Weaning piglets effectively is critical for farmers to ensure they are healthy and productive. Pigs that do not transition well from milk to a solid diet have their gut health compromised and become susceptible to disease challenges. Ernie Hansen, manager of swine nutrition and technical services at Hubbard Feeds, sits down with Tom Martin to explain the strategies producers can implement to support a successful transition and improve long-term pig production. 

The following is an edited transcript of Tom Martin's interview with Ernie Hansen, manager of swine nutrition and technical services at Hubbard Feeds. Click below to hear the full audio:

Tom:              This is Tom Martin, and I'm here with Ernie Hansen, manager of swine nutrition and technical services at Hubbard Feeds. He joins us to talk about transitioning piglets at weaning from milk to solid food. Thanks for being with us, Ernie.

Ernie:             All right, thank you.

Tom:              What are some of the problems that producers face when they begin weaning piglets from milk and moving them to a solid diet?

Ernie:             Well, helping pigs make a smooth transition at weaning has always been a high priority for pig farmers. Today's high-producing genetics have been selected to wean 30-plus pigs per sow per year and to produce pigs that will reach a market weight at or in excess of 300 pounds, and to do this quickly and efficiently. This performance level and, even more importantly, the way these pigs start on feed is drastically different than pigs from ten years ago.

                        Couple these factors with the known stressors of weaning — weaning age, the physical separation from the mother sow, commingling, transportation, the environment difference, and the traditional milk-to-solid-food transition — and that's a stark reminder that there is no substitute for good animal husbandry for the first week post-weaning. The old adage is certainly as true now as it ever was: "A pig never gets over a good or bad start."

Tom:              What are some of the outcomes seen in a piglet that does not transition well post-wean?

Ernie:             Health is a big factor at this stage of life for the piglet. If pigs aren't eating well, gut health is compromised, and this can affect their overall health and make them susceptible to disease challenges. This requires farm workers to spend more time treating pigs, and depending on how severe the challenge is, there may be an increase in mortality and morbidity as well.

                        We use the term "all-value pigs." This is a reference to the pigs that reached the targeted market weight on time with minimal health challenges. These all-value pigs represent the highest returns for farmers and the greatest opportunity for increased profitability.

Tom:              So, what is the importance of feed intake? What does the producer need to be thinking about as piglets are making this transition?

Ernie:             To make it very simple, intake is everything at this stage of the pig's life. Healthy pigs are very efficient. That means every extra bite of feed is extra weight gain. It's the most efficient and cost-effective growth the pig will experience.

Tom:              Why is gut health critical at this particular phase in a pig's life?

Ernie:             You may not realize it, but the gut is the first line of defense for the young pig and is actually a large part of the immune system. It's a barrier that keeps out bacteria, and if it’s not functioning properly, those bacteria get into the pig's bloodstream and can spread, causing disease challenges for the pig. As more research is done on gut health and gut function, we're discovering that pigs don't always fully recover from the initial attacks on their system. While it may look like they recover and have good performance, research is showing they won't have gains as good as those pigs that didn’t experience the health challenges early in life.

Tom:              So, what steps or management techniques should producers and farmers take to make sure that pigs transition well post-wean?

Ernie:             We work closely with our customers in a couple of different areas to help pigs get started on feed. Frequency of feeding for the first week in the nursery is critical. The more times we can be in the barn feeding the pigs, the better they will start. In some cases, just walking through the barn and getting the pigs up will stimulate them to eat.

                        Secondly, identifying fallback pigs as early as possible — early intervention — helps transition those pigs to get them back on track. Use of a gruel or a highly fortified feed is essential to get the right nutrients into these young pigs.

Tom:              Some pigs are naturally inclined to not eat as well while they're transitioning from a liquid to solid diet, so it's important for producers to do what they can to motivate those pigs to eat more. How does Viligen® play a role in this key part of their transition from milk to solids?

