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The summer season sets the scene, not only for picnics and pool parties, but also for pests lying in wait for a chance to prey on your precious pup — and potentially you, too. But, before you send Fido packing, know that you have a plethora of options available to combat these would-be invaders.
First, let’s consider what we may commonly be up against:
Ectoparasites: These are perhaps some of the most well-known insects associated with dogs. These pests prefer to live on or just under the surface of your dog’s skin and can easily be picked up on outdoor adventures and introduced to your home.
Fleas: Dogs typically get fleas from other animals. Fleas are notoriously challenging to see with the naked eye, but their bites can cause severe irritation and inflammation. Your dog will undoubtedly be scratching and biting at their skin almost incessantly if infected.
Ticks: Ticks can easily be picked up in tall grass and wooded areas. More than just disgusting bloodsuckers, infected ticks can transmit Lyme disease, a serious bacterial illness that can also be passed on to humans.
Mites: Just as with people, mites exist naturally on dogs, but if found in excessive quantities, they can cause serious skin problems. Ear mites are another common concern. They are highly contagious and are typically passed from outdoor cats to canines, though humans are generally immune. Excessive head shaking and scratching at ears/the head are usually dead giveaways.
Internal parasites: Dogs can contract internal parasites from a variety of situations, but they are typically transmitted when an animal unintentionally ingests parasite eggs in contaminated soil, water, food or feces.
Heartworms: One bite from an infected mosquito can lead to an unprotected dog developing heartworm disease, by far one of the most preventable and potentially deadly infections.
Tapeworms: There are several types of tapeworm, but the most common is caused by swallowing an infected flea. They typically set up shop in your dog’s small intestine, where they continue to feed and grow. Tapeworms compromise your pet’s nutrition and can contribute to weight loss, lethargy and a variety of other issues.
Hookworms: These nasty intestinal parasites can be ingested by sniffing or eating contaminated soil or feces. Hookworms literally hook themselves into the lining of your dog’s intestines and leave holes in their wake, potentially leading to anemia, weakness, weight loss and death.
Of course, these are just a few examples of the many possible pests that might afflict your canine companion. So, what’s a concerned dog mom or dad to do?
First and foremost, let’s remember that we are our dogs’ biggest advocates. It is up to us to ensure that they have a clean, safe environment to thrive in. And, as responsible owners, we should all be taking the following recommended actions:
Feed a chewable heartworm preventative, year-round, as prescribed by your veterinarian. It is a cheap and highly effective way to prevent disease.
Flea and tick preventatives abound. You may choose from chewables, collars and topicals. Choose what works best for your dog and your lifestyle, as recommended by your veterinarian.
Brush and bathe your dog regularly. This will not only allow for some quality bonding time, but it will also allow you to address any potential skin issues.
Schedule time to regularly clean up your yard. Keeping it relatively free of feces and overgrowth will go a long way in keeping your pet healthy.
Always check your dog’s skin (and yours, too!) after spending time in heavily wooded areas. If you should happen to find an embedded tick, take care in removing it. There are many affordable tick removal tools on the market today.
Another thing to consider is your nutrition regimen and what role it might play in immune defense, especially against would-be pathogenic or viral invaders. Much like us, dogs have a natural immunity that they have built up over the course of their life, but, unfortunately, that’s not always enough to prevent harm or illness. One thing you can do to help support your dog’s immunity is feed a high-quality diet containing trace minerals such as organic selenium (think Sel-Plex®). Selenium can help to maintain proper function and strength of the immune system and counteract oxidative damage caused by infections.
As the late, great Benjamin Franklin so wisely proclaimed in 1736, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Nearly 300 years later, this advice still rings true.
Does your dog have an itch it just can't seem to scratch?
The frenzy for all things blockchain is exemplified by the Long Island iced tea company whose stock increased six times overnight when it simply changed its name to include the word “blockchain.” Even the Chinese stock market is seeing a boom in anything blockchain-related. While much has been written about blockchain, a succinct description is still elusive. Essentially, blockchain is simply an online documentation system that records the transaction at each point in the supply chain through an encrypted block using a distributed ledger (DLT). The system ensures both confidentiality and traceability for each trading partner involved in the supply chain.
Image obtained from CB Insights
So, why is blockchain creating such excitement in agriculture? The agriculture sector typically has very tight margins, and success is derived from parlaying market knowledge and strategic sourcing for better access and better prices than your competitors. Secrecy and squeezing prices are key success factors. Inevitably, some participants try to manipulate the market or engage in unacceptable business practices. Without genuine transparency in the food chain, feed or input recalls are ineffective, yet they are critical to ensuring the health of those at the very end of the chain: the people who eat the food agriculture produces. In other words, everyone.
Knowing what you are buying has been problematic for as long as people have been trading along the food supply chain (the earliest examples of writing are agricultural transaction records from Sumeria, from approximately 3000 BC). As the food supply chain is global, a network with real traceability is essential in order for people to be able to trust what they are buying. Enter blockchain. Blockchain is an effective way to balance the need for confidentiality with the need for transparency. A blockchain-based supply chain should result in food that is safe and traceable while reducing waste and creating economic benefits for all of the stakeholders in the food supply chain. Of particular benefit to the agricultural sector are lower costs and added value (Rabobank).
Lower costs are achieved through greater efficiency, lower transaction costs and better access to information. Because the information provided through the blockchain is reliable, documents and certificates can be trusted and many back-office processes can be automated. As the need for manual or repeated verification decreases, lead times can be shorter and turnaround faster. The security of the system means that payments can be executed quickly and safely, eliminating the need for third-party payment processing. Moreover, the visibility of the blockchain improves pricing transparency, particularly for smaller agribusinesses and farmers in regions that have not previously had access to global pricing.
Logistically, blockchain can speed up the movement of food through the supply chain network (critical for perishable goods) and also allows fast, targeted removal of products that are not fit for consumption. Both ways, food waste is reduced. Faster analysis and interpretation of consumer desires (such is the goal of INS Ecosystem) can further reduce errors and waste, and the greater transparency of the chain allows for better forecasting. Accuracy is improved by reducing the places where human error can enter the system.
This is not to say that blockchain technology is entirely immune to error. The information contained within the network, while incorruptible once documented, could be entered incorrectly or fraudulently. What blockchain offers is a means to identify the error or fraudulent entry. Furthermore, the blockchain should contain all members of the supply chain. If a piece is missing, its transparency and traceability are lacking; the ideal blockchain starts at seed or feed and follows all the way to consumer purchase.
Potential for added value comes from better access to information about pricing, markets and products. Analysis of up-to-date, reliable data will help identify new opportunities regionally or globally and enable adaptation of supply chains to better fit consumer needs. With greater transparency and more reliable data, better and more targeted financing options can be developed. And, with the cooperation of governments, greater regulatory harmonization can improve efficiencies throughout the agriculture sector.
Many of these current and potential benefits of blockchain can be seen in a single example: the spinach crisis of 2006. On Sept. 14, 2006, based on complaints from 19 states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised consumers not to eat bagged fresh spinach. It took two weeks for the region that the spinach came from to be identified, and it was not until Oct. 12, with five people dead and 200 sickened, that the specific source of contamination was identified. In the meantime, all fresh spinach and fresh spinach products were cleared from shops across the U.S., with an overall cost of more than $175 million. Contrast that with a recent blockchain-based supply chain trial between Walmart and IBM in which a food was traced back through each party involved all the way back to its origins in seconds (2.2, to be exact). At any point in the chain, all other possible cross-contaminations could be identified. The location of any contaminated food could be traced and pulled from shelves or dealt with immediately, protecting consumers, reducing waste and protecting the producers along the way from unnecessary losses.
China has also recognized the advantages of blockchain for food safety and through the Food Safety Alliance for China is supporting a joint undertaking between Tsinghua University, Walmart and a consortium of large food companies (Dole, Driscoll’s, Golden State Foods, Kroger, McCormick & Company, McLane Company, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, Unilever and IBM) to create a food tracking system using blockchain.
While blockchain is still a relatively new concept, early adopters can already be found throughout agriculture, including the poultry, dairy, beef, aqua and crop sectors. The most common applications are simply confirmation of the source of a product (as with Honeysuckle Thanksgiving turkeys, where you can enter a code on the company’s website and immediately know what farm the bird originated from), but blockchain is also being used to ensure availability of production data, prevent food fraud, provide payment security, ensure regulatory compliance and provide safe access to markets for small and remote farmers.
There are now several companies offering blockchain-based supply chains for agribusiness, but OriginTrail was the pioneer. Starting in 2013 with a beta test for the beef sector, it has since added dairy, poultry and vegetable supply chains. Another example in poultry is producer Perutnina Ptuj, which provides customers with complete information on the origins of the meat they purchase through a smartphone app. Even vegetables can be traced back to their origins: Slovenia-based Natureta uses a blockchain platform to give customers access to food procurement information and can instantly show in which garden food they are currently cooking with was grown.
Another blockchain platform is Provenance, a U.K.-based company that is currently working with more than 200 food businesses, tracking food (including produce) from point of origin all the way to the supermarket, documenting each step in the process and allowing food companies to prove their product claims and guarantees. It has partnered with Arkansas-based Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative to allow customers to track their food, including information on meat quality and origin, how the animal was raised and any other companies involved in the process through the use of QR codes. Provenance has also reached into the aquaculture industry to run a pilot program designed to track the production of yellowfin and skipjack tuna in the Southeast Asian fishing industry. Through text messages, fishermen have been helping nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) track the process from initial registration of the caught fish and data verification all the way to the consumer, ensuring fish have been sourced in a socially and environmentally sound manner.
Other food or agribusiness blockchain supply chain platforms include:
The ability to track the provenance of products is a key benefit in many ag sectors. For example, large commercial dairy companies have a challenge tracking the provenance of their milk as they often source from multiple milk producers. Slovenian dairy brand Zelene Doline is tracking its products and connecting the more than 1,000 Slovenian dairy farms that provide milk to the company. The traceability system allows consumers to log onto the company’s website, enter the product’s European Article Number barcode and “best before” date to gain information on the product’s origins.
Russia’s dairy industry is also incorporating blockchain to combat counterfeit dairy products. According to researchers, Russia produces 40 percent less milk than the amount sold, and there is speculation that vegetable fats or palm oils are being used to dilute the milk for consumer sale, compromising its authenticity. Blockchain provides an objective mechanism to ensure that what is sold as milk is actually milk. Similarly, Ambrosus, a Swiss firm, uses sensors and blockchain technology to provide real-time food supply chain audits, particularly with its cheese and chocolate, to ensure its high-quality products sold in China are not counterfeit. Food fraud is a particular focus of Ireland’s arc-net blockchain platform, which uses unique universal identification codes (UUIDs) through digital DNA to offer a cloud-based platform and traceability to the food and animal feed industries.
BeefLedger out of Australia has created a secure payment platform using blockchain and cryptocurrency wallets. Its focus is on the rapidly growing Asian middle class, for whom Australian beef is in high demand. Customers are provided with provenance data on meat purchases, including origin and characteristics, while the producers gain access to customer data and feedback. Other examples include:
Due to its remote nature, the seafood and aquaculture industry has unique monitoring challenges. Mistreatment of workers, mislabeling of fish and destructive fishing methods are increasingly unacceptable to consumers. A collaboration between Earth Twine (which focuses on regulatory compliance in the seafood industry) and Stratis (a blockchain technology company) has led to The Earth Twine-Stratis Platform, a seafood tracking solution platform to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
In parallel, ConsenSys has teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund and TraSeable (a communications technology implementation company) to end human rights abuses in the Pacific Islands’ fishing industry. Working with the tuna fishing and processing company Sea Quest Fiji, the goal is that every can of tuna will have a QR code for consumers to verify that the tuna was sourced in an ethical and sustainable manner.
Access to buyers at fair prices with security of payment are some of the challenges that face small farmers in developing markets, yet their success is one of the keys to feeding the 9 billion people who will be living on earth in 2050. AgriLedger works with NGOs to bring a blockchain platform through the Agunity app. The platform enables farmers to receive fairer pricing and have a better connection to markets as well as access to insurance, banking or other financial services. It also allows buyers from other markets to buy from small producers with confidence.
FarmShare is designed to connect small farmers with local buyers and is similar to a CSA (community-supported agriculture) model, in which people are able to collect fresh food directly from the farmer, completely cutting out the grocery store.
Blockchain is a very powerful tool for everyone in the food production system, from the producers of animal and plant nutrition and supplements through to the end consumer. Research has indicated that the food traceability market will be worth $14 billion by next year and the food-related blockchain companies are growing quickly. It brings visibility, as information is shared and replicated simultaneously, increasing trust, accountability and transparency. It will alter how the agriculture industry functions within itself, as well as with customers, and will support us in feeding 9 billion people.
There are, of course, challenges. As with any innovative technology, there are implementation costs, and standards are still evolving. Some overarching authority is necessary to ensure that trust in the system is warranted. Managing the change process will take work. And, as with any supply chain process, the best results come when all of the participants are involved. If we work together to overcome these challenges, we will be able to realize the full benefits of blockchain for food safety and traceability, and the potential it has to improve the transparency and reliability of the food chain, to improve market access and reduce food waste.
For a simple demonstration of blockchain technology, watch this short video from the BBC. While focused on the bitcoin concept, it is clear how any data intended to be stored confidentially can be safeguarded in a decentralized ledger system.
New technologies, including blockchain, are the focus at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference. Speakers include former General Electric Vice Chair and change agent Beth Comstock, professor Robert Wolcott from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and CRISPR expert Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou. Nearly 4,000 attendees from more than 70 countries and an all-star list of 70 speakers will discuss the technologies, innovations and science transforming our businesses and lives.
As the food supply chain is global, a network with real traceability is essential in order for people to be able to trust what they are buying. Blockchain is an effective way to balance the need for confidentiality with the need for transparency.
El subsecretario del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos, Bill Northey, y el reconocido neurólogo, el Dr. Majid Fotuhi, se unen a la lista de conferencistas de ONE18
Regístrese en one.alltech.com para asistir a la conferencia del 20 al 22 de mayo en Lexington, Kentucky, EE. UU.
[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – La ex vicepresidenta de General Electric, Beth Comstock; el subsecretario del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos (USDA), Bill Northey; y el revolucionario neurólogo, el Dr. Majid Fotuhi, han sido agregados a la lista de conferencistas de alto impacto que se presentará en ONE: La Conferencia de Ideas de Alltech (ONE18). Se espera que cuatro mil asistentes de más de 70 países asistan a la 34.a conferencia anual de este año en Lexington, Kentucky, EE. UU., que se llevará a cabo del 20 al 22 de mayo.
Dos veces nombrada una de las “100 mujeres más poderosas del mundo” por Forbes, Comstock fue la primera mujer en servir como vicepresidenta en GE. Durante casi dos décadas, lideró los esfuerzos para acelerar el crecimiento y la innovación, ayudando a transformar una cultura pesada desde el punto de vista de los procesos, para convertirla en una más rápida, ágil e inventiva.
