August 10, 2022 Issue, Page 4 of 10

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4- The Elk City News Agriculture August 10, 2022 OSU research aims to save billions for beef industry that play into the discolor- color change to develop stor- ation of beef, pork and chick- age strategies and other deci- en by researching the proper- sion-making tools. ties in each of these meats that OSU Ag Research is Okla- cause different oxygen levels, homa’s premier research and pH conditions and tempera- technology development ture, In collaboration with the agency in agriculture, natural OSU Department of Chemis- resources and the life sciences. try, they are also developing Oklahoma State University, electrochemical sensors that as an equal opportunity employ- can check antioxidant levels in er, complies with all applicable beef extracts to determine if federal and state laws regarding the beef will turn brown more non-discrimination and affir- quickly. mative action. Oklahoma State Meanwhile, Ramanathan, University is committed to a pol- Mafi and Daging Piao of the OSU College of Engineering, icy of equal opportunity for all Architecture and Technology individuals and does not discrim- are attempting to develop a inate based on race, religion, age, method to detect meat dis- sex, color, national origin, marital coloration internally before status, sexual orientation, gender it reaches the surface of the identity/expression, disability, or Oklahoma State University scientists aim to help save the beef industry money through their research on the discol- meat. The two scientists and veteran status with regard to em- oration of meat. (Photo by Todd Johnson, OSU Agricultural Communications Services) their colleagues will also study ployment, educational programs the absorption and emission and activities, and/or admis- By Alisa Boswell-Gore it turns into metmyoglobin. ences, has been studying how cific cattle will exhibit dark of light within beef products sions. For more information, visit This process is called oxida- long it takes meat to reach meat or bright, red meat. and its association with beef https:///eeo.okstate.edu. STILLWATER. - Scientists tion, which causes a chemical varying levels of discoloration “Stress, heat extremes, in the Oklahoma State Uni- reaction similar to apples or and what people consider too changes in weather and cer- versity Department of Animal and Food Sciences are working potatoes turning brown when exposed to air. much discoloration. “We're trying to get it down tain management practices can increase dark-cutting inci- USDA-ARS and hard to stop the waste of bil- What's been done? to the hour when consum- dents, so if you can figure out lions of dollars of beef each year. Gretchen Mafi, professor ers would say they would no of meat science in the animal longer purchase that meat,” which cattle are more prone to dark cutting at a genetic lev- OWRC scientists improving water ‘The U.S. beef industry los- and food sciences department, Pfeiffer said. el, you can put management es $3 billion annually to meat conducted research using ox- Ranjith Ramanathan, an practices in place to help with discoloration. When beef is ygen scavengers, small iron OSU meat quality associate that,” Mafi said. brown on the surface, it is dis- pouches that can be placed professor, has focused his re- counted in price, and exten- inside the bags used for beef search on a condition called What's happening now? Predicting which cattle are control structures sive discoloration leads to peo- retail transportation. The iron dark-cutters in which beef fails more prone to dark cutting ple throwing nutritious food pouches remove oxygen, and to have a bright red color. meat with a high level of con- By Alisa Boswell-Gore in the trash. therefore, lengthen the shelf Ramanathan and his re- fidence is something Ramana- STILLWATER - One year into a five-year project to im- Why does meat turn brown? life of the meat. search partners asked the than and Mafiare still working prove dam infrastructure, scientists from the U.S. Depart- Most people associate the OSU scientists did not in- question of why the meat of toward. ment of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) bright, cherry red color of meat vent this method of packag- some cattle has a darker color Ramanathan said research- and the Oklahoma Water Resources Center (OWRC) are add- ing some high-quality technology to their tool bag. with freshness, but brown dis- ing, said Mafi, but they have when harvested by looking at ers are continuing to look at Dams age and wear down over time just as buildings and coloration doesn’t mean your been testing the method for a protein and metabolite lev- these protein and metabolic roads do, and nearly 12,000 of the 22,000 dams in the U.S. beef is bad. The discoloration private company to determine els in dark cutting beef. They levels before applying their are reaching the end of their planned life spans. is simply beef reacting to long- its effectiveness. In recent- found these levels were differ- knowledge at the production “These dams are still considered quite safe, but due to the number of these structures and their planned service life term exposure to oxygen. ly completed research, beef ent in darker red meat. Glyco- level by studying the biological coming to an end, we need to be vigilant in monitoring them. When oxygen attaches to the maintained its bright, red col- gen levels and mitochondria, markers of cattle that relate to It is important to develop cost-effective rehabilitation op- protein myoglobin in muscles, or for up to 23 days after being which produces energy, are these differences. tions, so we can continue to benefit communities with these oxymyoglobin forms and gives packaged with this process. also different in darker beef In other research, Ramana- structures for years to come,” said Sherry Hunt, supervisory meat a bright cherry red color. Along with the research, compared to brighter red beef. than and his colleagues are civil engineer for the Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit (HERU) with the USDA-ARS. When oxymyoglobin contin- Morgan Pfeiffer, assistant pro- With this knowledge, pro- trying to determine if there Why should we care about 50-year-old Oklahoma dams? ues to be exposed to oxygen, fessor of animal and food sci- ducers can track whether spe- are electrochemical factors Because these structures provide $90 million in annual ben- efits. “These dams are located on the upper tributaries of small watersheds and provide flood protection, rural and municipal Plan Now to Make It Through the water supplies, irrigation