Ernie:             Viligen is an intake stimulant. It's combined with certain nutrients and palatability factors that not only encourage them to eat — to eat more, to take that first bite of feed — but it also has gut health components that help support the gut in overcoming challenges that the environment brings to that pig. So, it causes them to eat more and then supports their health. A healthy pig that eats is going to grow faster and more efficiently throughout its entire life.

Tom:              Tell us about the feeding trials using Viligen that were conducted by Hubbard Feeds.

Ernie:             So, we started Viligen trials about nine months ago (Oct. 2017) after an Innovation Group meeting at Alltech. We did some simple trials and the pigs performed well above expectations. We had improvements in gains that were really quite remarkable. We redid the trial and we duplicated those improvements in gains.

                        In the second trial, we had a significantly higher degree of overall health challenges, and we're able to see that we had not only improvements in intake and gains, but that led to improvements in overall health. We treated fewer pigs for health issues, we pulled fewer pigs out of the pens that weren't starting and we had fewer pigs die in the trial.

Tom:              How big of a role does formulation of feed play at this stage when the piglet is transitioning from milk to solids?

Ernie:             Diet formulation plays a critical role for these young pigs as they transition from the sow’s milk to dry starters. Diets are more complex to supply the nutrients that will promote good gut health, which is important for nutrient absorption and utilization. High-quality ingredients are key to the digestibility of the young pig and also reduce the chance of adverse interactions with other ingredients.

                        Finally, ingredients that promote intake are an important technology to include in the nursery diet. People often think of flavors in milk products to encourage intake, but we're excited about Viligen, which our research has shown to improve intake and health in these young pigs. Viligen — which is a blend of fatty acids, prebiotic components and mineral nutrients — helps condition the gut mucosa, which helps get ready for rapid growth because of the improved feed intake.

Tom:              Ernie Hansen, manager of swine nutrition and technical services at Hubbard Feeds, joining us from Mankato, Minnesota. Thank you for being with us, Ernie.

Ernie:             Thank you much.      

I want to learn more about supporting piglet health and feed intake during weaning. 

By Brian Springer, CCA

Sixty percent of a dairy cow’s diet is forage. With so much of the diet dependent on the nutrients a cow receives from forage, it is important to make sure the crop reaches its nutrient and energy potential. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the major components of fertilizer, are essential for soil nutrient content and are controlled by pH. We test and fertilize for these nutrients regularly, and they are often the first place we look for a solution if a problem arises in crop health.

However, critical elements — like calcium, magnesium, and sulfur — are often seen as secondary in importance in terms of soil content, and, in turn, plant health. For example, with current industry practices, recent findings show that sulfur deficiency of 10 to 20 pounds per acre is common in much of the United States. Of these elements, sulfur in particular might be the missing piece in your forage puzzle as it increases nutrient quality and aids in balancing the microflora in the rumen.

What is sulfur?  

Sulfur is one of the 17 elements essential to crop production. This is because, according to the International Plant Nutrition Institute, plants almost exclusively use sulfate as their primary source of nutrition. It can be found in high levels in salt domes and volcanic deposits, typically in its elemental form. But it is also present in almost all soil types in smaller quantities.

Plants receive sulfur through two primary mediums:

• Soil: The sulfur found in soil is typically organic sulfate that has been converted from elemental sulfur by soil bacteria. Ninety-five percent of plant sulfur uptake is in the organic form of sulfate.

• Air: Inorganic sulfur dioxide is often absorbed through the leaves and stoma.  

What role does sulfur play in forage plant and dairy cow processes?

Required by both plants and animals, sulfur appears in every living cell and is essential for the synthesis of certain amino acids and proteins.

A deficiency of sulfur in the soil can lead to deficiencies in the cow. Nutritionists recommend 0.2 percent of sulfur or sulfate in the diet of cattle, and ensuring your forage has enough sulfur is the easiest and most cost-effective way to manage sulfur requirements for the ration. Most of the dietary sulfur required by the cow is actually utilized by the rumen microbes for amino acid production. By feeding the microbes, the cow can produce amino acids, enzymes and proteins that then contribute to cow health, milk production and quality.

