AG349 ANIMAL NUTRITION Course Syllabus - Daryl Nash

Term
Spring 2026
Section
M1
Course Delivery
ln person­[FTF]
Class Program

AG349:

Credits 4
Description
The fundamentals of animal nutrition and feedstuffs including principles of digestion, absorption, assimilation, and utilization of nutrients, balancing rations, and identification of feedstuffs.

Prerequisites

AG132 or AG133 and junior or senior standing

Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details

Meeting Days:
Lecture: Monday-Wednesday-Friday; Lab: Wednesday
Meeting Times:
Lecture: 10:20-11:05; Lab: section M1 1:00-2:50, section M2 3:00-4:50
Location:
Lecture: CSA 308; Lab: CSA 308 & other locations TBA
Delivery Details

Mode of Delivery

In person:

  • Lectures will be taught in person on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays in CSA-308
  • Labs will be taught in person on Wednesdays in CSA-308
  • You must get permission from Daryl before using the Zoom link. Ask for permission as soon as possible if you need to Zoom into class.  Email requests made a few minutes before class are unlikely to be responded to and unlikely to receive permission to Zoom

Contact Information

Instructor:
Daryl Nash
Instructor Email:
daryl_nash@wilmington.edu
Office Location:
CSA 130
Phone Number
937-481-2338
Office Hours:
*8:30–9:30 WF; 1:00–5:00; M; 9:30–12:00 T, Th (9:30 - 11:00 after 3/16/2025); 2:00–5:00 T, Th; Open door or by appointment other times. *Office hours will be in-person unless circumstances dictate that they be via Zoom
Course Materials

Recommended Textbook:

Name: Animal Feeding and Nutrition
Edition: 11th
ISBN: 0757591132
Author: Marshall H Jurgens, Stephanie L Hansen, Jozie Coverdale, & Kristjan Bregendahl
Publisher: Kendal-Hunt

Recommended Resources:

Livestock Feeds and Feeding, 6th Edition, 2010, by Richard O. Kellems & D. C. Church, Pearson   ISBN:  0131594753 (this is the textbook I used to use for Animal Nutrition, but it is out of print, used copies might be available)

A Guide to the Principles of Animal Nutrition:  https://open.oregonstate.education/animalnutrition/

Feedstuffs Magazine:  https://www.feedstuffs.com/

National Animal Nutrition Program:  https://animalnutrition.org/

Scientific Farm Animal Production, 12th edition, 2020, by Field & Taylor, published by Pearson, ISBN: 9780135187258.  The 11th edition (ISBN: 9780133767209) is acceptable too.  The 11th edition’s chapters may be in a different order.  (this is the animal science textbook for Crops & Animals I & II)

 

Instructor's Course Objectives
  • Know the functions of digestive system organs, including differences between ruminant and monogastric animals and the types of diets each require.
  • Know nutrient requirements and formulate diets (balance rations) using computers and hand calculations.
  • Know classes of nutrients and what each provides in the animal's diet.
  • Identify common feedstuffs, classify them according to what each provides in the diet (e.g., protein, energy, micronutrients), and know their nutrient content (including toxic compounds).
  • Understand feeding behavior and factors affecting feed intake.
  • Know types and uses of feed additives and how each works.
  • Know common nutrient deficiencies and toxicities and how to correct or prevent, also understand diet's effect on milk, meat, egg, and wool quality.
  • Know how nutrient content of feeds is determined and how feeds are manufactured and processed, including forage harvesting and utilization.
  • Gain understanding of nutrient management, alternative feeds, and their relationship to sustainable agriculture.
Course Schedule

Tentative Schedule for Spring 2026

Week of:             Lecture Topic(s)                              Reading Assignment*^

January 12          introduction & expectations; digestive physiology; types of nutrients;  Chapters 1 & 2

January 19          Monday MLK HOLIDAY; digestive physiology; types of nutrients;  Chapters 2 & 3

January 26          feed classification & analysis;  Chapter 4

February 2          energy sources;  Chapter 5

February 9          energy sources; protein sources;  Chapters 5 & 6

                                        EXAM #1, Friday, February 13

February 16        protein sources;  Chapter 6

February 23        roughages; pastures; forage harvesting & utilization;  Chapter 7

March 2               forage harvesting & utilization; mineral & vitamin supplements; feed additives;  Chapters 7, 8 & 9

