furthering my knowledge in nutrition

[NorthumbrianFarmer]

hi so im looking to further my knowledge in nutrition of beef cattle and sheep. ive picked up lots in the years working on farms but im looking to further my knowledge and was wondering if anyone has any book or website recommendations? any advice on where I can learn more would be amazing thank you

 

[AndrewM]

Not an area I know anything about.
But for search advice try the various nations levy board/ association websites for a starter.

Knowledge library | AHDB

Evidence-based information and guidance to help you make positive changes for your farm or site

ahdb.org.uk

Beef - Teagasc | Agriculture and Food Development Authority

www.teagasc.ie

Technical Information | National Beef Association

Beef industry technical information and research from the National Beef Association.

www.nationalbeefassociation.com

For more depth see if you can find the reading lists for colleges/unis that offer courses in animal nutrition.

Quick Google came up with these two

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rl.talis.com

Reading lists:

www.teesadvance.co.uk

 

[pauld]

Couple of things.

I used to study all the nutrition tables, requirements, MEs etc. but have now come to the conclusion its how the your stock perform that matters. They will tell you whats working and what is not.

Tweak a few things every year and monitor weaning weights ,losses, scanning %, calving interval etc. Forage quality and palatability is everything and your stock will tell you if something isn't right. Investigate why some fields are grazed bare and others have a lot of rejected grass. Some forages such as red clover always seem to produce better outcomes than the nutrition tables would suggest.

The key is getting everything correct and the best publication in my view is Beef and Lamb New Zealands 2010 report 400+. This looks at all the factors necessary to lamb growth rates over 400 grams a day. Nutrition, genetics, parasite control, grazing management, trace elements in 90 easily read pages.

 

[Bury the Trash]

As above and (apart from the stockmans eye) the weigher helps big time in showing the facts with regards wether they are doing or not especially with Eid and its related kit (accuracy and speed/ ease of use ) used with lambs /sheep.
apart from that knowing your soils and what they give up to be available or not is the first help and will go along with the above
actually i have just ordered this one but ive no idea if it going to be useful...........
https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780124983106/forage-in-ruminant-nutrition

 

[andybk]

As above and (apart from the stockmans eye) the weigher helps big time in showing the facts with regards wether they are doing or not especially with Eid and its related kit (accuracy and speed/ ease of use ) used with lambs /sheep.
apart from that knowing your soils and what they give up to be available or not is the first help and will go along with the above
actually i have just ordered this one but ive no idea if it going to be useful...........
https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780124983106/forage-in-ruminant-nutrition

a lot in that BTT
, i find it interesting how some sheep will "do "on some quite poor pasture and recover condition quickly after weaning. , must be a hell of a lot undiscovered science in rumen capacity and how feed is broken down in seemingly similar genetics ,i think the breakdown of nutrition is only a part of the story , as you said weights tell a hell of a story over what your eye tells you