard diets and compared to those without the additives. Their body weight, stress levels, and health records will be compared to note any differences. The Research Committee and Board were interested in methods to reduce this stress on arrival, as cattle which turn to the feed bunks earlier are more likely to be healthy. Results: Waiting for research results.

< Back 2016-186: Effect of Ergot on Beef Bull Fertility Researcher: Jaswant Singh Funding: $28,980 The effect of ergot on cattle has been studied in the past. Beef nutritionists feel comfortable providing their cattle with a low level of ergot in feed, while higher levels of ergot can lead to large wrecks. However, Dr. Singh and his team are investigating whether even these low levels of ergot can lead to poor fertility for bulls in the year that they eat ergot and beyond. They hope to provide better recommendations to bovine nutritionists with this information, which could lead to higher fertility rates in years after ergot contaminated crops. Results A series of studies were conducted to characterize the low-level exposure of ergot on bull reproductive health and semen characteristics. The three studies involved an exposure of adult bulls to low levels of ergot. The results of these studies indicate that adult bulls can tolerate up to 2.2 mg ergot alkaloids / kg of Dry Matter Intake for 8-week period in the spring season without having health effects or any major deleterious effects on bull semen evaluation. It needs to be emphasized that feed supply to cows was highly controlled and these conclusions cannot yet be extended to the severe winter conditions in Saskatchewan without further testing. Further, Canadian standards need to be re-considered and revised in the light of this study.

< Back 2020-105: Identification of genetic factors contributing to abiotic stress tolerance in intermediate wheatgrass Researcher: Sean Asselin Funding: $17,000 Project Description: Intermediate Wheatgrass is a preferred feed for livestock, which is also drought resistant and can more easily adapt in sandy soils. However, new cultivars have not been bred at AAFC Swift Current for decades. New breeding technologies which take advantage of genome mapping techniques have made an intermediate wheatgrass breeding program more advantageous. Sean Asselin and his research team will ID and validate sources of drought/salt tolerance in intermediate wheatgrass. They will then map the genes of wheatgrass with improved tolerance and identify parts of that genome that shows significant association with drought tolerance. Results: Waiting for research results.

< Back 2018-137: Treatment guidance for Bovine respiratory disease: Optimizing prudent and economical antimicrobial decision making. Researcher: John Campbell Funding: $23,000 Medicating cattle with effective antibiotics helps reduce treatment times and costs. However, producers do not often know precisely what pathogens are affecting cattle. This research will investigate if calves can be swabbed on arrival at feedlots, and the chances that they will later be ill from the same pathogens detected. It will also determine if the most common bacteria detected would affect the whole herd, and if a small sample could predict the illnesses for the entire pen. Results Waiting for research results.

< Back 2021-095: Investigation of AMR transmission via horizontal gene transfer in Mycoplasma bovis Researcher: Murray Jelinski Funding: $18,000 Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) is the most significant feedlot cattle disease, responsible for approximately 60-70% of cattle morbidities in Canada. Mycoplasma bovis, or M. bovis, is a major component of this disease complex, though there is no effective vaccine for it. An even greater concern is that the antimicrobials used to treat M. bovis have become more susceptible to resistance. Dr. Murray Jelinski and his team at the University of Saskatchewan's Western College of Veterinary Medicine will research how this antimicrobial resistance occurs by understanding how these traits jump from cell to cell, including how biofilms, which can be up to 5000 times more tolerant to antimicrobials than other bacteria, can assist in this transfer. Results Waiting for research results.

< Back 2020-107: Towards 1-step testing – rapid identification of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) viruses to inform vaccine use & development Researcher: Cheryl Waldner Funding: $25,000 Bovine respiratory disease is a complex that mostly affects incoming feedlot calves. While a great deal of research has focused on the bacterial contributions, viral contributions are equally important. Automate sequencing and bioinformatics will be used for viral BRD to reduce time and costs. The research team will also note potential of sequencing infections on arrival at feedlots, then evaluate the effectiveness of cow/calf vaccines arriving at feedlot. This in turn will help them determine the need for vaccine/protocol updates. Ultimately, this research team, lead by Cheryl Waldner, hopes to provide 1-step rapid identification of known and emerging BRD viruses, in order to quickly and effectively treat this disease complex. Treating animals for the right infection at the right time ultimately will help reduce costs, and improve animal welfare. Results Waiting for research results.

< Back 2018-134: Simple strategies to reduce impacts of ergot alkaloids on beef cattle Researcher: Kim Stanford Funding: $23,646 Project Description: Very little information is available regarding the impacts of cereal ergot alkaloids, and the different types of ergot throughout Saskatchewan and Alberta. There is also speculation that storage and pelleting at high temperatures might decrease their toxicity. Therefore, the cost of storing and pelleting, as well as their effects on cattle, will be studied. Results: To get a representative sample of various types of ergot, fifteen samples were gathered. Five of those samples were then heated for ten minutes, before being mixed with barley chop and canola meal and pelleted. To test whether the pellets would increase of decrease the physiological effects of ergot in cattle, 48 backgrounding Angus-cross steers were fed either these pellets, a mash which also included ergot, or pellets/mash which did not have ergot. The research team found that while some of the problematic epimers which cause harmful effects on cattle increased, the negative physiological effects on the cattle did not increase. The researchers suspect that the level of ergot in the study, 1ppm, was too low to generate a reaction in the cattle, and therefore the allowable limit for ergot in feed might be too restrictive. For more information, please visit: https://www.albertabeef.org/files/site-content/8gPry24hTsKc1Hm1OrORLQrpUeYPsBkYFaMUciAI.pdf

< Back 2017-092: Developing forage barley and triticale varieties with high whole plant biomass and enhanced nutritive value AND Increasing the yield threshold and enhancing the ideotype and quality of barley cultivars for feed in Western Canada Researchers: Yadeta Kabeta & Flavio Capettini Funding: $45,000 Project Description: Beef producers grow barley not only to feed their cattle, but in the hope that they can attain high quality malt barley as well. This project is meant to increase the prevalence of malt barley, and also to increase yield and lodging resistance, to benefit producers who aren’t able to attain malt quality status. It also plans to further develop barley and triticale for forage production, to increase biomass yield by 15%, to improve greenfeed & swath grazing production, and to expand the window for silage harvest. To increase consumption, they also plan to incorporate palatability. Results: Waiting for research results.

< Back 2016-187: Selection of clonal propagated alfalfa and sainfoin plants under grass or legume competition Researcher: Bill Biligetu Funding: $20,700 Project Description: Sainfoin and alfalfa provide better health to agricultural soils. Sainfoin, in particular, is a non-bloating type of legume that can increase protein absorption. However, growth of sainfoin decreased in the ‘60s and ‘70’s due to its inability to grow in mixed forage stands. Dr. Biligetu and his research team have pro-posed a research plan that will help both alfalfa and sainfoin strains thrive. This team will breed alfalfa and sainfoin plants then then transplant them in a meadow brome stand. Those plants that show superior genotypes will be intercrossed and evaluated for yield and quality. As a result, there will be an advanced breeding line for alfalfa and sainfoin than can contribute to a healthier forage soil as well as healthier and more efficient cattle herds. Results: Waiting for research results.