Comstock inició las transformaciones de la energía limpia y digital de GE, desarrolló nuevos negocios, aumentó el valor de marca y las ventas de GE, y se asoció para mejorar su cultura inventiva. Dirigió la creación de Current, un negocio de entornos inteligentes, GE Ventures Licensing, FastWorks, ecomagination y healthymagination, y supervisó GE Lighting. Fue responsable de las funciones de ventas, marketing y comunicaciones y se desempeñó como la primera directora de marketing de la compañía en 20 años.
Como presidente de los medios integrados en NBCUniversal, Comstock supervisó los ingresos publicitarios y los esfuerzos digitales de la empresa, incluyendo el desarrollo temprano de hulu.com. Ocupó una sucesión de roles de marketing y comunicaciones en GE, NBC, CBS y Turner Broadcasting/CNN.
Después de haber renunciado recientemente a su cargo como vicepresidenta de General Electric (GE), ahora está explorando un camino como autora, inspiradora y conectora.
Su primer libro, "Imagine It Forward", que ofrece lecciones de una vida de transformación continua, se publicará en septiembre del 2018. Actualmente es directora de Nike y miembro del consejo de administración de National Geographic Society.
Comstock reemplazará a Jack Welch, quien canceló sus compromisos debido a una lesión.
Como subsecretario del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos, Northey dirige el Área de Misión de Conservación y Producción Agrícola, que incluye la supervisión del Servicio de Conservación de Recursos Nacionales, la Agencia de Administración de Riesgos y la Agencia de Servicios Agrícolas. Northey fue anteriormente el secretario de agricultura del estado de Iowa desde el 2006 hasta el 2018.
Como productor de cuarta generación, Northey también se ha desempeñado como presidente de la Asociación Nacional de Productores de Maíz y presidente de la Asociación Nacional de Departamentos Estatales de Agricultura.
Neurocientífico y neurólogo preparado en Harvard y Johns Hopkins, Fotuhi es ampliamente reconocido como una autoridad en el campo de la memoria, la enfermedad de Alzheimer, la conmoción cerebral, el TDAH y el aumento de la vitalidad cerebral en los últimos años de vida. Ha tenido numerosas publicaciones en importantes revistas revisadas por pares, que han sido citadas por miles de científicos de todo el mundo. Han sido entrevistado por medios importantes como The Washington Post, CNN, ABC y "Today" show para tratar sobre su investigación y el innovador programa "Brain Fitness Program". Fotuhi es también autor de tres libros, incluido el recientemente publicado "Boost Your Brain: The New Art and Science Behind Enhanced Brain Performance".
Fotuhi tiene 25 años de experiencia en la enseñanza, trabajo clínico e investigación en neurociencia en la Universidad de Harvard y la Universidad Johns Hopkins. Actualmente es el director médico de NeuroGrow Brain Fitness Center, miembro del personal afiliado de Johns Hopkins Medicine y profesor de la Escuela de Medicina de Harvard, donde es uno de los instructores más populares debido en parte a los dos modelos de cerebro de más de 15 metros de altura que diseñó para sus estudiantes de las clases de neuroanatomía.
También se presentarán en el escenario principal de ONE18 el Dr. Robert Wolcott y el Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou.
Wolcott es el autor de "Grow from Within: Mastering Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation" y es profesor clínico de innovación y emprendimiento en Kellogg School of Management de Northwestern University. Ganó el premio Maestro del Año del programa EMBA de Kellogg en 2013, 2014, 2015 y 2017. También es socio y gerente de Clareo, una consultoría que presta servicios a corporaciones globales de estrategias prospectivas y crecimiento.
Wolcott es colaborador frecuente de Forbes sobre el impacto de la tecnología en los negocios, la sociedad y la humanidad. Su trabajo aparece en MIT Sloan Management Review, Strategy+Business, Harvard Business Review (en línea), The Wall Street Journal, Advertising Age, Businessweek, Financial Times (edición europea), The New York Times y numerosas publicaciones extranjeras. Es un ángel inversionista, y actualmente sirve en consejos asesores para ZF, un proveedor automotriz alemán de $40 mil millones, y H-Farm, un ecosistema tecnológico líder en Italia.
Barrangou es Académico Distinguido T. R. Klaenhammer en Investigación de Probióticos en el Departamento de Alimentos, Bioprocesos y Ciencias de la Nutrición de la Universidad Estatal de Carolina del Norte, donde su trabajo se centra en la evolución y función de los sistemas CRISPR-Cas y sus aplicaciones en la fabricación de alimentos.
Recientemente, recibió el Premio de la Fundación Warren Alpert 2016, el Premio Internacional Gairdner Canadá 2016, el Premio NAS 2017 en Biología Molecular y el Premio NAS 2018 en Ciencias de la Alimentación y la Agricultura. Además, es el ex presidente de la junta directiva de Caribou Biosciences, cofundador y miembro de la junta asesora científica de Intellia Therapeutics, y cofundador y presidente de la junta asesora científica de Locus Biosciences.