March 9               SPRING BREAK

March 16             feed laws & labeling; feed manufacturing & processing; ration formulation;  Chapters 10, 11 & 12

                                        EXAM #2, Friday, March 20

March 23             feeding & nutrition of beef cattle;  Chapters 17 & 18

March 30             feeding & nutrition of sheep & goats; GOOD FRIDAY HOLIDAY; Chapters 20 & 21

April 6                  feeding & nutrition of swine;  Chapter 13

April 13                feeding & nutrition of chickens & turkeys;  Chapter 14

                                        EXAM #3, Friday, April 17

April 20                feeding & nutrition of dairy cattle;  Chapters 15 & 16

April 27                feeding & nutrition of horses & companion animals; post-test; Fri. LAST DAY CLASSES;  Chapters 19 & 22

May 4                   Final Exam, Monday, May 4, 10:15 AM – 12:15 PM  (final exams are Mon., Tue., Wed., Thurs. May 4-7)

*Unless otherwise indicated, readings are from Livestock Feeds and Feeding, 6th Edition, 2010, by Kellems & Church

^Additional readings, including handouts, websites, or library resources, may be assigned.

Week of:             Laboratory Topic(s)*

January 12          pre-test; animal nutrition literature & paper instructions

January 19          feedstuffs ID

January 26          digestive tract anatomy & physiology

February 2          intro to feed ration formulation

February 9          feed ration formulation

February 16        forage harvesting equipment

February 23        beef cattle rations

March 2               Aggies Judging Contest

March 9               SPRING BREAK

March 16             sheep & goat rations

March 23             swine rations

March 30             poultry rations

April 6                  dairy cattle rations

April 13                Fieldtrip - feed processing

April 20                Fieldtrip - feed processing

April 27                Lab Exam

*Same as lecture, reading the textbook, plus any other assigned readings, will help you learn the material in lab.

Course Assignments

Grading Activities

Exams (3 @ 100 points each)300 points
Quizzes (10 @ 20 points each)200 points
Lab Exam100 points
Attendance*110 points
Homework & lab assignments (details given at later date)^190 points
Final Exam#100 points
                                                                                                        Total1000 points

Weekly Quizzes

  • A quiz will be given (possibly on WC Blackboard), unless there is an exam that week

*Attendance

  • Attendance is significant.  Points for attendance are 11% of the total grade.
  • 1.75 points will be earned for each lecture attended except for lectures on Friday, March 6, Monday, March 16, and Monday, April 6.  Attendance for these three lectures will be 3.5 points each.
  • 2 points will be earned for each lab attended.
  • You must be on time (in classroom by 10:20 AM and lab by 1 or 3 PM), barring unforeseen circumstances, to receive attendance points each class period.  Excused absences (see Attendance Policy) will receive attendance points.

^Assignments

  • You will complete homework assignments and laboratory exercises & reports
  • Due dates will be given on homework assignments, homework turned in one week late will be penalized 10%, homework turned in more than one week late will receive a grade of zero
  • The assignments are significant, they account for 19% of the total grade
  • Unless otherwise indicated, turn assignments in via Blackboard or cloud-based storage.  Do not email assignments.

#Final Exam

  • The final exam will be comprehensive
  • If you have at least a middle B- average (83.5% or higher) on exams and quizzes combined, AND do not have any unexcused absences, the final exam is optional
Course Final Exam
Friday, December 5, 10:15 – 12:15 PM, CSA 148
Evaluation of Work

Grading Policy

From the Wilmington College Faculty Handbook:

It is the policy of Wilmington College to strive for fairness in grading and avoid grade inflation. Faculty are encouraged to regard "C-" as a satisfactory grade, which means the student is meeting College standards, and will treat it as such in talking with students, unless otherwise noted in the College Catalog. The grade "A", on the other hand, should mean outstanding achievement, with a grade of "B" in between. The grade "D" represents minimally acceptable achievement, and the grade "F" indicates failure.

