ISSUE FOCUS 40 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE May 2024 About Dr. Clay Zimmerman Dr. Clay Zimmerman obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Dairy Science from Virginia Tech and earned his Master’s and Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition from North Carolina State University. For the first 22 years of his career, Dr. Zimmerman served as the head dairy nutritionist for two large feed companies in the United States, one in the Midwestern United States, and one in the Northeastern United States. He joined Balchem Corporation in 2013 and has served in various roles such as Technical Services Specialist and Global Protein Platform Manager. Dr. Zimmerman currently serves as the Director of ANH Technical Services for Balchem Corporation. In this role he also oversees all of Balchem’s external animal research. "It's crucial for individuals to bear in mind that the benefits of choline supplementation are not shortlived; they persist in the long term," White affirms. A GLIMPSE INTO LONG-TERM CALF PERFORMANCE Dr. White's research revealed intriguing results, with calves born to choline-supplemented dams displaying improved gut integrity markers when facing bloat challenges. Angus-Holstein crossbred animals also exhibited benefits in terms of daily gain, growth, feed efficiency, and marbling, all the way to the slaughter stage. Importantly, these effects were observed in both male and female animals. The study found that the maternal treatment had a lasting impact on calf performance, extending up to 16 months of age, despite the calves themselves never directly receiving rumen-protected choline supplementation. FUTURE EXPLORATION The full extent of the impact of feeding rumen-protected choline to cows during pregnancy on calves due to epigenetic modifications and its potential perpetuation across generations remains a subject of ongoing research. Dr. Santos points to emerging evidence suggesting that nutritional interventions during pregnancy can affect the epigenome of calves, possibly transmitting these changes to future generations. This concept finds support in studies conducted on mice and humans, indicating the transmission of epigenetic effects across generations. He references studies conducted by his colleagues, Geoffrey Dahl and Jimena LaPorta, which discovered that offspring from dairy cows that received evaporative cooling during their dry periods were more productive into the second generation compared to those from cows that did not receive such cooling during periods of summer heat stress. Similar trends have been observed in research involving mice and humans, highlighting the transgenerational effects of epigenetics. With the clear benefits of choline supplementation during the transition period and the promising initial research on the effects of choline supplementation to dams, it is likely that dairy producers will increasingly adopt rumen-protected choline supplementation. Continued research will help refine supplementation practices and uncover more short- and long-term benefits for both dams and offspring. Dr. Santos notes, "Research is ongoing to better understand the effects of choline on calves and to ascertain the consistency of findings across different management scenarios and conditions. The promising results suggest that this trend is likely to continue."
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUxNjkxNQ==