Midwest Animal Science Meeting to Highlight SDSU Research

South Dakota State University Department of Animal Science students and faculty will present their latest research and extension projects at the 2025 Midwest Section meeting of the American Society of Animal Science. 

This year’s meeting is March 9-12, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska, and will include student competitions, symposiums and presentations highlighting the research students and faculty are conducting. 

Graduate and undergraduate students share research results via oral and poster presentations during the annual conference, while also learning about other national and international animal science research.

The conference includes a full slate of research presentations spanning different livestock operations. In addition to the graduate student presentations, SDSU Department of Animal Science researchers and SDSU Extension specialists will present their latest findings on breeding, nutrition and growth performance of swine, beef cattle and sheep.  

The American Society of Animal Science Midwest section comprises South Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and Ohio from the U.S., along with the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and part of Ontario.

Oral presentations featuring SDSU and SDSU Extension researchers this year are: 

Monday, March 10

• Influence of maternal energy status during mid-gestation on pre-weaning and early post-weaning performance of beef calves, by Sydni Borders, Zachary Smith, Jameson Brennan, Ken Olson, Keith Underwood, Hector Menendez, III, Judson Grubbs, Christina Bakker and Amanda Blair, SDSU. Presented by Sydni Borders. 
• Maternal arginine supplementation during lactation improved suckling pig survivability independent of season, by Jorge Perez Palencia, Aryeri Bardales Castellanos and Crystal Levesque, SDSU; and Keith Haydon, CJ America-Bio. Presented by Jorge Perez Palencia.
• Winter-feeding high concentrate corn-based diet pre- and post-calving improves milk production in beef cows, by Megan Wehrbein, Grace Jardon, Hector Menendez, III, Warren Rusche, Zachary Smith, Ana Clara B. B. Menezes, SDSU. Presented by Megan Wehrbein. 
• Winter-feeding high concentrate diets minimizes the carbon footprint and improves water usage efficiency in cow/calf systems, Megan Wehrbein, Elias Valasquez Moreno, Hector Menendez III, Warren Rusche, Zachary Smith and Ana Clara B. B. Menezes, SDSU. Presented by Megan Wehrbein. 
• Substituting dried distillers grains and solubles with soybean meal in feedlot diets: Impacts on small intestinal amino acid flow and digestibility, by Grace Jardon, Zachary Smith, Warren Rusche and Ana Clara B. B. Menezes, SDSU; and Edeino Detmann, Federal University of Viçosa. Presented by Grace Jardon.
• Effect of dietary zinc sulfate in late gestation and lactation on sows and offspring performance, by Jessica Lira da Silva, Lauren Olson, Autumn Kramer, Jorge Yair Perez Palencia, Joseph Halbur and Eric Weaver. Presented by Jessica Lira da Silva.
• Effect of receiving period roughage inclusion and particle size on rumination activity in lightweight (193 kg initially) Angus × Holstein steers, by Becca Francis, Forest Francis, Justin Delver, Thiago Lauro Maia Ribeiro, Riley Leeson, Grace Olinger, Warren Rusche and Zachary Smith, SDSU. Presented by Becca Francis.
• Evaluation of high-moisture corn as a roughage source in finishing diets fed to beef steers, by Riley Leeson, Forest Francis, Justin Delver, Becca Francis, Grace Olinger, Thiago Ribeiro, Zachary Smith and Warren Rusche, SDSU. Presented by Riley Leeson. 
• Increased feeding duration of a forage-based diet to Angus/Holstein steers previously fed a grain-based starter alters feedlot receiving-period growth performance and biological responses, by Becca Francis, Forest Francis, Warren Rusche, Justin Delver, Thiago Lauro Maia Ribeiro, Riley Leeson, Grace Olinger and Zachary Smith, SDSU. Presented by Becca Francis.
• Impact of cover crop variety on ruminal microbiome composition of post-pasture grazing beef cows, by Mitchell Vander Wal and Benoit St-Pierre, SDSU. Presented by Mitchell Vander Wal.
• Assessing the impact of inorganic and organic dietary iron sources on the iron status of gestating and lactating hyper-prolific sows, by Katlyn McClellan, Abigail Morse, Elle Ploeger and Eric Weaver, SDSU; Joshua Jendza, Qualitech; and Yanbin Shen and Joe Crenshaw, APC. Presented by Katlyn McClellan.
• Weaning strategies in swine: assessing the impact of stall vs. conventional weaning methods on post-weaning outcomes, by Autumn Kramer, Katlyn McClellan and Eric Weaver, SDSU. Presented by Autumn Kramer.
• Assessing the impact of inorganic and organic dietary iron sources fed to hyper-prolific sows on the iron status of their offspring, by Abigail Morse, Katlyn McClellan and Eric Weaver, SDSU; Yanbin Shen and Joe Crenshaw, APC; and Joshua Jendza, Qualitech. Presented by Abigail Morse.

