William E Pinchak

Texas A&M University | TAMU · Texas A&M AgriLife Research

The objective of this experiment was to determine if statistical process control (SPC) procedures coupled with remote continuous data collection could accurately differentiate between animals experimentally inoculated with a viral-bacterial (VB) challenge or phosphate buffer solution (PBS). Crossbred heifers (N = 38; BW = 230 ± 16.4 kg) were random...

Eighteen growing rumen-cannulated steers, with initial body weight (BW) of 167.4 ± 7.10 kg, were randomly allocated to one of three treatments that included a control (0% CT) and two CT treatment levels (0.05% and 0.07% condensed tannins (CT)/kg BW) with two replicates each. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted. In Exp. 1, final BW...

Opportunities exist to improve the efficacy of antimicrobial treatment and animal welfare standards through use of remote sensor technologies for early detection of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). A post-hoc analysis using statistical process control (SPC) procedures was performed on continuously-recorded physical activity data collected from BRD...

Indicator traits associated with disease resiliency would be useful to improve the health and welfare of feedlot cattle. A post-hoc analysis of data collected previously (Kayser et al., 2019a) was conducted to investigate differences in immunologic, physiologic, and behavioral responses of steers (N = 36, initial BW = 386 ± 24 kg) that had differen...

Immunologic, physiologic, and behavioral responses to a combined viral-bacterial respiratory challenge were explored in beef steers (initial BW 293 kg). Steers (n = 24) were inoculated intranasally with bovine herpes virus-1 (2×108 PFU) and intratracheally with Mannheimia haemolytica (MH, 2.15×1010 CFU) on days -3 and 0, respectively, (n = 16; VB),...

We used a fecal near infrared spectroscopy (FNIRS) calibration for cattle diet crude protein (CP) to evaluate the efficacy of growing degree day (GDD) as a remotely-sensed method to monitor grazing animal nutrition. Composite fecal samples representing a herd of 24 cross bred beef cows grazing native range pastures in southwest Texas were collected...

A retrospective analysis of data from a previous study (Kayser et al., J. Anim. Sci. 97:596; 2019) revealed that steers challenged with Mannheimia haemolytica (MH) had divergent serum haptoglobin (HPT) despite having similar leukocyte and temperature responses. In that study, 36 steers (BW 352 ± 23 kg) were fitted with rumen boluses and were fed fr...

A retrospective analysis of data from a previous study (Kayser et al., J. Anim. Sci. 97:596; 2019) revealed that steers challenged with Mannheimia haemolytica (MH) had divergent serum haptoglobin (HPT) despite having similar leukocyte and temperature responses. In that study, 36 steers (BW 352 ± 23 kg) were fitted with rumen boluses and were fed fr...

Naturally occurring gaseous byproducts of ruminant production, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), can negatively affect the environment. Apart from enteric fermentation, manure on pasture is the most significant contributor to non‐CO2 emissions. A group of naturally‐occurring phenolic compounds, condensed tannins (CT), ca...

Condensed tannins (CT) might improve animal and system-level efficiency due to enhanced protein efficiency and reduced CH4. This study evaluated the impact of quebracho tannin (QT) extract fed at 0, 1.5, 3, and 4.5% of DM, within a roughage-based diet on apparent digestibility of DM, OM, fibrous fractions, and N retention and energy partitioning of...

The objective of this experiment was to determine if statistical process control (SPC) procedures coupled with remote continuous collection of feeding behavior patterns, accelerometer-based behaviors, and rumen temperature can accurately differentiate between animals experimentally inoculated with Mannheimia haemolytica (MH) or phosphate buffer sol...

Our objective was to evaluate how quebracho tannin (QT; Schinopsis balansae) within a roughage-based diet affected energy partitioning of growing beef steers. Ruminant production is essential to meeting the protein requirements of an increasing global population. However, gaseous byproducts from ruminant production, such as methane (CH4), not only...

Sustainable ruminant production is an important element in meeting the high-quality protein requirements of an increasing global population. Gaseous byproducts from ruminant production such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) can reduce energy efficiency and be detrimental to the environment. Condensed tannins (CT) are interesting alternatives...

In the Southern Great Plains of the USA, primary (forage) and secondary (animal) production from agroecosystems are constrained by bimodal (peaks in May and September) patterns of precipitation and severe water deficits accompanied by extreme heat in summer. Grazing stocker cattle on forages such as winter wheat is a major enterprise. Changing clim...

