It was several decades ago when Alltech founder Dr. Pearse Lyons established the agricultural biotechnology company’s “ACE principle.” He believed the future of profitably growing food to feed the planet would depend on an approach that would be beneficial, efficient, safe and sustainable for the animal, consumer and environment alike. Each element of ACE would need to be kept in mind and in balance with one another.

“Dr. Lyons decided from the beginning that it was not going to be a chemical or antibiotic-based approach to food-animal nutrition,” said Dr. Kate Jacques, Alltech's director of nutrition, recalling what persuaded her to join the company more than 30 years ago. “They were going to dump money into research to find new ways around it. Thirty years ago, that was a very radical idea.”

Part one of this four-part series on the Alltech ACE principle focuses on the “E” portion of ACE and how the needs of the agriculture industry can be addressed while reducing farming’s impact on the environment.

It began with yeast

“The ability to use live yeast in beef and dairy cattle diets to improve efficiency is probably the number one driving force that got the company started,” recalled Dr. Karl Dawson, vice president and chief scientific officer at Alltech, another early recruit.

“The next thing that came out of that was the realization that we could take yeast apart and produce derivatives that led to a series of materials that improve animal performance and growth,” he continued. “They’re not antibiotics; they’re not chemicals; they are a natural material that promotes growth, improving efficiency and impacting the way livestock are influencing the environment.”

Walk the talk

The belief that the company itself should embody an ethos of sustainability has inspired the development of company-wide environmental criteria.

“The Alltech Environmental Management System is structured to the requirements of ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management,” said Mark Jones, health, safety and environment systems manager in the Alltech office in Stamford, England. “The requirements of ISO 14001 talk about your environmental policy, your objectives and targets, and communication. But, mainly, it talks about your commitment and leadership across the business.”

Alltech’s European headquarters in Dunboyne, Ireland, is working on achieving ISO 14001 certification.

At Alltech’s European headquarters in Dunboyne, Ireland, Jones is working with a sustainability committee through the process of achieving ISO 14001 certification. The Dunboyne office began pursuing this cerfication as it was becoming more common for other companies or customers to inquire if they were ISO 14001-certified when choosing to work with them. They believe that having this quality standard in place will demonstrate their commitment to improving environmental performance.

The National Standards Authority of Ireland recently granted this prestigious status to the Alltech-owned KEENAN, the Ireland-based manufacturer of advanced diet feeders and software products. The company is focusing on four areas that it wants to bring under control, including transport, procurement, air emissions and waste management.

KEENAN has been awarded ISO 14001 certification.

Corralling carbon

Another important certification has come from Europe’s Carbon Trust for Alltech E-CO2, an agri-environmental farm efficiency software and consultancy company specializing in farm-level environmental carbon and water assessments.

While the degree of agricultural contribution to greenhouse gases remains in debate, Alltech E-CO2 is working with farmers to help them know exactly where their operations fit into the emissions picture. The company provides comprehensive carbon audits and calculates total farm carbon footprint.

“If you want to look at a carbon footprint, you need to have an accurate estimate of what’s going to happen when you feed alfalfa hay or grain to the animal,” said Dawson. “This allows you to do that.”

Alltech E-CO2 recently surveyed 58 dairy farms in Europe to gather carbon footprint information. The audit identified areas for improvement in milk production, animal health and reproduction. As a result, the farms made recommended changes in management and nutritional programs.

Six months later, Alltech E-CO2 revisited the farms for follow-up evaluations. Greenhouse gas emissions had been reduced by 2.8 pounds per cow per day. In addition, the audit found the farms were averaging a 2-pound increase in milk, with reduced incidence of mastitis, metritis and lameness. Between increased milk yield and improved fertility and health, farm profits were estimated to have increased by $253 per cow per year.

Alltech E-CO2 clients are provided with an interactive tool that lets them determine on their own the amount of greenhouse gas emissions being produced by their operations.

“The What If tool offers a quick point in time,” said Andrew Wynne, general business manager at Alltech E-CO2. “You have a conversation with a farmer, and within five minutes, they have information on where they have the best chances of making improvements. It’s really quite visual and quick.”

The tool is also available in versions designed for beef and lamb producers.

