The discovery has the potential to reduce reliance on antibiotics and ultimately help combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance in both humans and animals, said Adrian Barragan, associate research professor and extension veterinarian at Penn State and co-lead author on the paper.

The findings are particularly significant for the organic dairy industry where antibiotic use is restricted, he added, and may also pave the way for future studies in humans on the use of sugar-based formulations for uterine infections such as endometritis.

“The disease is an infection of the uterus that occurs after calving and it’s one of the top diseases that affect dairy cattle in the United States,” said Erika Ganda, assistant professor of food animal microbiomes at Penn State and co-lead author on the study. “We treat cows with antibiotics only when necessary to ensure their welfare, following strict withdrawal periods to prevent residues in milk. Minimizing antibiotic use helps reduce the risk of resistant bacteria that can impact farm workers, families and communities. Antimicrobial resistance in human and veterinary medicine is a growing public health concern, so the main goal of this research was to test an antibiotic-free alternative option against the current gold standard for treating this prevalent disease.”

The study compared two treatments for a common uterine infection, called clinical metritis, that can lead to serious health problems for dairy cows. The condition is typically treated using systemic antibiotics, like ceftiofur, which are effective in treating the condition, but may contribute to the growing antimicrobial resistance in food-producing animals.

“We have been searching for alternative therapies that can effectively treat metritis without relying on antibiotics,” Barragan said. “We asked two main questions when studying an alternative: Do the animals get cured with this treatment? And do treated animals have similar performance? Although the alternative treatment had the same clinical cure rate as the antibiotics, the answer wasn’t as clear cut as expected since performance between treatment groups differed based on disease severity.”

The study focused on using intrauterine dextrose, a sugar solution, as a possible alternative treatment. Dextrose has been extensively studied in animal and human clinical research for its ability to plasmolyze harmful bacteria, essentially the strong sugar solution pulls water out of the bacteria, causing them to dry out and die, Barragan explained. The approach had shown some promise in human wound healing, but previous studies in cattle yielded mixed results.

“We were hopeful that we would find positive results, but we were definitely not expecting to find that both treatments worked similarly for mild cases of metritis,” Barragan said. “That was a very exciting discovery.”

To investigate the effectiveness of dextrose, the researchers conducted a study on a dairy farm in central Pennsylvania. They enrolled 77 cows diagnosed with clinical metritis and randomly assigned them to one of two treatment groups: intrauterine dextrose or systemic ceftiofur. The researchers then monitored the cows’ recovery and analyzed their uterine microbial communities using advanced DNA sequencing to better understand the overall health of their microbiomes.

Although the sample size was not ideal for assessing clinical cure rate, Barragan said, the results suggested that both treatments had similar clinical cure rates, meaning dextrose could be just as effective as antibiotics in treating mild metritis cases.

Additionally, the analysis of the cows’ microbiomes revealed that dextrose does not significantly disrupt the bacterial balance of bacteria in the reproductive tract, unlike antibiotics, which can alter microbial communities and potentially impact the long-term health of the cow, Ganda explained.

Further research is needed to understand the full potential of dextrose as an alternative to antibiotic treatment, Barragan said, but one day that potential could even extend to treating humans.

“Our findings may be applicable for reproductive disease in human medicine,” he said. “In fact, we were inspired by medical literature and sugar-based wound treatments for people.”

The other Penn State authors on the paper are Jennine Lection, who earned a doctoral degree from Penn State and is currently an assistant professor at North Carolina State University; Emily Van Syoc, postdoctoral scholar; Asha Miles, former postdoctoral research associate who is currently a research geneticist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Julia Hamilton, undergraduate student; Marcela Martinez, research technologist; and Justin Silverman, assistant professor of statistics and of medicine and faculty fellow of the Institute for Computational and Data Science. Santiago Bas of the Germany-based feed company Phytobiotics Futterzusatzstoffe GmbH also contributed to the paper.

The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hatch Appropriations, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and the National Institutes of Health funded this research.

