USDA study shows benefits of weaning calves early

At the beginning of 2013, cattle ranchers in the Northern Plains were among U.S. agricultural producers still feeling the lingering effects of the sweltering 2012 drought, the worst in half a century.

Even for cows, less can be more

With little research on how nutrition affects reproductive performance in dairy cows, it is generally believed that a cow needs a higher energy intake before calving. Research by University of Illinois scientists challenges ...

Ant queens lay more eggs as they age

Ant queens get better at laying eggs as they get older, researchers report in the Apr. 11 issue of the open access journal PLoS ONE. Furthermore, this high egg-laying rate did not shorten the queens' life spans, as would ...

Older killer whales make the best mothers

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) nearing the menopause may be more successful in rearing their young. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers in Zoology shows that estimated survival rates for ...