Part 1: Getting Started

Starting your professional journey can be hard, especially after experiencing so much freedom and fun at university. Say goodbye to scheduling classes at your preference, weeknight parties and regular leisure time with friends. Say hello to schedules, deadlines, meetings and managers. As a recent graduate who has recently entered the workforce, I would like to share some tips to help you make a smooth transition from the classroom to the boardroom.

Work is fun! Let’s address a few misconceptions. Work is not a boring place full of unimaginative people doing routine tasks and attending endless meetings. You get to know interesting people, start investing in a new wardrobe, practice language skills, learn new ways of doing things from experts in your chosen field and SO much more!    

Preparation, preparation, preparation. Make the time to put together a complete but brief resume (one page is ideal). An experienced recruiter for top companies recently wrote that it takes him less than 20 seconds to evaluate a candidate based on his/her resume. Your work experience may be limited, so focus on highlighting your academic and relevant extracurricular achievements. For example, mentioning you were the winner of a pie-eating contest will likely not impress your future employer; however, your role as president of a campus group would highlight your leadership strengths. It is important to be thorough and consistent in your writing, including tense, fonts, spellings, etc. Proofread your resume several times. Some universities even offer mock interviews where you can practice dressing appropriately and answering questions properly, and at the same time gain feedback on how to improve before the real thing.

Find a company that excites you! A work environment that has a positive culture, shared values that foster innovation, teamwork and happy employees will get you fired up in the morning and keep you motivated. Look at company websites and social media platforms. Maybe you know people who work at that company. Ask them about their experiences. Consider reaching out to key people at that company through LinkedIn.

You may not get hired. Looking for your first job is not easy. Even with all the right preparation, a potential employer may not see you as the right fit for the company. Do not give up! Excitement, rejection, patience and stress are all part of the job hunt. A good way to handle this is to develop a professional frame of mind. Start your day early, as if you worked in an office. Watch or read the news, or check headlines on your Twitter feed. Practicing this will help you get in the habit of waking up early and staying connected to current events, which can be great talking points and references in an interview. Keep in touch with your university friends. They are probably experiencing the same challenges, and you can help each other stay motivated.

Be curious! Earning a degree is a great accomplishment, but it does not necessarily define your career. Nowadays companies in every industry are looking to hire graduates from different fields. The knowledge and hard skills from university classes, paired with soft skills gained from extracurricular and social activities, can help you become a more desirable candidate. Reach outside of your comfort zone, and apply for jobs in different industries. Taking a chance may lead to incredible opportunities!

Continue learning and reading. Just because you have a diploma does not mean you should stop learning. In fact, employers value candidates who challenge themselves. This could mean learning a new language, computer skills, social media practices or other items that will add value to your character and resume. Reading is a great educator. Whether books, blogs or articles, stay informed about the economy, the latest trends or tips from industry leaders. This information could come in handy.

Everyone has different ways of adapting to life outside of the university. We hope these tips will help you handle the transition and find that dream job to get you started on your professional path.

Stay tuned for part two – meeting your future employer!

To capture the dairy operations on the Fagundes family dairy in Hanford, California, Alltech’s film crew arrived early to leverage as much daylight as possible.

“We always try to arrive early,” said Alan Henthorne, corporate media manager for Alltech. “But we never beat a dairy farmer to work!”

In fact, when the Alltech crew arrived, the Fagundes dairy was already well-underway with morning milking and feedout.

Experienced in shooting on-location throughout the world, including recently in Mexico, Europe and China, this was the team’s first shoot in California, the number one milk producing state in the U.S. To put that ranking in context, the average herd size in California is more than 1000 for a dairy; in the second-ranking milk state, Wisconsin, the herd size is closer to 100.

Frank and Susan Fagundes have a 700-cow dairy, with mostly Holsteins who were not quite sure they were interested in a camera close-up.

Although Alan’s crew typically shoots with a Canon C-100 and DSLR with interchangeable lenses, the size of the dairy required a different approach: a drone.

The Alltech team has been using a small drone for a couple years, and, according to Alan, it’s already become an essential part of the team’s storytelling toolbox.

At the Fagundes dairy, the Alltech team envisioned the drone capturing the family walking with their dog among the cattle, illustrating the scale of the operation as well as the unique—albeit dusty (a camera challenge due to the drought!)—California landscape.

Drones add a certain element, however, to the dynamics of filming. Humans, cows and dogs all respond differently to the flying object.

In this particular case, the drone almost became puppy chow. “The Fagundes’ German Shepherd was determined to do his duty and protect them all from this invader,” said Alan.

So how did the cows handle their close-up?

Despite the fact that the drone must “look and sound like the biggest fly on the planet” to them, they did surprisingly well, according to the team. There was only one instance in which they almost initiated a stampede.

Alan emphasized, however, that safety in these shoots is always paramount. The drones are never used without permission and only used with complete human and animal safety in mind. In fact, studies are already being conducted to determine the minimum safe distances between drones and animals to avoid disturbing them. Even in terms of the overall shoot, camera tripod legs get equipped with the same biosecurity footwear as a human.

For the Alltech film crew, all the efforts are incredibly rewarding.

“Farmers work hard and don't always have the time to tell their own stories,” said Alan. “We're happy that we are able show how much dedication, passion and care can go into what they do, which ultimately is feeding the rest of us.

You can see the full video above and on our interactive Farmer Stories Map.

Have a question or comment?

More and more college students are realizing the value of work experience in their chosen field before graduation. In fact, the number of undergraduates participating in internships or co-op experiences during college has risen to a high of 65 percent, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers Class of 2015 Student Survey. It also found that students who participate in paid internships have a greater chance of graduating with a job offer.

What better way to experience a future career than by interning with a potential employer?

More than 170 students have gained invaluable experience as interns at Alltech’s Center for Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition since the world-renowned research facility opened in 2008. All these student researchers have completed projects impacting the company’s research program aimed at creating solutions for the global agriculture industry.

From traditional nutrition evaluation trials to evaluation and optimization of production processes, these students (the majority of them undergraduates) not only learn valuable information but also gain hands-on experience and training. Many have set themselves on paths to graduate school. Others have even found their career path with Alltech.

“The experience has opened a lot of doors to opportunities I had not imagined,” said Hayley Kincaid, a recent biology graduate of the University of Pikeville in Kentucky.

Kincaid joined the internship program right after graduation so she could begin gaining research laboratory experience. “I never expected to be here,” she said, “but I love working in the lab.” Kincaid is working with the poultry nutrition group during her time at Alltech.

“I didn’t know that companies like Alltech existed,” said Kincaid, who learned about Alltech and the internship program when a company representative visited her school. She is excited about future opportunities with companies like Alltech in Eastern Kentucky.

The only problem she has with her three- to four month-internship at Alltech is she would like it to be longer. “I just like it so much; I want to stay!” she said.

For many, an internship with Alltech is the type of experience needed before making a decision to pursue an advanced degree in a scientific field.

Megan Dudley, a psychology major at the University of Kentucky with an interest in neuroscience and genetics research, plans to eventually pursue a Ph.D. in the field. A professor mentioned a potential internship at Alltech could be advantageous.

“The experience in methodology will be invaluable when applying to grad school,” Dudley said.

The experience in the laboratory has not been the only benefit. “I think my confidence level has increased dramatically from being here,” Dudley said, explaining that she takes responsibility for her research project in a new way, which will be necessary for graduate school.

For others, an internship experience with Alltech is a determining factor in a career not just in research, but with the company.

Amanda Sberna is the senior lab technician and marketing specialist for the Analytical Services Laboratory at Alltech. She interned with Alltech before graduation.

“Through my internship I gained knowledge and skills that would help me to become the scientist I am today,” she said. “Alltech is an incredible company to work for, offering many different opportunities with your career.”

For more information about Alltech’s student research internship program, or to apply, please visit http://www.alltech.com/about/careers/internships.

We have some exciting news to share: This morning we finalized an acquisition agreement that will provide us ownership of Masterfeeds LP, a leading commercial animal nutrition company in Canada. 

Masterfeeds produces some of the Canadian feed industry’s best-selling and most widely-recognized nutrition products.  Following Alltech’s acquisition of EMF Nutrition, another stalwart Canadian feed company, in 2013, the acquisition of Masterfeeds further strengthens our presence in Canada. The three companies together will now compose one of Canada’s largest animal nutrition offerings. Alltech, Masterfeeds and EMF Nutrition employ nearly 700 Canadians and operate 25 manufacturing facilities, nine retail locations and seven distribution centers in a business spanning the entire country.

Masterfeeds will continue to be headquartered in London, Ontario, Canada, and led by its current Chief Executive Officer, Rob Flack.

Customers of Masterfeeds, Alltech and EMF Nutrition can expect business as usual. The same range of brands, products and solutions will be available.  In the future, customers may also benefit from an increased variety of nutritional solutions and services, backed by the latest scientific research.

Feed costs represent the majority of total livestock production costs.  By improving nutrition, farmers and ranchers can realize a significant increase in efficiency, profitability and sustainability.  Our continued commitment to tailoring nutrition programs, with a focus on natural ingredients, allows farmers and ranchers to raise healthier animals through a process that is beneficial for Animals, Consumers and the Environment. It’s our guiding ACE principle at work.

This growth opportunity will create better access for farmers and ranchers to superior animal nutrition solutions through Masterfeeds’ and EMF Nutrition’s extensive on-farm presence and dealer distribution networks in Canada.  Canadian farmers and ranchers will have the opportunity to benefit from leading nutrition technology and additional services, including on-farm audits and analysis tools.

We’re thrilled to welcome the Masterfeeds team to Alltech, and we’ll have more to share about our integration soon. 

[DUNBOYNE, Ireland] – Around the world consumer demands for higher quality and greater variety have positively impacted the craft brewing industry. A recent study on the global craft brewing industry, conducted by yeast expert Alltech, discovered that there are more than 10,000 craft breweries worldwide. Of those, 86 percent are in North America and Europe, with Europe pipping North America to the post by only three craft breweries. Even so, the U.S. has just surpassed 4,000 breweries, which represents a nearly 20 percent growth in the last year and far exceeds any other individual country’s count by thousands. The Asia-Pacific region currently has 661 craft breweries.

“The rise of craft beer as a beverage of choice is indicative of consumers’ demand for differentiated, interesting and quality products,” said Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer of Alltech. “Alltech’s history is rooted as a supplier of yeast not only to the animal nutrition industry but also to the beverage industry. It has been 15 years since we acquired the Lexington Brewing Company and during that time we have witnessed the development of more discerning drinkers as consumers switch from the big beer brands to those with distinctive taste and a story to tell. This change in consumer sentiment and demand has obviously driven the big beer brands, like AB InBev and SABMiller, to join ranks.”

The Global Craft Beer Survey assessed the number of craft breweries through information obtained in partnership with local beverage associations and Alltech’s sales force, which operates in 128 countries. The top 10 locations for craft breweries in the world are: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Russia, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Brazil and Japan.

According to Connolly, the organizer of the survey, one distinctive point to note with this survey is in relation to each country’s population. “It is fascinating to compare the number of craft breweries in each country. While Japan leads the Asia-Pacific region with 200 craft breweries, New Zealand is by far the leader in the number of breweries per head of population with 23 times more breweries per head than Japan.”

The Global Craft Beer Survey raises some questions in regard to uptake of the craft brewing phenomenon in the Asia-Pacific region. For example, China and India rank among the top ten countries for population and GDP yet neither country has more than 60 craft breweries. Given that China rivals the U.S. as beer drinkers with close to a doubling in terms of consumption, will there be a brewery boom in the country’s future?

Overall, Connolly estimates the craft beer industry’s net worth at $50 billion.

This is Alltech’s first global survey of the craft brewing industry. It was undertaken at the request of president and founder Dr. Pearse Lyons for the company’s own information because data assessing the international craft brewing market was not readily available. Born and raised in Ireland, Lyons hails from five generations of coopers who supplied barrels to distilleries for a quarter of a century. While completing his degree at the British School of Malting and Brewing, he interned at both the Guinness and Harp Lager breweries and later worked as a biochemist for Irish Distillers, makers of the beloved Jameson whiskey. In the U.S., he founded biotechnology company Alltech and acquired his own brewery, which today is Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co., the maker of award-winning barrel-aged beers and spirits.

Alltech is responsible for The Alltech Craft Brews and Food Fair held annually in Ireland. The event returns to Dublin’s Convention Centre Feb. 5 – 7, 2016. Exhibitor space has almost sold out, proving the popularity of craft beverages in Europe.

Beer is one of the most universally storied beverages, with the first signs of brewing dating back some 5,000 years. Many, including the Greek, Sumerian, Egyptian, Norse, Aztec and Zulu cultures, worshipped gods and goddesses solely devoted to beer. However, it wasn’t until the rise of the craft beer industry that beer has taken on such diverse forms.

It is no secret that the U.S. craft beer industry has boomed. But what of the craft brewery situation elsewhere? Are other countries experiencing a similar rise in craft brewing? A Google search would indicate the craft beer revolution is a global phenomenon but tallying facts and figures is another matter.  No report has ever been conducted on what is happening internationally. So we decided to do our own survey.

Let’s start with some of the basic information. We found that there are more than 10,000 craft breweries worldwide.  Of those, 86% are in the U.S. and Europe. And sorry, Europe actually squeaked past North America by three breweries. Even so, the U.S. has more than 4,000 breweries, which far exceeds any other individual country’s count by thousands. Here are the top ten countries and their brewery count. We threw in the population stats too, which we’ll talk about next.

1. U.S.A

2. U.K.

3. France

4. Italy

5. Russia

6. Canada

7. Switzerland

8. Germany

9. Brazil

10. Japan

The Swiss clearly enjoy their beer. Yet, they have by far the smallest population when compared to the other nine countries in the top 10. They also have the smallest GDP when compared to the others. In fact, according to knoema.com, a database collection website, all of the top ten craft beer producers rank in the top 15 GDP with the exception of Switzerland, which is 39^th.

Another interesting fact about the Swiss: Beer is not cheap for them. Zürich, their most populous city, is ranked number two as the most expensive city to buy beer.  (We know you’re curious, Oslo, Norway, is the worst at €3.55/bottle.) Beer in Switzerland has been priced at €3.04 per 33cl (just over 11 oz.). In U.S. metrics, that’s about $3.68 per bottle or $22 per 6-pack. Yikes!

We should also tip our hats to the UK and Japan. Both are at the top of our list for number of craft breweries and each has one of the top ten most expensive cities to purchase beer: Tokyo (third) and London (fifth).

We were curious how much population plays a part in the number of craft breweries present. Turns out, it really doesn’t. Population has no direct correlation with the local presence of craft breweries or with craft beer consumption. Both China and India have over a billion people each and so few craft breweries. Even so, the Chinese beat out the U.S. in beer consumption, consuming more than two times that of the U.S., according to the New York Daily News. Chinese beer preference, however, does not appear to be partial to craft beer. Not yet, anyway.

You can access the full press release here.The infographic illustrating the 2015 Alltech Global Craft Brewery Survey findings may be downloaded here, while a detailed listing of craft breweries by country can be downloaded here.

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The Alltech Crop Science (ACS) three day field tour commenced with a visit to Grupo Toro Verde. Leaders in producing lettuce, spinach and sprouts Grupo Toro Verde manage a total crop surface area of 600 hectares. The majority of their production is exported to England, The Netherlands and Sweden. Toro Verde often encounters challenges in soil exploitation, water scarcity and poor quality, due to high salt content.

According to Antonio Alcazar, Toro Verde farm techician, their primary focus is to produce high quality produce for export, without residues. Alcazar illustrated how a number of ACS solutions are used to improve and promote plant and soil health.  Toro Verde use Soil-Set® Aid to increase the capacity of nutrient absorption and retention; ProCrop™ ISR for homogeneity, precocity, plant health and improved shelf life; and ProCrop™ Shield EU to provide nutrients essential for the defence against environmental stresses affecting crop production.

“An additional advantage to ACS solutions include being residue free, harmless to the environment and suitable for use in organic farming. In addition,  these solutions can be easily mixed and integrated with conventional treatment programmes.” said Alcazar.

“Our visit to Grupo Toro Verde has been really interesting,” said Mario Pastore, Italian crop producer. “It is great to experience the Spanish reality of crop production. I will take home some innovative ideas to Italy.”

Poultry producers have long added antibiotics to the diet to overcome gut health challenges. However, based both on recent findings that doing so can cause antibiotic resistance and on increasing consumer demand for antibiotic-free poultry, many large producers are no longer using antibiotic growth promoters (AGP). While beneficial in one respect, it may leave the birds more susceptible to feed contaminants such as mycotoxins, resulting in performance losses and producer profitability. 

Mycotoxins in poultry production have been linked with classic clinical signs, such as mouth lesions caused by T-2 toxins, yellow liver from aflatoxins or gizzard erosions from cyclopiazonic acid. Action was only taken if one of those symptoms was clearly diagnosed. Recent studies, however, have indicated  that mycotoxins can directly affect gut integrity, opening the door to secondary infections, even when found in low to moderate levels in feed.

A paper by Antonissen et al. (2014) indicated that vomitoxin (DON) increases the percentage of birds with subclinical necrotic enteritis and causes barrier disruption and epithelial damage to the intestine. The increased permeability of the epithelium and lower protein absorption may stimulate growth of clostridium perfringens. The lower nutrient absorption and the risk of intestinal challenges may lead to performance losses.

Alltech, the global leader in mycotoxin management, has developed several tools to help poultry integrators overcome this problem. Our state-of-the-art Alltech 37+® mycotoxin analysis program is the most advanced system in the industry. Based at the Alltech Analytical Services Laboratory in Winchester, Kentucky, and utilizing LC/MS/MS technology, we conduct surveys worldwide. This enables us to determine the overall risks in feedstuffs and provide customers with species-specific risk assessments.

Alltech 37+® mycotoxin analysis has tested more than 9,000 samples and found one or more mycotoxins in over 98 percent of samples. In North American samples, the DON group and fusaric acid are the most prevalent mycotoxins in feedstuffs. Even when present at low to moderate levels and without classic signs of mycotoxin challenges, poultry are still susceptible to mycotoxin attacks on gut integrity. According to Dr. Johanna Fink-Gremmels of Utrecht University in the Netherlands, roughly 60 to 80 percent of the bird’s immune system is in the intestines. Any challenge could have a direct impact on overall bird health and vaccine response.

While the poultry industry’s positive move to antibiotic-free production is encouraged, implementation of a mycotoxin management program before challenges arise is highly recommended.  Successful antibiotic-free production requires mitigating any potential health threats where possible, and the powerful threat of mycotoxin contamination must not be overlooked.

While creatine, branched-chain amino acids and glutamine are well known and frequently utilized amongst fitness buffs and competitive athletes, there’s another nutrient taking its turn in the spotlight – DHA. DHA, short for docosahexaenoic acid, is an essential omega-3 fatty acid that has made a name for itself for its role in both cardiovascular and brain health. More recently, the sports nutrition community has taken notice of DHA’s ability to help speed recovery, increase gains and improve athletic performance.

DHA aids in the muscle recovery process as an anti-inflammatory agent and reduces DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), perceived pain and range of motion 48 hours post exercise.¹These qualities, along with boosting blood and oxygen flow to muscles, may also decrease incidence of injury.

Increasing the amount of DHA you consume may help decrease muscle breakdown and increase protein synthesis by increasing the body’s muscle-building response to insulin and amino acids.²Fatty acids like DHA not only increase muscle gains, but may also increase the body’s level of calcium absorption, improving bone strength.³

A vital component in nerve endings, neurons and muscle membranes – DHA has been shown to improve reaction time of athletes during competition.⁴ DHA also decreases heart rate, which can help improve oxygen utilization during competition or tough workouts.⁵

References:

1. Tartibian B, et al. (2009). The effects of ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids on perceived pain and external symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness in untrained men. Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, 19.(2),115-9.
2. Smith G, et al. (2011). Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids augment the muscle protein anabolic response to hyperaminoacidemia-hyperinsulinemia in healthy young and middle aged men and women. Clin Sci (Lond),121(6), 267–278.
3. Maggio M, et al. (2009). The impact of omega-3 fatty acids on osteoporosis. Curr Pharm Des, 15(36),4157-64.
4. Lewis E, et al. (2015). 21 days of mammalian omega-3 fatty acid supplementation improves aspects of neuromuscular function and performance in male athletes compared to olive oil placebo. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12,28.
5.  Mori T, et al. (1999). Docosahexaenoic Acid but Not Eicosapentaenoic Acid Lowers Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Humans. Hypertension, 34, 253-260. 

To celebrate World Egg Day, Alltech went in search of some fascinating egg facts. Here are a dozen “egg”cellent facts:  

• Worldwide, approximately 1.2 trillion eggs are produced for eating every year. The average person consumes 173 eggs a year.

• An average hen lays 300 to 325 eggs a year.

• To produce an egg, it takes a hen 24-26 hours.

• Egg yolks are a good source of natural vitamin D.

• A large egg contains only 70 calories and 5 grams of fat.

• Yolk color purely depends on the diet of the hen.

• Eggs provide the highest quality protein, which is necessary to help maintain muscle function and slow the rate of muscle loss.

• To tell if an egg is raw or hard, spin it! If the egg spins easily, it is cooked. If it wobbles, it is raw.

• Eggs age more in one day at room temperature than in one week in a refrigerator.

• As a hen grows older, it produces larger eggs. 

• Egg protein has the perfect amount of amino acids needed by humans to build tissues. It is second only to mother’s milk for human nutrition.

• Enriched eggs have a higher than normal content of a particular nutrient. For example, hens that consume more omega-3 will produce eggs with higher levels of omega-3. Enriched foods must follow specific guidelines. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA), “A food that is labeled as ‘enriched’ with a nutrient must contain at least 10 percent more of the daily value of that nutrient than a food of the same type that is not enriched.”

Be sure to scramble, boil, fry or poach an egg today and join us in celebrating World Egg Day!

Alltech global headquarters welcomed the new members of the Career Development Program (CDP) on Sept. 21. Eleven recent college graduates from 11 countries were selected for the year-long program. Ten of them completed an intense weeklong orientation at Alltech’s global headquarters in Nicholasville, Kentucky, USA, while the other did so at the Alltech European headquarters in Dunboyne, Ireland, where he will be based.

The group is divided into three specialized areas: beef, dairy and quality. These tracks are tailored for specific growth markets and departments within the company.

During the orientation, CDP members learned about Alltech and met numerous Alltech employees, from recent hires to senior executives. A highlight was meeting Alltech’s president and founder, Dr. Pearse Lyons, who shared advice on starting a career at Alltech, along with Dr. Aoife Lyons, director of educational initiatives at Alltech and a licensed clinical psychologist.

“We were delighted to welcome our 11 new specialized CDP members. Each one of them was chosen based on their educational history, but more importantly their soft skills, such as curiosity, flexibility and enthusiasm,” said Dr. Aoife Lyons. “It is exciting to see these energetic recent grads with fresh perspectives joining the Alltech family.”

“Orientation week was such a humbling and honoring experience,” said Alexandra Dawson, a food science and nutrition graduate from Australia, a new member of CDP quality track. “It was great to meet a wonderful group of people, all from different countries, and then to have so much pertinent and useful advice given to us by senior executives as well as former CDP members.”

After their orientation, CDP members learned about the training they will receive in their respective specializations. Those in the beef track will focus on improving animal health and welfare, while increasing beef farm profitability in the European beef market. The dairy track targets solutions to boost profitability in dairy production in Asia. The quality track encompasses all aspects of product manufacturing, including the Alltech Quality System (AQS), the most comprehensive quality system in the industry.

The new CDP members are:

Alltech Beef Career Development Program:

• Bahadir Fidan, Turkey
• Thomas Pacalier, France
• Matteo Tartara, Italy
• Eduard Castanyer, Spain

Alltech Dairy Career Development Program:

• Christina Straathof, Canada
• Nhung Lai, Vietnam
• Ghazanfar Naseer, Pakistan

Alltech Quality Career Development Program:

• Alexandra Dawson, Australia
• Alayna Boland, United States
• Marcela Ishii, Brazil
• Jordyn Aitken, New Zealand

To learn more about the Alltech Career Development Program, please visit: www.alltech.com/graduate.

Through decades of rapid advancements in agriculture science, Alltech has been on the cutting edge of innovation while keeping its products natural, healthful and environmentally sound. In fact, everything Alltech does is guided by the “ACE” principle, which emphasizes benefits to animals, consumers and the environment.

Because of this, Alltech’s products are excellent choices for farmers and ranchers who want to produce safe, high-quality foods in sustainable ways. Alltech’s in-house standard, known as the Alltech Quality System (AQS), is already recognized throughout the feed industry as a standard to follow. The AQS delivers the exact same level of quality assurance and traceability in each of Alltech’s geographical markets, based on a uniform process designed to meet and exceed other third-party systems of certification. 

However, because there are now so many such third-party programs, each with its own complex and constantly-evolving requirements, food producers have faced an uphill battle in keeping up with which ingredients are acceptable for use in which programs.

Enter Where Food Comes From, Inc. (d.b.a. IMI Global, Inc.), already the most trusted resource for independent, third-party verification of food production practices. Where Food Comes From has just announced the launch of its “Feed Verified” program, which enables livestock producers, feed companies and food brands alike to confirm easily and in real time that a particular product meets a specific verification or certification requirement.

The first resource of its kind, Feed Verified features a constantly updated listing by name of approved feed products and ingredients, while indicating which verification or certification programs approve each product for use. The listing is multi-species and includes direct hyperlinks to individual product websites for easy access to product and purchasing information.

Thirteen of Alltech’s products were already listed on Feed Verified at launch time, with more expected as verification procedures continue.  The featured products are:

• BIO-MOS OA
• INTEGRAL OA
• ACTIGEN
• SEL-PLEX 2000
• BIOPLEX COPPER 10% OA
• BIOPLEX COBALT OA
• BIOPLEX ZINC 15% OA
• BIOPLEX MANGANESE OA
• BIOPLEX ZMC 842 OA
• BIOPLEX HI-FOUR OA
• YEA-SACC 1026 OA
• DEMP
• SELECT TC OA

Where Food Comes From, Inc. is known for its expertise in keeping up with the latest in food production science and technology.

“A critical aspect of verifying certain livestock production practices is knowing, tracking and confirming what an animal eats,” explained John Saunders, the company’s chairman and CEO. “It may sound simple, but you have to take a step back and think about the complexity of what we are looking at. Five years ago we were only concerned about animal by-products. Today it is that plus antibiotics, growth promotants, genetically modified organisms, organic ingredients, even the percentage of forage or protein. I could go on, but the reality is that feed is emerging as the new risk in value-added livestock production. It only takes the tiniest of ingredients to disqualify an entire generation of animals from a specific verification program, even when everything else is done exactly right. That is exactly why Feed Verified came to be. We want to do everything in our power to enable farmers and ranchers to be transparent about how they are producing food, and Feed Verified is another tool to help them succeed in that endeavor.”

Alltech looks forward to working further with Where Food Comes From, Inc., as both companies continue in making it easier for food producers to deliver transparency to consumers.

To view a current version of Feed Verified, visit http://www.imiglobal.com/feed-verified.html.

For years, scientists felt that if they were able to map the genome, they would know significantly more about life sciences. However, after successfully mapping both the human genome and several domestic animals’, scientists are left with more questions and the realization that genetic expression is more about the environment than it is the genes themselves.

This study of genes and their interactions is what drove Dean Boyd, technical director for The Hanor Company, to leave the academy and take scholarship to the field. Rebelling against status quo, Boyd strives to provide scientific discoveries based in unbiased, field applied research. At Pork: The other white meat? symposium, during  The Alltech REBELation conference in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, he shared some of his findings in regards to genetic expression in pigs and their role in profitability.

