The Paths of Animal Nutrition

By Appraisia Edwards

Animal Nutrition takes many forms. It is a multifaceted career that allows one to learn many skills and work with different animals. “Here, we manufacture feed for a variety of species. We do horses, cattle, deer, fish and dairy,” Jimmy Hughes said.

Hughes is the vice president and animal nutritionist for SouthFresh Feeds, a subsidiary of Alabama Farmers Co-Op. SouthFresh Feeds is a feed manufacturing facility in Demopolis, Alabama.

Animal nutritionists use their knowledge of animal science, nutrition and animal lifestyles to help feed the world. “Anything that we do that allows us to make animals more productive, more feed efficient and keep them healthier is going to impact the world. We [the world] are dependent on meat as a source of protein,” Hughes said.

Some may assume that people who work in agriculture are not smart. Hughes said, “You know, you have got to be really smart to be a farmer. It is so dynamic and changing every day.” The impact of careers in agriculture and animal nutrition is felt around the world, but can also be overlooked.

Hughes’ day-to-day responsibilities in animal nutrition include doing formulations for feed and buying ingredients that go into feed. SouthFresh Feeds has customers for whom they manufacture food. Some customers are consistent and buy with SouthFresh each time. Others come and go depending on the price of the feed. Setting the pricing for feed is another part of Hughes’ job.

“From a nutrition standpoint, the biggest challenge is the day-to-day pricing and formulation of rations to make sure you are staying competitive price wise,” Hughes said. Another challenge that he faces is getting ingredients “when and how you want them.”

“From running a feed plant standpoint, the biggest challenge is employees. Making sure you have the right employees with good attitudes. Especially now, it is really hard to find employees,” he said.

Getting items delivered and finding employees became a new challenge for many employers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many businesses shut down and encouraged employees to work from home. Delivery was also slowed because of the shut down and workers wanting to stay at home.

Traveling is also a possibility with a career in animal nutrition. Hughes visits producers about pricing to make sure he stays competitive. To learn more about the industry, he also attends conferences, trade shows and animal science meetings. He also visits those countries to make sure the feed is working efficiently to improve animal health since SouthFresh feeds exports feed to other countries.

Nutritionists can also choose to specialize in an animal or an animal type. For example, a nutritionist may focus on poultry nutrition and work in a poultry mill or center. Ruminant nutritionists focus on ruminants which includes animals such as cattle, sheep, antelopes, deer, and giraffes.

Hughes’ interest in research is what attracted him to animal nutrition. “I like seeing results, and nutrition was one way you could see results instantaneously,” he said.

Research in this career is used to see how nutrition positively impacts animal health. “We cannot manipulate nutrition to the point that we intentionally harm the animal,” Hughes said.

Research projects allow nutritionists to manipulate formulas and document how animal health is affected. Nutritionists can change ingredients to determine how animal’s growth or performance will be affected. These changes are tracked through studying things like animal behavior and weight.

SouthFresh Feeds continually works on research. They are working on two projects: researching alternative protein sources and the use of probiotics.

For students interested in a career in animal nutrition, “take as many animal science classes as you can,” Hughes said. Focusing on animal science classes and chemistry will help students be successful. He recommends getting involved through different clubs and organizations like Block and Bridle, the Alabama Cattleman’s Association or join collegiate judging teams. “With Alabama Cattleman’s, going to meetings will go a long way,” he said.

Hughes graduated from Mississippi State with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education, Leadership, and Communications before returning to earn a master’s degree. He is the president of the board of directors for the Alabama Feed and Grain Association, and a member of the American Feed Industry Association, a lobbying group for feed manufacturers.

As vice president of SouthFresh Feeds, Hughes also is involved with the day-to-day plant operations. “If there are any issues in the plant that they can’t solve, they come to me,” he said. The company manufactures “close to 100,000 tons of feed per year” and has about 40 employees.