Just eat the whole thing

Even the matter of how feed supplements are provided to cattle hasn’t escaped environmental consideration.

The Alltech-owned Ridley Block Operations manufactures the BioBarrel®, an edible feed supplement container that is literally eaten along with the supplements. Think of it as an ice cream cone for cows.

The BioBarrel is made from 100 percent renewable materials and is designed to degrade as livestock consume the low-moisture block it contains.

The low-moisture block supplement is manufactured by heating up molasses and then cooling it into a very hard block that can only be licked, providing additional protein, vitamins and minerals to grazing herds. Low-moisture blocks feed the rumen’s microbes, giving the microbes the ability to break down mature/dry forage efficiently and convert it into energy.

The product is also beneficial to the producer.

Additionally, the BioBarrel can have a significant impact on land management and conservation. The barrels can be strategically placed to attract cattle to areas that were previously unused, giving them an incentive to remain there long enough that a good share of the forage is utilized.

A solution to increasing regulations on mineral pollution

Livestock in many parts of the world have been overfed inorganic forms of trace minerals, such as copper, manganese and zinc, to offset their inefficient digestibility. As a result, the excess ends up in manure.

“Many countries around the world have already passed legislation restricting the use of trace minerals because this overfortification has led to pollution,” noted Steve Elliott, global director of the mineral management team at Alltech.

“Some of the levels of trace minerals, particularly zinc and copper, have gotten so high that it’s actually above the legal limit to spread out into fields for use of growth of forages and/or grain, and now we’re stuck with it,” he continued. “It’s many, many tons of excretion that are above the legal limit to actually spread for fertilizer. That’s becoming a big issue all around the world.”

Alltech is a leading producer of organic trace minerals for livestock. These organic minerals can be fed in much lower levels than inorganic minerals because they are more efficiently and thoroughly digested by the animal.

The company’s Total Replacement Technology™ (TRT) is helping producers comply with increasing anti-pollution regulations by offering a way to feed fewer minerals to their livestock and get optimal performance results.

“We’re talking about 75 percent less of these environmental contaminants being produced by a cow or a pig,” said Dawson. “That is a tremendous impact. And, in places like the Netherlands, where they have a cap on the levels of copper and zinc that can spread on the soil, it allows you to grow about three times as many animals on the same amount of feed and land.”

TRT has been used in most production species: swine, poultry, cattle, as well as in many different phases of poultry production, whether egg-producing layer birds, broilers or breeders.

This same concern about how trace minerals impact the environment is shared in Alltech’s crop science division.

“We are extremely concerned with sustainability,” said Dr. Steven Borst, general manager of Alltech Crop Science. “The minerals that we incorporate into the plant nutrient side of the business meet the same quality standards that we adhere to on the Alltech feed and animal side.

“No one cares more about land and the environment than a farmer,” he continued. “They understand what’s occurring from a biological perspective. Their cropland is like another child to them. They want to produce as much as they possibly can without compromising their soil for the future."

Supporting China’s ag revolution

China is turning its attention to the impact of livestock production on the environment, and on soil in particular.

One-fifth of Chinese soil is fallow, “a consequence of exposure to heavy metal contaminants,” according to a bulletin issued by China’s Ministries of Environmental Protection and Land and Resources.

In recent years, hundreds of thousands of small farms across China have been forced out of operation as Beijing has carried out a campaign to clean up the world's biggest livestock sector, according to Reuters.

Alltech is engaged in a survey project in China to investigate pollution levels of minerals and heavy metals in animal manure. Current levels of copper, iron, manganese and zinc are very high. But the application of Alltech’s Bioplex® trace minerals has not only significantly reduced mineral release in manure — it has also decreased levels of heavy metals such as chromium, according to Alltech researchers.

And in March of 2017, the company signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Soil and Fertilizer Alliance of China (SFAC) to improve soil quality and protect the environment from further degradation.

Dr. Mark Lyons, Alltech’s global vice president and head of Greater China, is vice president of the Soil and Fertilizer Alliance of China (SFAC), which aims to improve soil quality and protect the environment from further degradation.

Under the agreement, Alltech is sharing its expertise in microbiology, enzyme technology and nutrigenomics with SFAC to enhance environmental agriculture research in China.

