About

Dr. Matt H. Poore is a Professor and Extension Ruminant Nutrition Specialist at North Carolina State University within the Department of Animal Science. He serves as the Extension Livestock Commodity Coordinator and is involved in research and outreach related to ruminant nutrition. His work supports livestock production management and aims to improve practices within the agricultural community. Dr. Poore is based in Polk Hall and can be contacted via phone at 919-515-7798 or email at matt_poore@ncsu.edu.

Research topics

• Biology
• Animal science
• Agronomy
• Physiology
• Genetics
• Biochemistry
• Medicine
• Immunology
• Andrology
• Microbiology

Selected publications

• Synergistic Effect of Formate and Cell-Free Supernatant Fermented by Two Probiotics, <i>Bifidobacterium animalis</i> spp. <i>lactis</i> HN019 and <i>Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus</i> HN001, against <i>Shigella flexneri</i> Growth

  ACS Infectious Diseases · 2025-05-15

  article

  The interplay between probiotic metabolites, host health, and inhibition of pathogens has increasingly attracted interest but remains unresolved due to the complex molecular interactions among these factors. We investigated the action of cell-free supernatants (CFSs) from two probiotic bacteria, Bifidobacterium animalis spp. lactis (B. lactis) HN019 and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (L. rhamnosus) HN001 and their effect against the bacterial pathogen Shigella flexneri 2457T (S. flexneri). The CFSs from B. lactis HN019 exhibited a higher antibacterial effect against S. flexneri growth than the CFSs from L. rhamnosus HN001, independent of the carbon source utilized. This effect correlated with higher formate within the CFSs from B. lactis HN019. As expected, the antimicrobial effects of CFSs were stronger against free S. flexneri cells than for S. flexneri infecting host cells. A synergistic effect of the CFSs with additional small organic molecules such as indole-3-lactate and formate was found. Such interplay between CFSs, indole-3-lactate, and formate was reflected by altered metabolic rates by S. flexneri in the presence of B. lactis HN019 CFSs both in the solution and under biofilm-forming conditions. The synergistic effect between different components acting on S. flexneri gives reasons to believe that suitably designed mixtures of probiotic metabolic products and small-molecule effectors bear promise for successfully combating pathogens.

  PublisherDOI

• Year-round supplementation of direct-fed microbials to cow-calf pairs and its effects on maternal and offspring productive performance

  Translational Animal Science · 2025-01-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract On day 0 (94 ± 19 days prepartum), 296 Brangus beef cows (7 ± 3 years of age; &amp;lt;25% Bos indicus) were stratified by body weight (BW; 537 ± 56 kg) and body condition score (BCS; 5.46 ± 0.74) and randomly assigned to 1 of 26 bahiagrass pastures (11 to 12 cows and 8.1 to 9.6 ha per pasture). On day 0, treatments were randomly assigned to pastures (13 pastures per treatment) and consisted of free-choice access to a trace mineral supplement, either alone (CON) or combined (BAC) with 3 g per head daily of a Bacillus-based DFM supplement (Bovacillus; Novonesis, Lyngby, Denmark) from day 0 to 330 (weaning). At weaning, 48 steers and 64 heifers were selected (3 steers and 4 heifers per pasture; 16 pastures) for the post-weaning phase. Steers were assigned to preconditioning (day 350 to 398) and feedlot periods (day 399 to 609), whereas heifers were developed from day 350 until pregnancy diagnosis (day 615). Non-binary and binary data were analyzed using the MIXED and GLIMMIX procedure of SAS, respectively. supplement DM intake was greater (P ≤ 0.03) for BAC vs. CON cow-calf pairs on days 42 to 48, 56 to 62, 168 to 174, and 266 to 272. Cow BCS at the end of the breeding season was greater (P = 0.01) for BAC vs. CON cows, whereas all cow reproductive data and prepartum plasma data did not differ (P ≥ 0.13) between treatments. Serum immunoglobulin G concentrations at birth, preweaning average daily gain (ADG), and BW at weaning were greater (P ≤ 0.05) for BAC vs. CON calves. Steer growth performance during preconditioning did not differ (P ≥ 0.18) between treatments, but serum titers against infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and parainfluenza 3 viruses were greater (P = 0.05) for BAC vs. CON steers 19 days after first vaccination. Steer feedlot performance and carcass traits did not differ between treatments (P ≥ 0.16), except for carcasses grading Low Choice or above, which were greater (P = 0.05) for BAC vs. CON steers. Despite the greater (P = 0.03) pre-breeding ADG of CON vs. BAC heifers, the percentage of mature BW at breeding, puberty status, and pregnancy percentages did not differ (P ≥ 0.17) between treatments. Thus, year-round supplementation of Bacillus-based DFM via a mineral delivery method improved cow BCS during breeding and enhanced calf preweaning growth. Although no reproductive benefits were observed for cows and their heifers, DFM supplementation increased post-weaning immune response and carcass quality of steers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 1 Challenges in the Pasture