–Adrienne Berard
Penn State

The post New Treatment for Dairy Cows Could Help Fight Antibiotic Resistance, Study Finds appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

I hope all of you will be able to look back on the year’s greatness. Put your pencil to paper as you consider all you learned from 2024; some very important lessons were sprinkled in there.

To give time for reflection and enjoyment this holiday season, we will not be sending out our daily emails the week between Christmas and New Year’s. The Morning Ag Clips’ daily email will resume on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

There will still be news articles published on our site, so make sure to stay up-to-date by going to morningagclips.com. Every day there will be something new, and there will be an editor watching for breaking ag news every day. But like you, we all need a break, and the only way to get it is to be extremely intentional about it, so we are!

Here’s to you, your family, and a prosperous and healthy New Year! We will see you in 2025!

With love,
Kate

The post Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

On February 4, Vegetable Day will take place at Jordan Hall, Geneva Experimental Station. This event will feature a diverse program designed to offer insights and education to industry professionals. Attendees will benefit from six engaging presentations, with three speakers scheduled in the morning and three in the afternoon, offering a balanced perspective from farmers and extension experts. Continuing Education Credits (CECs) for pesticide certification will also be available, making this a vital opportunity for professional development.

On February 5, the Becker Forum will take center stage, focusing on key issues and trends shaping the industry’s future. This forum provides a unique platform for thought-provoking discussions and valuable networking opportunities.

More details on presentation topics and speakers will be shared soon. Be sure to save the date and plan to attend! For any questions, please contact nysvegtebalegrowers@gmail.com.

—New York State Vegetable Growers Association

The post Save the Date: Don’t Miss Vegetable Day 2025! appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) President and CEO Barbara O’Brien pointed to a collective effort of national and local teams that delivered results this year.

“The checkoff is working, and we have achieved a lot in building the next chapter of our history,” said O’Brien, who outlined “now, next and future” checkoff strategies at this year’s joint annual meeting. “This success was made possible by the dedication and hard work of everyone across the checkoff federation. This was a strong year of results as we continue to work with and through others to catalyze action against our trust- and sales-building priorities.”

Checkoff-led highlights from 2024 include:

Increasing Dairy Access in Schools

A partnership provided hot chocolate milk to students during a pilot with Chartwells K12, which serves more than 2 million meals daily at 700 school districts. National Dairy Council (NDC) and Chartwells launched the Hot Chocolate Milk program in 58 schools, which features hot chocolate milk – with toppings such as cinnamon and peppermint – served during breakfast and lunch.

Another school pilot offered lactose-free chocolate milk and increased consumption and reached students who weren’t drinking milk because of real or perceived lactose intolerance. NDC and American Dairy Association Mideast worked with Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) to offer the country’s first single-serve lactose-free chocolate milk program. When compared to the rest of the district, the pilot schools experienced a 16-percent increase in milk consumption. The pilot was so successful that CPS is offering lactose-free chocolate milk in all schools.

Partnerships Growing Sales

The checkoff’s longstanding strategy of working with and through powerful partners continues to deliver results. For example, the checkoff supported Domino’s with its launch of cheese-centric items, including the New York Style Pizza and five-cheese mac and cheese.

This strategy of working with pizza partners also continues to find success internationally, a key tactic to reach the 95% of the world’s population that lives outside of the United States. DMI’s partnership with Pizza Hut Japan led to the chain announcing a permanent 30% increase of cheese use on all pizzas.

Other partnership innovations included working with General Mills to create YoBark, a yogurt-based snack designed to give families a tasty option and expand yogurt’s presence in the snacking category.

Sharing The Science of Dairy

One emerging research area is dairy’s impact on the first 1,000 days of life – encompassing pregnancy through a child’s second birthday. This is a critical period for brain development, which is impacted by nutrition and dairy can significantly support cognitive development, thanks to nutrients including iodine and choline. Checkoff organizations nationally and locally teamed with MilkPEP to elevate awareness and understanding of dairy’s contributions with expecting mothers and parents seeking nutrition guidance.