El poder transformador de las ideas es el enfoque subyacente de más de 100 temas programados para la discusión que tendrá lugar en ONE18. Doce sesiones, que abarcan todos los principales sectores agropecuarios, así como también negocios, salud y bienestar, y cerveza y destilería, prepararán el escenario para un intercambio épico de ideas entre los líderes del pensamiento y los buscadores de conocimiento.
ONE18 se extiende más allá de la lista de conferencistas estrellas y un contenido que invita a la reflexión, es una experiencia que involucra todos los sentidos; el entretenimiento, incluye el arpa más grande del mundo, que dejará a los asistentes sin aliento. También recorrerán el Bluegrass, disfrutarán de la gastronomía de primera clase en la ciudad que Zagat nombró como una de las "30 ciudades gastronómicas más emocionantes de Norteamérica en 2017" y bailarán toda la noche en el Alltech Arena, ubicado en el mundialmente famoso Kentucky Horse Park.
Obtenga más información y regístrese en one.alltech.com. Únase a la conversación en Twitter con #ONE18 y siga la página del evento ONE18 en Facebook para obtener las últimas actualizaciones.
Beth Comstock, la primera vicepresidenta de General Electric, será conferencista principal en ONE: La Conferencia de Ideas de Alltech, del 20 al 22 de mayo, en Lexington, Kentucky, EE. UU.
Los premios se entregarán el 21 de mayo durante ONE: La Conferencia de Ideas de Alltech, en Lexington, Kentucky
[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – Por primera vez en la historia de la conferencia, Alltech otorgará una doble distinción durante ONE: La Conferencia de Ideas de Alltech (ONE18), que se llevará a cabo del 20 al 22 de mayo en Lexington, Kentucky. La Medalla a la Excelencia de Alltech, la más alta distinción de la empresa, se otorgará a su difunto fundador, el Dr. Pearse Lyons, por su trabajo como científico visionario e innovador. Además, el Dr. Lyons será reconocido con el Premio Humanitario de Alltech por su generoso espíritu filantrópico.
Los galardonados anteriores de la Medalla a la Excelencia de Alltech, otorgada anualmente a una persona con liderazgo y logros excepcionales, incluyen al ex secretario de Estado de los Estados Unidos, Colin Powell, y Norman Borlaug, padre de "La Revolución Verde". Como emprendedor e innovador incansable, el Dr. Lyons utilizó su experiencia científica en la fermentación de la levadura y su agudo sentido comercial para revolucionar la industria agropecuaria a través de la introducción de ingredientes naturales para la alimentación animal. Tan solo en los últimos 10 años, sus logros científicos se han incluido en más de 300 patentes.
Dada la capacidad única del Dr. Lyons de mirar más allá del status quo, vio oportunidades para elevar y refinar las innovaciones que tan solo persistían en la periferia de la industria. Así como su tecnología estaba adelantada a su tiempo, también su filosofía. Con cada avance, surgieron una gran cantidad de nuevas ideas y oportunidades, todas unidas al principio fundador ACE de Alltech, un compromiso orientado a que el trabajo de la empresa tenga un impacto positivo en los animales, el consumidor y el medio ambiente. Este fue un concepto poco popular cuando se presentó por primera vez en el simposio de Alltech en 1989, durante una época impulsada por las presiones para producir alimentos económicos en abundancia. El Dr. Lyons defendió su idea radical, que actualmente es un requerimiento fundamental de los agronegocios modernos.
Un comunicador de clase mundial con una afición a la conexión personal, el Dr. Lyons reunió personas e ideas de todos los orígenes para colaborar en soluciones para algunos de los desafíos más apremiante de la agricultura, incluyendo las micotoxinas en la alimentación animal, el impacto ambiental de la suplementación mineral excesiva y cómo alimentar a una población mundial en crecimiento. También insistió en lograr un estándar de calidad casi imposible, que muchos pensaron que no se podía conseguir. Perseveró, y el resultado fue el Sistema de Calidad Alltech®, un programa global de aseguramiento de la calidad que ha establecido el estándar de oro al cumplir o superar todos los estándares locales a nivel mundial.
El Premio Humanitario de Alltech, que anteriormente ha sido otorgado al cofundador de Apple, Steve Wozniak, y al entrenador de baloncesto masculino de la Universidad de Kentucky, John Calipari, se otorga anualmente a una persona con carácter fuerte que utiliza su plataforma para influir e inspirar positivamente a quienes lo rodean. Para el Dr. y la Sra. Lyons, marcar la diferencia en el mundo empoderando a los demás ha sido una realidad cotidiana de su vida personal y profesional.
La Fundación ACE de Alltech, una entidad sin fines de lucro, 501(c)(3), le ha permitido a la familia Lyons poner en práctica su pasión filantrópica. Uno de los esfuerzos financiados por la Fundación ACE incluye Alltech Café Citadelle, un café haitiano que ofrece una "taza de esperanza" y una empresa local sostenible para los residentes del país. Todas las ganancias de las ventas del café se reinvierten en dos escuelas primarias al norte de Haití, proporcionando un lugar limpio y seguro para que los niños aprendan.