  Journal of Animal Science · 2023-05-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Cow-calf farms are abundant across the southeastern US and there is a wide diversity of farm sizes and types of farmers. Farms include small-scale part-time farms, and large commercial-scale farms, often integrated with other farm enterprises. Many farmers have full-time employment off the farm and little if any hired labor, such that there is little time to devote to farming activities. In contrast, large farms often have access to labor, equipment and other inputs that may not be available to small farms. The diversity of farms and farmer demographics makes extension programming challenging as motivational factors vary considerably. Many pasture management practices proven by research have very low levels of adoption including active grazing management, pasture renovation, hay testing, etc. We assume that all farmers are focused on profitability, but this is clearly not the case especially with small part-time farmers. Other motivations may be enjoyment of spending time with animals, time spent with family, improving animal welfare, interest in machinery and “gadgets”, and other non-farm interests including using a cow-calf enterprise to hold land in some kind of agriculture for future development. New management practices may make sense from a profitability perspective but might require the development of new skills that the farmer does not have. Additionally, there may be other barriers including access to necessary equipment, conflicting information provided by advisers, and expertise in simple practices such as planting and spraying. As an example, novel endophyte tall fescue (NETF) has potential to eliminate the negative aspects of endophyte infected tall fescue while maintaining the desirable agronomic characteristics. While NETF technology is research proven and has been available to producers for over two decades, adoption has been very slow. The Alliance for Grassland Renewal is a multi-state private/public collaborative formed to promote the appropriate adoption of NETF. The Alliance conducts workshops to teach farmers and their advisors about how to best implement the NETF technology. The collaborative effort provides a more uniform set of recommendations than was formerly available through each member state. Through workshop evaluations we found several important factors that limit adoption including 1) the balance of cost and benefit is unclear, 2) farmers have limited financial resources, 3) the land is rented or unsuitable for renovation, and 4) farmers lack of knowledge, and 5) farm forage reserves are limiting. Many of these pasture management practices are difficult to adopt because they require many sequential steps that must be completed in a timely way. This may leave the farmer hesitant to take the first step in the process. For practices that are very different than standard management, use of on-farm demonstrations and hands-on learning have proven valuable.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Surface-Soil Aggregation and Organic C and N Fractions Under Paired Grassland and Cropland Sites in the Southeastern USA

  2023-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Grasslands are expected to deliver ecosystem services by sequestering soil organic C, improving soil health and water quality, and minimizing soil erosion. Data to support these ecosystem services from contemporary managed grasslands are relatively scant, and so on-farm measurements would help bolster assessment across more diverse environmental settings. This study was conducted to compare soil properties from paired landuse of croplands and grasslands in a diversity of Major Land Resource Areas – the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Blackland Prairie of the southeastern USA. Four separate pastures on three collaborating farms were sampled at depth of 0-10 cm. Four samples from a neighboring cropland field were paired with these pastures. A variety of soil chemical, physical, and biological properties were determined. Soil chemical properties were occasionally different between land management systems on one of the three farms, but few consistent differences occurred across farms. Dry-stable mean-weight diameter (MWD) was not different between paired land management systems, but water-stable MWD was dramatically reduced at all three locations with cropland compared with pasture. Soil stability index (water-stable MWD divided by dry-stable MWD) averaged 0.64 mm mm-1 under cropland and 0.91 mm mm-1 under pasture, suggesting that pastures had a highly stable soil surface that was resistant to erosion and likely contributed to high water infiltration. Soil organic C and N fractions (i.e., total, particulate, and mineralizable) were all significantly greater under pasture than under cropland, indicating that these pastures were indeed storing more C and N, and contributing to greater soil biological activity. This study provides evidence that well-managed grasslands can sequester soil organic C and N, improve soil surface stability conditions to foster water infiltration and reduced runoff, and may have important implications for habit development for soil-dwelling organisms.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 415 Awardee Talk: Foraging for Collaboration: Beef-Forage System Strengths Unite Research and Extension Efforts in the Asas Southern Section

