I have been invited to teach this graduate level course at two separate campuses within the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco system in Brazil. The first time taught was in June 2013 at UFRPE Recife, Brazil campus. The second was in January 2014 at UFRPE Garanhuns, Brazil campus. The course is taught as an intensive short course consisting of both lecture and lab for 8 hours per day for a one-week period. Average enrollment for the course is 35 students. This course is designed for animal and forage scientists interested in ecology and biochemistry of plant secondary metabolites in plant-animal interactions. We focus on interactions between forage plants from the northeastern Caatinga region of Brazil and their nutritional implications to ruminant livestock (cattle, sheep and goats) production. Lectures are a combination of powerpoint presentations and in-depth classroom discussions. The laboratory component provides students the opportunity to conduct laboratory assays commonly used in plant secondary metabolite research. Assays involve extraction of compounds from forage plants, determination of plant chemical concentration and characterization of molecular structures.