WT Ag Professor Wins Grant to Continue Research into Critical Issue in Feedlot Cattle

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — A West Texas A&M University faculty member recently won a $300,000 grant to study ways to prevent liver abscesses in feedlot cattle.

Dr. Kendall Samuelson, associate professor of animal science in the Department of Agricultural Sciences in WT’s Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, was awarded $300,000 from the International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture, which will be matched by WT.

“Liver abscesses are a major concern for commercial beef producers and processors, but we still have a lot to learn about them,” Samuelson said. “Expanding our understanding of why and when they develop will help us improve liver abscess prevention strategies and promote judicious use of antibiotics.”

The ICASA grant will support Samuelson’s efforts to evaluate the differences in liver abscess development in feedlot cattle raised in conventional beef versus dairy management systems.

“Severe liver abscesses can decrease cattle growth, but also result in more liver condemnations, excess loss and reduced operational efficiency in the packing plant,” Samuelson said. “Our goal is to work hand in hand with our industry partners to complete research that develops solutions to these real-world problems.”

In 2022, Samuelson won a separate $266,748 grant to investigate such liver abscesses and their relationship to acids in the rumen, the first chamber of a cow’s four-chamber stomach.

“As crossbreeding beef and dairy cattle becomes more common in commercial dairies, the number of these animals entering the fed beef supply is increasing,” Samuelson said. “Management practices before feedlot arrival are drastically different for beef than dairy calves, so it is important to understand the influence that early life management of the animal has on the prevalence of liver abscesses.”

Liver abscesses often occur in feedlot cattle because they are fed a high-energy, low-roughage diet in order to reach the desired quality grades weight prior to slaughter. Finding ways to prevent these abnormalities ultimately has financial implications for feedlots.

WT is a leader in research into liver abscesses in feedlot cattle, dating back to the 1970s and increasing as the University continues to grow as a regional research university.

In 2022, Dr. Ty Lawrence, WT’s Caviness Davis Distinguished Chair in Meat Science and professor of animal science, and Dr. John Richeson, WT’s Paul Engler Professor of Beef Cattle Feedlot Management and associate professor of animal science, were guest editors of an issue of “Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice” that focused on liver abscesses.

Meeting area needs as a regional research university is the primary goal of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $150 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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