Department of Animal Science, UC Davis
HIGHLIGHTS
A PUBLICATION FOR OUR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
Fall 1996

Animal Science Faculty Lead Task Force on Animal Agriculture

Four Animal Science faculty members are playing keys role in developing a report on "Contributions of Animal Agriculture to Meeting Global Human Food Demands."

The study is sponsored by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), the consortium of professional agricultural scientist and commodity organizations based in Ames, Iowa, that supports the development of objective information for policy makers on issues important to agriculture.

The study will provide an analysis of the roles of domestic animals in food production systems. The effort is prompted in part by the perception, which has received quite wide circulation in the popular press and elsewhere, that domestic animals compete with humans for food and that animal production should therefore be decreased or even eliminated.

That view overlooks the multiple and complex roles of domestic animals in utilizing non-arable land, crop residues and by-products, in providing food with high-quality protein and essential minerals and vitamins and in numerous other vital contributions.

The 12 members of the task force bring expertise in animal science, veterinary medicine, agronomy, range science economics, resource science and systems analysis. Because of the global nature of agricultural trade and policy issues, the group includes two members from overseas.

The task force members from the UC Davis Department of Animal Science include Eric Bradford, Professor Emeritus and chair of the committee; R.L. Baldwin, Sesnon Professor of Animal Science; J.W. Oltjen, Animal Management Systems Specialist; and J.G. Fadel, Associate Professor.

The Task Force is scheduled to complete its report in about a year.

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