Progress 04/01/24 to 06/12/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience that we have reached and will continue to reach with this project includes individuals working in the fields of animal agriculture, stress physiology, and meat production. In the 1st year of this project, our efforts to reach this target audience have included presenting scientific talks and posters at the annual national meeting for the American Society of Animal Science and at multiple local and regional meetings. Data and information about this project were also presented to scientific audiences at the W4173 and NC1184 multistate meetings. Changes/Problems:Problems/Issues: We have not encountered any major issues. As a result, the project remains on schedule. Changes: I was recently offered and accepted a faculty position at North Dakota State University. Per the advice of the NIFA Program Officers, I am requesting that the funding award for this project be transferred to a standard grant. This request has the support of both UNL and NDSU, and I have been in communication with the Program Officers. Because of the nature of the project, the requested transition is not expected to have more than a minimal effect on our progress. Moreover, my fellowship advisor has committed in writing to his continued support of the project to its successful completion, as needed. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?As a post-doctoral trainee, I have gained broad experiences in specific areas of live-animal research, including new experiences with beef cattle. Moreover, I have gained critical experiences in managing all aspects of a large-scale, team-driven research project. In addition to the specific components described above, this opportunity has allowed me to see firsthand how a properly-designed research project will build upon the previous project and lead into the next project of the research stream. I have also gained a better understanding of factors that should go into the decision-making associated with different areas of the project. Under the mentorship of experts, I have experienced to some degree each of the components for independent research described in my training plan in this early reporting period. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The objectives of the project have been described in local and regional seminars and to stakeholders such as the Nebraska Sheep & Goat Producers Association via ongoing extension activities. This has helped in the vetting process for the project and has helped to reassure the value of our project goals. As indicated in the project narrative of the application, we expect the major products of the project (species-specific allostatic load indexes) to be ready for broad dissemination in later reporting periods. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, we will request that the project be moved to a standard grant, but we do not anticipate this to have any major effects on the research accomplishments or timeline of the next reporting period. Our plan for the next period is to test the ability of our initial predictive indexes to accurately and reliably identify individual animals that were highly vulnerable to heat stress as indicated by their health status and growth performance. We will then be positioned to revise our indexes as needed and begin designing the next project to test the final indexes under broader stress conditions.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Research Accomplishments: Objective 1. Determine allostatic load indexes that effectively identify finishing lambs at high risk for poor performance during chronic heat stress. Blood samples and behavioral indicators have been collected from all control and heat-stressed animals needed for the completion of this study (72 total sheep). During this 1st reporting period, we assessed the first 20 biomarkers from our initial list of 26 parameters. We also developed critical syntax templates for assessing each biomarker and determining its inclusion/exclusion from the allostatic load index. From this early progress, examples of promising indicators include circulating HSP70 and lactate, to name a few. Conversely, circulating glucose and carbon dioxide are examples of biomarkers that show little promise as allostatic load indicators in sheep. Objective 2. Determine allostatic load indexes that identify feedlot steers at high risk for heat stress susceptibility. Like the 1st objective, all biological samples and performance data from the required 48 beef steers were collected in this initial reporting period. Moreover, we analyzed about one-third of our candidate biomarkers. Initial correlation analyses were performed, and initial predictive indexes were created using an approach similar to the one used for sheep in Objective 1. We have begun the process of assessing the fit of individual candidate biomarkers, which positions us to begin testing the quality of our predictive indexes in our heat-stressed livestock steers over the next reporting period. Training Accomplishments: As part of this fellowship project, I gained guided experience in numerous areas that will increase my success as an independent researcher. Specific areas include: a. Project management, including procurement of animals and other necessary resources, assuring compliance with university, state, and federal oversight, developing effective schedules and timelines, and fulfilling reporting and communication obligations. b. Budget management, including coordinating with USDA and UNL business office personnel to ascertain information, seeking cost effective options for resources and maintaining appropriate supply reserves, and keeping up-to-date records and reports. c. Training of personnel, including arranging the necessary manpower for each component of the project, teaching new personnel necessary techniques and approaches, and advising senior personnel on how to best ensure safety for all individuals and animals involved. d. Laboratory techniques, including identification, development, and validation of new assays for sheep and cattle bio samples. e. Approaches to statistical analysis, including broad correlation and regression models, predictive algorithms, and testing of statistical assumptions. f. Live-animal research techniques, including skeletal muscle and adipose biopsies, ultrasound estimates of muscle size, beef cattle husbandry and nutrition, breaking/training, and facilities upkeep. Summary: The findings from this early reporting period help to establish the fundamental basis for using allostatic load index to identify the most stress-susceptible individuals in a livestock herd or flock. They also provide critical initial information regarding the effectiveness/ineffectiveness of specific biomarkers as index components. Most importantly, they set the project up for initial testing of our first few predictive indexes under real heat-stress conditions in the next reporting period.

Publications