“Alltech has solutions to help livestock farms reduce pollution in animal manure, compost manure to a higher quality of organic fertilizer and improve crop and animal health and performance by adding nutritional value more naturally through our research-based technologies,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, Alltech’s global vice president and head of Greater China, who has been named vice president of the SFAC.

ACE-ing it across the board

From offering sustainable solutions and expertise in environmentally challenged China to providing viable, environment-friendly alternatives to inorganic trace minerals, chemicals and even plastic feed containers, these examples highlight the many ways Alltech is living up to a late-‘80s commitment to sustainable agriculture.

The ACE principle is carrying forward a deeply embedded corporate-wide focus on safely sustaining the feeding of a world population that is beginning to outgrow the planet’s resources.

Next in our ACE series: a look at the “A” in ACE. We’ll examine Alltech nutritional technologies and feeding strategies that result in healthier, better-performing, more efficient food-producing animals, with a view toward sustainability and reduced environmental impact.

Brad Rortvedt, regional sales manager for Alltech, speaks about the upcoming 2017 Alltech Wisconsin Dairy School to take place Nov. 30 in Green Bay, WI. The 15th annual event will focus on integrating tradition with technologies and helps dairy producers discover their competitive advantage and prepare for the future of the farm.

To register for the event, please contact the Alltech Wisconsin office at 920-386-9651 or email AlltechWisconsin@alltech.com.

The following is an edited transcript of Tom Martin’s interview with Ronald Faber of Coppens International, an Alltech Company. Ronald has since been promoted to managing director.

Click below to hear the full interview:

Tom: Coppens International, a leading international aquatic feed solutions company in the Netherlands, was acquired by Alltech in 2016. The company exports quality aquatic feed to more than 60 countries worldwide. Ronald Faber is its chief commercial officer. We welcome you here today, Ronald.

Ronald: Thank you very much for the invitation.

Tom: Glad to have you. Tell us about Coppens’ product line, if you will. What are your specialties?

Ronald: Our product line is very broad. We make a differentiation between our product lines: We have different feeds for the aquaculture industry — producing feed for fish, to grow fish. And, separately, we have a product line for hobby feeds.

Tom: And it’s a wide variety of fish: ornamental, specialty and even bait feeds.

Ronald: Correct. Even on bait, we have a superior product line, which we’re exporting to 60 countries worldwide.

Tom: What species of fish would you consider your target market?

Ronald: Do you mean for industrial feeds or for hobby feeds?

Tom: Let’s begin with industrial.

Ronald: For industrial, we have a very strong position in more advanced species — high-value species such as eel, trout and salmon. We are less active in the more budget-type of species such as tilapia.

Tom: And then on the ornamental side?

Ronald: For ornamental, we’re targeting high-priced species such as koi — they sell for thousands of euros per head — and other hobby species such as goldfish and shubunkins. We have specialized diets for ornamental and hobby fish.

Tom: What are the particular challenges you face with each of those divisions? Let’s start with industry again.

Ronald: Sure. The biggest challenge for us is, of course, the fish in-fish out ratio. We still use fishmeal from wild-caught fish to make our diets.

Tom: And then on the ornamental side? Pretty much the same?

Ronald: It’s similar, but on the ornamental side, the challenge is following the fast-changing requirements of the consumers.

Tom: You spent a couple of years working with fish and shrimp feed companies in Southeast Asia, India and, I believe, Indonesia. Is that correct?

Ronald: That’s correct. That’s right.

Tom: What were the most important takeaways from those experiences?

Ronald: Personally, of course, it was a very challenging period of my life being in a new culture. But the industry is developing so quickly in these countries that, in the Western world, we’re really left behind.

Tom: Is it fair to say that aquaculture is booming in Vietnam? And if it is, does Coppens participate in that?

Ronald: It’s definitely booming, and it’s not only booming in Vietnam. I was speaking to people from India yesterday, and I was really surprised by the huge volume produced there. So, it’s growing extremely fast all over the region.

Tom: And what species of fish are being farmed?

Ronald: Traditionally, it’s been shrimp, which has a high profit margin. But they also farm other fish species that are more mainstream, such as tilapia and pangasius.

Tom: What are some important challenges faced by aqua producers that might actually be an opportunity?

