ANSC 4410/PLNT 4410 Grassland Agriculture: Plant, Animal and Environment 2010
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This course focuses on the interrelationships between the biological components of grassland agriculture as they relate to forage and livestock production on the Canadian Prairies. Topics include utilization by domestic and wild animals, plant community relationships, and role of forages in multiple land use planning. LECTURES: 134 Agriculture Bldg. Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10:30 to 11:20. LABS: 134 Agriculture Bldg. Monday 2:30 to 5:25. TEXT: Alfalfa Management Guide. University of Wisconsin (available in Book Store). Recommended for lectures: Forages - An Introduction to Grassland Agriculture. Volume 1. by Barnes, Nelson, Collins and Moore. 2003 Iowa State Univ Press.
Additional Material
OFFICE HOURS: The best time to catch us is immediately after class. You can also e-mail or call to set up an appointment.
COURSE OUTLINE Grassland Agriculture - A system that emphasizes the importance of grasses and legumes in livestock agriculture and other ecological and social functions. Introductory lectures will be reserved to introduce students to the animal and plant components of grassland and agriculture and to demonstrate the dynamic balance between grasslands and croplands with biological efficiencies and commodity pricing. Jan. 6 (LG). THE PLANT History and Distribution of Grasslands. An introduction to the evolution, function and distribution of grasslands (as relating to North America and the world’s most important grasslands) will be given. Jan 8 (LG) Role of grasslands in arable cropping systems of Canada. We will discuss the positive attributes of perennial and annual forage crops in grain-based and integrated farming systems. Jan. 11. (ME) Seeded pastures and haylands. You will learn about forage species and their adaptation. This section will provide an overview of the grass and legume species adapted to the environments represented across the Canadian prairies. Jan 11 (lab) and 13. (ME) Applied forage plant physiology. Growth and development of forage plants in relation to defoliation, environment stress (drought, flooding, low temperature and salt stress) and management. Influence of growth pattern on plant persistence and productivity. Unique morphological and physiological changes which occur in forage plants in response to hay management and grazing. Jan. 15 and 18. (ME) Mixtures of Species. Natural ecosystems are composed of complex mixtures of plant species with the relative proportion of each species varying according to the unique environmental conditions of a particular location. Most seeded pastures are also composed of species mixtures. We will discuss mixtures in reference to competitive ability, seasonal distribution, and animal benefits. Jan. 20. (ME) Forage Establishment, Fertilization and other management. This section will provide an overview of the critical management factors required for successful forage establishment. Jan. 22 and 25. (ME) Evaluation and Monitoring of Stand Persistence & Productivity. Measurements of stand persistence and productivity are important both to ecologists and agronomists. These lectures will stress evaluation and monitoring techniques that are used in making livestock management decisions and in monitoring overall changes in the grassland ecosystem. Jan 27. (ME) Forage Quality Parameters. These lectures will discuss the structural and chemical composition of forage plants particularly emphasizing differences between and within various grass and legume species. These factors will be related to their effect on forage quality and the resulting influence on animal production. Plant composition will also be discussed in relation to plant growth and environmental adaptation. Jan. 29. (ME) Principles of Hay and Silage Production. These lectures will focus on the technology used in preserving forages as hay or silage. Production of forage pellets, cubes, and wafers will be discussed. Students will become familiar with the biochemical and microbiological changes during forage conservation and aids used in forage preservation. Feb 1, 3 and 5. (ME and LG). Forage seed production. Seed production is a critically important part of the forage sector. Manitoba has a long history of forage seed production and we produce a wide variety of forage grass and legume species. Feb 8. (ME) Mid-term test Feb. 10 (ME)