water, healthy ecosystems and rec- reation and tourism,” Hunt said. ‘At HERU, researchers design miniature versions of these flood control dams made of natural Earth materials and run water over them or through them to see how the structures Winter: Part II hold up under pressure from high levels of water. HERU sci- entists have developed many of the design guidelines for dams, and along with the help of OWRC scientists, they have Paul Beck, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Nu- 5, Balance a supplement or feeding program that makes sense spent the last year updating the tools used in evaluating and upgrading flood control structures. trition Specialist in your operation. There is no ‘one size fits all’ feeding program HERU, the ARS Partnerships for Data Innovations, the US- for every cowherd. DA-Natural Resources Conservation Service and the OWRC Last week I shared some of the first steps for plans to get 6, Feeding monensin to beef cows has been shown to decrease kicked off the five-year project last year to develop techno- through the winter with an intact cattle operation, focus last logical tools for assessing dam erosion and stability. These week was taking steps now to reduce stocking rates and enhance forage intake 8% without impacting cow bodyweight or body tools include artificial intelligence, drones and smart phone grazing efficiency. This week focus will be on proactive steps for condition, applications. Although these steps are not easy and will require thought ‘An American-made drone called Goose has been flying over winter feeding, Oklahoma dams, has been capturing images of the dams and 1. Determine how much hay you have and how much you can and some work, if your goal is to keep your operation intact and their surroundings to create 3-D models that can be analyzed feed daily for the expected feeding period. If you have as little profitable, they are well worth the effort. to determine potential safety issues. In addition, the technol- as 10 pounds of hay available per cow-day, you may not have Dr. Dave Lalman and I covered preparation for extended ogy will be used to conduct post-forensic investigations if a to purchase more hay or roughage to provide a balanced diet to drought in two Rancher’s Thursday Lunchtime webinar pre- dam were to fail or suffer from other incidents. “That's a big part of this project - developing all the in- your cows. sentations from February this year. These presentations can be frastructure and techniques for monitoring and inspecting 2. Test your hay or other roughage source. It is impossible to found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7v-zTmzzHw these dams more frequently using modern technology and determine what your cows will require without some knowledge getting that data into the hands of people who need it,” said of the quality of what you are feeding them. Hay is variable and Kevin Wagner, OWRC director. For more information contact Greg Hartman Beckham County ‘These technologies look at a dam’s vulnerabilities, such as moderate to low in protein and energy. Crop residues are more variable and generally low in protein and energy. Extension at 580-928-2139 sedimentation of the reservoir, water spilling over the top of the dam and auxiliary spillway erosion. Other tools will 3. Consider planting warm-season annuals as a grazing crop be used to assess principal spillway pipes that route water in the late summer to fill early fall forage gaps. Warm-season Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of through the dam and whether corrosion of pipe materials al- annuals can produce 4 to 5 tons of dry matter per acre in 45 days the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title lows water to carve paths of erosion within the dam. when planted in late summer. Grasses like corn and millets do IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Scientists have been testing these technologies on three not produce prussic acid when under stress, which can be a con- Oklahoma dams this summer, and they anticipate adding Act of 1990, and other federal laws and regulations, does not discrimi- another drone to the project by the end of the year. Another cern for sudangrass, johnsongrass, and sorghums when frosted. nate on the basis ofrace, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disabil- aspect of the project is creating a cloud-based storage sys- 4. Plant cool-season annual grasses in your pastures. The ity, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. tem for the sensor data collected and making it available to subdivided pastures you created are a great place to establish ‘This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial researchers and decision makers on a continuous basis. Re- complementary forage be established. If you keep the cows off searchers are also developing an app to go with the cloud sys- these pastures until they are 6 or 8 inches tall they will provide aid, and educational services. References within this publication to any tem as a streamlined way of viewing the data. excellent forage for use in the winter or early spring which will specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trade- “These technologies will be implemented in the coming years,” Hunt said. “It will take some time to test the technol- decrease the hay feeding and can be used as an early hay or silage mark, service mark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or ogy, write standard operating procedures and analyze data crop. imply endorsement by Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. for the development of decision support tools, prediction models and applications for a vast array of end-users, such as dam owners and managers, farmers, producers, emergency managers and numerous others.” Have photos to share from a event? OSU Ag Research is Oklahoma’s premier research and tech- nology development agency in agriculture, natural resources and the life sciences. Oklahoma State University, as an equal opportunity employ- er, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding Send them to [email protected] for a non-discrimination and affirmative action. Oklahoma State Uni- versity is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all individu- als and does not discriminate based on race, religion, age, sex, color, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/ chance to be featured in an upcoming edition! expression, disability, or veteran status with regard to employment, educational programs and activities, and/or admissions. For more information, visit https:///eeo.okstate.edu.