Not only will the sulfate aid the cow, but plants use sulfate for chlorophyll formation, which contributes to higher sugar content and nutrients, resulting in greener, fuller foliage.

What does our current sulfur landscape look like?

In recent years, there has been a decrease in soil sulfur content as well as an increased demand on the soil for higher crop yields, and the fact that many fertilizers contain little to no sulfur is the primary reason for our current depletion of sulfur in the top soil. Secondary causes include erosion and mineralization.

How to recognize a sulfur deficiency

Since high-yielding crops often don’t receive adequate amounts of sulfur or receive it at inopportune times, it is important to be able to recognize a sulfur deficiency. Thankfully, if presented in its organic form, sulfate can quickly be absorbed in two to three days, which helps avoid leaching as you fertilize. If you notice some of the following signs of sulfate deficiency, it is recommended to provide a sulfur treatment two to four days before cutting forage to increase chlorophyll, resulting in a fuller, energy-rich harvest.  This short-term solution can be done by applying biostimulant products, as a sulfur application would need to take place much earlier in order to keep the plant healthy and growing well. Signs of sulfur deficiency include:

• Yellowing of young growth; yellowing of old growth indicates a nitrogen shortage.

• Curling of young leaves.

• Diminished foliage.

​

Photo is provided courtesy of the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI).

Although sulfur is present in the soil, it is often below recommended standards. Furthermore, in its inorganic sulfur state, it cannot be properly taken up by the plant until it has been converted to organic sulfate. By checking your forage crop for sulfur deficiency and treating as needed, you can increase the sugar and nutrient quality of your forage and provide sulfur to your herd to support rumen microflora health.

Have a question or comment?

An Interview with Jim Stengel

The following is an edited transcript of our interview with Jim Stengel, former CMO of Procter & Gamble and the author of “Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World’s Greatest Companies.” For Jim’s full bio, click here.

To listen to our entire conversation with Jim, click on the player.

Jim, you spoke earlier today about brands finding their north star, and you also were an author of a book called Grow. Is growth always good for a company? We have seen companies recently that have actually narrowed their focus a little bit because they felt like they were growing too much and in too many different directions.

I think a growth mindset is good, although option B is not good. Companies that are cutting costs and selling businesses may be doing that for a reason, but I don’t know how you build a culture of innovation, change and creativity if you don’t have a growth mindset. How do you attract talent if they don’t feel like they can grow their careers or opportunities?

I’m studying a lot of old and young companies now for a new book, and I look at companies like General Electric (GE), IBM and Ford. They are asking very different questions and expanding their view of their business, and I think they are creating new opportunities and attracting different kinds of talent. If you look at even GE’s corporate ads now, they are about the new kind of company they are: a digital company. They are seeking to recruit different kinds of people; they are reinforcing their culture in those ads. This is a company that has shed businesses and has restructured their business but is now thinking growth.

In their case, maybe it’s even keeping to the north star that you talked about, the innovation, and their focus now on innovation is taking on a digital component.

Yes — now they want to make the world work better by linking machines with better information. That’s their goal; they really want to transform the industry by bringing a digital mind and digital capability to the industrial world. It’s a beautiful thing.

In this landscape, how do you feel the role of the CMO is changing?

Well, the chief marketing officer today is a more important role in more companies. You can see there are more companies with CMOs, and there has been some analysis of companies that are growing faster than others. They typically have marketing as a stronger capability, and you’re seeing longer-tenured CMOs in that position.

Leadership is still very important. The way to motivate people, attract talent, bring out the best in people and set a direction for the company is still very important.

They have to be very comfortable with data analytics as well as creativity. They have to have both sides of their brain developed, and they have to be building an organization for the future that has those capabilities.

If they are relying on what they were good at when they were younger, it’s not enough. To me, great CMOs are curious and humble, creating a culture of curiosity, collective purpose and collaboration. CMOs today have to build the right capabilities but, actually more important, the right culture.