Instructor Course Policies

Instructor's Course Attendance Policy
  • Attendance is required for all class weeks. Students must demonstrate that they are actively participating in the course by submitting required assignments and attending scheduled physical classroom sessions.
  • If you are sick or do not feel well, do not come to class if you are sick! Please email the instructor prior to class.
  • You are expected to be in class, on time, every time.  If you miss more than 3 lectures for reasons other than illness, emergency, or other excused absences approved by the instructor, your total points in the class will be reduced by 5% for each day missed.  NO UNEXCUSED ABSENCES FROM LABS
  • You are responsible for communicating with the instructor about completing missed work
  • The opportunity to makeup missed work may be given only if the absence is excused
  • See the current Student Handbook for the College’s Attendance policy especially as it pertains to excused absences.
  • If you are absent due to athletics, field trip, or other event where you officially represent the College, please email the instructor at least one week prior to the event.  Understand that although these are excused absences, you can only complete missed work IF you let the instructor know ahead of time.
  • If absent due to illness or emergency, contact the instructor as soon as you can.  If you are absent due to illness, a doctor’s note will make the absence excused and not count toward the allowed unexcused absences
  • Exams, quizzes, & assignments missed due to unexcused absences will receive a 0 when calculating your final grade
Instructor's Academic Integrity Policy
  • You are expected to read the assigned material and be prepared for discussion on the material. As a general rule, you should have the reading done for the week at the beginning of the assigned week.
  • Wilmington College and federal financial aid authorities require that students commit a minimum of two hours of time per week outside of class for each hour of time they are in class.
  • You are responsible for the materials in lecture and in all assigned reading

Academic Integrity

  • Absolute honesty is expected.  Cheating, plagiarism, lying, or disrespect for other students or the instructor will not be tolerated by the instructor or the College.
  • Appropriate Use of Artificial Intelligence:
    • Unless given permission by the instructor to use artificial intelligence (AI) apps such as ChatGPT to help you complete an assignment, all work (papers, quizzes & tests, homework assignments, etc.) that you submit in this course must be produced by you and not by AI.  Failure to comply with this policy will result in penalties for academic dishonesty (see below).
    • IF the instructor gives you permission to use AI and you choose to utilize Chat GPT or another AI platform, screenshot the prompt that you submitted and the response the AI platform gave you.  This will allow the instructor to view your input and the AI output to ensure plagiarism was avoided and proper citation was given.  Failure to comply with this policy will result in penalties for academic dishonesty (see below).
  • Plagiarism will not be tolerated.  All references should be provided, if in doubt, provide a reference This includes works produced with the assistance of AI (see above).
  • Academic dishonesty is not acceptable.  Assignments, which are plagiarized, will not be accepted and will receive the grade of zero. Cheating on a test or quiz will also receive a grade of zero.
  • Penalties for plagiarism or cheating in this class may range from a zero on the assignment to an F in the class. In addition, all cases will be reported in writing to the Office of Academic Affairs.  In the case of serious infractions, the Academic Standards and Appeals Committee may take further action.
  • “See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Academic Integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges.”

Taking an Online Exam or Quiz:

Cheating is a serious offense and subject to disciplinary action. Some examples of this offense are:

  • Any copying or recording of the exam/quiz questions or answers, including taking screenshots, pictures, or video, and disseminating them to anyone before or during the exam.
  • Opening browsers and searching for content.
  • Using mobile devices/smart phones, other web browsers, software, or other computers during the exam/quiz.
  • Bringing in resource materials other than those allowed (e.g., calculator).
  • Allowing other individuals to come in and out of the room during the exam.

Plagiarism Policy:

Plagiarism is defined as the representation of another’s words, ideas, concepts, research, or creative production without proper attribution whether intentional or unintentional. It is the student’s responsibility to be informed about what constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism can occur in the submission of one’s own work or in work submitted by a group.

Examples of plagiarism include the following:

  • Paper(s), information, quiz & test answers, homework assignments, etc. created by AI apps such as ChatGPT
  • The submission of a paper not one’s own, including turning in a paper that has been purchased from a commercial research firm or obtained from the internet
  • Copying word for word information without quotation marks
  • Paraphrasing information (that is, the use of one’s own words with only minor changes to the original)
  • Use of information not considered general knowledge without proper citation
  • Listing of misleading or false sources on a reference page
  • The use of a paper or project for one course that was previously submitted for another course, either at Wilmington or at any other institution

Plagiarism is a serious academic offense and carries serious academic consequences. Violations will be recorded by the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Main Campus and Vice President of External Programs at the Cincinnati Branch Campus.

