I have been working with our team on several projects that required us to learn a lot about animal nutrition for most of the species of animals raised in the US for food as well as companion animals like dogs, cats and horses.
We started by developing a list of well-known nutritionists at college animal science departments and extension services, as well as several private nutritionists. As you might expect, these experts specialize in one or two species. As a result, our list grew rapidly.
We learned a lot about nutrition in a very short time but that isn't why I'm writing this blog. I'm writing to share my experience in working with these dedicated and knowledgeable people.
Our practice was to contact an expert and ask if they would be willing to visit with members of our team working on the projects. If they were willing, and the vast majority of them were, we would set up a conference call discussion and send them some project overview information.
Of course, I was pleased about the fact they were willing to visit with us. What I did not expect was how well many of them were prepared for the discussion. They quickly understood the project deliverables and assisted where they could. In addition, our list of experts kept growing because expert A would say, "I can't help you with that, but I know expert B who can".
Another reason I know their interest in our project was genuine is that, when I or one of our team would call back with another question or clarification, they answered the phone or responded quickly to the e-mail.
I want to thank all of those animal nutrition and industry experts for sharing their vast knowledge with our team. Dealing with such pleasant people made my task much more enjoyable than I expected.