Study Programmes 2015-2016
ANIM0018-1  
Bromatology and the cultivation of animal fodder
Duration :
48h Th, 16h Pr, 8h FT
Number of credits :
Master in agricultural bioengineering (120 ECTS)6
Lecturer :
Yves Beckers, Jérôme Bindelle
Coordinator :
Yves Beckers
Language(s) of instruction :
French language
Organisation and examination :
Teaching in the second semester
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Course contents :
Why is this course important for bio-engineers? Domestic animal feeding practices make up for a significant part of the profitability and sustainability of animal rearing operations. Whether breeding in temperate or hot areas, in intensive or extensive systems, all the feeding management practices use a wide range of resources such as agricultural products and by-products, forage crops and natural and artificial pastures. This course will teach you how to use those resources best as animal feeds. The knowledge and competencies in this field are of utmost importance to the bio-engineers intending to work in fields related to animal production and game management.
Aims of the course This course aims at (1) introduce the diversity of feed ingredients useful for animal production, their nutritive characteristics, including their pros and cons according to the considered animal species, technological treatments available to change those characteristics; (2) to introduce the basics of feed evaluation as well as diet formulation and (3) to introduce the basics of natural and artificial pastures management as main roughage source for ruminants.
This course is divided in different parts presented hereafter:
  • The different classes of feeds (18 h)
  • The technology for producing compound feeds (2 h)
  • Assessing the feeding value (energy and protein) of feed ingredients (8 h)
  • Theory and practical exercises
  • Feed formulation (4 h)
  • Visit of a company (4 h).
  • Basics of forage production and use (8 h)
  • Origin and botany of range plants
  • Grazing resistance mechanisms
  • Physiology of the growth of grasses
  • Pasture fertilization
  • Grasslands feeding value.
  • Practical basic knowledge for rangeland assessment and management (6 h).
  • Review of the most important warm- and cool-season forage grasses and legumes (6 h).
  • Conference on GIS and range management (2 h)
  • Practical exercise on range carrying capacity (2 h)
  • Practical exercise on pasture assessment (6 h)
  • Practical exercise on forage ensiling (6 h).
Learning outcomes of the course :
At the end of the course you will:
  • know the positive and negative characteristics of the main classes of feed ingredients;
  • recognise the main feed ingredients used around the world;
  • know the most important technologies used in the feed industry;
  • be able to determine the feeding value of ingredients;
  • formulate diets for farm animals;
  • understand to biotic and abiotic elements influencing the composition of forage plants, their growth, and their nutritive value;
  • understand how to use the tools required for range management in order to secure the long-term production potential of a range;
  • be able to identify the most important grasses from temperate and tropical areas and know their interests in animal production;
  • be able to measure the quality of forage plants and ranges, measure the production potential and determine their carrying capacity.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
The biological rules of digestive physiology and nutrient metabolism are supposed to be known by the students following this course, as well as the technical itinerary for ruminants and monogatsrics production. We also recommend you to be familiar with botany, plant physiology, and soil science.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
The theory sections are based on lectures using many pictures and clips from scientific papers, herbariums and collections feed ingredients, as well as short videos in English.
Practical exercises are based on exercises in the classroom, computer-based exercise (requiring a personal report), a floristic assessment of a meadow in Gembloux and followed by a interpretation of the data in the classroom, a conference, a lab exercise on ensiling and visits. After an introduction to the formulation software, the students will have to formulate a diet for a given class of animals. How and when the report will have to be prepared will be specified in due time. We wish for interactive lectures are. Please don't be afraid to speak when we try to interact with the audience during the lectures. You are also free to interrupt us at any time for questions. Besides videos in English, a part of the course will probably be taught in English. During common sessions with UGhent, Veerle Fievez (UGhent) and ourselves will talk to the audience in English.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
Lectures and practical exercises requiring the presence of the student. Field exercises Personnal work
Recommended or required readings :
There are no compulsory readings. You will have access to the slides presented during the lectures as well as the exercises and their solutions via e-campus. You are likely to have a question on all the topics covered by these slides. You have access to the herbarium with the tropical grasses presented during the lectures. You can see them at any time during working hours in the teacher's office. In case of absence the secretary is there to let you in the office. You are free to take pictures of the plants, however, please don't move them from the office as they are quite precious and very fragile. A reference list regarding the topics covered by the lectures will be issued so you'll be able to go further if you like with the topics of the course as well as getting familiar with the vocabulary of the discipline. Moreover, as the course doesn't cover everything, if you need deeper knowledge, now or during your professional life, on specific topics, we advise you to start with the following references: For botany and physiology of forage plants:
Barnes RF, Nelson CJ, Moore KJ, Collins M. 2007. Forages. The science of grassland agriculture. Volume II. 6th Ed. Blackwell publishing. Ames.
For extensive range management:
Holechek JL, Pieper RD, Herbel CH. 2011. Range management. Principles and practices. 6th Ed. Prentice Hall. Boston.
For the description of tropical forage plants we recommend the following website: www.tropicalforages.info Ta access tables with the nutritive value of feed ingredients  : Sauvant D, Perez JM, Tran G. 2004. Tables de composition et de valeur nutritive des matières premières destinées aux animaux d'élevage. 2nd Ed. INRA. Paris (English version available) The website Feedipedia : www.trc.zootechnie.fr
Assessment methods and criteria :
The final marks will be a mean of marks given for the different parts of the course.
Oral examination The oral examination will cover 4 questions :
  • Present the pros and cons of a class of feed ingredients as well as the rules for their use for a specific animal category ;
  • identification of 2 ingredients and one mixture;
  • dentification of a genus of a warm- and cool-season grass with the characteristics for its use
  • open question on the basics of forage production or use or the range management or assessment methods
Written examination One exercise regarding the calculation of the feeding value of an ingredient and the carrying capacity of a range. The student will be allowed to use any useful document during the exam. Nonetheless, the use of software for the determination of the feeding value is not allowe. Each student will have to mark his answer on 20.
During the oral examination (see above), a comment on the written test will be issued for each student and a new mark will be asked to the student. The possible descripency between both marks will be discussed.
Personal work
  • The diet formulated by the student will have to be reported in a written report. The mark regarding this report will consider the following aspects: respect of the instructions, ability to use the software, meaning of the result, quality of the explanations, pertinence of the cited litterature and quality of the presentation. During the oral examination (see above), the written report will be discussed and a mark on 20 will be discussed.
  • Each student will be asked to produce 2 1-page reports on the floristic and the ensilability assessment. These report will yield the mark entering in the global mark for the course.
Work placement(s) :
Organizational remarks :
The slides will be made available at the beginning of the classes. Participation at the practical exercises and visits are compulsory. Any student not able to attend those activities must warn the teachers. The condition to participate to the examination is to fulfill the obligation regarding the written report a.o. to give in the report in due time.
Contacts :
You can always ask us questions during the classes or by making an appointment by phone or via email (jerome.bindelle@ulg.ac.be, +32 81 62 26 09; yves.beckers@ulg.ac.be, +32 81 62 21 19). If you have any question regarding the practical exercises on pastures, you can also contact the teacher's assistant Christine Poelaert (+32 81 62 21 17; christine.poelaert@ulg.ac.be)