En Kentucky e Irlanda, en las escuelas primarias se han construido más de una docena de laboratorios de ciencias de vanguardia. Inspirado por el difunto hermano del Dr. Lyons, el padre Kevin Lyons, un sacerdote dedicado a mejorar la vida de los niños, la familia Lyons ha buscado inspirar a los estudiantes a tener una mayor curiosidad sobre el mundo que les rodea. Muchas de las escuelas con nuevos laboratorios han logrado el estatus de Escuelas de Excelencia Blue Ribbon.
Como emprendedor que inició Alltech en el garaje de su casa y la convirtió en una empresa multimillonaria, el Dr. Lyons reconoció el impulso y la pasión en los demás, y los alentó a soñar en grande. La Competencia de Innovación de Alltech incentiva a los jóvenes emprendedores a crear negocios que ayuden a resolver problemas locales. Los ganadores reciben $10.000, la misma cantidad con la que el Dr. Lyons fundó Alltech.
El Concurso de Becas Vocales de Alltech resalta las esperanzas de los jóvenes vocalistas y refleja la pasión de la familia Lyons por la educación y las artes, premiando a los mejores artistas con becas para asistir al Teatro de la Ópera de la Universidad de Kentucky. Desde su inicio, más de 150 estudiantes han recibido más de $7 millones en becas y ayudas.
A través de pequeños actos de bondad o logros científicos de gran alcance, el Dr. Lyons se comprometió a empoderar a los demás, inspirando el aprendizaje permanente y haciendo una diferencia en el mundo.
Además de la presentación de los premios, la conferencia ONE18 incluirá un homenaje en memoria del Dr. Lyons, quien falleció el 8 de marzo a su 73 años de edad.
Warmer weather means it’s time to pull in the pasture ponies and take the rugs off your show horses. At long last, riding season has arrived! Sadly, this also means the return of the horses’ constant and most pesky companion: the fly.
And, while flies may seem like nothing more than an ever-present annoyance, they can carry serious implications for your equine counterparts. Flies are well-known for spreading disease, feeding off of the equine blood supply and causing potential digestive upset. And, unfortunately, even the most encompassing of fly turnouts — think fly mask with ears, fly sheet with belly guard and fly leggings, essentially making your horse resemble some strangely armored creature — can’t keep them completely at bay.
House flies may seem like the least of a horse owner’s worries, but they can carry disease and transmit parasites. They can also irritate a horse’s eyes, where they feed off of moist secretions. These flies breed during the summer and feed on muck, so proper stable management is imperative to reducing their numbers.
Horse and deer flies are known for being ruthless biters. Thankfully, they are only active during the day. And, as luck would have it, these flies do not normally enter structures. It is best to have barn or stable access available for pasture horses if you notice these flies becoming particularly bothersome.
Stable flies are probably the biggest equine nuisance of all. They live in barns and breed in organic, fermenting matter, such as manure, decaying straw or spilled, moist feed. They typically feed on horses’ legs and flanks and can cause significant blood loss, transmit swamp fever and cause summer sores — weeping wounds that are challenging to heal. Horses may also stomp incessantly in an attempt to rid themselves of these pests, only to cause hoof and leg issues.
It should come as no surprise that proper sanitation and stable management are among the best methods of fly control. House flies and barn flies require breeding material, ideal moisture and adequate warmth to develop. Therefore, elimination of breeding sites is the key to a successful fly control program. Barns and paddocks should be thoroughly cleaned once per week to assist in breaking fly life cycles. Insecticides should only be considered as a supplement to fly control.
Keep manure picked up and pile at a good distance from facilities, waterers and paddocks.
Make sure all garbage cans have tight-fitting lids and are cleaned out regularly.
Keep waterers in good condition and place them away from areas where horses are fed.
Consider screening windows in feed and tack rooms, as well as box stalls.
Fans that direct a downward and outward airflow will help to keep flies from entering barns.
Fly traps and sticky paper are an effective way to capture flies. They may also be useful in documenting fly numbers over time. A notable increase in catch from one week to the next could be a warning to check on sanitation measures and increase your fly control measures.
Last, but not least, keep this in mind: Large numbers of flies mean there are a great deal of breeding sites in your area. There are many insecticide options (e.g., residuals, sprays, fogs, mists, etc.), but they will only provide temporary relief and should generally be used sparingly. Your best option is to keep a tidy stable and yard — both you and your horses will be grateful for the extra effort!
Looking to add fly control to your horse’s nutrition program? CRYSTALYX®, SWEETLIX®, ULTRALYX® and STOCKADE® brands offer several options in pressed and mineral blocks.
Flies are more than the bane of equestrian existence; they are a force to be reckoned with. As horse owners, we must dutifully accept this challenge.
USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey and nationally recognized neurologist Dr. Majid Fotuhi join ONE18’s all-star list of speakers
Register at one.alltech.com for the May 20–22 conference in Lexington, Kentucky, USA
[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – Former vice chair of General Electric Beth Comstock, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary Bill Northey and groundbreaking neurologist Dr. Majid Fotuhi have been added to ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE18)’s high-impact mainstage lineup of speakers. Four thousand attendees from more than 70 countries are expected to attend this year’s 34th annual conference in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, from May 20–22.
