The course will give insight in the scientific background for
understanding grazing with focus on grazing herbivores (mainly domestic
ruminants). The students will get familiar with the concepts of herbage
availability and quality in an agricultural landscape.
Teaching and practical exercises will give practical knowledge in how to
use scientific tools for estimating and recording herbage intake,
feeding behavior and animal performance under grazing conditions.
Teaching will be offered by a mix of SLU researchers and international
experts within the subject area.
By lectures, demonstrations and in field exercises the students will
obtain skills in how to perform scientific techniques for herbage
characterization and grassland/sward evaluation including remote sensing
methods.
The course has a field-based syllabus, teaching is offered on site (at a
farm environment) in a mixture of lectures, excursions demonstrations
and practical exercises.
The course is divided in three periods (blocks), Block A for practical
teaching on site in the nature and on farm and block B, for lectures and
modeling in the classroom and Block C for individual task/projects at
home including examination.
The course is organized as an activity within SustAinimal and will be
organized as a part of the grazing living lab in Västerbotten, node
north.
Extent:
3 credits
Prerequisites
Admitted to a postgraduate program in animal science, biology, veterinary
medicine, wildlife, nutrition or related subjects (e.g. chemistry,
geology, archaeology), or to a residency program in veterinary medicine.