title: Health and production aspects of feeding sweetpotato to cattle.
abstract: If certain guidelines are followed when feeding sweetpotatoes to livestock it is possible to minimize health hazards. Careful herd management and the recognition of specific biomarkers such as excessive dental deterioration could aid in the early identification of feed problems. Where these tubers are produced locally in abundance there can be an economic and environmental incentive to divert waste sweetpotato by-products toward livestock feed. The feeding of culled sweetpotatoes and processed sweetpotato waste by-products can have three major benefits. First, expensive disposal costs are reduced. Second, negative environmental impacts from landfill dumping and crop spreading are limited. Third, the culled sweetpotatoes and SPCW offer an inexpensive and nutritious alternative feed ration for livestock that may increase economic returns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Connecticut, Box U-92, 372 Fairfield Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Thibodeau
authors.forename: Matthew H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Poore
authors.forename: Glenn M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Rogers
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis / Q000191:economics; D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D027723:Ipomoea batatas; D008297:Male; D014077:Tooth Erosion / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary