Niels has been the aqua marketing coordinator for Coppens International, an Alltech company, since 2015. He has predominantly worked on boosting the brand identity of Coppens within the aquaculture sector. 

Niels is tasked with establishing an aqua division wherever possible wiithin Alltech locations around the world. He coordinates aqua marketing in strategic markets to grow Alltech's aquaculture brand. 

To contact Niels, email njeuken@Alltech.com. 

A native of São Paulo, Pinelopi Williams divided her time between Miami and Brazil before moving to Kentucky after receiving her bachelor of fine arts in theater from Florida International University with an emphasis on both performance and playwriting.  
 
Having previously worked for Disney and Seaco in customer-centric roles, Pinelopi began her career at Alltech as the North America Sales Coordinator for Alltech Crop Science in 2012.  Currently, she is the Alltech Crop Science international liaison, a role in which she focuses on business and communications initiatives with an international scope.  

Gijs is the technical sales support manager for Coppens International, an Alltech company. He studied aquaculture at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, specializing in fish nutrition and immunity in fish. After completing his studies, he worked on a RAS catfish farm for nearly three years before entering the fish feed industry. He joined Coppens in 2003 and works to support the sales force and customer network with feed choices, feeding strategies and fish farming matters. Gijs is also involved in research and product development.

To contact Gijs, email Gijs.Rutjes@coppens.com.

A calf's immune system and gut health is important in development for the rest of its lifetime. The antibodies from colostrom protect calves until their immune systems are fully functioning at about two weeks of age.

Click here to view the full article. 

The following is an edited transcript of Tom Martin's interview with Robert Walker, CEO of KEENAN, an Alltech Company. Click below to hear the full interview:

Tom:                          The world got a very real taste of the drought-driven water shortages occurring from South Africa and Mozambique to India when Cape Town came very close to “Day Zero” —  the day when water levels in the city's reservoirs would fall below a “red line” of 13.5 percent of capacity and household water supplies would be shut off. Everyone would be forced to queue at water stations for a meager daily ration of H₂O. The city of 4 million people imposed severe water restrictions. The city managed to conserve enough to push Day Zero down the road perhaps for a few months, but not without the help of farmers north of Cape Town, who opened their dams to allow millions of liters of water to flow down to the drought-stricken city. There has been plenty of coverage of how the water shortage has impacted Cape Town. What is less known are its effects on agriculture in the Western Cape province. Robert Walker is the South African-born CEO of KEENAN, an Alltech company that is a global leader in machinery that helps farmers mix feed and distribute it to their animals. The company is a pioneer in the “internet of things” market for agriculture, having merged its range of machinery with innovative digital technologies that enable farmers to feed their animals with precision and consistency. We thank you for joining us, Robbie.

Robert:                       Hi, Tom. Glad to be with you.

Tom:                          So, tell us what the KEENAN team is doing to help farmers in the affected areas around Cape Town cope with this water crisis?

Robert:                       Tom, it’s quite a tragedy, and it's important that everyone pulls together at this moment. The KEENAN and Alltech group are doing three things: We all are participating and are a major driver in the Grass Hope Project. This is an interesting project whereby we are sourcing urban roughage — clippings from gardens, parks and other municipal installations in the center of the city — and we are having all of that delivered to our facility at Alltech. We bale that roughage, and then that gets distributed to farmers. One of the biggest problems is that farmers just don't have enough roughage for the animals.

                                    The second big thing that we're doing that seems to be making an impact is connecting farmers. The farmers in the south of the country around Cape Town really don't have enough roughage, whereas up in the north, you'll have a lot of farmers who have sufficient amounts or have other byproducts that they can give or sell to those farmers themselves. So, we’ve been connecting those farmers so that we can get roughage from the areas of plenty to those in areas of need.

                                    And the last thing we’re doing is helping with the diets of those farms that are affected. Because when they start buying all these different byproducts or use completely different ingredients, these farmers need to have the diets reformulated and reevaluated because they are completely unfamiliar ingredients. And then, of course, they’re changing almost daily. So, those three things seem to be making quite a big impact.

Tom:                          For perspective, how important is agriculture to the socioeconomic makeup of the Western Cape province?

Robert:                       The Western Cape is the garden of sub-Saharan Africa. It is somewhat like what California is to the United States. It's where most of the export-grade fruit is produced. Specifically, you have crops like apples, peaches, plums and pears. You also have a big wine industry — grape industry. So, they are very high-value crops. All of these crops are exported by and large to Europe and the East at a very high value. So, this has hit the South African economy, and really the sub-Saharan African economy, quite hard because that is a major driver of revenue in that geography.

Tom:                          I mentioned in the introduction Mozambique, India and Pakistan also experiencing this kind of situation. Would you say that what we're seeing happening in Cape Town is something of a bellwether that the world should pay attention to?

Robert:                       It certainly is an initial indication of what could be and what seems to be becoming more the norm. What’s important here is that you can see that the infrastructure planning around this problem has just not been there. I'm not accusing governments, necessarily. What I'm saying is that the infrastructure is not suited to or adept at addressing these problems. So, it’s probably wise for a lot of these different countries and municipalities around the world to start thinking about what they should be doing in this case. Cape Town is a very good example of where a lot of countries and cities are going.

Tom:                          I wonder what specific issues have come up as your team has become more familiar with this water crisis situation.

Robert:                       As a company, we’re mostly focused on the animal side. The biggest issue that we’re seeing is, first of all, roughage —  availability of feed stuffs. What’s quite bizarre, Tom, is that you have situations where, for example, a ton of corn might be cheaper than a ton of soya hulls or a ton of wheat bran. The cost of just basic, very cheap roughage is just spiraling out of control. That makes it very difficult to deal with from a production perspective.

                                    Then, of course, you’ve got the bigger problem of the national herd. So, animals are being culled. And, of course, you’re not only losing numbers, but you’re also losing genetics. In the near future, when we need to bounce back, it can be very difficult to start breeding again.

                                 On the crop side, fruits are probably going to be the most affected. As I previously mentioned, that region is renowned for its export- quality fruit, and it is an export-based economy, but the low rainfalls have meant that the fruit quality is just terrible. It’s very difficult to achieve export-grade fruits, which means that you end up with a glut of low-quality fruits on the local market but no export-quality fruit. There are some quite profound changes that I think are going to have some quite long-term effects.

Tom:                          It looks like Cape Town has, for now at least, dodged the “Mad Max” scenario, by cutting residents’ average water use in half. But thanks to this drought that really is showing no sign of abating, the city could soon become the world's first major urban area to run out of water. Is the KEENAN team hearing much talk about linking this situation to climate change?

Robert:                       Well, farmers like to talk. And, certainly, there's a lot of talk of climate change. In fact, this situation has been building since about 2015. Farmers there on the ground will be telling us that they've noticed a change in the weather. The winters have been warmer for the last three years, and they aren't getting that fog that they're accustomed to in the winter. What's interesting to note, though, is that a lot of the farmers have said that this year they've noticed a change in the weather. The weather seems to have returned to more of a normal pattern. A lot of those farmers have actually planted. Based on that, they think that this situation is about to resolve and that the rains will come as normal. So, yes, farmers are thinking that it is climate change-related, but that’s very much about farmers who know the weather and just going by their own instincts.

Tom:                          Interesting. Some positive thinking going on there. Are conservation efforts being imposed in Cape Town in the rural farming areas? Are they taking things in hand in that way?

Robert:                       Yes. There have been quotas instituted in the rural areas, so farmers are severely restricted on what they can do and where they can get their water. What has been positive about this, though, is the community spirit, and this attitude of helping one’s neighbor. That has really brought farmer and city together, which has been a quite unexpected upside of this disaster.

Tom:                          That sharing of water, for example.

Robert:                       Yes. Absolutely. There has been a sharing of water. The farmers have extended a helping hand to the city.

Tom:                          And the farmers — or at least the associations they belong to —  operate their own private dams. Is that correct?

Robert:                       Yes, they do. So, most of the farmers in South Africa have fairly large pieces of the land, and a majority of them would have owned water, whether that comes from boreholes, wells or dams. There's normally a good supply of water on those farms.

Tom:                          Are those privately owned dams in better shape than the municipal ones in Cape Town?

Robert:                       Yes. Absolutely. The privately owned dams are not full, but they are located further up in the mountains, so they tend to have remained at decent levels. There is water there.

Tom:                          The Cape Town situation is hardly resolved. It’s going to take years of this austerity before the reservoirs refill, if they ever do. The six major dams that make up the city's water supply system are, at present, an average of 19 percent full. City officials are saying the dams will have to recover to at least 40 to 50 percent in order to avoid drastic water rationing during the summer of 2019. What are the prospects for that level of recovery? I know that you say the farmers are pretty optimistic about it.

Robert:                       The farmers are quite optimistic, but this is going to take a long time to resolve. So, for example, a lot of the farmers have had to cut their production. They’re irrigating only small parcels of land. There are prospects of recovery, certainly on the production side, but it’s going to be a slow road to recovery. When it comes to how quickly those dams are going refill, it's very difficult to say. There is a positive outlook for the coming season, certainly from the farmer’s own feeling, as well as from the meteorological services, but it's going to be a long road to recovery. A lot of those farmers have also supplied a lot of their water from their dams into the city. Those dams, as you said, are now also reaching critical levels.

Tom:                          In the meantime, Cape Town is implementing some stiff water tariff increases. Are those additional costs likely to impact farms in the province, or do they rely solely on their private sources?

Robert:                       No. The farmers generally rely on their own private sources, but they will be subject to quotas. In the city, the tariffs are very steep. The cost of water is very high, and the usage of water is very low on a per-person basis.

Tom:                          Do you hear anything about the possibility of desalination as a solution? I know they tried it in Adelaide, Australia, for example, and it's had mixed results, but is there talk of that in South Africa?

Robert:                       There’s certainly a lot of talk of that, and it goes back to what I was saying a little bit about the government infrastructure and planning. A lot of people are quite angry, saying that there should have been better planning to avoid this situation. When it comes to desalination, there's a lot of talk about it.

                                    There is an ongoing project — I'm certainly not up to date on it —  but it is seen as something that is going be quite small and won’t necessarily satisfy all the needs. It's expected to help in times of emergency. A lot of the farmers are now drilling new wells and they are still finding groundwater, much like the crisis that hit California a couple years ago, where farmers’ wells started running dry. I think we still haven’t gotten to the stage where farmers’ wells are running dry, and there’s still scope for drilling new wells. The disaster, or the lack of water, really is very much in the Cape Town region, the city itself. Of course, farmers are suffering, but there is still water.

Tom:                          There's an old saying that necessity is the mother of invention. Crises often have ways of inspiring innovation. Has that happened in this case?

Robert:                       I think innovation is going to take some time. There certainly seems to be a lot of innovative projects ongoing. One of the things that has happened is that farmers are very carefully assessing how they plan their production. For example, the farmers who raise high-value fruits and vegetables have decided to only irrigate smaller portions of their land. They give all of their resources to only a limited amount of the crop so that they can guarantee to get export-quality fruit. They can then export that fruit rather than have a mediocre crop across the land.

                                    So, you have this attention to detail and attention to a very small part of their production. There has been a very big move toward conservation. Drip irrigation has certainly been taken up, and a lot of the technology ... has certainly been adopted. As a company, we focus a lot on efficiency of production. What’s important is that farmers are able to use fewer resources to do more. We are finding that farmers are very open to listening when we speak to them about new technologies, whether it be technologies for the animals or crops in terms of nutrition, or whether it’s mixing technologies for their machinery or digital technologies just to monitor all of that.

                                    They certainly seem to be open to listening and want to improve efficiency, because a more efficient system is obviously going to be better for the environment and give better results in the end. So, I do expect more innovation to come through, and it's exciting to see that farmers are able to be so innovative and adaptive in this kind of situation.

Tom:                          Do you anticipate keeping your team in South Africa's Western Cape province for the foreseeable future?

Robert:                       Absolutely. The team is doing a fantastic job. From that Cape Town region, we are able to work into the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. It is very much a springboard for us into Africa. What we've managed to do there is tie in our machinery division, our nutrition division and our crop division so that we can give 360-degree support to farmers. That Western Cape region is very vibrant. It is the center of agriculture in the region. We have no intention of leaving it.

Tom:                          Robbie, this is a very personal thing for you. We’re talking about your home. You must have some pretty strong feelings about what's going on there.

Robert:                       Absolutely, it is. There’s a mixture of anger, sometimes, because you often think the government could do more or they could have planned better, but then again, this is nature. It's difficult to judge. South Africa is very prone to drought. This drought in this region is really just an extension of the drought that has happened previously in the northern parts of the country. South Africa is prone to bad weather or weather variations, extreme weather, and it seems to be getting worse and worse. Certainly, as someone who's involved in agriculture, I find that heartbreaking. It's very difficult to see the situation and, yes, hard to watch.

Tom:                          Robbie Walker, CEO of KEENAN, thank you so much for taking the time.

Robert:                       Great. Thanks very much, Tom.

Los cambios de temporadas, muchas veces nos traen nueva visión; al llegar la primavera el pasto va adquiriendo un saludable y esperado verdor. Es probable que tanto usted como sus caballos deseen aprovechar al máximo el bufet al aire libre. Pero antes de que suelte a sus caballos, pregúntese: ¿Está pensando estratégicamente sobre el manejo del pasto?

¿Por qué utilizar el pastoreo rotativo?

Si a los caballos se les permite pastar continuamente en el pasto, se pueden comer rápidamente el forraje de calidad, dejando atrás las malezas y potencialmente generando un terreno vacío. Dada la opción, los caballos pastarán selectivamente en sus plantas y pastos preferidos, y pueden ignorar por completo ciertas áreas mientras sobrepastorean las demás. Cada vez que se pasta sobre una planta, ésta necesita tiempo para regenerar sus hojas y restaurar la energía de su sistema radicular. Si se pasta nuevamente antes de que las raíces se regeneren, la planta se debilita. Si se sobrepastorea regularmente, la planta finalmente morirá. El pastoreo rotativo está destinado a evitar la incidencia de este ciclo.

Al utilizar el pastoreo rotativo, podría duplicar la cantidad de forraje producido y salvar este valioso recurso, ahorrando así una gran cantidad de costos adicionales en heno. Esto se debe a que el pastoreo rotativo permite que las porciones de pasto descansen y se recuperen, particularmente las plantas y pastos con mayor pastoreo. Un pastizal se puede dividir en varios segmentos para permitir un amplio espacio de tiempo para que las áreas vuelvan a crecer a una altura razonable.

¿Cómo comenzar un programa de pastoreo rotativo?

La forma en que divide su(s) pastizal(es) dependerá de varios factores, incluyendo el clima, la fertilidad del suelo, lluvia/riego, drenaje, tipos de plantas y pastos, y la cantidad de caballos que pastan. Sacar a los caballos de un área cuando el pasto ha alcanzado una altura aproximada de 7 a 10 centímetros (utilizando una vara de pastoreo codificada por colores puede ser muy útil) puede evitar el pastoreo excesivo y permitirle aprovechar las secciones subutilizadas.

Si está haciendo la transición de un potrero hacia su período de descanso, tendrá que eliminar el estiércol, recortar el pasto a una altura uniforme para promover su crecimiento uniforme, considerando aproximadamente de tres a cuatro semanas de descanso. Necesitará al menos cuatro potreros (de 1 a 2 acres por caballo, por potrero, es recomendable) para mantener este cronograma. Una mayor cantidad permitirá periodos de pastoreo más breves y un mayor descanso, lo cual es aún mejor. Una estrategia inteligente es mantener un lote seco disponible y suministrar heno cuando se justifique un período de descanso más prolongado.

También se podría preguntar cuánto tiempo le debe permitir a los caballos para pastar en las secciones de pastos. Esto dependerá de la cantidad de caballos, la duración de la participación diaria y el tamaño del área, así como de los otros factores mencionados anteriormente. Una buena regla empírica es planear el uso de cada sección durante una semana, pero observar de cerca. Caminar por los pastos, preferiblemente a diario, le permitirá asegurarse de que las áreas no estén siendo sobrepastoreadas, y verifique que la cerca esté funcionando correctamente. El cercado eléctrico temporal generalmente es más efectivo para esta estrategia, ya que se puede ajustar en cualquier momento. También cabe señalar que debe mantener los caballos resguardados o en un lugar seco durante el clima húmedo para evitar lesiones de cascos.

¿Qué debe considerar con respecto al agua?

Uno de los desafíos asociados con el pastoreo rotativo es que a menudo utilizamos bebederos automáticos y la accesibilidad entra en juego. Obviamente, no podrá proporcionar un acceso fácil al bebedero en todos los casos, por lo que deberá ser creativo a la hora de proporcionar el agua adecuada. Instalar canales temporales, revisarlos con frecuencia y moverlos alrededor de los potreros periódicamente puede ayudar a evitar la creación de áreas fangosas o terrenos blandos, lo cual podría ocasionar daños al pasto.

¿Vale la pena considerar el pastoreo rotativo?

Sé lo que está pensando. Todo esto suena como un montón de trabajo extra, y realmente lo es. Pero el tiempo, el esfuerzo y el compromiso realmente puede generar buenos resultados, al considerar el potencial de aumento en la cantidad y calidad del forraje, las mejoras en la salud de los caballos, los ahorros (menos gasto en heno) y la disminución de la huella ambiental tanto suya como de su caballos, el pastoreo rotativo es un esfuerzo que vale la pena.

Tien earned her bachelor’s degree in advertising and marketing communications from the University of Greenwich, London, with the University Merit Award for Outstanding Achievement. She started her career at Alltech in 2016 as part of the Corporate Career Development Program, spending time in both the U.S. and Ireland before taking a role in Vietnam, her home country. Tien presently serves as the editorial content manager for Alltech, a role that allows her to fulfill her passions for writing, innovation and sustainable agriculture.

Australis Vietnam is the largest barramundi producer in Asia and has introduced a new superfood to the market: The Sustainable Seabass®. This barramundi is antibiotic-free, mercury-free, hormone-free and high in omega-3. Located in Van Phong Bay, Vietnam, this premium brand aims to produce 10,000 tons of fish a year upon reaching maximum production capacity.

A recipient of the prestigious Seafood Choices Alliance’s Seafood Champion Award, Australis brought its innovative ocean farming approach from the U.S. to central Vietnam. It employs a hybrid system of offshore marine net pens and on-land nursery tanks using  recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). RAS, a sustainable technology that has modernized aquaculture, dramatically reduces the amount of water and space required to intensively produce seafood products.

To ensure the efficient growth of their fish, Australis Vietnam has been using Alltech’s Bio-Mos® since 2013. Bio-Mos is incorporated into aquaculture diets to support gut integrity and overall animal performance. It is effective during all phases of growth.

“Bio-Mos meets our demands for feed performance and conversion goals,” said Bao Nguyen, production manager at Australis Vietnam. “I am satisfied with the product. It is irreplaceable.”

Australis and Alltech are aligned in core values. While Australis’ mission is to pioneer climate-smart ocean farming with The Better Fish® concept, Alltech aims to deliver smarter solutions for agriculture through its ACE principle. Ensuring the quality and safety of food is a priority for both companies.

“Alltech has a great brand awareness and reputation in the feed industry, so I am assured when using Alltech’s products,” noted Nguyen. “There is competition, but we prefer Bio-Mos because of the positive results. Moreover, the Alltech team’s technical expertise is incredible.”

Have a question or comment?

Hay dos partes fundamentales en los sistemas de estabulación libre. Una es el riel del cuello o barra de retroceso. El propósito del riel del cuello es que, cuando la vaca se pone de pie, el riel la guía a retroceder un par de centímetros para que defeque en el pasillo.

La siguiente parte importante son las pecheras. Las pecheras posicionan a la vaca para que no se acueste demasiado adelante en el cubículo.

Cuando medimos los cubículos, queremos ver el largo y ancho. Actualmente, tenemos vacas más grandes, especialmente si consideramos la raza Holstein. Nuestro objetivo es contar con cubículos que cuando se midan de extremo a extremo (para vacas frente a frente), tengan entre 5,18 y 5,48 metros de longitud para ofrecer espacio personal a las vacas para el balanceo. Al medir la longitud del cubículo, medimos lo que siente la vaca. No medimos desde el centro del cubículo hasta el centro del siguiente cubículo; medimos desde un extremo hasta el otro extremo. Con vacas más grandes, los cubículos deberían medir alrededor de 1,27 metros de ancho, no 1,14 metros, lo cual veo en muchas instalaciones. Para estas vacas más grandes, el riel del cuello también debe tener alrededor de 1,27 metros de altura.

Luego, queremos evitar la obstrucción. Las obstrucciones horizontales se ven a menudo en establos antiguos y afectan la capacidad de movimiento de la vaca hacia arriba y hacia abajo. Si observamos a una vaca en el pasto cuando se levanta de forma natural, mueve la cabeza hacia el suelo, coloca una pata adelante y se balancea para pararse. Cuando hay obstrucciones en su balanceo, hará todo lo que pueda para usar su valioso espacio. Me gusta decir que las vacas saben de geometría, entienden cómo usar ángulos en el cubículo para aprovechar al máximo el espacio que se les proporciona. Si el cubículo es demasiado estrecho o demasiado pequeño, la vaca se echara naturalmente en diagonal.

Si vemos vacas paradas con dos pata en el cubículo y dos fuera del mismo, llamamos a esto "posarse", y esto no es bueno. Queremos que las vacas entren y se echen inmediatamente. Deben estar cómodas y echadas porque de esta manera se bombea más sangre a la ubre para la producción de leche.

El confort de la vaca

Al considerar el diseño del cubículo, debemos asegurarnos de observar directamente a las vacas. Al observar a la vaca, se busca ver un conjunto de patas y piernas con buena apariencia. Cuando veo corvejones inflamados, lesiones o heridas en la parte interna de las piernas del animal, eso me indica que los cubículos son demasiado pequeños y estrechos y que el tipo de superficie sobre la que descansa la vaca puede estar causando un efecto negativo en sus piernas. Considere usted mismo: si está en un hotel y la cama no es cómoda, ¿qué hace? Se voltea, da vueltas. Cuando un animal de 635-726 kilos no se siente cómodo en el cubículo, mueve las piernas, da vueltas, y esto le causa lesiones.

Cuando vemos una lesión en el interior de las piernas, eso nos indica que el cubículo es demasiado pequeño y sus piernas posan sobre el extremo.

Estos son aspectos muy importantes sobre el confort de las vacas que podemos observar en el establo antes de incluso evaluar los cubículos de las vacas.

La calidad del agua

Cuando hablamos sobre la calidad general de la leche y el confort de la vaca, otro componente crítico es el agua. Más del 87 por ciento de la composición de la leche es agua.

Cuando evalúo los establos, también dedico tiempo a examinar los bebederos. ¿Están limpios? ¿Estamos haciendo un buen trabajo manteniendo y protegiendo los bebederos?

Me gusta ver una baranda alta alrededor del agua para que las vacas no puedan saltar y poner sus patas en el bebedero. Queremos que la distancia entre el borde del agua y el borde de la pared sea de más de 3,7 metros, de esta manera las vacas grandes, “las jefas”, pueden beber agua mientras otras vacas van a comer y/o a acostarse. Una buena cantidad de agua limpia es muy importante, y debe ser suficiente para la cantidad de vacas. Las vacas pueden consumir entre 113 y 189 litros de agua por día. Para promover la producción de leche es importante proporcionar un espacio suficientemente disponible en el área del agua considerando el número de vacas, aproximadamente 1 metro de área de agua disponible por 10-15 vacas.

La calidad del aire

La calidad del aire, o el movimiento del aire sobre las vacas, es otra parte muy importante para el confort de las vacas en un sistema de estabulación libre, una instalación con ventilación cruzada y una instalación con ventilación natural.

Al evaluar las instalaciones, verifico la velocidad del viento, o qué tan buena es la calidad del aire que se mueve a través del establecimiento. El humo es una gran herramienta para detectar la dirección del flujo del aire en las instalaciones, pero a las vacas no les gusta el humo y pueden olerlo hasta a 8 kilómetros de distancia. Entonces, en lugar de humo, voy a la caja de juguetes de mis nietos y busco una pequeña máquina de burbujas. Esta pequeña máquina de burbujas me ofrece la oportunidad de ver el flujo del aire y qué tan rápido fluye el aire en la instalación. ¡Además, las vacas curiosas parece que se divierten con las burbujas!

WHAT:            The Alltech Idea Pub: News & Brews series continues with an exciting exploration of Kentucky’s potential to become the next Silicon Valley. Dr.  Mark Lyons, president of Alltech, will lead a discussion on recruiting top talent to the region, shining a global spotlight on Lexington and becoming a nexus for innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly within food and ag tech. How can we each be ambassadors for the state? Can Lexington lead the way into an exciting new era of prosperity? Join us for thought-provoking conversation, light bites and Kentucky Ale^® for guests ages 21 and older. The event is free and open to the public.

WHEN:            Wednesday, May 2, 2018

                        6:00 p.m. EDT

WHERE:         Shrewsbury Hall at Town Branch Distillery

                        401 Cross Street

                        Lexington, KY 40508

MORE:            The Alltech Idea Pub: News & Brews series is a monthly discussion exploring business, economics, education and health, with a Kentucky twist. To RSVP, visit https://go.alltech.com/newsandbrews or the Alltech News & Brews Facebook event page.

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – Ten Kentucky universities demonstrated the state’s robust culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Alltech Innovation Competition 2018. Teams presented a broad range of unique business concepts that explored complex technologies, consumer trends and eco-friendly solutions.

Murray State University’s undergraduate team and the University of Louisville’s graduate team took home the top prize of $10,000 apiece, the same amount with which the late Dr. Pearse Lyons founded Alltech, now a multi-billion-dollar company with business in more than 120 countries.

“We saw thirteen innovative ideas today,” said Dr. Karl Dawson, vice president and chief scientific officer at Alltech. “These talented teams demonstrate the opportunity to develop and retain entrepreneurs right here in Kentucky — an idea that Dr. Lyons sought to promote with this program.”   

The Murray State University undergraduate team, including students Aaron Stevens, Blakely Broder and Jordan Young, and their advisor Steve Dublin, secured the undergraduate first place prize with their venture Pip&Dip. With the use of 3D printing technology, the team developed a finger brace that optimizes efficiency and reduces discomfort for those with a sports or work-related injury or natural deformity.

“To me, innovation means benefiting all of mankind, not just yourself,” said Stevens.

The University of Louisville graduate team, including students JD Mitchell and Eric Wentworth, and their advisor Suzanne Bergmeister, secured the graduate first place prize with their venture Mindful Mix. The team developed all-natural cocktail mixers infused with superfoods and fortified with vitamins and electrolytes.

“This has been an amazing experience,” said Mitchell. “Winning validates our idea, but the feedback we received from judges and the conversations we’ve had with other teams today are invaluable.”

This year’s competition hosted the largest group of participants in its six-year history. The two winning teams faced competition from Bellarmine University, Berea College, Georgetown College, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Pikeville and Western Kentucky University.

“Today’s presentations showcase the high level of education and talent in Kentucky,” said Suniti Mujumdar, manager of educational engagement at Alltech. “These students represent the next generation of innovative entrepreneurship and have the capacity to be stewards of change for the Commonwealth.”  

First held in 2013, the competition has traditionally featured entries that focus on animal nutrition, food, crop science, or brewing and distilling — Alltech’s business sectors. This year’s competition welcomed a broad array of venture ideas, reflecting the spirit of the company’s flagship international conference ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, which features the theme “ideas change everything.”

-Ends-

The University of Louisville graduate team, including students JD Mitchell and Eric Wentworth, won the graduate first place prize at the Alltech Innovation Competition 2018 with their venture Mindful Mix. 

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The Murray State University undergraduate team, including students Aaron Stevens, Blakely Broder and Jordan Young, won the undergraduate first place prize at the Alltech Innovation Competition with their venture Pip&Dip.

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To view and download additional images, click here.

Media contact: Lauren Dozier

press@alltech.com; 859-351-8892

The following is an edited transcript of Tom Martin's interview with Tom Lorenzen, on-farm dairy specialist with Alltech. Click below to hear the full interview:

Tom:                          The heat and humidity of summer can take a substantial toll on herd health and productivity. Understanding heat stress is critical for producers managing herds in warm, humid climates. Alltech’s Tom Lorenzen is an on-farm dairy specialist with a focus on dairy audits and education through milking technician schools and presentations on milk quality. He's with us to talk about nutritional approaches to the prevention of heat stress during the summer months. Thanks for being with us, Tom.

Tom L:                        Thank you.

Tom:                          First, for reference, can you define the characteristics of a heat wave?

Tom L:                        Well, that's a great question. The people in Wisconsin had almost 20 to 30 inches of snow this past weekend, so they’re probably not going to talk about a heat wave! But we're talking about heat stress with the dairy cow. That's when the environmental conditions are out of the optimal range for the cow, which is between 25 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tom:                          What factors determine when it’s severe? How do you know when it's really bad?

Tom L:                        Air temperature, relative humidity and air movement, solar radiation —they all affect heat stress. Under mild heat stress, we see cows breathing rapidly. As the temperature increases or the stress increases, we see the breathing rates increase in cows, too. I always say to stop, look and listen to your cows. When I watch the cows and I see that their mouths are wide open and they’re panting rapidly, you can be assured that they’re under heat stress. Cows can reduce their heat stress a little bit by sweating, but they sweat about 1 percent compared to humans.

Tom:                          What are the effects? What happens to the cow when they come under stress like this?

Tom L:                        We see cows panting and increased drooling. This reduces the amount of saliva going into the rumen, which will have a negative effect on the buffering of the rumen. This can lead to acidosis. We will see reduced feed intakes, reduced rumination and the bottom line: reduced milk yield.

Tom:                          Are there regions that tend to suffer more periods of heat stress than other areas?

Tom L:                        Yes. That’s a great question. In the United States, we're going see more heat stress with higher temperatures and humidity if you’re looking at the southeast parts of United States, including Florida, Alabama and Georgia.

Tom:                          What can happen to levels of milk production when this happens, especially during prolonged periods of heat stress?

Tom L:                        When cows suffer from heat stress, the first thing we’ll notice is reduced feed intake. They just don't go to the bunk. When we see that happen, we see reduced milk yield, as much as 8 pounds of milk per day.

Tom:                          Do you see effects on reproduction?

Tom L:                        Definitely. It affects fertility and reproduction. It leads to longer lactations or more open days. We see a compound effect where there are other health issues in regard to heat stress.

Tom:                          There are some obvious mechanical means of reducing heat stress: fans, sprinklers, those sorts of things. What about nutritional strategies?