NDC also showed its ability to convene thought leaders when it hosted more than 100 national and international health and wellness experts for a two-day scientific conference addressing the dairy matrix, the concept of exploring the unique nutrient, non-nutrient and molecular compositions of dairy foods. Among the meeting attendees were representatives and speakers from major health professional organizations leading universities and organizations.

Supporting Dairy’s Sustainability Legacy

 The checkoff is focused on deepening its knowledge and attracting the investment in research on practices and technologies that work from a mitigation standpoint, and tools and resources to support adoption. DMI is tracking more than $29 million in additional investment from partners for pilot projects and research that empower sustainability action. One example is the Greener Cattle Initiative, a collaboration which announced a second round $5 million funding for enteric methane mitigation research.

The checkoff launched the Dairy Conservation Navigator, a resource hub designed to provide farm advisors, stakeholders and conservation professionals with science-based information on sustainable practices and technologies. Checkoff scientists and others developed a list of 80-plus practices that have a positive environmental benefit.

Checkoff Sparking Innovation

 The checkoff showcased dairy innovation and its nutrition package to 70,000 people attending Natural Products Expo West, the leading trade show in the natural, organic and healthy products industry. DMI unveiled its www.InnovateWithDairy.com tool, which serves as a one-stop shop for anyone seeking information about dairy innovation.

DMI also kept its focus on future innovators with its New Product Competition. A University of Minnesota team took first with a creamy Norwegian-style, whey-based cheese spread.

More checkoff results, including financial reports, can be found at www.dairycheckoff.com.

About Dairy Management Inc.

Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) is funded by America’s more than 26,000 dairy farmers, as well as dairy importers. Created to help increase sales and demand for dairy products, DMI and its related organizations work to increase demand for dairy through research, education and innovation, and to maintain confidence in dairy foods, farms and businesses. DMI manages National Dairy Council and the American Dairy Association, and founded the U.S. Dairy Export Council, and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

–Dairy Management Inc.

The post 2024 Checkoff Highlights Drive Sales, Trust, Innovation for Dairy Industry appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

ACEP helps landowners, land trusts, and other entities protect, restore, and enhance wetlands or protect farmland and ranchland through conservation easements. ACEP has two components:

• Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) help private and tribal landowners, land trusts, and state and local governments to protect croplands and grasslands on working farms and ranches through conservation easements. Ag land easements can protect the long-term viability of Rhode Island’s food supply by preventing conversion of productive farmland to non-agricultural uses. Easements are crucial to protecting farmland from urban encroachment. Easements also can be used to protect floodplains, grasslands, and forests, providing public benefits like carbon sequestration, water quality, historic preservation, wildlife habitat, and open space protection.
• Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) help private and tribal landowners protect, restore, and enhance wetlands that have been previously degraded by agricultural uses. Wetland easements enhance and protect habitat for wildlife, reduce flooding impacts, recharge groundwater, protect biological diversity, and provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. NRCS provides technical and financial assistance directly to private and tribal landowners to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands by purchasing easements, and eligible landowners can choose to enroll in a permanent or 30-year easement.

NRCS accepts applications for conservation programs year-round but sets specific ranking dates to evaluate applications for funding. These dates account for farmer needs, staff workload and ensure potential participants have ample opportunity to apply. Applications for ACEP Ag Land Easements or Wetland Reserve Easements that meet eligibility and ranking criteria that are received by Jan. 17, 2025, will be considered for the third round of fiscal year 2025 funding.

Applications received after these ranking dates will be automatically deferred to the next funding period. Call or visit your local NRCS Field Office or Conservation District Office (see listing below) for more information.

–USDA NRCS Rhode Island

The post Preserve Rhode Island’s Ag Lands and Wetlands with USDA Conservation Easements appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

“Voluntary staff contributions, along with a match approved by Farm Credit East’s board of directors, provides staff the opportunity to give to local community initiatives,” said Craig Pollock, Farm Credit East senior vice president and Farm Credit East Cares coordinator.

