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The Extension Foundation’s AgriProspects Workforce Development Network recently awarded Penn State Extension a competitive mini-grant to support its “Success Skills in Spanish 4 Ag” project, which focuses on workforce development for Spanish-speaking tree-fruit growers and poultry farmers.

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences celebrated another year of outstanding success and accomplishments in research during the 2024 Research Awards Ceremony, held Nov. 19 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus.

By combining the genetic sequencing and analysis of the microbes in a milk sample with artificial intelligence (AI), researchers were able to detect anomalies in milk production, such as contamination or unauthorized additives. The new approach could help improve dairy safety, according to the study authors from Penn State, Cornell University and IBM Research.  

Thomas Pantano has been recognized as the 2024 Poultry Science Distinguished Almunus by the Department of Animal Science in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

Lisa Holden, associate professor of dairy science, has been appointed interim head of the Department of Animal Science in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

After three weeks of testing as required under a voluntary state monitoring program for bird flu in dairy cattle, animal health experts in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences announced that the University’s dairy herd has been certified as free of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI.

More than 60% of dairy cows in the United States are bred via artificial insemination. While significant advances have been made in understanding cattle genetics, particularly in relation to milk production and other economic traits, there is still much to learn about the genetics underlying the reproductive organs and cells in cattle, according to a team of researchers in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a grant to the team to study the genetic mechanisms underlying the development of the testis, the male organ that produces reproductive cells, in cattle and its role in sperm production.

The Equine Experience at Penn State’s Ag Progress Days returns this year with crowd-favorite demonstrations for everyone from casual spectators to avid horse enthusiasts.

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, through its departments of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences and Animal Science, collaborated with VCA Metzger Animal Hospital and Mars Inc. to establish the Penn State-Mars preveterinary student internship.

Animal health experts in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have announced that — out of an abundance of caution — they will test the University’s dairy herd for highly pathogenic avian influenza, under a voluntary state testing program.

Nine undergraduate students represented Penn State at the 2024 American Dairy Science Association—Undergraduate Student Division (ADSA-USD) meetings held in West Palm Beach, Florida, from June 15-18.

Facing economic challenges, dairy farmers are increasingly crossbreeding some of their Holstein cows with beef breed bulls to add value to surplus calves born in their herds. In an analysis of almost 40,000 cows, a team of Penn State researchers found that carrying and birthing the larger crossbred beef calves generally does not negatively affect dairy cow health.

Multiple states since March 2024 have reported dairy herds displaying symptoms caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza, raising questions about how the virus spreads, how producers can protect their animals, the risk of infection in people, and the safety of milk and meat supplies. Extension veterinarian Ernest Hovingh, clinical professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences, answers these and other questions related to the this avian flu outbreak in dairy cattle.

Feed costs for producing broiler chickens accounts for 60% to 70% of total production costs, and stump waste from the production of button mushrooms comprises nearly 30% of total mushroom weight. Marrying the two has the potential to reduce both cost and waste, especially in Pennsylvania, which is a national leader in the production of broiler chickens and button mushrooms. To learn whether the two are compatible, a team of Penn State researchers conducted a new study to determine how supplementing the feed of broilers with mushroom stump waste affected the growth and health of the chickens.

Chad Dechow, associate professor of dairy cattle genetics, is the 2024 recipient of the Research Innovator of the Year Award, given by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences to recognize faculty and staff who have made notable efforts to commercialize their Penn State research.  

Penn State’s Block and Bridle Club captured first place for their Chapter Web Page and first place for Chapter Activities at the 103rd National Block and Bridle Convention, Jefferson City, MO, April 11-14, hosted by the Mizzou Block and Bridle Club.

Five Penn State students traveled to Visalia, CA for the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, (NAIDC) held April 4-6. Team members were Lynneah Brady, Big Cove Tannery, PA; Kendal Jenkins, Columbia Crossroads, PA; Justin Merry, Arkport, NY; and Paige Peiffer, Lebanon, PA. Ashton Stiles, Blairsville, PA, participated in the contest as part of an aggregate team.

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has announced the recent hire of Abby Hodder as the assistant clinical professor of canine behavioral welfare in the Department of Animal Science. Hodder’s onboarding marks the beginning of a Penn State Extension canine program designed to support professional dog breeders through education, outreach and applied research focused on canine behavior and welfare.

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly serious threat for public health, and the use of antimicrobials in livestock feed has been a major contributing factor in the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance to many drugs, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Led by Erika Ganda, assistant professor of food animal microbiomes, a Penn State research team conducted a study of natural feed additives that are promising alternatives to substitute for antimicrobial growth promoters.

The 22nd annual Penn State Equine Science Showcase and Quarter Horse Sale kicks off April 27 in the Snider Agricultural Arena at the University Park campus.  

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a livestock disease that results in large economic losses to animal agriculture worldwide. The disease can also transmit to humans and cause severe illness and death. Researchers from Penn State, Addis Ababa University and the University of Cambridge have now demonstrated that a vaccine for TB currently used in humans significantly reduces infectiousness of vaccinated livestock, improving prospects for elimination and control. The study published today (March 28) in the journal Science.   

The Department of Animal Science in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has named Daniel Loy, of Ames, Iowa, its 2024 Animal Science Distinguished Alumnus.

Supplementing the feed of high-producing dairy cows with the botanical extract capsicum oleoresin, obtained from chili peppers, or a combination of that extract and clove oil resulted in the animals using feed energy more efficiently and emitting less methane from their largest stomach, according to a new study conducted by Penn State researchers.

In honor and memory of their dear friend, a Penn State alumna who died in 2022 at the age of 90, Helen and Steve Schreiner have created the Dr. Marion P. Cullen International Travel Endowment in Animal Science in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Mike Lormore, DVM, MS, MBA, was recognized as the 2023 Distinguished Dairy Science alumnus in Penn State’s Department of Animal Science at a reception at the University in October.

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences lauded outstanding accomplishments in research during the 2023 Research Awards Ceremony, held Nov. 1 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus.

The Department of Animal Science in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has recognized Robert G. Elkin, professor emeritus of avian nutritional biochemistry, as its 2023 Distinguished Poultry Science Alumnus.

With male infertility a mounting global concern impacting approximately 12% of men, according to the National Institutes of Health, a Penn State research team has discovered a gene that plays a key role in initiating and sustaining spermatogenesis. The finding, they said, may open a door for future therapies to boost sperm counts. 

Researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and collaborators from the University of Minnesota have received a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study parasite issues related to organic dairy cattle.

After wrapping up his career with the United States Navy, Aaron Kuhn, a second-year animal science student in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences who currently studies at Penn State Altoona, returned home to Hollidaysburg to revive his family farm.