  Journal of Animal Science · 2023-11-06

  articleOpen access

  Abstract The American Society of Animal Science Southern Section has a rich history of collaboration and hosts an annual professional development meeting for ASAS members. The Section meeting includes scientific presentations, academic quadrathlon, undergraduate and graduate student competitions, symposia, and networking opportunities for its members. The Section has used strategic collaborations to foster multi-state projects and initiatives. One of the key discipline focus areas of the Section is forage-based beef production systems. The Section holds two symposia focused on research, Extension, and industry topics related to beef cattle management. The Bill E. Kunkle Interdisciplinary Symposium was started in 2014 to honor the impact of Dr. Kunkle, University of Florida, and fosters multi-disciplinary communication of beef cattle science. The SERA 41 Symposium is part of the regional NIMSS project focus-group on improving production efficiency of the beef cow herd in the Southeast US. The NIMSS group works collectively to create partnerships and common goal-oriented projects across the Southern Section states. The section is also home to the Randel Physiology Lecture series which was formed in 2016 to highlight Dr. Ron Randel’s commitment to the Southern Section physiology section, and to promote high-quality science for the next generation of physiologists and endocrinologists. More than 25 peer-reviewed publications and several webinars have resulted from these symposia and invited lectureships. This creates a referenceable resource for scientists on emerging topics and identifies potential priority areas of focus for scientists within the Southern region. Another highlight of the Section is the collaborative work of the Extension committee. The Extension committee collaboratively fosters Extension program development across the Southern region. The committee developed a regional webinar series in 2015 for regional training of Extension agents on livestock and forage management topics. Subsequent in-service training courses have emerged through both virtual and in-person delivery. Training is primarily focused on forage-based livestock management systems. Through these opportunities, the Southern Section has remained a gathering point for professional engagement and should continue to evolve to meet the needs of animal scientists.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Building Partnerships to Address Social and Technological Challenges to Enhance Farm Profitability and Improve Water Quality Through Better Grassland Management

  2023-01-01

  articleOpen access

  With 2.1 million acres of pastureland and 1.25 million acres of hay land in Virginia, the rural Virginia landscape is predominately grassland. These lands form the base of the $3.96 billion-dollar livestock and dairy industry in Virginia. Managing these livestock in a profitable manner for farmers and beneficial to the environment is important. A cultural tradition with roots in colonial times has been to run animals in large fields year-round throughout Virginia. Livestock often graze from spring until fall (about 220 days), and farmers feed hay the remainder of the year. Spikes in the cost of fuel, fertilizer, and equipment are making traditional grazing/haying systems less profitable. The Virginia Cooperative Extension Farm Enterprise budgets show that that the cost of hay accounts for over 50% of the cost of sustaining livestock annually. University of Kentucky shows that most cow-calf producers maximize their profitability by shifting from grazing 220 days to grazing 275 to 300 days. Extension agents working with livestock producers found that they could improve their profitability by at least $75 per cow by extending their grazing season. The same phenomenon applies to other types of grazing livestock. If ten percent of the livestock producers in the state adopted better grazing management to extend their grazing season by 60 days, profitability is expected to for Virginia grazing livestock producers by over $5 million per year. Practices such as rotational grazing and stream exclusion are directly tied to National and State goals to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. Virginia’s Phase III WIP (Chesapeake Bay Watershed Improvement Plan) seeks the exclusion of livestock from all perennial streams and achieving good rotational grazing practices on 347,000 acres of pasture. A number of agencies and private sector groups have been providing cost share and technical guidance to incentivize livestock stream exclusion and the installation of pasture management infrastructure. Installation is only part of the challenge. Farmers also need to be taught how to how to manage the system in a profitable manner and have been slow to adopt good pasture management practices. Preliminary data show that 87% of Virginia’s cow-calf producers manage their grasslands using traditional methods. Only six percent have extended their grazing season beyond 265 days.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Economics and Other Factors Affecting the Adoption of Novel Endophyte Technology

