Unit 1

Overview of Applied Animal Management

  What do we mean by APPLIED?

  • APPLICATION -- use, practice of animal management techniques
  • Basic practical techniques commonly used in the livestock industry
    • cost effective
    • easily performed day after day, year after year
    • good for the animals
With what species of animals are we concerned?

    In this course, we will study animals raised commercially for food and fiber in the US

  • Cattle - dairy - beef
  • Sheep
  • Swine
  • Poultry
What do we mean by MANAGEMENT?

    To manage means "to handle or control".  Animal management is the care, control and handling of the animal species under study.  In our livestock species, most of the time and energies of the animal manager are spent providing food and shelter and assuring optimal health and reproductive capacity of the animals under the care of the manager.  In this course we will study "typical livestock management systems."  While we refer to these as "typical" management systems, the particular management system in any livestock operation will vary depending upon the following:

  • species of animal
  • intended use of animal (dairy cow vs. beef cattle)
  • location - part of the country, climate, resources available, nearness to neighbors, etc.
  • resources of producer -- land, labor, capital
  • materials handling required -- what goes in and what comes out of system
      • feed and water are materials handling inputs
      waste products and products to be marketed are materials handling outputs
  • government rules and regulations -- waste management, food safety, humane care, etc.
  • preference of producer, processor and consumer
A Good Management system must do the following:
  • provide for basic needs of animal -- food, water, shelter
  • provide a product that can be sold at a profit for producer
In operating a livestock management system, a great deal of time is devoted to providing food and water, assuring the health of the animals under one's care and assuring animal reproduction in systems where reproduction is important to providing the final product.  As a consequence, we will devote the majority of lecture time in this course to these topics.

Evolution of livestock management systems

  Management systems are constantly evolving to more efficiently provide for the needs of animals in an economical and socially acceptable manner.  We can appreciate this by examining the evolution of livestock production from the beginnings of the United States.

  • early pioneers cleared small plots of land and raised food principally for themselves
  • the industrial revolution created nonfarm jobs.
    • This also "industrialized" farming as machines were invented to plant and harvest crops, milk cows, etc.
    • Agricultural industrialization was required so that farmers could produce surplus food to feed the "city folk"
  • the US moved from an agrarian society to an urban, industrialized society
Where are we now?
  • Farm population = <2% US population
    •  
  • 2,073,000 farms/3,672,000 farm workers
    •  
  • People fed/farmer = 138
   What does the future hold?
 
  • Larger production units controlled by fewer people
  • Increasing governmental rules & regulations
  • Decreasing knowledge and appreciation of agriculture by the general public
  • Greater concern for product, food safety and environment
THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURE -- production of safe, low-cost, high quality food

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