K-State to Host Calving Schools in December and January

Dec 11, 2025

In anticipation of calving season, Kansas State University’s Department of Animal Sciences and Industry and K-State Research & Extension are planning a series of calving schools beginning this month and continuing through January. A.J. Tarpoff, K-State extension beef veterinarian, said the events aim to increase knowledge and practical skills, as well as increase the number of live calves born if they need assistance.

The program will include stages of the normal calving process and tips for handling difficult situations, such as when to assist the cow or heifer. Presenters also will demonstrate proper use of calving equipment on a life-size cow and calf model.

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Video: What Happens When Pigs Adapt to High Soybean Meal Diets? - Gustavo Lima

In this special rerun episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Gustavo Lima, PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University, discusses how grow-finish pigs respond to high soybean meal diets. He explains the initial drop in feed intake, changes in backfat, later adaptation, energy efficiency, amino acid utilization, and the rise in nitrogen excretion at higher inclusion levels. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/jas/article/...

“Once they got adapted to the diet, they can handle higher levels of inclusion of soybean meal.”

Meet the guest: Gustavo Lima / gustavo-lima-a9867127 is a PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University whose work focuses on swine nutrition, ingredient characterization, energy metabolism, caloric efficiency, and applied data analysis. With more than 15 years of experience in swine production across Latin America, Gustavo also brings expertise in environmental control, performance evaluation, barn ventilation, and grow-finish housing. Learn more from Gustavo Lima on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.