WERA110: Improving ruminant use of forages in sustainable production systems for the western U.S.
(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)
Status: Inactive/Terminating
WERA110: Improving ruminant use of forages in sustainable production systems for the western U.S.
Duration: 10/01/2004 to 09/30/2009
Administrative Advisor(s):
NIFA Reps:
Non-Technical Summary
Statement of Issues and Justification
The landscape and climate of the Western U.S. provide abundant range and agricultural lands suited to grazing and forage production, leading to a dominance of cow-calf and ewe-lamb systems in this region. The nutritional value of forages, particularly those grazed from rangeland, is highly variable in space and time, with nutrient content often limiting high levels of livestock production. The development of scientifically sound nutritional management tactics for livestock in variable and often extensive conditions presents unique challenges to researchers. Increased knowledge of the mechanisms of herbivory, digestion, and forage utilization can contribute to improved nutritional status and productivity of livestock, improved economic efficiency in forage-based livestock production systems, and improved sustainability in ranching enterprises, and the rural communities that depend upon them. A multitude of issues challenge livestock producers throughout the West, but maintaining economic viability is the most important. Improving the proportion of forage nutrients converted to animal products based on sound, science-based management strategies is the most viable means of achieving improved biological efficiency. However, production systems that optimize livestock efficiencies cannot do so at the expense of the environment. Systems that concomitantly improve livestock and landscape responses need to be used. For example, tactics leading to increased conversion of nutrients to productive purposes in the animal also lead to reduced nutrient loading in air, soil, and water through decreased animal excretion of gases and underutilized nutrients. Additionally, understanding and controlling animal factors affecting herbivory and distribution of livestock in extensive environments adds to our ability to minimize animal impacts on the environment. The focus of this WCC is to contribute to our basic understanding of processes in (1) the plant-animal-landscape interface, (2) nutrient digestion and utilization from forages, and (3) nutritional management strategies based on grazed or harvested forages. The intent is to improve livestock digestive, metabolic, behavioral, production, and integrated system responses and to facilitate transfer this information to users such as livestock producers or land management personnel. Continuous communication and collaboration among scientists working in this discipline can promote more rapid development and transfer of new knowledge related to sustainable livestock production from forage-based systems. Research focusing on development of economically and environmentally sustainable forage-based production systems will contribute toward the ESS 2005-2010 national research priority to manage natural resources in a manner to improve the environment and the economy. Successful research in this field will also work toward the ESS priority of helping rural communities thrive by providing access to and application of new technologies relative to overcoming nutrient limitations for forage-fed livestock in the Western U.S.
Research focusing on sustainable production systems requires collaboration with researchers outside the members of WCC110. Overlap exists with the objectives of this coordinating committee and several others, such as those focusing on Managed Grazing Systems for the Intermountain West (WCC1002), Rangeland Resource Economics and Policy (WCC055), Animal Utilization of Products from Processing Agricultural Commodities (WCC203), and Coordination of Sheep and Goat Research (WCC039). Committee members maintain communication with these groups through collaborative research efforts and attendance at meetings of these groups. Members of other committees are invited to attend WCC110 meetings to maintain communications relative to common goals. However, the research objectives of committee members are unique to this committee in their emphasis on nutrition and behavior of ruminant livestock in the production systems of the arid and semi-arid West.
Objectives
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Facilitate timely exchange of research results, foster new research ideas, and coordinate future cooperative scientific efforts towards improved management that will optimize livestock responses and efficiencies while enhancing or maintaining ecological sustainability of forage-based livestock production systems in the Western U.S..
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Promote implementation of improved management by facilitating technology transfer to livestock producers, extension personnel, and others in the animal industry and land management agencies.
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Provide professional development opportunities for committee participants and graduate students. Particular efforts will be placed on mentoring graduate students and young scientists and encouraging networking.
Procedures and Activities
Expected Outcomes and Impacts
- Identification of critical/key research issues related to forage utilization by ruminants, including the plant-animal interface in grazed systems.
- Development of specific research programs in priority areas on a regional basis that could lead to proposals for extramural funding.
- Development of livestock management strategies that will improve biological and economic efficiency of forage-based livestock production and maintain or improve ecological sustainability. Improved economic efficiency can result from reduced feed costs, improved livestock performance, or improved livestock conversion of feed to desired products or outcomes, such as improved reproductive performance. For example, if strategic supplementation practices could reduce annual winter feed costs by $1 per cow, the savings to the western U.S. beef cattle industry would be approximately $6.7 million annually.
- Exchange of ideas, information, and data through sponsoring symposia or workshops on basic understanding of the plant-animal interface and resulting forage-based ruminant management strategies.
- Professional development of committee members leading toward more rapid advancements in nutritional technologies.
Projected Participation
View Appendix E: ParticipationEducational Plan
Venue for the annual meetings will vary between those held in conjunction with other professional meetings and those held at varied locations. Meetings held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Western Section of the American Society of Animal Science or other professional meetings will encourage attendance by graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, extension personnel, and others interested in our objectives. Other venues will be chosen for their ability to provide educational opportunities to committee members, such as invited speakers or educational tours.
Information shared by committee members through meetings, email, and professional development activities will be used in extension activities and classroom materials. Extension outreach programs in several states shall be presented at least biannually to present the results of forage-based livestock nutrition research to clientele. Educational activities include extension presentations on Indian reservations in Arizona and courses in Range Nutrition to both the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservation populations in Montana.
A web site with links to research activities being conducted by committee members will be developed in 2004 2005 to aid in communication among members and dissemination of research information to stakeholders.
Organization/Governance
Officers will include a chair and a secretary.
Duties of the chair are to organize the annual meeting, coordinate communication between meetings via email group, and assure that task assignments are complete. The term of service of chair is one year.
Duties of the secretary are to solicit reports from members for collation and distribution at the annual meetings, maintain a current list of committee participants, take minutes at the annual meeting, and to prepare and submit the accomplishment report. The term of service as secretary will be for one year, with advancement to chair in the following year.
Duties of the committee members are to submit annual research reports in a timely manner so that they may be collated and distributed at the annual meeting, communicate research results, and contribute to the ongoing activities of the committee.