Herbaceous winter-hardy Hibiscus spp. in the section Muenchhusia, also known as rosemallows, are attractive ornamental plants found in temperate environments. These should not be confused with woody winter-hardy hibiscus (Hibiscus syriacus L. and related species) which have also been intensively used as ornamental shrubs. During the past 70 years,...

The effects of supplemental nitrate administered alone or with a denitrifying ruminal bacterium, designated Paenibacillus 79R4 (79R4) intentionally selected for enhanced nitrate- and nitrite-metabolizing ability, on select rumen fermentation characteristics was examined in vivo. Rumen and blood samples were collected from cannulated Holstein steers...

Eight previously cecally cannulated Quarter Horse geldings were utilized in a crossover design with two 28-d periods with a 21-d washout period between to evaluate the influence of housing on the cecal environment and dry matter intake (DMI). Horses were adapted to diet and housing from day 1 to 19, DMI was determined from day 20 to 24, and cecal f...

Frothy bloat is a serious digestive disorder in cattle (Bos taurus L.) grazing winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) pastures in the Southern Great Plains of the USA. Wheat plant metabolism may be one of the factors involved in bloat occurrence. In a series of experiments conducted during 2004–2007, we evaluated the effects of solar radiation intensi...

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness and accuracy of monitoring feeding behavior patterns using cumulative summation (CUSUM) procedures to predict the onset of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in beef cattle. Growing bulls (N = 231) on a 70-day growth and efficiency trial were used in this study. Between days 28 through 3...

Objectives were to determine if live yeast (LY) supplementation would impact daily dry matter feed intake (DMI), body weight (BW), immune and febrile responses to a viral-bacterial (VB) respiratory challenge. Crossbred heifers (N = 38, BW = 230 ± 16.4 kg) were allocated into a 2 × 2 factorial treatment arrangement: Factor 1 = roughage-based diet wi...

Our objective was to determine the effect of quebracho tannin extract (QT; Schinopsis balansae) within a high roughage diet upon digestibility and N balance. Use of natural compounds as rumen modulators has remained a critical area of research due to increased regulation upon feed additive use, environmental emissions, and consumer perception of th...

The response of the cecal microbial community to long-term concentrate grain feeding is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cecal microbiome during the adaptation period to two levels of dietary starch. Seven cecally cannulated Quarter horse geldings (497 to 580 kg) were utilized in a crossover design with two 28 d pe...

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the major annual crop in the Southern Great Plains of the USA grown as dual-purpose (forage and grain) crop. Wheat breeding has focused on maximizing grain yield and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Because of a lack of clearly defined selection criteria for breeding forage-type wheat, breeders usuall...

Objectives of this experiment were to examine the effects of live yeast (LY) supplementation on immunological, physiological and behavioral responses in steers experimentally challenged with Mannheimia haemolytica (MH). Thirty-six crossbred Angus steers (BW = 352 ± 23 kg) seronegative for MH were allocated within a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement: Fact...

Bos indicus typically perform better than Bos taurus when consuming a low-quality diet; however, the response to supplementation is generally greater in B. taurus. The underlying mechanisms supporting these responses have not been fully elucidated. Characterization of differences in rumen prokaryotic populations and their functional role in the two...

As the agricultural sector faces the challenge of feeding the world, improved whole-system efficiency will foster sustainability. This task, however, is difficult due to increased regulation of feed additives, environmental emissions, and consumer perception regarding the livestock industry. Hence, a global interest in natural compounds as rumen mo...

Experiment objectives were to determine if live yeast (LY) supplementation would impact immune and febrile responses to a viral-bacterial (VB) respiratory challenge. Thirty-eight crossbred Angus heifers (230 ± 16.4 kg) were allocated within a 2X2 factorial arrangement: Factor 1= roughage-based diet with or without LY (Saccharomyces cerevisiae boula...

The objective of this study was to determine bacterial community profiles of the equine cecum in response to abrupt inclusion of varying levels of dietary starch. Seven cecally cannulated Quarter Horse geldings (497 to 580 kg) were used in a crossover design with two 28-d periods and a 28-d washout between each. Horses were randomly assigned to die...

