FRR17 Syllabus

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SYLLABUS FOR FORAGE-RUMINANT RELATIONS
Course Description: ANSC 5553 - Forage-Ruminant Relations. Chemical, physical, and botanical characteristics of forage plants, the dynamics of grazing, intake, digestion, behavior, and nutrient cycling, and techniques of measuring forage utilization at the plant-animal interface. Prerequisite ANSC 3143; CSES 1203 recommended.
Instructor: 
Dr. Ken Coffey, Professor of Animal Science. Campus address: AFLS B106E Phone 575-2112. E-mail: kcoffey@uark.edu
Objectives:
1.	Describe schemes for evaluating improved forages.
2.	Describe numerical techniques for vegetation analysis of grasslands.
3.	Establish a firm understanding of the chemical and histological characteristics of forage plants impacting forage quality and animal utilization.
4.	Describe techniques of measuring and mathematically analyzing forage digestion and intake in ruminants.
5.	Explain plant and animal responses to stocking rate.
6.	Describe the uses and limitations of grazing trial designs and analysis.
7.	Explain grassland research techniques for environmental quality.
8.	Integrate all of the above concepts under the overarching theme of nutrient cycling and management.
Format: 3 hour course; 1, 2-hr lecture and 1, 2-hr lab per week. TR 4:30 to 6:15 in AFLS B109 and other arranged locations. Field exercises will occur at arranged times. This may be changed if the class decides to do so. 
Primary reference texts:
Van Soest, P.J. 1994. Nutritional ecology of the ruminant. 2nd edition. Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, NY. (Required).
Barnes, R.F et al. (ed.) 2007. Forages Volume 2: The Science of Grassland Agriculture. 6th edition. Blackwell Publ. Ames, IA.
Ball et al. 2015. Southern Forages. 5th edition. Int. Plant Nutr. Inst. Peachtree Corners, GA.
Tentative Class Schedule, Teaching units, and Lecture Topics: Spring 2017
Week of	Topic	
Jan 17	Forage structure and morphology
	Lab – growth stage systems
Jan 24	Forage physiology, growth, and development
	Lab – species composition systems and calculations
Jan 31	Forage species 
	Lab – forage quality analyses and calculations
Feb 7	Forage quality components 
	Lab – forage mass measurements
Feb 14	Forage chemical composition 
	Lab – digestibility measurements
Feb 21	Forage chemical composition 
	Lab – digestibility measurements
Feb 28	Factors affecting forage quality 
	Lab – digestibility measurements
March 7	Factors affecting forage quality 
	Lab - presentations
March 14	Ecosystems approaches for forage-ruminant relations 
	Lab – digestibility markers
March 21	Spring Break
March 28 	Ruminant animals 
	Lab – digestibility markers
April 4	Plant-animal interface 
April 11	Plant-animal interface 
	Lab – ruminant animal basics
April 18	Grazing systems 
	Lab – animal production research
April 25	Grazing systems 
	Lab – animal production research
May 2	Animal production systems
	Lab - presentations
Homework exercises and quizzes (total grade equivalent to one exam):
1.	Homework exercises covering various techniques, calculations and data presentation.
	The tentative topics are:
	a.	Species composition
	b.	Forage mass assessment and carrying capacity estimations
	c.	Forage composition exercise
	d.	Digestion kinetics calculations
	e.	Digestibility calculations using total collection and marker methodologies.
	f.	Relationships between forage intake and estimated animal performance.
	g.	Forage collection including a description of identifying characteristics.
2.	Quizzes may be given as necessary.
3.	Two presentations will be given. Each presentations will be over one scientific paper from an approved scientific journal. The paper must be approved in advance.
Grading: Three exams, four to seven assignments, presentations.
		Points	 2017 
	Exam 1	100	February 28
	Exam 2	100	April 4
	Assignments & Quizzes	200	TBA
	Final exam (oral)	100	TBA
	Presentations	100
	Total	600
Grading will be no more stringent than: 
A 100-93 %	A- <93-90	B+ <90-87	B <87-83	B- <83-80
 C <80-70	D <70-60	F <60
Inclement weather policy: Classes will be held unless the University is officially closed. If a student is unable to attend due to weather, the instructor should be notified in advance.
If you need an accommodation due to a disability, please make arrangements to discuss this with me during normal working hours within the first week of the semester.