9-10-15
We started our day at Purina animal nutrition center. So far this has been my favorite place! We got to learn so much about animal health, animal nutrient requirements, and how purina strives to create a product that enhances animal performance and is user friendly. I enjoyed visiting purina very much!
We toured the campus of University of Missouri, their swine facility, equine facility, and beef facility. We saw glow in the dark pigs that are inserted with a florescent gene to research different health issues that humans experience. (Diabetes, etc) We got to see labs and experiments on cow rumens and how digestion occurs. We saw pigs at different stages of their life and got to see farrowing and gestation crates. Lastly, we saw the beed facility. They have data collecting feed bins that record each cows daily feed and water intake. The cows are equipped with a tag that the machine recognizes every time the animal eats or drinks.
Overall, Purina and the University of Missouri were definitely great places to learn about animals and agriculture. Both places really opened my eyes and gave me a better understanding of Midwest agriculture!
