Chelation plays a vital role in trace mineral nutrition, but inconsistent terminology and regulatory differences have led to confusion in the animal feed industry. This article explores the chemistry of chelation, the importance of verifying complexation and the role of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in ensuring product integrity.   

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[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – The city of Lexington marks its 250th anniversary with a lively celebration of Irish culture this weekend. One of the most beloved community events in Lexington, Kentucky, the annual Alltech Lexington St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, will kick off the celebration on Saturday, March 15, followed by a concert by Irish festival headliner, Scythian, on Monday, March 17.

Produced by Lexington Parks & Recreation and sponsored by Alltech and the Bluegrass Irish Society, the Alltech Lexington St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival is the city’s longest-running civic event. Alltech has sponsored the parade since the year it was first organized by the Bluegrass Irish Society, which was founded in 1980 to celebrate Irish culture and the country’s connections to Kentucky.

Festivities begin with the traditional “Blessing of the Keg” at 10:15 a.m. at Henry A. Tandy Centennial Plaza (formerly known as Fifth Third Pavilion). The festival — featuring live music, Irish dance performances, food vendors, artisans and more — will be open until 5 p.m., and will include performances by Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Celtic Blue, Draper Family Band, Kentucky United Pipes & Drums, Liam’s Fancy, McTeggart Irish Dancers, Saint Andrew’s Academy Boys Choir and William Sutherland Reid Pipes & Drums.

The parade will take over Main Street starting at 1 p.m. This year’s parade honors Father Norman Fischer as grand marshal, with members of his family and the St. Peter Claver parish marching in his memory.

The celebration culminates on Monday, March 17, with Scythian at Transylvania University. Scythian brings its signature high-energy fusion of Celtic, Eastern European and Appalachian sounds to Lexington for the first time since 2018. Expect a barn-dance-meets-rock-concert experience that has made them a favorite on the global Irish festival circuit. The show starts at 7 p.m.; tickets are $15 at transy.edu/tickets.

For more information about this weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration, visit the official parade and festival website or the City of Lexington’s event page for updates. 

Silage production is a cornerstone of modern farming, ensuring high-quality feed for livestock. Yet achieving consistently good silage requires a strong foundation built on best management practices, informed decision-making, and the right tools.

Here are some insights on how farmers can optimise the silage process — from field to feed passage — by implementing practical, science-backed strategies.

Laying the foundation for quality silage

Success in silage-making begins long before harvest. It starts with understanding the specific needs of the farm, including factors like machinery, storage space and feed-out rates. A tailored approach helps farmers maximise forage quality while addressing potential constraints. The key steps in establishing a solid foundation for silage production include:

• Climate considerations: Selecting forage species that can withstand temperature or moisture stress.

• Field preparation: Minimising soil contamination during harvest to maintain forage purity.

• Fertilisation strategies: Applying appropriate nutrients for optimal forage growth and quality.

• Harvest timing: Identifying the optimal growth stage for harvesting.

• Ensiling best practices: Managing the harvesting and storage process effectively to preserve nutrients.

Managing nutrients from field to feed

While the challenges of maintaining nutrient integrity during ensiling have remained relatively consistent over the past 15 years, advances in technology and management practices have significantly improved silage outcomes. The key principles of effective silage-making include:

• Harvesting at the correct stage of maturity in a hygienic manner.

• Chopping forage to an appropriate length to minimise air pockets.

• Using a suitable silage treatment based on forage type and feeding system.

• Rapid ensiling and compaction to achieve high-density.

• Sealing silage properly and maintaining airtight conditions throughout storage.

• Minimising disruption to the silage face during feed-out.

Controlling air and microbiology for optimal fermentation

Oxygen is the enemy of good silage. When air is present, undesirable microorganisms thrive, leading to nutrient losses and heating. Historically, farmers relied on chemical salts or heterofermentative bacteria to control these issues, but this often resulted in dry matter losses and reduced nutritional value.

Today’s homolactic silage inoculates are an excellent alternative to their heterofermentative counterparts, offering advantages in fermentation and nutrient recovery. In addition, advancements in silage-making techniques and equipment have revolutionised the process, offering better control and improved outcomes:

• Modern mergers and rakes reduce soil contamination during collection.

• Precision chopping minimises air spaces in ensiled forage.

• Improved compaction techniques enhance silage density and stability.

• Enhanced defacers and block cutters preserve the integrity of the silage face during feed-out.

• True oxygen barrier plastics dramatically reduce air infiltration, extending silage stability by up to four days.

Maximising silage potential with informed choices

With technological advancements in management, silage inoculants and plastics, farmers have more effective options for silage success — but combining them can be tricky, especially the combination of the right plastic with the right inoculant. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages here is essential to making informed decisions, ensuring that the resulting silage meets both quality and stability expectations.

At Alltech, we are committed to helping farmers navigate these choices with expert advice, on-farm support, and research-backed solutions. A good choice is an informed choice, and with the right foundation, silage success is within reach. For example, using Egalis^® Ferment, a high-specification homolactic inoculant, alongside a high-tensile silage plastic with oxygen barrier properties, can deliver significant benefits.

Silage success powered by science

Producing high-quality silage requires more than just following tradition — it demands a science-driven approach and modern management techniques. By combining best practices with cutting-edge solutions like Egalis Ferment, farmers can reduce dry matter losses, protect nutrients, and enhance feed stability.

Find out more about the Egalis Range. 

Contact your Alltech representative for more information on these and other innovative solutions and services.