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.01971/abstract Summer dormancy is an evolutionary response that some perennial cool-season grasses adopted as an avoidance strategy to escape summer drought and heat. It is correlated with superior survival after severe summer droughts in many perennial grass species originating from Mediterra...

Little information is available comparing wheat forage varieties, rumen fermentation and biomass production for different wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars. A combination of grazing and in vitro experiments was conducted at Texas A & M (TAM) AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Vernon, TX from 2003 to 2004. Our objective was to determine th...

Objectives of this experiment were to determine if statistical process control (SPC) procedures coupled with remote collection of rumen temperature (RT) and feeding behavior (FB) patterns could accurately differentiate between animals experimentally inoculated with Mannheimia haemolytica (MH) or phosphate buffer solution (PBSo) and to determine if...

The objective of this study was to determine bacterial community profiles of the equine cecum in response to abrupt inclusion of varying levels of dietary starch. Seven cecally cannulated Quarter horse geldings (497 to 580 kg) were used in a crossover design with two 28-d periods and a 28-d washout between them. Horses were randomly assigned to die...

The dispersal of woody plant seeds by livestock has been implicated as one of the causes of woody plant encroachment in semiarid ecosystems worldwide. In the southern Great Plains, United States, cattle are suspected to have increased encroachment of the woody legume honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr.) because they are effective consumers of...

Frothy bloat is a serious metabolic disorder that affects stocker cattle grazing hard red winter wheat forage in the Southern Great Plains causing reduced performance, morbidity and mortality. We hypothesize that a microbial dysbiosis develops in the rumen microbiome of stocker cattle when grazing on high quality winter wheat pasture that predispos...

16S rDNA based relative abundance (in percentage) for bacterial populations at the genus level for each sample.

Mean and significant difference for microbial domains between bloat and non-bloated samples as identified from shotgun metagenomic data.

Mean and significant difference for bacterial phyla between bloat and non-bloated samples as identified from shotgun metagenomic data.

Mean and significant difference of the Subsystems functional pathways (level 1) between bloat and non-bloated samples.

Mean and significant difference of the Subsystems functional pathways (level 3) between bloat and non-bloated samples.

Functional metagenomic analysis of the bacterial community. The bacterial genera are represented at the bottom and KEGG functional categories at the right of the Figure. Higher the Odds ratio, higher the gene content in bloated samples. The colored tiles indicate the changes in gene content within each phylum between the bloated and non-bloated rum...

16S rDNA based bacterial OTUs that were significantly different between bloated and non-bloated rumen samples.

Mean and significant difference for archaeal genera between bloat and non-bloated samples as identified from shotgun metagenomic data.

16S rDNA based relative abundance (in percentage) for bacterial populations at the phylum level for each sample.

Mean and significant difference for bacterial genera between bloat and non-bloated samples as identified from shotgun metagenomic data.

The most abundant bacterial phyla retrieved from the 16S rDNA data from each bloated and non-bloated samples.

Methods to improve accuracy of preclinical detection of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) are needed to reduce the economic impact of this disease, improve animal welfare, and promote more judicious use of antimicrobials in beef cattle. The objectives of this study were to retrospectively characterize time-series deviations in DMI and feeding behavi...

Methods to improve accuracy of preclinical detection of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) are needed to reduce the economic impact of this disease, improve animal welfare, and promote more judicious use of antimicrobials in beef cattle. The objectives of this study were to retrospectively characterize time-series deviations in DMI and feeding behavi...

Nitrate and certain short chain nitrocompounds and nitro-oxy compounds are being investigated as dietary supplements to reduce economic and environmental costs associated with ruminal methane emissions. Thermodynamically, nitrate is a preferred electron acceptor in the rumen that consumes electrons at the expense of methanogenesis during dissimilat...

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the major source of high-quality winter forage for grazing cattle (Bos taurus L.) in the southern Great Plains of the United States. High concentrations of crude protein and soluble nitrogen fractions in wheat forage are often associated with frothy bloat conditions in cattle. The death loss of stocker cattle...

Climate change and extreme weather events are affecting agriculture, water supplies, ecosystems, energy use and the socio-economic system in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) of the USA and other semi-arid regions of the world. Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the crops with the ability to compensate for these weather extremes. Wheat is...

