The animal sciences are made up of a wide range of processes from single gene inheritance through cellular, organ, whole-animal, herd, farm, system, and economic and social processes. Research over the last 100 years has given us tremendously detailed insight and massive data sets on all aspects of food animal production. Nutrition and feeding, including all the interactions with genetics, the environment and reproduction are central to supplying health and efficient animals for a healthy human population. Although no one or one research group can simultaneously teach or do research in all these sections, our charge to improve the security, safety and efficiency of the animal food product system dictates that several efforts integrate 2 or even many of these systems toward a common end goal. Many government, NGO and private companies and organizations now are involved in and in fact require complex approaches to solving the complex issues of food production. Various research and educational approaches are valid and useful, but they all make use of sound quantitative biological and statistical approaches, including various types of mathematical and statistical modeling techniques. The National Animal Nutrition Program and the National Research Support Program exist to support and encourage excellence in education and research in Animal Sciences Nutrition and all aspects of the food system that are integrated with that (we don’t feed animals in a separate system, the inputs into the animals and outputs from them are an integral part of the system as a whole. The workshop today encompasses a variety of useful concepts and practices that will allow the student or scientist at any stage of their career to more fully understand and use a variety of biological, mathematical, and statistical approaches to systems biology research and education. The topics, practices, and information will be useful for anyone starting a career in the animal sciences or wishing to integrate their existing teaching and research into a relevant systems approach to providing a wholesome food supply.