THE ANIMAL Digestive Systems of Herbivores. Several lectures will be designated to compare and contrast the digestive tract of wild and domestic ruminants and hind gut fermenters. Lectures will include anatomical suitability of animals to certain grazing and feeding strategies, and specific adaptations in the digestive tract for conversion of plant constituents to animal nutrients. Feb. 12 and 22 (LG) Factors Influencing Digestion Efficiencies. These lectures will focus on the effect of the plants’ physical and chemical constituents relative to the efficiency of digestion and metabolite utilization by an animal. Students will be exposed to the biochemical processes involved in fermentation and enzymatic breakdown of feedstuffs within the digestive tract, the importance of balancing nutrients with animal requirements, and feed energy losses associated with heat and methane production during digestion processes. Feb. 24 (LG) Voluntary Feed Intake, Animal Utilization and Low Quality Fibre Sources. Factors affecting feed and energy intake will be emphasized. Low quality forages will be defined and their constraints in animal feeding systems will be discussed. These lectures will demonstrate that variation in efficiency for utilization of low quality forage materials exists among species and within species. Also, chemical and physical processing techniques to improve feed value will be highlighted. Low energy, high fibre byproducts (straw, chaff, etc.) Will be addressed in this section. Feb 26 (LG) Mineral Nutrition and Supplementation Strategies. Supplementation of forage consuming animals with minerals will be emphasized. Mineral nutrition and requirements, sources available and content of forages will be emphasized. Protein and energy supplements will also be discussed for grazing cattle. Mar 1 (LG) Metabolic Problems Encountered with Forage Feeding. One lecture will be assigned to this topic to make students aware of the more common metabolic complications that can be associated with grazing animals or with confined animals fed forage based diets. Mar 3 (LG) Water Quality and Watering systems. This lecture will cover all aspects of water quality and watering systems for grazing livestock. Environmental and herd health issues related to utilization of water sources by livestock will also be discussed. Mar 5 (LG) Grazing Systems. A review of grazing systems used in Canada and elsewhere in the world. Weakness and strengths of the most commonly used grazing systems will be described. Mar 8 and 10. (LG) Plant-Animal Interactions. This lecture will provide some of the basic knowledge on the interactions and interrelationships between animals and plants. Defence mechanisms and outcomes of such interactions will be addressed. Students will also learn some tools and approaches to affect these interactions. Mar 12 (LG) Weeds on pastures. The most important weeds and invasive species affecting grasslands will be described. Students will learn examples of strategies used to control weeds through grazing strategies, reseeding and tillage. Mar 19 (LG)
THE ENVIRONMENT Greenhouse Gas Production. Carbon cycling and management strategies to reduce GHG emissions in grasslands systems will be emphasized. Opportunities for future marketing of carbon credits and carbon sequestration strategies may play an important role in the near future of grassland agriculture. Government policies will be presented. March 26 (LG). Native Grasses. Review of native grasses common to Western Canada; their adaptation, unique characteristics and current uses. March 29 (ME). Wildlife Habitat. The importance of grassland species in the habitat of waterfowl and other wildlife will be discussed. Forage species most suited to these habitats and forage stand establishment and management will be included. Guest speaker March 31 (ME). Grasslands for Environmental Quality (E.g., Reclamation, remediation, C sequestration, right-of-way and green areas). These areas will be described and management practices will be discussed including stand establishment, maintenance and the specific grass and legume species best adapted for these purposes. April 5 and 7 (ME). Review class April 9 (ME and LG)
LAB SCHEDULE Jan. 11 Species identification; forage establishment project. ME Jan. 18 Species identification (cont’d) ME Jan. 25 Species quiz, more forage establishment ME Feb 1. No lab - Integrated systems assignment (i.e., essay) instructions ME and LG Feb. 8 Foraging Behaviour Video LG Feb. 15 Louis Riel Day, Midterm break Feb. 22 Grazing Plan (Tentatively: Guest Presentation) LG Mar. 1 Grazing Plan LG Mar. 8 Grazing Plan (Tentatively: watering and overwintering systems) LG Mar. 15 Guest Presentation (TBA) Jane Thornton: Forages for Horses LG Mar. 22 Guest Presentation (TBA) Dennis Beernaert: Pasture Planning LG Mar. 29 Tour (Guest speaker on brush and weed control, or Ducks unlimited. Alternatively, Glenlea Research Station and/or forage seed company) LG/ME Apr. 6 No Lab EXAMS AND ASSIGNMENTS *Species test (in lab period) 10% Jan. 25 ME *Forage establishment report 5% Feb 24 ME *Plant Section - Mid-Term Test 15% Feb 10 ME Animal Section - Mid-Term Test 15% March 15 LG Grazing Plan 15% March 22 LG Reports on speakers 10% ME/LG Final Exam 30% TBA ME/LG *Marks will be made available before volunteer withdrawal date (March 19). Plagiarism: Students are required to familiarize themselves with the definition and consequences of plagiarism or cheating on any course assignments or exams as described in the general calendar. Late Assignments: Assignments must be submitted at class time of the date due. There will be a 10% deduction for every 24-hour period the assignment is late. Missed Tests/Exams: A medical certificate will be required for missed tests or exams.
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