When first entering the field, Boyd was taken aback by the high number of researchers functioning on personal biases. These biases lead them to publish skewed or limited findings that were ultimately costing the pork industry significant losses. To rectify the situation, Boyd sought to identify the key performance factors in gene expression and the impact of those expressions on profitability through empirical experiments and large amounts of data.

Gene expression in the field 

First and foremost, Boyd found that gene expression is very much modified by the environment, being mainly limited by immune stress and nutrition. However, it’s important to note that viability can only truly be tested under moderate to high immune stress conditions. To adequately analyze a genome, it must be challenged by a variety of field pathogens to understand how the animal is truly programmed. Because of this need for testing under challenging conditions, producers need data from not only the genetic nucleus (which is readily available), but also field data describing how the genes were expressed during challenging conditions (which is less often available).

Even with sufficient data and research, Boyd makes it clear that science will not always get things right, stating that Mother Nature is very complex. However, he clarifies that while all science has potential errors, it is essential to steer clear of ‘isolated science,’ or science that has singular focus. These types of experiments tend to be focused on only one aspect of production, and while they provide impressive figures for proposed outcomes (i.e. litter size), they also typically come with unexpected downsides in other areas (i.e. birth weight and viability). The give and take relationship within pork production can be easily overlooked when only one performance indicator is being tracked. As an example, pigs weaned at 12 days as opposed to 21 days reduced their days to 270lbs by 34 days. However, their mortality rate was also increased by 5.8 percentage points.

Boyd describes the give and take relationship as somewhat of a chain reaction.

• Increased litter size: Decreased birth weight
• Decreased birth weight: Increased mortality rate/reduced viability
• Increased mortality rate/reduced viability: Decreased lifetime full value of sow

To simply focus on litter size neglects other needed components including uterine capacity, the prevention of decline (or ideally an increase) in placenta mucus, milk output, nipple number, and nipple placement.  Boyd knew producers needed access to better science.

Five research platforms

In an effort to provide integrated, reliable, and thoughtful research to producers, Boyd has developed a financial analysis worksheet that is based on five research platforms.

1. Number of FVP full value pigs (FVP) weaned
2. Number of FVP delivered to plant
   1. Wean to plant viability
   2. Minimum cull and light sale pigs
3. Carcass weight (volume)
4. Carcass output/sow + annual + lifetime (cost dilution)
   1. This accounts for and addresses seasonal infertility, which for many producers is a larger threat to profitability than even disease.
5. Weaned pig and W-F cost
   1. Feed and non feed companies

Through these factors, Boyd and his colleagues have created a benchmarking system with which they are able to analyze pork production units’ profitability, finding that the most differentiating factor, in both profit and loss years, is viability. 

While viability is the most significant differentiator; there are many key profit drivers to consider including pig numbers to market, pig livability, heavy carcass weight, and production costs. At first glance, one might assume production costs most strongly influenced profits, but in fact, pig numbers to market does.

Conclusion

In addition to managing these key profit drivers, Boyd explained, it is essential to have integrated team functions. Veterinarians, nutritionists, and those in production need to have an open dialogue where they can actively and effectively work together. One of the largest challenges the industry is facing is a recent shift in consumer culture. Previously, science has been an influential driver in consumer decisions. However, due to some strategic moves and changes in technology, marketing has positioned itself as a more influential voice in consumers’ lives. A great example of this is the antibiotic free (ABF) debate. Regardless of what science may suggest (i.e. antibiotic free vs. antibiotic residue free), consumers are demanding ABF products, so producers must be prepared to deliver them. An integrated team is the best way to ensure pork producers are prepared to address these changing consumer demands.

All in all, it is important for producers to recognize that mapping the genes of pigs is one small step towards fully understanding those genes’ interactions with the environment around them. To potentially improve profitability, it is essential to acknowledge the interactions between all the various factors of production, focusing on the key profit drivers and working closely with an integrated team.

I want to learn more about nutrition for my pig herd.

Agronomist Dalynn Ramsay describes some of the recent remarkable results seen in crops treated with Alltech Crop Science.