  2023-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Invited Review: Use of byproduct feeds in southeastern US beef production systems

  Applied Animal Science · 2022-09-21 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Byproduct feeds are important in beef cattle feeding systems in the southeastern United States. This article discusses the evolution of a feed from a waste material to a coproduct, presents a current understanding of several important byproducts, and details sweetpotatoes and associated byproducts as an example of a potential feed source that needs continued development. Applied research and outreach results are presented to support the use of byproducts currently in widespread use in the region. Practical advice is offered to readers based on 32 yr of experience working with farmers on byproduct-based diets for stocker cattle and brood cows. There are several well-established byproduct feeds, including soybean hulls, corn gluten feed, distillers grains, and wheat middlings, that have been the subject of a great deal of research and development. Many other potential feed sources remain as waste materials or waste products awaiting more research and development to help them evolve into well-accepted feeds. Nutritionists need to understand the characteristics and limitations of byproducts available in their area. Working with producers to set up effective feeding programs that allow them to make quick decisions on ingredient purchasing and adapting to disruption in supply will be critical. Although many feeds appear valuable “on paper” using the Petersen method, factors that influence their usefulness, including the presence of contaminants or antinutritional factors, high moisture content, and imbalance of key minerals, must be considered in the development of an effective feeding program.

  PublisherDOI

• Timing of maternal supplementation of dried distillers grains during late gestation influences postnatal growth, immunocompetence, and carcass characteristics of<i>Bos indicus</i>-influenced beef calves

  Journal of Animal Science · 2022 · 12 citations

  • Animal science
  • Biology
  • Agronomy

  This 2-yr study investigated the timing of dried distillers grains (DDG) supplementation during the third trimester of gestation of Bos indicus-influenced beef cows and its impact on their offspring performance. On day 0 of each year (84 d before calving), Brangus cows (n = 84/yr; cow age = 8 ± 3 yr) were stratified by initial body weight (BW; 482 ± 75 kg) and body condition score (BCS; 5.3 ± 0.8) and assigned randomly to one of six bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) pastures (experimental units; 14 cows/pasture). Treatments were assigned randomly to pasture (2 pastures/treatment/yr) and consisted of no prepartum supplementation (CON), 2 kg/d of DDG from day 0 to 42 (LATE42), or 1 kg/d of DDG from day 0 to 84 (LATE84). Following calving (day 84), cow-calf pairs remained in their respective pastures, and cows were offered sugarcane molasses + urea (1.82 kg of dry matter/cow/d) from day 85 until the end of the breeding season (day 224). On day 347, steer calves (n = 38/yr; 11 to 15 steers/treatment/yr) were weaned and transported to the feedlot (1,193 km). Steers were penned according to cow prepartum pasture and managed similarly until the time of harvest. BCS at calving was greater (P < 0.01) for LATE42 and LATE84 vs. CON cows but did not differ (P = 0.16) between LATE42 and LATE84 cows. Calving date, calving percentage, and birth BW of the first offspring did not differ (P ≥ 0.22) among treatments. However, LATE42 cows calved their second offspring 8 d earlier (P = 0.04) compared with CON and LATE84 cows. At weaning (first offspring), LATE84 calves were the heaviest (P ≤ 0.05), CON calves were the lightest, and LATE42 calves had intermediate BW (P ≤ 0.05). Steer plasma concentrations of cortisol and haptoglobin and serum bovine viral diarrhea virus type-1 titers did not differ (P ≥ 0.21) between treatments. Steer serum parainfluenza-3 titers were greater (P = 0.03) for LATE42 vs. CON steers, tended to be greater (P = 0.10) for LATE84 compared with CON steers, and did not differ (P = 0.38) between LATE42 and LATE84 steers. Steer feedlot BW, average daily gain, dry matter intake, and hot carcass weight did not differ (P ≥ 0.36) between treatments. Marbling and the percentage of steers grading choice were greater (P ≤ 0.04) for LATE42 vs. CON steers, whereas LATE84 steers were intermediate. In summary, different timing of DDG supplementation during the third trimester of gestation could be explored to optimize cow BCS and offspring preweaning growth and carcass quality.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effects of maternal winter vs. year-round supplementation of protein and energy on postnatal growth, immune function, and carcass characteristics of<i>Bos indicus</i>-influenced beef offspring