Twice named one of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” by Forbes, Comstock was the first woman to serve as a vice chair at GE. Over nearly two decades, she led efforts to accelerate new growth and innovation, helping to transform a process-heavy, top-down culture to a faster, agile and inventive one.
Comstock initiated GE’s digital and clean energy transformations, developed new businesses, increased GE’s brand value and sales, and partnered to enhance its inventive culture. She led the creation of Current, an intelligent environments business, GE Ventures Licensing, FastWorks, ecomagination and healthymagination, and oversaw GE Lighting. She was responsible for the sales, marketing and communications functions and served as the company’s first chief marketing officer in 20 years.
As president of integrated media at NBCUniversal, Comstock oversaw ad revenue and the company’s digital efforts, including early development of hulu.com. She held a succession of marketing and communications roles at GE, NBC, CBS and Turner Broadcasting/CNN.
Having recently stepped down from her position as vice chair of General Electric (GE), she is now exploring a path as an author, instigator and connector.
Her first book, "Imagine It Forward," offering lessons from a life of continual transformation, will be published Sept. 2018. She is currently a director at Nike and a trustee of the National Geographic Society.
Comstock replaces Jack Welch, who has cancelled his engagements due to an injury.
As under secretary of the USDA, Northey leads the Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area, which includes oversight of the National Resources Conservation Service, the Risk Management Agency and the Farm Service Agency. Northey was formerly the Iowa secretary of agriculture from 2006 to 2018.
A fourth-generation farmer, Northey has also served as president and chairman of the National Corn Growers Association and president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.
A Harvard- and Johns Hopkins-trained neurologist and neuroscientist, Fotuhi is widely regarded as an authority in the field of memory, Alzheimer’s disease, concussion, ADHD and increasing brain vitality in late life. He has had numerous publications in major peer-reviewed journals, which have been cited by thousands of scientists around the world. National media such as The Washington Post, CNN, ABC and the "Today" show have interviewed him about his research and innovative “Brain Fitness Program.” Fotuhi is also the author of three books, including the recently released "Boost Your Brain: The New Art and Science Behind Enhanced Brain Performance."
Fotuhi has 25 years of teaching, clinical work and neuroscience research experience at Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University. He is currently the medical director of NeuroGrow Brain Fitness Center, an affiliate staff member at Johns Hopkins Medicine and a lecturer at Harvard Medical School, where he is one of the most popular
instructors due in part to the two 5-foot-tall brain models he designed for his students in neuroanatomy classes.
Also featured on ONE18’s mainstage will be Dr. Robert Wolcott and Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou.
Wolcott is the author of "Grow from Within: Mastering Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation" and is a clinical professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He won Teacher of the Year from Kellogg’s EMBA program in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017. He is also a managing partner with Clareo, a foresight and growth strategy consultancy serving global corporations.
Wolcott is a regular contributor to Forbes on the impact of technology on business, society and humanity. His work appears in MIT Sloan Management Review, strategy+business, the Harvard Business Review (online), The Wall Street Journal, Advertising Age, Businessweek, the Financial Times (European Edition), The New York Times and numerous overseas publications. He is an angel investor, and he currently serves on advisory boards for ZF, a $40 billion German automotive supplier, and H-Farm, the leading technology ecosystem in Italy.
Barrangou is the T. R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Scholar in Probiotics Research in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at North Carolina State University, where his work focuses on the evolution and function of CRISPR-Cas systems and their applications in food manufacturing.
Recently, he received the 2016 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize, the 2016 Canada Gairdner International Award, the 2017 NAS Award in Molecular Biology and the 2018 NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences. He is also the former chairman of the board of directors of Caribou Biosciences, a co-founder and member of the scientific advisory board of Intellia Therapeutics, and a co-founder and chairman of the scientific advisory board of Locus Biosciences.
The transformative power of ideas is the underlying focus of over 100 topics slated for discussion at ONE18. Twelve sessions, covering all major agriculture sectors, as well as business, health and wellness, and brewing and distilling will set the stage for an epic exchange of ideas between thought leaders and knowledge seekers.
ONE18 extends beyond an all-star speaker lineup and thought-provoking content to an experience that engages all the senses; the entertainment, including the world’s largest harp, will leave attendees breathless. They will also tour the Bluegrass, enjoy first-class cuisine in the city that Zagat named one of the “30 Most Exciting Food Cities in America in 2017” and dance the night away at the Alltech Arena at the world-famous Kentucky Horse Park.
Learn more and register at one.alltech.com. Join the conversation with #ONE18 on Twitter, and follow the ONE18 Facebook event page for updates. ONE18 is approved for 16 CEUs by the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists, and ONE18 is registered with the Kentucky Department of Education as a program available for professional development credit hours.
Susanna Elliott leads Alltech’s global marketing team to advance the company’s purpose of Working Together for a Planet of Plenty® through data-driven insights and the generation of rich resources and inspiration relevant to agriculture’s opportunities. Most recently, this has included the creation of the company’s first full-length documentary, World Without Cows, which she helped produce.
