Life Sciences in the 21st Century:
Agriculture and Life Sciences:
Animal Sciences
Lecture 10: Outline

Explore this Animal Sciences Page!

Animal Science

• 'Science of providing meat, eggs, and milk for humankind'
• Large Animal Biologist
  • research
  • D.V.M.
  • education
• Management of Agriculture
  • economics of producing food.
  • apply decision making based on sound business principles.
  • education
• Management Science

Production Agriculture - Farmer Many talents veterinarian nutritionist reproductive physiologist mechanic engineer agronomist accountant

Changes and Challenges in Agriculture

• Economic - market driven farm policy vs. social farm policy
  
  • already cheapest food in the world <15% of income spent on food.
  • impact on:
    • poultry - vertically integrated
    • Beef cattle - cow/calf - feed lots
    • Dairy - increased herd size, emergence of some breeds - decrease population of some breeds

Problems or Opportunities?

• We are continuing a trend which has been in existence for centuries - increasing efficiency - not always painless
• Feeding more with less - results of research conducted 10 - 20 years ago.
• Prediction of world famine? Ignores impact of technology
• Cause of Hunger? - Politics

Issues in Animal Agriculture for the next 100 years

• Redefining the family farm:
  • Farms have gotten larger - still family owned
  • Differences in management skills necessary to succeed. - No more "school of hard knocks"
    • decision making - economics, computer skills
    • attitude
    • knowledge base - Use of consultants.
  • Social changes related to less families involved in farming.

Environmental Issues Regardless of farm size - New era of environmental responsibility Impact of chemicals Nutrient management - N, P Reasonable recommendations based on research

Animal Welfare vs. Animal Rights Animal Welfare - care to make sure animals needs are met Animal Rights - Same rights as people - No use for food, fiber or pleasure Politics Examples

Animals in the Future? You bet! Compete with people for food? Compliment plant agriculture forages by-products of human food industry improve protein quality

Opportunities in Animal Science

• Production agriculture
  • no farm experience? So what?!
• Veterinary Medicine
• Research
  • biotechnology
  • basic research
  • applied research
• Industry
  • marketing, Breed Assoc., International
  • banking
  • feed
  • artificial Insemination
  • food processing

Course Work

• Core - similar to biology major
• Science - Microbiology
  • physiology, nutrition, genetics (population and cellular)
  • reproduction, lactation
  • applied - nutrition, milking, reproduction - production courses

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