ANIMAL CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH FORAGE QUALITY

摘要

A complex task faced in animal agriculture is the administration of the forage-animal management system. The animal component is constantly changing dependent on numerous factors; some manageable, but many others environmental or not subject to management. Small alterations in the animal may change its physiological status, resulting in differing nutritional requirement. Managing these animal systems where changes in its physiological status occur, resulting in differing nutrient requirements for thesame animal based upon time of year; grazing a forage resource that has major changes in quality and yield within seasons, and less measurable changes between weeks, but also changes in quality and preference by animals from morning to evening, and onerecognizes the enormous challenge in forage-based animal agriculture. Managers must be aware that various types of animals on the same forage may perform differently due one or a combination of the factors. Proper management of livestock and forages mustaccount for these changes in both plants and animals. A study by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association several years ago indicated that about 20% of beef producers were profitable regardless of how depressed market beef prices became. These profitable beef operations were primarily based on forages for minimizing costs of production.