  Journal of Animal Science · 2022 · 8 citations

  • Animal science
  • Biology
  • Andrology

  This 2-yr study evaluated the effects of winter vs. year-round supplementation of Bos indicus-influenced beef cows on cow reproductive performance and impact on their offspring. On day 0 of each year (approximately day 122 ± 23 of gestation), 82 to 84 mature Brangus cows/yr were stratified by body weight (BW; 475 ± 67 kg) and body condition score (BCS; 4.85 ± 0.73) and randomly assigned to 1 of 6 bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) pastures (13 to 14 cows/pasture). Treatments were randomly assigned to pastures consisting of winter supplementation with molasses + urea (WMOL), or year-round supplementation with molasses + urea (YMOL) or wheat middling-based range cubes (YCUB). Total yearly supplement DM amount was 272 kg/cow and supplements were formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous (75% TDN and 20% CP). On day 421 (weaning; approximately 260 ± 24 d of age), 33 to 35 steers/yr were vaccinated against parainfluenza-3 (PI3) and bovine viral diarrhea virus type 1 (BVDV-1) and transported 1,193 km to a feedlot. Steers were penned according to maternal pasture and managed similarly until slaughter. Data were analyzed using the MIXED and GLIMMIX procedures of SAS. On day 217 (start of breeding season), BCS was greater (P = 0.01) for YMOL than WMOL cows, whereas BCS of YCUB did not differ (P ≥ 0.11) to both WMOL and YMOL cows. The percentage of cows that calved, calving date, birth BW, and preweaning BW of the first offspring did not differ (P ≥ 0.22) among maternal treatments. Plasma cortisol concentrations were greater (P ≤ 0.001) for YCUB steers at feedlot arrival (day 422) than WMOL and YMOL steers. Moreover, YCUB steers had greater (P = 0.02) and tended (P = 0.08) to have greater plasma concentrations of haptoglobin compared to WMOL and YMOL steers, respectively. Antibody titers against PI3 and BVDV-1 viruses did not differ (P ≥ 0.25) among maternal treatments. Steer BW at feedlot exit was greater (P ≤ 0.05) for YMOL and WMOL than YCUB steers. However, feedlot DMI did not differ (P ≥ 0.37) by maternal treatment. Hot carcass weight, yield grade, LMA, and marbling did not differ (P ≥ 0.14) among maternal treatments. Percentage of steers that graded low choice was enhanced (P ≤ 0.05) for WMOL and YCUB than YMOL steers. Maternal year-round supplementation of range cubes or molasses + urea either did not impact or decrease growth, immune function, and carcass characteristics of the offspring when compared with maternal supplementation of molasses + urea during winter only.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Philipe Moriel

  University of Florida

  30 shared

• J. A. Moore

  North Carolina State University

  30 shared

• R. S. Swingle

  27 shared

• Daniel Poole

  Louisiana State University

  26 shared

• T.P. Eck

  University of Arizona

  25 shared

• Glenn M. Rogers

  Kansas State University

  21 shared

• S R Freeman

  North Carolina State University

  19 shared

• Marit Arana

  Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy

  17 shared

Education

• PhD, Animal Scinece

  University of Arizona

  1990

• MS, Animal Science

  University of Arizona

  1986