When an instructor discovers plagiarism, the instructor will first consult with the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs if a main campus student, or the Vice President for External Programs if a branch campus student, in order to determine if the student is a first-time offender. For first offenses, the instructor has the ability to determine the penalty for the offense. Students with academic integrity violations may not be eligible for academic awards and honors (i.e., Academic Honors, Dean’s List/Merit List, Green Key Honor Society, Quaker Impact Award, and other Honorary Societies). For a second offense or more, the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Main Campus or the Vice President for External Programs for students at the branch campus, will report the offense to the academic standards and appeal committee and gather evidence for a hearing with the student. It is possible that the student will receive a substantial reduction in grade for the course or will fail the course. Multiple instances could even lead to suspension or expulsion from Wilmington College.

There are many university, college and private websites students may consult about how to avoid plagiarism. Sites with particularly helpful suggestions can be found at:

https://www.plagiarism.org/article/preventing-plagiarism-when-writing

http://citationmachine.net/index2.php

Electronic Device/Texting Policy

  • You need to focus on the materials we are discussing in class.  The use of electronic devices is distracting and limits your ability to stay focused in class.  Other than a computer you bring to class for taking notes, do not use these devices in class.  Also, stay on task with your laptop computer.  Do not surf the web, text, etc. when you should be learning the material.
  • Repeated violations of this policy may reduce your next grade 10% (e.g., if you earned a 70% on the next exam, your grade would be reduced to 60%)

WC Blackboard

Use (wc.blackboard.com)

  • May be used for: quizzes & exams, lecture outlines, assignments, instructions, due dates, readings, posting grades

Help

Communicating with the Instructor

Email & Video Conferencing Etiquette

Email

  • When communicating via email, there are some important guidelines to follow:
  • Think of your email as a professional, business communication. Include an informative subject line.
  • Make sure that your email is grammatically correct. You should think about your email as a chance to show your instructor that you care about the class, and that you are willing to take the time to proofread your message before sending it.  Keep your tone friendly and respectful and keep your emails concise and to the point.

Video Conferencing

If you attend class via Zoom, below are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Requests to attend class via Zoom for reasons other than illness or emergency must be approved by the instructor at least 1-day in advance.  If the reason is due to sudden illness or emergency contact the instructor as soon as you can.  Requests will be honored if the reason for attending class fits within the College’s Attendance policy in the Student Handbook (i.e., illness, emergency, approved excused absences).  I overslept or do not feel like getting out of bed are not valid reasons for attending class via Zoom.
  • Consider your appearance on the webcam. The less seriously you take the video conference, the harder it will be to learn the material or participate in the class.
  • Consider what is in the background of your video. Nothing is more embarrassing than an awkward or inappropriate poster or item in your background. A blank background is easiest to work with but be considerate.
  • Remember that a video conference has the same degree of respect as a live class. You would not randomly call out or fall asleep during class (let’s hope!), so please continue that respect on the webcam.
  • Keep your video on.
  • Unless you are speaking keep the mute on. This will avoid background noises.

WC Mission Statement

  • The mission of Wilmington College is to educate, inspire and prepare each student for a life of service and success.
  • To fulfill that mission, Wilmington College provides a high quality undergraduate and graduate educational environment shaped by the traditions of the liberal arts, career preparation and the distinctive practices of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). By offering academic programs, practical experience, and co-curricular activities in a variety of settings to students from diverse backgrounds, the College leads students to gain an awareness of the world, to acquire knowledge of career and vocation and to seek truth and social justice.
  • In keeping with the rich heritage of the liberal arts, the College seeks to educate the whole person – intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual – in ways that foster critical thinking, reflection, the free exchange of ideas, open inquiry, respect for all persons and a desire for lifelong learning. The liberal arts are integrated with career preparation to help students develop the knowledge and skills to succeed in a career or further education.
  • As an academic community, Wilmington College is rooted in historic Quaker values, also known as testimonies, which include integrity, service, stewardship, equality, peace and social justice and respect for all persons. These historic testimonies motivate those who learn and work at the College to make positive contributions to their professions and their communities.

Institutional and Program-Level Policies

Final Exam Schedule

All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.

Undergraduate:  SP25 Final Exam Schedule    Graduate:  

 

Out-of-class Work Expectation

A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week.

Instructional Course Delivery                                                                                                            

Definition of Courses

Academic Integrity Policy

The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions.

Academic Integrity Policy

Class Attendance Policy                              

Institutional Class Attendance Policy

Accessibility and Disability Services