Our goal is to provide local sheep producers with the tools and expertise to use chilled semen artificial insemination (AI) as a tool on their farms. Currently, most lambs in Maine are produced through natural breeding with on-farm rams. AI has many advantages over natural breeding that will increase animal health and farm profit, including […]
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Endophyte-infected forages consumed by beef cattle and other livestock can cause lameness, poor gains, reduced milk production and abortion. The economic impact on Maine’s $142 Million livestock industry could be high. Cattle fed endophyte-infected forages could experience 34% reduction in pregnancy rates, 50% reduction in average daily gains or 50% reduction in milk production. In […]
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Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi), causes potentially fatal respiratory disease in horses, and Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) causes potentially fatal infections in humans. A study was undertaken to determine the survival of these organisms in equine compost. Compost piles of equine bedding and feed waste were inoculated with S. zooepidemicus and samples […]
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