39 northeast organizations received funds resulting from 2024 employee contributions. Recipients included food banks and hunger relief efforts, youth and agricultural education programs such as 4-H, community and health support organizations, and programs to enrich the agriculture community.

“Farm Credit East Cares continues to make a meaningful impact in our local communities,” continued Pollock. “Initiated by our employees, I’m humbled each year by our team’s generosity to support important causes that make a difference in both rural and urban communities.”

The Farm Credit East Cares Community Fund was established by Farm Credit East employees who raise contributions with a Farm Credit East match. The Fund’s primary intent is to provide support for farm families and organizations impacted by disasters. Earlier this year, Farm Credit East Cares contributed $20,000 to relief organizations providing support to Southeast producers following the aftermath of October’s devastating hurricanes. Since 2011, Farm Credit East Cares has donated more than $1.5 million.

Farm Credit East is a member-owned cooperative serving businesses involved in agriculture, forest products and commercial fishing throughout its eight-state territory of New York, New Jersey and New England. In addition to loans and leases, the organization offers a full range of specialized financial services. Farm Credit East is governed by a 16-person board of directors, comprised of 13 customer-elected, one customer appointed and two outside appointed directors. For more information, visit FarmCreditEast.com.  

–Farm Credit East

The post Farm Credit East Cares Donates $110,000 to Northeast Charitable Organizations appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

Qualifications for each of the three awards being presented include:

Dairy Producer(s) of the Year: Presented to an active dairy producer whose primary source of income is derived from his or her dairy enterprise. This producer excels in efficient production and the breeding of quality dairy animals while incorporating progressive management practices. Award recipient’s community, government, marketing and World Dairy Expo involvement will also be considered.

Industry Person(s) of the Year: This award is presented in recognition of an individual’s excellence in research, development, education, marketing, manufacturing or other fields, which are a part of an industry or institution that provides goods or services to the dairy industry. A resident of the United States, this award recipient may be an active dairy producer whose primary achievements are industry focused.

International Person(s) of the Year: Living primarily outside of the United States, the individual who receives this award will be recognized for his or her contribution to international research, development, education, marketing, manufacturing or other fields, that are a part of an industry or institution that provides goods or services to the international dairy industry.

The nomination form is available at worlddairyexpo.com or by contacting the Expo office at 608-224-6455 or wde@wdexpo.com. The individuals selected to receive these prestigious awards will be recognized on Wednesday, October 1 during World Dairy Expo 2025 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis.

Serving as the meeting place of the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo is the premier forum for the global dairy community to learn, share, create commerce and showcase competition. The annual event will return to Madison, Wis. September 30 – October 3, 2025, where dairy producers near and far can experience the world’s largest dairy-focused trade show, a world-class dairy cattle show, attend seminars, meetings and presentations highlighting the latest and greatest in the industry and connect with other producers. Download the World Dairy Expo mobile app, visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow WDE on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Spotify, or YouTube for more information.

–World Dairy Expo

The post World Dairy Expo Accepting Nominations for 2025 Recognition Awards appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

Employee performance is the “Achille’s heel” of the dairy industry. Also, it exacerbates the struggle to find people willing to do the daily jobs that power dairy farms. How do we solve these challenges? Robert Hagevoort, the webinar presenter, urges dairy producers to manage their current talent. It is a mindset shift from finding the right person to developing them.

Go to: https://bit.ly/DCRCFeb3Hagevoort to register for this DCRC webinar. If you are a DCRC member and cannot attend the live program, you may access the webinar at www.dcrcouncil.org by Feb. 17.

