Animal Nutrition & Feed Technology
Animal nutrition has become a science over the past 50 years, growing from a small portion of the industry into one of the booming areas that fuels the success of the feed companies. The advancement of technology has made better science possible, making the nutrition of the feed produced more efficient and economical. Understanding how the two work together is essential.
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History
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Animal nutrition has been a priority ever since people domesticated animals for their meat, eggs and use as labor animals. The healthier an animal is, the more "use" humans can get out of it. In the mid 1950s, chemists started to provide real proof that some of their feed additives were working toward improving animal performance in various areas. As technology advanced, the science of nutrition became more and more pronounced, to the effect that entire labs and even schools were set up by feed companies to research and try their formulas in scientifically controlled environments. The results are meticulously recorded, and a feed is not released until it has an entire portfolio of science to back it.
Significance
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By using feed technology, scientists work with feed companies to produce need-specific feeds and supplements that can provide exactly the right kind of nutrition, in exact portions, to the desired subset of animals. As this science has blossomed, the specialties have become so specific as to be staggering. You can buy feed for a horse in all life cycles, and even for those who have specific diseases. Chickens are fed more minerals to produce better eggs. Cattle are fed a special ratio to enhance meat or milk production. For almost any kind of domestic animal, you can find a feed that has been created and marketed to provide optimal nutrition for its life cycle. The result, in most cases, is that animals are healthier, can produce more and work harder, and live longer lives.
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Benefits
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One of the main benefits of the marriage of technology and animal nutrition is the removal of some of the old fixations in animal feed myths. No matter what type of animal was being fed, there was always a company that claimed that its product was the best because of this or that ingredient. It was not uncommon for feeds companies to throw in a new ingredient and tout that its product was now the ultimate in nutrition because of that specific addition, which might have had no beneficial effect at all--and in some cases, might even have caused harm to the animals consuming it. When the science of nutrition came about with the proof that certain ingredients worked, there was no more question as to the reality of the benefits provided by the feed.
Theories/Speculation
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By providing needed specific nutrients, backed up by scientifically controlled experimentation and enhanced with the latest computer imaging and medical studies, the feed companies assert that the feeds and supplements they produce will improve the efficiency, health, life-expectancy and production of the animals they are feeding. This is a theory that has proven sound, as can be seen by every major feed company having their own labs to study feed formulas and effects.
Potential
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As technology continues to evolve, so does the science of animal nutrition. There appears to be no end to this particular partnership, as the one will consistently move forward, and the other will follow as a result. With more research and more study, there may be feeds developed that can prevent, cure or relieve major diseases in animals. Nutrition can be provided to match the needs of the most specific animal athletes and or producers, making the upkeep of the animals simpler for the average livestock owner.
Warning
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Despite this influx of science and technology into animal nutrition, keep in mind that all is still not as it may seem. There are still plenty of bogus feed claims, just as there are in human nutritional supplements. Unless you see that the claims have been backed up with scientific research at a bona fide laboratory, do not believe everything you read or hear.
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References
- Photo Credit Grain Pile image by DBarby from Fotolia.com