Alltech has released its 2025 Asia Import Risk Analysis, providing insights into regional and animal-specific mycotoxin risks for Asian feed and livestock producers. The report, now in its fourth edition, is based on data from the Alltech 2024 Harvest Analysis conducted in Europe and North America.

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[BANGKOK, Thailand] – Alltech, a global leader in animal nutrition, has released the results of the Alltech 2025 Asia Import Risk Analysis. Now in its 4^th edition, this report provides Asian feed and livestock producers with the insights needed to optimize nutritional strategies in the coming months. It uses data from the Alltech 2024 Harvest Analysis programs carried out across Europe and North America.

“The 2025 Asia Import Risk Analysis discloses significant diversity in crop quality and mycotoxin risk across the key grain-growing regions globally,” said Nick Adams, commercial director at Alltech. “Contrasting weather conditions in Europe are resulting in a distinct difference in mycotoxin profiles between grains harvested in Southern and Northern Europe. In the U.S., pre-harvest rains have created Fusarium challenges, with deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone and fumonisins presenting the greatest risk. These findings illustrate the importance of understanding the mycotoxin landscape when purchasing raw materials and taking a proactive approach to countering these quality challenges.”

Key themes identified from the 2024 harvest, by region:

Europe: There is a distinct difference in mycotoxin profiles between grains harvested in Southern and Northern Europe. Deoxynivalenol (DON) presents the greatest challenge in northern countries, while aflatoxin dominates in corn originating in southern regions.

U.S.: Rains pre-harvest created Fusarium challenges in the U.S., with DON, zearalenone and fumonisins presenting the greatest risk. The rains were followed by a very dry harvest, resulting in more damaged kernels and a greater percentage of foreign matter. This may present subsequent storage and shipping issues.

Canada: Fusarium toxins dominated in wheat and barley samples. Although generally, a lower risk was seen compared to the previous harvest, many individual samples contained elevated levels of mycotoxins, emphasizing the importance of routine raw material testing.

Brazil: Similar to the previous harvest, aflatoxin, DON, fumonisins and zearalenone were the primary mycotoxins of interest in Brazilian sampling programs. The average concentrations of some of the Fusarium toxins would pose high levels of risk for pigs in particular.

The report also contains risk assessments for individual species, such as broilers, grow-finish pigs and dairy cows.

For more information and to view the full results of the Alltech 2025 Asia Import Risk Analysis, visit Alltech 2025 Asia Import Risk Analysis.

Alltech is a global leader in animal health and nutrition, focused on natural scientific solutions to today’s biggest agriculture and food industry challenges. Due to our continued growth, we have a career opportunity for an Assistant Business Development Manager-Ruminants at our Dhaka office in Bangladesh. The Global Support Team comprises dynamic, professional individuals located around the globe, dedicated to outstanding services for our staff.

[LONDON, England] – Industry leaders gathered in London on March 6 to launch the Food Business Charter, a program created by Meat Business Women in collaboration with more than 30 leading agri-food businesses around the world with the ambitious goal to reach 40% female representation across the global food value chain by 2035. The Food Business Charter will provide information and practical support for organisations wanting to promote gender equity and create more opportunities for the women on their teams. Alltech has expressed its commitment to the new initiative by becoming a supporting partner.

The landmark initiative reflects a strategic commitment from senior leaders to address gender imbalance and the attraction and retention of talent into the global food industry.  The initiative follows a Meat Business Women industry roundtable last year that highlighted the urgent need for action, with women representing just 33.5% of the meat industry workforce, down from 36% in 2020.

"The Food Business Charter is a defining moment in our industry's journey toward gender equality and a major milestone for our 10^th year of Meat Business Women. Working with senior leaders who understand the benefits of a gender-balanced workforce, we've created not just a vision, but a practical roadmap for change,” said Laura Ryan, global chair and founder of Meat Business Women. “This Charter, backed by major global and European food manufacturers, retailers, and foodservice businesses, demonstrates our industry's collective determination to remove barriers and create meaningful opportunities for women at all levels.”

"We know that a diverse and inclusive workforce isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s a business imperative,” said Orla McAleer, Alltech’s chief culture officer. “The Food Business Charter is a crucial step towards accelerating change in our industry, ensuring we attract and retain the best talent. By supporting this Charter, we are reaffirming our dedication to fostering a workplace where everyone, regardless of gender, has the opportunity to thrive."

The Charter will be accompanied by an Action Planning Toolkit, designed in collaboration with Diversity & Inclusion experts, providing organisations with practical strategies to achieve the Charter's ambitions.

"This isn't about setting targets – it's about transforming our industry's future to ensure it remains profitable and sustainable,” Ryan said. "The Charter provides a framework for organisations to implement practical talent attraction and retention strategies, share best practices, and create lasting change. With the support of our industry partners, we're confident we can achieve sustainable change."

The launch event took place in a pivotal week, ahead of International Women's Day with key industry leaders officially signing the Charter and pledging their commitment to gender balance.

Meat Business Women is the United Nations’ recognised global professional network for women working across the meat industry. It was created to improve the sustainability of the meat sector and grow the pipeline of female talent in this male-dominated industry.

Alltech is a global leader that delivers smarter, more sustainable solutions for agriculture. Its diverse portfolio of products and services improves the health and performance of animals and plants, resulting in better nutrition for all and a decreased environmental impact. Learn more at alltech.com.

For more information about Meat Business Women and how to sign The Food Business Charter, visit meatbusinesswomen.org/food-business/charter.