I like to think about how nature intended things to be, while still asking how we can use this knowledge to be profitable and clever in our farm businesses. What I have learnt from my discussion with Fred Provenza this week, about animal behaviour and grazing, is the perfect example of this. Our agricultural sciences are sometimes much focussed around reductionist techniques and the physiology of plants and animals. While we can learn a lot from this, there is also merit in standing back to observe a living thing interacting in its natural system (its ecology) and then discovering how we can use this to our advantage.
This is just what Fred Provenza, Professor Emeritus of Animal Behaviour and Management at Utah State University has done. Fred’s real-world observations of wild and domestic animals along with his research of the past 40 years are all about how animals make a living through where they live and how they forage. If I were to pick out a few words from his writings and my discussion with him that reflect the work it would be: Animal Health through Nutrition. Continue reading “ANIMAL HEALTH THROUGH NUTRITION” »