Tom L:                        The first one I’m going to talk about is water. Water is very, very important. Water makes up about 85 percent of the content of milk. So, as the temperature goes up, so does the cow’s water requirement. Cows can drink up to 50 percent more water when the temperature and humidity index rises. Intake can go from 20 gallons to about 32 gallons of water per day when the temperature gets above 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

                                    One of the big things I notice when I’m working with dairy is making sure the water troughs are clean and scrubbed daily in order to provide adequate water for consumption. If we can’t drink it, how can we expect the cows to drink it? We need to make sure that we provide adequate water space — 3 feet of available water for at least 10 to 15 cows is important.

Tom:                          Another factor in nutritional strategies would be energy. Why is it essential to increase the energy density of the diet during heat waves?

Tom L:                        As the temperature increases, the cows decrease their feed intake. This decrease in feed intake can result in less nutrient absorption. So, by increasing energy density of the diet, we can help maintain energy requirements. A good feed source for energy is bypass fat in the diet.  

Tom:                          Let's move on to protein. How is protein intake influenced by heat stress?

Tom L:                        Like everything else, when we increase heat stress, we see less dry matter intake, which means lower protein levels during this period. This will give us a negative nitrogen balance. This leads to a dramatic decrease in milk yield, immune responses and reproduction. One way to help mitigate the decline in protein ingestion is to increase protein density in the ration as well as to make sure we provide a ruminal-digestible protein source.

Tom:                          I understand that during these periods of high heat, it’s really important to maintain fiber levels in the diet. It’s crucial, but there is this catch: the digestion of forages creates more heat. How should that conflict be mitigated?

Tom L:                        During heat stress conditions, there’s a greater risk for rumen acidosis due to slug feeding and decreased intake. To reduce this risk, maintaining fiber levels in the diet is crucial. However, forages have a higher heat increment, so the quality and degradability of the forage should be monitored. Good-quality forages that will be quickly digested in the rumen will contribute to the health of the rumen and will also help maintain milk production with a minimum impact of increased caloric diets.

Tom:                          And, finally, minerals. What are the roles of minerals in helping cows combat heat stress?

Tom L:                        As I mentioned, heat stress causes increased salivation. Saliva is one of the most important buffers that the cow creates on her own. To provide another buffer, we look at increasing sodium, potassium or magnesium to help reduce the stress during this period.

Tom:                          What management tips can you offer producers as they prepare for the hot summer months?

Tom L:                        We need to provide ample clean water at all times. Another important part is providing fans and sprinklers to help cool the cows. We also need to provide shade. One of the biggest challenges that I run into on a dairy is overcrowding. If we’re overcrowded, the cows are not going to have ample room to eat and lay down. These are all important things. Lastly, and very importantly, we want to provide some of our checks that we do during the week such as pregnancy checks, or if we’re going to move cows, or breed cows, we want to do that early in the morning to reduce cow stress.

Tom:                          Thank you, Tom. We appreciate your time.

Tom L:                        Have a great day.

Tom:  Tom Lorenzen is an on-farm dairy specialist for Alltech

Click here to download a free dairy heat stress poster.

I would like to learn more about improving efficiency on my dairy. 

Gijs Rutjes es gerente técnico de soporte de ventas en Coppens International, una empresa de Alltech, ubicada en Helmond, Países Bajos. Se unió a Tom Martin para analizar los sistemas de recirculación acuícolas (SRA). Esta tecnología reduce drásticamente la cantidad de agua y el espacio necesario para producir intensivamente productos del mar.

A continuación una traducción editada de la entrevista de Tom Martin con Gijs Rutjes.

Comencemos con una breve historia sobre los sistema de recirculación en la acuicultura. ¿Por qué empezamos a cultivar peces en tierra?

Una de las principales razones es que ofrece la oportunidad de cultivar, por ejemplo, especies tropicales en condiciones frías. Un gran ejemplo es el bagre africano en Holanda. Este es un pez que requiere alrededor de 26 grados centígrados. En Holanda, nunca podría sobrevivir. Aún así, es un pez bien valorado en Holanda. Entonces, usamos SRA con agua caliente y sistemas de purificación para cultivar este pez.

Otra razón es que nos acercamos al mercado. Podemos ubicar la granja cerca del mercado donde desea estar para reducir costos de transporte.

También nos ofrece la posibilidad de elegir un buen suministro de agua en un área donde sabemos que el agua del pozo es realmente buena.

Otra cosa es que controlamos las condiciones del pez. Se pueden buscar las condiciones óptimas todo el tiempo. En el caso de alguna enfermedad, se tiene mucho más control.

Finalmente, puede prevenir fugas. En el cultivo en jaulas, desafortunadamente, a veces los peces escapan y pueden mezclarse con las poblaciones salvajes, pero esto es casi imposible en sistema de recirculación.

¿Cómo ha sido recibida esta tecnología en la industria? ¿Qué posición ocupan los SRA en el mundo de la agricultura moderna?

Creo que su importancia está aumentando. Fue un asunto bastante local en algunos países. Holanda fue uno de los primeros países en implementarlos. Dinamarca también tenía una posición de liderazgo. Se extendió primero entre las especies costosas, pero se ha convertido en una práctica principal en la industria debido a las ventajas que tiene. Ha modernizado la acuicultura, y estoy seguro de que continuará modernizándose porque aún podemos mejorar ciertos métodos de purificación y reducir la cantidad de agua necesaria para producir un kilo de pescado.