Ronald: One of the challenges is, I think, with sustainability. In the past, the industry hasn’t been very focused on sustainability, but rather on production.

Tom: How does Coppens benefit by integrating with Alltech’s algae production?

Ronald: That came to us at just the right time, definitely. We had been looking for new ways to develop our feeds. We spent a couple of years on projects that would allow us to convert to a zero fish in-fish out process, meaning we wouldn’t use fishmeal or fish oil. We had come a long way, but we were missing that last piece of the puzzle. Alltech brought us the last piece of the puzzle.

Tom: And what was that?

Ronald: That was, as you mentioned, the algae. Algae is a fantastic ingredient. It’s a sustainable source of DHA, which is required in the diets of many fish species. Normally, you would have to get DHA from fish oil, but we can now get it from algae.

Tom: There are many tens of thousands of species of algae. Are there any particular algae you focus on?

Ronald: Yes. We focus particularly on that which provide a high level of DHA in the diet.

Tom: What industry trends are you watching closely these days?

Ronald: The most important development is consolidation in the industry. Farms all around the world are becoming bigger and bigger and involve more technology.

Tom: When you think about it, how does your work affect the average consumer’s dinner table? What’s the consumer end of what you do? You’re on the feeding end, so the nutrition of the aquatic stock is important to you. How does that translate out on the other end to good food?

Ronald: Good food is reliable food. It’s tasty. It’s healthy. So, in our (feed) recipes, we always take care of these three aspects so that we transfer them from the feed to the final product.

Tom: You mentioned earlier that your experiences were wonderful in Southeast Asia and India. What do you most enjoy about your work besides that?

Ronald: I enjoy visiting different cultures; different countries. Fish farming is always done in fantastic places. It’s not done in an industrial way. Very often you are in very natural, very green environments. That makes it interesting.

Tom: Ronald Faber, chief commercial officer of Coppens International. Thank you so much for chatting with us.

Ronald: Thank you also.

Ronald Faber spoke at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE17). To hear his presentation on RAS farming and more talks from the conference, sign up for the Alltech Idea Lab.

Alltech Colombia was established in 1999. The primary sector in Colombia is focused on agriculture, poultry and ruminants.

In Colombia, agriculture is characterized by monocultures technified by region of sugar cane, coffee, cut flowers, cotton, banana, sorghum, corn, rice, African palm, potatoes, cassava, cocoa and snuff.

The poultry market has been growing fast over the last few years. Up until now, 66% of feed was for poultry, 25% for swine and 14% for ruminants, aquaculture and pets.

Corn growers should be aware of mycotoxins as they harvest this fall. Dr. Max Hawkins of Alltech’s mycotoxin management team says in 2016 corn grows faced challenges from mycotoxins and those challenges seem likely to show up again this year.

Using DNA microarray or “gene chip” technology, investigators can determine how nutrients act on gene expression. See how Alltech and the University of Kentucky have formed an alliance to further research in nutrigenomics.

Simply put, blockchains are shared, traceable and transparent ledgers for record keeping. They capture information for each transaction in a supply chain to better understand what’s happening in the transactions.

“Traceability is a fundamental part of our future. Recapturing the confidence of consumers is important, and blockchain is a technology that allows us to do so in a manner that allows us to be comfortable in knowing we are not giving all of our secrets and not trading away our margins to the food retailer,” Aidan Connolly says.

Is the Robotic Revolution Coming to Farming? Growers invest in expensive equipment not because it looks cool, but because it makes them more efficient so they will be more profitable in the long run.

Aidan Connolly, Chief Innovation Officer, Alltech: “AgTech start-ups need to consider actionable benefits for farmers instead of focusing on cool tech.” However, that doesn’t mean Connolly sees that as anything more than a minor problem to be overcome. He summed up his position quite neatly: “Digital transformation of our culture means rethinking your business.”

With nearly 40 years’ experience in the fermentation of yeast for the animal health industry, Alltech is now extending this know-how to the U.K. anaerobic digestion (AD) sector following the development

of Digest P3, an enzyme complex that improves the efficiency of biogas production.

Published by Farm Business

Access the full story http://www.farmbusiness.co.uk/business/alltech-launches-biogas-solution-in-the-u-k.html