Tuesday, March 11

• An evaluation of soybean meal inclusion rate and replacement of dried distillers grains and solubles (DDGS) in pigs fed from wean to finish, by Joseph Halbur, Jessica Lira da Silva, Ryan Samuel, Robert Thaler and Eric Weaver, SDSU. Presented by Joseph Halbur. 
• An evaluation of high and low soybean inclusion levels in pelleted diets fed to pigs from wean to finish, by Joseph Halbur, Jessica Lira da Silva, Ryan Samuel, Robert Thaler and Eric Weaver, SDSU. Presented by Joseph Halbur.
• The effects of soybean meal, DDGS and amino acid supplementation on plasma amino acids in growing pigs, by Joseph Halbur, Lauren Olson, Ryan Samuel, Robert Thaler, Eric Weaver and Autumn Kramer, SDSU; Jinsu Hong, University of Minnesota; and Kristine Urschel, University of Kentucky. Presented by Joseph Halbur.
• Effects of a formulated botanical blend on growth performance in feedlot cattle: a pooled analysis, by Thiago Lauro Maia Ribeiro, Zachary Smith and Warren Rusche, SDSU; Jeff Heldt, Selko USA; Emma Wall, Nutreco; Shane Davis, Koers-Turgeon Consulting; and Blake Wilson and Natally Owen, Oklahoma State University. Presented by Thiago Lauro Maia Ribeiro.
• Effects of pulse feeding monensin: Growth performance evaluation on finishing beef steers, by Thiago Lauro Maia Ribeiro and Zachary Smith, SDSU. Presented by Thiago Lauro Maia Ribeiro.

Wednesday, March 12

• Strategic use of growth-promoting levels of dietary zinc and copper during nursery periods and its effect on pig growth performance until market, by Jessica Lira da Silva, Lauren Olson, Autumn Kramer, Jorge Yair Perez Palencia, Robert Thaler and Eric Weaver, SDSU. Presented by Jessica Lira da Silva. 
• Effects of yeast carbohydrates supplementation on post-wean fecal consistency and growth performance of pigs during the wean-to-finish period, by Andres Felipe Bolivar Sierra, Universidad de los Llanos; Rob Patterson, CBS Bio Platform; and Jorge Perez Palencia and Crystal Levesque, SDSU. Presented by Andres Felipe Bolivar Sierra.
• Effect of density on outdoor pigs’ growth performance and soil properties, by Jorge Perez Palencia, SDSU; Silvana Pietrosemoli, North Carolina State University; and Andres Felipe Bolivar Sierra, Sergio David Parra Gonzalez, Ivan Esteban Marino Guerrero, Victor Libardo Hurtado Nery, and Myriam Constanza Yunda Romero, Universidad de los Llanos. Presented by Andres Felipe Bolivar Sierra.
• Evaluation of restricted maximum intake on growth performance and carcass traits of finishing lambs fed a concentrate-based diet, by Justin Delver, Zachary Smith, Thiago Lauro Maia Ribeiro, Grace Olinger, Riley Leeson, Forest Francis, Becca Francis and Warren Rusche, SDSU. Presented by Justin Delver.
• The effects of intact soy protein, corn protein or amino acid supplementation on nitrogen retention in pigs, by Joseph Halbur, Ryan Samuel, Eric Weaver, SDSU; and Jinsu Hong – University of Minnesota. Presented by Joseph Halbur. 
• Experimental design, interpretation and data management across techniques, by Michael Galyean, Texas Tech University; and Zachary Smith, SDSU. Presented by Michael Galyean.
• The effect of limit feeding and delaying implanting until d-63 of the finishing period on growth performance and carcass characteristics of backgrounded beef steers weighing 478 kg initially, by Justin Delver, Warren Rusche, Becca Francis, Forest Francis, Riley Leeson, Thiago Lauro Maia Ribeiro, Grace Olinger and Zachary Smith, SDSU; and Logan Thompson, Kansas State University. Presented by Justin Delver.

Poster presentations featuring SDSU and SDSU Extension researchers:

• Effects of yeast carbohydrate products fed to gestating and lactating sows on sow and offspring performance, by Aryeri Bardales Castellanos, Jorge Perez Palencia and Crystal Levesque, SDSU; Andres Felipe Bolivar Sierra, Universidad de los Llanos; and Rob Patterson, CBS Bio Platform. 
• Effects of dietary protein and fiber concentration on nutrient digestibility, fermentation products, and microbiome profile in pigs fed a blend of branched-chain volatile fatty acids, by Ashir Atoo, Angie P. Benavides-Infante, Crystal Levesque and Jorge Perez Palencia, SDSU; Mike T. Socha and Lucas Alves Rodrigues, Zinpro Corporation.
• Differentiating nutritional value (energy and amino acids) of soybean meal from various origins fed to swine, by Alejandro Forero Salamanca, Angie Patricia Benavides Infante, Crystal Levesque and Jorge Perez Palencia, SDSU. 
• Follicular dynamics using variations of the 7&7 estrus synchronization protocol in beef cows, by Hunter Haberman, Franklin Even, Kendal Green, Riley Puck, Rylee Nelson, Cody Williams, Miles Hoffman, Rylan Ehret and Jessica Drum, SDSU. 
• Onset of estrus anticipated in beef cows subjected to the 7&7 protocol and its variations, by Riley Puck, Kendal Green, Hunter Haberman, Cody Williams and Jessica Drum, SDSU; and Silvio André Isler, Mato Grosso do Sul State University.
• Effect of different copper sources on growth performances in nursery pigs, by Daniel Rosales, Ryan Samuel and Eric Weaver, SDSU. 
• Interaction of phytase and diet on water usage and growth performance of grow-finish pigs, by Daniel Rosales, Ryan Samuel and Eric Weaver, SDSU.
• Weight variation of grow-finish pigs in commercial size pens, by Caitlyn Cantrall, Angel Martinez Rodriguez and Ryan Samuel, SDSU. 
• Weaning strategies in swine: Assessing the combined effects of zinc oxide supplementation and stall vs. traditional weaning methods on post-weaning outcomes, by Autumn Kramer, Katlyn McClellan and Eric Weaver, SDSU.
• Assessing the impact of zinc oxide supplementation vs. no zinc oxide supplementation in nursery pigs two weeks post-weaning, by Kynna Crawford, Katlyn McClellan and Eric Weaver, SDSU.