Previously, Elliott served as chief of staff and director of communications, working closely with Alltech president and CEO Dr. Mark Lyons and the executive team to support the business through the global challenges of 2020-2023. The position afforded her unique visibility of the entire business, a perspective that now informs her leadership of the global marketing and communications strategy.
Elliott specializes in reputation management, corporate and executive communications, and editorial strategy. She has managed communications during some of Alltech’s most significant moments, including when 20 mergers and acquisitions vaulted the company from $500 million to $2 billion in the span of a few short years, and when the company founder, Dr. Pearse Lyons, unexpectedly passed away in 2018.
She was the public relations manager for Alltech’s title sponsorship investment in the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010 and helped the animal nutrition brand introduce itself on a global stage, working with more than 1,100 media from 60 countries on-site during the 16-day Games to secure Alltech’s first network and mainstream media interviews. She also crafted the communications strategy for Alltech’s unique global partnership for the Games with 67 companies in 38 countries.
She is active in supporting the agri-food industry, serving on the American Feed Industry Association Board of Directors executive committee, the IFEEDER board of trustees and as the chair of the CLEAR Center’s advisory council at the University of California, Davis. Elliott is a graduate of Alltech’s Mini-MBA executive management program and has received certification from the Institute for Crisis Management. She received a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Asbury University and served as an assistant to the governor of Kentucky prior to joining the Alltech team in 2008.
Dr. Peter R. Ferket is a Williams Neal Reynold’s Distinguished Professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University. He is a professor of nutrition and biotechnology in the department of poultry science, conducting research and education programs related to the formulation and manufacture of quality feeds, and enhancing growth and health of poultry. Dr. Ferket is a frequent speaker at animal and poultry conferences and has authored more 500 publications and six patents.
Tom Lorenzen joined Alltech in 2008 after working five years with a feed ingredient company, where he was responsible for identifying non-nutritional bottlenecks that affect quality milk production and performance. At Alltech, Lorenzen serves as an on-farm dairy specialist with a focus on dairy audits and education through milking technician schools and presentations on milk quality.
“CSI: Cow Side Investigation” columns chronicling his audit experiences are frequently published in Progressive Dairyman. He is also a regular presenter at dairy meetings and conferences.
After attending University of Wisconsin-Platteville, he taught agriculture for six years at Orfordville High School before selling TMR mixers and then working as a nutritionist for a decade. He later worked for Alliant Energy searching for stray voltage on farms and then for Bou-Matic, where he developed their udder health and sanitation program.
Dr. Juan Gomez, global director for Alltech's companion animal business, received a Bachelor of Science and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Universidad Federico Villareal in Lima, Peru; a master’s degree in food science from Leeds University, Leeds, England; and a Ph.D. in food science from Cornell University. During his graduate studies, he was recipient of a British Council Scholarship and a Fulbright Scholarship, among many other awards.
Gomez held a postdoctoral position at Cornell University before joining Ralston Purina International as director for research and technology in Peru, with additional responsibilities in quality assurance, product development and supply chain management.
Joining Alltech in 1996, Gomez managed the Northeast business unit, based in Ithaca, New York. In 2001, he transferred to Alltech headquarters in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Since then, he has held various technical, business development and management positions, reporting directly to the president of Alltech. Currently, he serves as global director for Alltech’s companion animal business.
Gomez has published significantly in trade journals and peer-reviewed publications and is a sought-after speaker for conferences and trade shows. He is past chair of the American Feed Industry Association Nutrition Committee, and is a member of the American Dairy Science Association, the Institute of Food Technology and the New York Academy of Sciences.
Tom Martin is a Peabody Award-winning, veteran of print, broadcast and online journalism. He has held editorial and reporting roles at AP Network News in Washington, D.C., RKO Radio Network News, ABC Radio Network News, WABC News and Paul Harvey News in New York. Tom now writes a column for the Lexington Herald-Leader and serves as student media adviser at Transylvania University.
Dr. Kate Jacques is currently the director of nutrition at Alltech. In addition to leading research trials, she provides technical and sales support to Alltech staff. Jacques has been with Alltech for over 30 years and is an expert on the gut health of ruminant animals.
Dr. Vaughn Holder is the global beef research director at Alltech. In this role, he oversees Alltech's beef research around the world and works to improve the scientific understanding of the role beef cattle play in ecosystems and food systems.
Holder first joined Alltech in 2012 as a post-doctoral trainee, with a focus on advanced technical support in ruminant protein nutrition. In 2013, he transferred to Alltech’s office in Stellenbosch, South Africa, where he served as the company's national research and technical director. Holder returned to Alltech’s research headquarters in Nicholasville, Kentucky, in 2015 to lead the company's global nutritional research in beef species. He later served as the director of Alltech's global ruminant research group, heading up global nutritional research in ruminant species, before being appointed to his current role in 2024.
Holder holds a bachelor's degree in animal science and a master's degree in ruminant nutrition and microbiology from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He also holds a doctoral degree in ruminant nutrition from the University of Kentucky, where his research focused on nitrogen utilization and protein nutrition in cattle.
