Groups of 9 or 10 cows were assigned to one of three treatments 1) machine-milking three times daily, 2) machine-milking six times daily, and 3) suckling three times daily in addition to machine- milking three times daily. Treatments were conducted during the first 6 wk postpartum; thereafter, all cows were milked three times daily. During treatment, milk production was highest for suckled cows and lowest for cows milked three times daily. The DMI were similar for suckled cows and cows milked three times daily but higher for those milked six times daily. Body weight loss was greatest for suckled cows and least for cows milked three times daily. During wk 7 to 18 postpartum, cows milked six times daily exhibited a carry-over effect on milk production that was greater than that of other groups, During treatment, plasma growth hormone and IGF-I concentrations were elevated for suckled cows and, to a lesser extent, for cows milked six times daily. Prolactin and oxytocin similarly increased, but insulin decreased in suckled cows and, to a lesser extent, in cows milked six times daily. Posttreatment differences persisted for insulin and IGF-I, but not for the other hormones. Increased frequency of udder emptying increased milk production, and suckling was superior to machine-milking. High milk production was associated with elevated growth hormone, IGF-I, prolactin, and oxytocin, although cause and effect could not be established. The failure of suckled cows to increase feed intake to match output requires further investigation.

Ninety-three giant Queensland grouper, Epinephelus lanceolatus (Bloch), were found dead in Queensland, Australia, from 2007 to 2011. Most dead fish occurred in northern Queensland, with a peak of mortalities in Cairns in June 2008. In 2009, sick wild fish including giant sea catfish, Arius thalassinus (Rüppell), and javelin grunter, Pomadasys kaakan (Cuvier), also occurred in Cairns. In 2009 and 2010, two disease epizootics involving wild stingrays occurred at Sea World marine aquarium. Necropsy, histopathology, bacteriology and PCR determined that the cause of deaths of 12 giant Queensland grouper, three wild fish, six estuary rays, Dasyatis fluviorum (Ogilby), one mangrove whipray, Himantura granulata (Macleay), and one eastern shovelnose ray, Aptychotrema rostrata (Shaw), was Streptococcus agalactiae septicaemia. Biochemical testing of 34 S. agalactiae isolates from giant Queensland grouper, wild fish and stingrays showed all had identical biochemical profiles. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of isolates confirmed all isolates were S. agalactiae; genotyping of selected S. agalactiae isolates showed the isolates from giant Queensland grouper were serotype Ib, whereas isolates from wild fish and stingrays closely resembled serotype II. This is the first report of S. agalactiae from wild giant Queensland grouper and other wild tropical fish and stingray species in Queensland, Australia.

The effects of concentrate to forage ratio and sodium bicarbonate (buffer) supplementation on intake, ruminal fermentation characteristics, digestibility coefficients, milk yield, and milk composition were examined in 4 cannulated Holstein cows (100 +/- 20 d in milk). A 4 x 4 Latin square design with 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was implemented for 3-wk experimental periods. The 4 treatments were a 50:50 concentrate to forage ratio with 1.2% of dry matter (DM) and without added buffer and a 75:25 concentrate to forage ratio with (1.2% of DM) and without (0% of DM) buffer. The forage component of the ration was a 50:50 mixture of alfalfa and barley and triticale silage, and diets were fed ad libitum as a total mixed ration. Although feed intake was not influenced by treatments, substantial treatment differences were observed for milk yield and milk composition. Cows fed high-concentrate diet had lower ruminal pH, ruminal acetate, and butyrate concentrations, whereas propionate concentrations were significantly elevated. The addition of buffer, at both levels of concentrate inclusion, resulted in elevated total volatile fatty acids and acetate concentrations. We concluded that altering the forage concentrate ratio in the diet of lactation cows influenced milk yield and milk composition, but the addition of buffer to the diet prevented the elevation in trans-C18:1 fatty acids in milk fat, and related milk fat depression, associated with feeding high-concentrate diets.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in extraordinary declines in human mobility, which, in turn, may affect wildlife. Using records of more than 4.3 million birds observed by volunteers from March to May 2017-2020 across Canada and the United States, we found that counts of 66 (80%) of 82 focal bird species changed in pandemic-altered areas, usually increasing in comparison to prepandemic abundances in urban habitat, near major roads and airports, and in counties where lockdowns were more pronounced or occurred at the same time as peak bird migration. Our results indicate that human activity affects many of North America's birds and suggest that we could make urban spaces more attractive to birds by reducing traffic and mitigating the disturbance from human transportation after we emerge from the pandemic.

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