Hagevoort, a native of The Netherlands, started working at NMSU in 2005. Prior to that time, he spent more than 10 years working as an independent dairy management consultant – primarily in California’s Southern and Central Valley. As an extension specialist, he has been working closely with the dairy industry in New Mexico and across the West regarding many regulatory and environmental issues. A key component of his current program is the development and implementation of a comprehensive dairy workforce training and safety program. A great deal of his time is spent working individually with dairies and collectively with producer associations on implementing and evaluating comprehensive workforce training programs in dairy safety, animal handling, parlor performance, calf care, feeder performance and hospital and maternity care. A recent direction, because of expressed producer needs, is a focus on the development of effective middle-manager training programs.

Veterinarians may earn one Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) credit for attending this DCRC webinar. To learn more about this opportunity, contact JoDee Sattler at: jodee@dcrcouncil.org.

For more information about DCRC’s webinars, e-mail Caio Figueiredo, DCRC Education Committee chair, at: caio.figueiredo@wsu.edu or e-mail DCRC at: jodee@dcrcouncil.org.

The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council is focused on bringing together all sectors of the dairy industry – producers, consultants, academia and allied industry professionals – for improved reproductive performance. DCRC provides an unprecedented opportunity for all groups to work together to take dairy cattle reproduction to the next level.

–Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council

The post DCRC’s February 3 Webinar Addresses Employee Training and Retention appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

With record soybean and corn harvests, profitable storage options and recovering export demand, the landscape is shifting. Learn how ethanol production and renewable diesel demand are driving the market, despite challenges from trade policies and global competition.

This webinar is part of Farm Credit East’s Insights and Perspectives series, which includes webinars and outlook papers for the diverse sectors of Northeast agriculture and forest products. Visit FarmCreditEast.com/CashGrain to read the 2025 grain and oilseed outlook report.

This outlook webinar taking place on January 6 is free to attend. You do not need to be a Farm Credit East or Horizon Farm Credit customer to attend. Learn more at FarmCreditEast.com/Webinars. Contact Chris Laughton at (800) 562-2235 or Chris.Laughton@farmcrediteast.com for more information.

Farm Credit East is a member-owned cooperative serving businesses involved in agriculture, forest products and commercial fishing throughout its eight-state territory of New York, New Jersey and New England. In addition to loans and leases, the organization offers a full range of specialized financial services. Farm Credit East is governed by a 16-person board of directors, comprised of 13 customer-elected, one customer appointed and two outside appointed directors. For more information, visit FarmCreditEast.com.  

Horizon Farm Credit is a member-owned agricultural lending cooperative, providing short-, intermediate- and long-term financing and related services to full- and part-time farmers, agricultural-related businesses and rural landowners. It serves Delaware, Pennsylvania, and parts of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. The Association has more than 22,600 members and over $7.0 billion in loans outstanding. Learn more at horizonfc.com.

–Farm Credit East

The post Farm Credit Presents 2025 Grain and Oilseed Outlook Webinar appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

The group of official judges for the 58^th World Dairy Expo is as follows:

International Ayrshire Show

Official: Gregory Evans, Georgetown, N.Y.

International Brown Swiss Show

Official: Allyn “Spud” Paulson, Rockford, Ill.

International Guernsey Show

Official: Mark Rueth, Oxford, Wis.

International Holstein Show

Official: Aaron Eaton, Marietta, N.Y.

International Junior Holstein Show

Official: Pierre Boulet, Montmagny, Quebec, Canada

International Jersey Show

Official: Kelly Barbee, Concord, N.C.

International Milking Shorthorn Show

Official: Mike Maier, Stitzer, Wis.

International Red & White Show

Official: Adam Hodgins, Kincardine, Ontario, Canada

Serving as the meeting place of the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo is the premier forum for the global dairy community to learn, share, create commerce and showcase competition. The annual event will return to Madison, Wis. September 30 – October 3, 2025, where dairy producers near and far can experience the world’s largest dairy-focused trade show, a world-class dairy cattle show, attend seminars, meetings and presentations highlighting the latest and greatest in the industry and connect with other producers. Download the World Dairy Expo mobile app, visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow WDE on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Spotify, or YouTube for more information.

–World Dairy Expo

The post World Dairy Expo Announces Official Judges for 2025 appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.