¿Cuáles son los principales desafíos para los productores que utilizan estos sistemas de recirculación acuícola?

Algo muy importante es que deben mantener condiciones óptimas constantes. Por ejemplo, al alimentar a sus peces, siempre tendrán cierta fluctuación en el nivel de la alimentación. A medida que se cosechan peces grandes, también se ponen nuevos peces jóvenes. Por lo tanto, la tasa de alimento tienden a fluctuar. Y en la biología en el filtro, la respuesta a esto puede ser una razón para las fluctuaciones en la calidad del agua. Por lo tanto, es muy importante que el acuicultor mantenga sus condiciones óptimas y constantes todo el tiempo ya que de esta manera los peces no tiene motivos para sentirse incómodo y siempre comerá bien y crecerá bien.

¿Cuáles son las tres cosas que se buscan en un proveedor de alimento balanceado para SRA?

Esa es una muy buena pregunta. Creo que si me pidieran una sola cosa, sería consistencia. Creo que lo que la gente busca es un alto consumo de alimento y, por consiguiente, un buen crecimiento.

Supongamos que pueden tener un FCR realmente bueno. Por lo tanto, el consumo de alimento es una de las primeras cosas que las personas mencionarán al igual que el crecimiento. El segundo sería una baja carga de residuos, o baja materia orgánica (heces, por ejemplo) y también baja producción de amonio. Al cambiar o regular la relación entre la energía digestible y la proteína digestible, se puede reducir la cantidad de amonio producido. De esta manera, se puede alimentar más.

Pero como dije, lo más importante sería la consistencia. Se necesita un suministro constante que sea todo el tiempo igual en gusto, sabor y composición porque, de lo contrario, los filtros reaccionarán. No es tan malo para los peces, pero los filtros reaccionarán, y eso no lo queremos.

¿Cuáles son los principales desafíos para lograr una salud intestinal óptima en lo cultivos de peces en SRA?

Creo que comienza con la elección de ingredientes de alta calidad que tienen una alta digestibilidad y además bajo nivel de anti nutrientes. Los anti nutrientes no son buenos para la salud intestinal. Por lo tanto, eso es lo que reducimos en nuestros alimento balanceado para SRA.

¿Cuáles son los beneficios del pescado producido en SRA sobre la acuicultura oceánica?

Creo que la diferencia no es tan grande. Se pueden producir buenos peces en ambos sistemas. Si bien los requerimientos para el alimento balanceado en SRA son más exigentes, normalmente se usa un alimento de mayor calidad, tal vez con más EPA o DHA. Esto podría generar un pescado de mayor calidad teniendo en cuenta las exigencias del consumidor. Pero se podría usar el mismo alimento en jaulas y producir peces similares. Por lo tanto, creo que en cuanto a calidad, no debería de haber gran diferencia.

En los últimos años han habido ciertos problema con la aparición de microorganismos de mal sabor en los sistemas de recirculación acuícola ¿se ha superado esto?

Sí y no. Primero que todo, creo que es bueno mencionar que las granjas pueden tener mal sabor porque los dos tipos de microorganismos que producen este mal sabor, geosmina e isoborneol, pueden vivir en cualquier parte. Pueden vivir en filtros, donde les gusta vivir. Las granjas con SRA generalmente tienen filtros, pero también éstos se usan en las granjas de estanques. Por lo tanto, muchas granjas con sistemas de recirculación actualmente utilizan bioreactores de lecho móvil. Este es un lugar donde a estos microorganismos no les gusta vivir porque ellos necesitan una especie de estructura fija para adherirse. Si se tiene un bioreactor de lecho móvil, por naturaleza, no pueden adherirse. Por lo tanto, estos sistemas normalmente tienen una cantidad muy baja de estos microorganismos y, normalmente, no tienen ningún sabor desagradable.

Creo que es importante purgar a los peces de las granjas de estanque, así como también a los de las granjas con sistema de recirculación, y probar el pescado. Solo asegúrese de que no haya ni una pizca de sabor desagradable porque no es un buen sabor, y realmente arruinaría la calidad de su pescado.

Es decir, ¿realmente tiene que estar al tanto de eso?

Sí, siempre. Incluso si no lo tienen en su granja. Tenemos varios clientes que, principalmente debido a los bioreactores de lecho móvil, no tienen problemas de sabor desagradable, pero siguen purgando a sus peces, incluso por unos días, y prueban el pescado antes de venderlo en el mercado. Y de esta manera, la calidad siempre es perfecta. Solo se necesita un productor para perjudicar el mercado para todos.

¿Qué se espera en cuanto al futuro de los métodos de cultivo SRA y la acuicultura?

Creo que la producción acuícola en sistemas de recirculación aumentará y toda la industria continuará mejorando. Hay un gran movimiento para mantener a los alevines en tierra. Esto ofrece mucho más control y no hay problemas con los piojos de mar. Por lo tanto, la industria ha visto que esto es un gran beneficio. Creo que habrá más tipos de acuicultura que usarán SRA.

Además, los sistemas de recirculación acuícola por naturaleza son muy sostenibles. Se puede obtener una huella de carbono más baja, se puede usar menos agua, tener menos contaminación. Creo que la cantidad de litros de agua que necesitamos para producir un kilo de pescado se reducirá en los próximos años.