Modern Animal Production - turning challenges into opportunities!

Unites the relevant expertise of researchers from across the globe.  Pertinent topics, such as feed efficiency evalution and maximising production from forage are discussed in conjunction with optimal calf rearing programmes to provide some of the tools required to turn industry challenges into opportunities.  This book is aimed at nutritionists, veterinarians, consultants and animal producers, as well as animal and biological science researchers and students.

With rising feed costs and increasing pressure on product quality and safety, the ruminant industry needs to utilise every aspect of production efficiency and look to maximising use of existing as well as new technologies. Application of modern, sophisticated means of measuring cow performance and evaluating the generation of income from this compared with the particular nutrition strategy used by the producer needs to become common practice in order to calculate the success of the various technologies.

The link between animal nutrition and health is well-founded and the importance of delivering optimal nutritional and management strategies to youngstock is pivotal to maximising health and productivity in later life, thus contributing to overall welfare and profitability. The volatility of raw material costs has put greater emphasis on the contribution of forage to the ration and recent developments in technologies can easily be incorporated to ensure silage is an effective feed option in dairy cow nutrition. Ensuring health and longevity will obviously lead to greater productivity over the lifetime of the animal and the concept of organic materials is closely linked to this scenario. Last but not least, maximising productivity and ensuring animal health and welfare requires a multifaceted approach that must be measurable in order to determine success.