Abstract Foodborne pathogenic bacteria can live in the intestinal tract of food animals and can be transmitted to humans via food or indirectly through animal or fecal contact. Organic acid blend products have been used as nonantibiotic modifiers of the gastrointestinal fermentation of food animals to improve growth performance efficiency. However,...

Cattle consuming low-quality forages (LQF) require protein supplementation to increase forage utilization via ruminal fermentation. Biofuel production from algal biomass results in large quantities of postextraction algal residue (PEAR), which has the potential to elicit LQF utilization responses similar to cottonseed meal (CSM); however, its effec...

Campylobacter bacteria are foodborne pathogens that can colonize the gut of food animals. Limited in their ability to ferment sugars, Campylobacter can derive energy for growth via amino acid catabolism. The objectives of the present studies were to test whether supplemental distillers grains containing high amounts of rumen-undegradable intake pro...

Grazing steers on winter wheat forage is routinely practiced in the Southern Great Plains of the US. Here, we investigated the dynamics in bacterial populations of both solid and liquid ruminal fractions of steers grazing on maturing wheat forage of changing nutritive quality. The relationship between bacterial diversity and fermentation parameters...

Algal biomass has been identified as a third-generation biofuel. Significant quantities of the co-product, post-extraction algal residue ( PEAR: ), remain after lipid extraction. After extraction, PEAR is concentrated in protein (17.9% CP on a DM basis and 32.5% CP on an ash-free basis), suggesting it may be an alternative to cottonseed meal ( CSM:...

Abstract Text: Frothy bloat is a serious metabolic disorder that causes reduced performance or mortality in stocker cattle grazing hard red winter wheat forage in the Southern Great Plains. We hypothesized a dysbiosis to develop in the rumen microbiome of stocker cattle when grazed on high quality winter wheat pasture that predisposes them to fro...

Abstract Text: Responses in rumen microbiomes of Bos taurus and Bos indicussteers fed rice straw and supplemented protein Keywords: cattle, microbiome, supplementation Bos indicus typically perform better than Bos taurus when consuming a low-quality diet; however, the response to supplementation is generally greater in Bos taurus. The underlyin...

Two grazing experiments were designed to elucidate the shifts in rumen bacterial populations (Exp. 1) and grazing activities (Exp. 2) in wheat forage diet between bloated and nonbloated steers. In Exp. 1, the bacterial DNA density was greatest for Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Streptococcus bovis, and Eubacterium ruminantium among tested strains when...

Two experiments were conducted to 1) enumerate the effect of tannin supplementation on ADG, bloat frequency, in vitro gas, and biofilm and foam production, and 2) quantify the influence of tannin supplementation on ruminal bacterial populations of heifers grazing wheat forage. Twenty-six heifers (286 ± 26 kg) were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 treat...

Strategies are sought to reduce intestinal colonisation of food-producing animals by Campylobacter jejuni, a leading bacterial cause of human foodborne illness worldwide. Presently, we tested the antimicrobial activity of hydrolysable-rich blackberry, cranberry and chestnut tannin extracts and condensed tannin-rich mimosa, quebracho and sorghum tan...

Winter-hardy hibiscuses are herbaceous perennials in the mallow (Malvaceae) family that belong to six species native to the United States: H. coccineus Walter (scarlet rose mallow), H. dasycalyx S.F Blake and Shiller (Neches River rose mallow), H. grandiflorus Michx. (swamp rose mallow), H. laevis All. (halberdleaf rose mallow), H. lasiocarpos Cav....

‘Robert Brown’ is a new cultivar of winter hardy hibiscus (Hibiscus x moscheutos L.) with a unique combination of pink and white flower color, which has not been previously reported for this species. ‘Robert Brown is an inter-specific hybrid between two winter-hardy hibiscus species: H. coccineus (Medik.) Walter and H. moscheutos L. Plants are inte...

Frothy bloat is a serious digestive disorder in cattle (Bos taurus L.) grazing winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) forage in the southern Great Plains of the USA. Wheat plant metabolism is one of the factors involved in bloat. We determined diurnal and seasonal patterns of total phenolic accumulation and foam strength (a measure of bloat potential)...

Greater Roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus) are common, poorly studied birds of arid and semi-arid ecosystems in the southwestern United States. Conservation of this avian predator requires a detailed understanding of their movements and spatial requirements that is currently lacking. From 2006 to 2009, we quantified home-range and core area size...