Keynote address; Pastures and animal production; Problems with pastures: problems of animal production from temperate pastures; Problems of animal production from mediterranean pastures; Problems of animal production from tropical pastures; Limitations caused by chemical composition and digestibility: Differences between species in forage quality; Environmental and nutritional factors affecting herbage quality; Deleterious factors in forages affecting animal production; Limitations to intake: Influence of sward characteristics on diet selection and herbage intake by the grazing animal; Effects of chemical and physical composition of herbage eaten upor intake; Animal factors affecting feed intake; Limitations to digestion and utilization: Microbial breakdown of feed in the digestive tract; Digestion and utilization of energy; Digestion and utilization of protein; Utilization of minerals; Overcoming limitations to animal production: Selecting and breeding better legumes; Selecting and breeding better quality grasses; Animal breeding for improved productivity; Overcoming nutritional limitations through pasture management; Forage conservation; Improving forage quality by processing; Supplementary feeding of grazing animals; Modification of rumen fermentation; Integration of grazing with other feed resources; Role of computer simulation in overcoming limitations to animal production from pasturtes; Summative address; Symposium highlights and their relevante to future research; List of participants.; Index.

In this issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, guest editors Drs. Robert J. Van Saun and William S. Swecker, Jr. bring their considerable expertise to the topic of Vitamins and Trace Minerals in Ruminants. Optimal nutrition with adequate trace mineral levels guarantees proper function and nutrition of the animal, but purity and effectiveness are important concerns. In this issue, top experts in the field review trace mineral function, requirements, and content of common feeds, as well as specific diet challenges for ruminants and cattle. Contains 13 relevant, practice-oriented topics including evaluation of mineral sources; confinement dairy; vitamin supplementation; common toxicosis; maternal-fetal transfer of trace minerals and fetal programming; and more. Provides in-depth clinical reviews on vitamins and trace minerals in ruminants, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.