Travel Report
Alexandre Chaves (Dexcel Limited)
New Zealand Society of Animal Production - Animal Science Award
Travel Report by Alexandre Chaves (Dexcel Limited)
Purpose
The NZSAP Animal Science Award supported travel to United States and Canada
and enabled me to attend the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA 2002)
meeting in Quebec City (Canada) and visited 4 research institutes.
Itinerary and important contacts
My first visit was to the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver
where I met Dr. Dan Weary (animal welfare and behaviour) and Dr. Marina Von
Keyserlingk (dairy science). I was taken to the UBC Dairy Education and Research
Centre in Agassiz (BC) which is the largest and newest dairy research facility
in Canada.
My second visit was for in Wisconsin and included the University of Wisconsin
and U.S. Dairy Forage Research Centre, both in Madison. I met with several
scientists:
o David Mertens specialized in feed evaluation, fibre analysis and digestion
kinetics of fibre;
o Paul Weimer is a microbiologist investigating ruminal polysaccharide fermentation
and interactions among ruminal bacteria;
o Larry Satter specializes in feeding and manure handling systems to minimize
nitrogen/phosphorus losses to the environment;
o David Combs and Ken Albrecht are focusing there research on production and
use o forage crops for dairy cattle;
o Ronald D. Hatfield specializes in the effects of lignin on forage quality;
o Richard Muck is a silage specialist investigating processes occurring during
ensiling and their effects on silage quality.
Penn State University at State College was my last visit prior to the conference.
I was guided by Professor Larry Muller. I had an opportunity to meet and talk
with many graduate students and visit three dairy farmers.
The American Dairy Science Association Conference was hold in Quebec City
from 21 to 25 July. More than 1600 abstracts were given as either presentations
or posters in up to six concurrent sessions, with a total of about 3000 attendants.
Presented both of my papers (poster and oral) and my work was well received,
with a lot of interest in grazing systems and forage supplementation.
The University of Guelph, Canada was my last visit after the conference. I
met professors B. McBride, J. Cant and J. Maas (regulation of the main pathways
of carbohydrate, lipid and amino acid metabolism in gut, liver, muscle, adipose
and mammary glands for optimal performance).
Findings of relevance to New Zealand
Better understanding included developments in ruminant livestock production
such as intake regulation; the use of the models in a pastoral dairying; the
relation between in vivo and in sacco / in vitro methods.
Summary of overall expenditure
Overall the four visits and the conference complemented my PhD research and
have given me confidence that work in New Zealand is as good as that in North
America, but very relevant to grazing fresh forage diets.
---------------------------------------------------