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When Should We Be Concerned About Vitamin a Supplementation?

By  Lawton Stewart

Vitamins are a unique dietary component for beef cattle and are categorized into two groups: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Bacteria in the rumen synthesize water-soluble vitamins (e.g. B12, thiamin, niacin). Therefore, supplementation is generally not needed as long as the rumen if functioning properly. This leaves the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). Of these, Vitamin A is considered the most important when feeding cattle.

What is Vitamin A and why is it important?
Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is a compound that is essential for growth, reproduction, maintenance of body tissue, and bone development. Technically, Vitamin A is not . 

Source : osu.edu

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Season 7, Episode 5: Understanding Hog Trailer Contamination and Re-Contamination

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Biosecurity and foreign animal disease preparedness extends beyond the farm. This episode looks at the risk of contamination on hog trailers as pigs move from different parts of the state to harvest plants.

Dr. Cesar Corzo, associate professor at the University of Minnesota and leman chair for swine health and productivity, and Lucas Ferreira, research assistant and PhD student at the university, discuss how their trailer research got started, how trailers can be exposed to pathogens and where contamination can occur during the transportation process. They also discuss trailer washing, PPE and opportunities to break the chain of contamination and strengthen transportation biosecurity.