Ruminant Nutrition
Ruminant animals are herbivores with a four-chambered stomach, such as cattle, sheep, and goats. Ruminant nutrition looks at the diet of these animals as it relates to their digestion, growth, performance, and overall health.
It is an exciting time to be involved in ruminant nutrition. Oklahoma currently ranks in the top 5 cattle producing states for all cattle and calves. Cattle are the number one agricultural commodity in Oklahoma, with cash receipts in excess of $3 billion annually.
Cattle prices quickly rose to record levels followed by a rapid decline, many developing countries are in the early stages of a population explosion, and there is an increased interest in production technologies, food safety, animal welfare, and the sustainability of production agriculture in developed countries.
Teaching
Anyone interested in ruminant nutrition can pursue an animal science degree within our department.
Research
Our ruminant nutrition research focuses on:
- Beef cattle nutrition and management with an emphasis on genetic environment interactions in beef production systems
- Integrated systems for sustainable, economical, and environmentally sound stocker and feedlot production systems.
- Physiological mechanisms that contribute to feed efficiency of ruminants
- Precision management of grazing systems through application of next-generation technology and data analytics.
- Understanding the interactions between nutrition and health in high-risk receiving calves.
Extension
We strive to keep the industry and consumers informed with up-to-date research data and outreach efforts.