** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** BECAUSE OF THE SEGMENTED NATURE OF THE BEEF INDUSTRY, CATTLE ARE OFTEN TRUCKED LONG DISTANCES. WHILE THIS MAKES MOST EFFICIENT USE OF FEED AND WATER RESOURCES AS CATTLE MOVE FROM PLACES WHERE NON-HUMAN FOODSTUFFS SUCH AS GRASS ARE AVAILABLE TO PLACES WHERE GRAINS ARE READILY AVAILABLE (I.E. FROM COW-CALF TO FEEDLOT SEGMENTS), TRUCKING POSES A PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS ON THE ANIMAL. TO AVOID INJURIES, CATTLE ARE TRUCKED SUCH THAT THEY ARE UNABLE TO LAY DOWN, RESULTING IN MUSCLE FATIGUE. AFTER ARRIVAL TO THEIR DESTINATION, CATTLE MAY CHOOSE NOT TO EAT OR DRINK AS MUCH, PREFERRING TO LAY DOWN AND REST. THE PURPOSE OF OUR STUDY IS TO DETERMINE IF SUPPLEMENTING THE TRACE MINERAL ZINC TO THE DIETS OF CATTLE BEFORE OR AFTER TRUCKING CAN SPEED THE RECOVERY TIME AFTER TRUCKING, HELPING CATTLE EAT AND DRINK MORE QUICKLY. THIS NOT ONLY HELPS THE ANIMAL, BUT IT HELPS THE FARMER, AS THESE CATTLE WILL GAIN MORE QUICKLY AS WELL, AND RECOVER WEIGHT LOST DURING TRUCKING.WE WILL EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ZINC, A SUPPLEMENT THAT IS EASY TO FIND, VERY LOW COST, AND HAS LIMITED TOXICITY RISKS. ZINC SUPPORTS MANY PROCESSES IN THE BODY, INCLUDING GROWTH AND HEALTH. IN PARTICULAR, ZINC HELPS THE MUSCLE GET THE RIGHT ENERGY, BY AFFECTING SUGAR METABOLISM IN THE BODY. THIS ENERGY ULTIMATELY MAY HELP THE ANIMAL BE MORE RESISTANT TO THE MUSCLE FATIGUE THAT OCCURS DURING LONG DISTANCE TRUCKING BETWEEN SEGMENTS OF THE CATTLE INDUSTRY. WE ARE A TEAM OF BEEF CATTLE WELFARE AND NUTRITION EXPERTS, AND WE WILL WORK TOGETHER TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF ZINC FED AT 100 PPM IN THE DIET, BEFORE OR AFTER A 24 HOUR TRUCKING EVENT. WE WILL MEASURE MARKERS OF MUSCLE FATIGUE SUCH AS SERUM LACTATE, WHICH IS PRODUCED WHEN MUSCLES RUN OUT OF EASILY AVAILABLE ENERGY (FROM SUGARS LIKE GLUCOSE). WE WILL ALSO MONITOR EFFECTS OF ZINC ON CATTLE FEEDING BEHAVIOR AND STANDING AND LAYING TIME, AS INDICATORS OF RECOVERY FROM TRUCKING. IN OUR SECOND EXPERIMENT, WE WILL EXAMINE ZINC FED AT 100 PPM OR NOT SUPPLEMENTED, AND COMPARE CATTLE TRUCKED FOR 8 HOURS (WHICH IS TYPICAL FOR MANY FEEDER CATTLE IN THE U.S.) AND 24 HOURS (TO BE COMPARABLE TO OUR FIRST EXPERIMENT).OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO FIND AN EASY-TO-IMPLEMENT AND AFFORDABLE NUTRITIONAL STRATEGY TO BEST PREPARE CATTLE FOR TRUCKING, OR TO BEST HELP CATTLE RECOVER QUICKLY FROM TRUCKING. WITH OVER 103 MILLION CATTLE IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA, OUR WORK WILL BE IMPACTFUL ACROSS THE BEEF INDUSTRY.KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM THESE STUDIES WILL ALLOW CATTLE PRODUCERS TO MAKE SIMPLE AND AFFORDABLE CHANGES TO THEIR MINERAL PROGRAM TO IMPROVE CATTLE RESPONSE TO TRUCKING. HELPING CATTLE RECOVER MORE QUICKLY FROM THE DISCOMFORT AND HUNGER ASSOCIATED WITH TRANSIT WILL RESULT IN HEALTHIER, MORE PRODUCTIVE ANIMALS.