That leads into another question: You talk about ideals-driven companies. Is that idea built around transparency, and do you feel like companies are really moving to transparency, or is it just a marketing message?

No, I think they are moving to more transparency. Look at what’s happening in the beverage and food industry. Companies are being more proactive, more transparent. They are doing things they are not forced to do, but they realize consumers care and people have 24-hour access to any information they want. It’s an important part of being a brand today, so to me transparency is part of an ideals-driven philosophy. I think great brands and great business have a great ideal and have a reason to be; they have something that everyone understands. They need the behaviors to support that. If you’re Ford and want to re-invent transportation to get people from here to there in a more efficient and environmentally safe way, then your behaviors better be a part of that and support that. I think it’s part of being an ideals-driven company.

When we talk about growth, I think something that’s important for us as an international company is the idea of balancing centralization and consistency with localization in any market. Certainly that is something that you experienced with Procter & Gamble (P&G). What advice would you have for companies that are growing and becoming more international to balance centralization and localization?

I think the best brands have one purpose or one idea. They have a framework of what it means to their customers and employees, but then they allow the employees to have some freedom in that framework.

Alltech is one brand, so you want it to share a common purpose, have common characteristics, common behaviors and want people to share the same values about the brand. It has to be centralized and have an Alltech brand manager or franchise manager. Then if you’re in Russia, Italy or China, you want to give your local team the ability to seize opportunities to delight customers. They still have to be the values of Alltech and work toward the purpose of Alltech.

It’s a very delicate thing, but companies tend to go more decentralized. I think the trend is that you need more central leadership of the brand but then a very strong relationship with your counties. That’s what great brands do.

Lastly, what companies are on Jim Stengel’s watch list as far as doing marketing right, growth right and ideals-driven organization right?

Well, the good news is that there are a lot of them and a lot of them that are trying to move in the right direction. A brand that I don’t work with now but I know some people at and I just admire greatly is LEGO. Think about them: They have a very strong ideal and creativity and play. They are making content like crazy — movies, documentaries — endlessly innovative. Engagement scores are off the chart and they are still not satisfied with it. They enable their people to be free and creative, but they operate in a framework. They have a central leadership of LEGO, but the countries are able to capitalize on opportunities. Their profitability is growing. If you look at them versus their competition, it’s kind of night and day, so that’s one brand that I just think is doing so many good things.

From a corporate perspective, I like what Unilever is doing — a competitor of P&G. They really embrace trying to make a big growth goal. The way they get there is by reducing their impact on the planet. I think that has galvanized people to attract talent. They are doing very innovative and creative things with their brands that are good for the planet. This is a very large company that is pulling this off, so I like what they are doing.

I think GE is amazing to watch because their stock prices have begun to grow. Wall Street is beginning to reward what they are doing, and their culture is changing in a very deep way. They have strong leadership at the top from Beth Comstock.

These are a few I admire, but the good news is I think we have a movement in the kinds of things we’re talking about. There are more and more companies that are raising the game. They are behaving better, setting bigger goals and trying to make a difference. No one is perfect and stumbles along the way, but I do think we’re on a good trend. I am excited to see what happens next year.

Jim Stengel spoke at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference. Audio recordings of most talks, including Jim's, are now available on the Alltech Idea Lab. For access, click on the button below.

Produced by molds, mycotoxins affect animal performance and producer profitability in many ways. Why are they such a significant risk to your herd?

What are mycotoxins?

Mycotoxins are natural substances produced by molds in the field and during the storage of grains, feeds and forages. With over 500 diverse types of mycotoxins discovered (yes, there are over 500!), it is a prevalent issue that can negatively affect your herd’s productivity, efficiency and profitability.

How do mycotoxins affect your herd?

Pigs are extremely sensitive to mycotoxins. The presence of mycotoxins, even at low levels in feed, reduces performance in growing and breeding animals, affects immune and health status, and can ultimately lead to death.

As crop harvest season approaches, mycotoxin contamination will be an even bigger issue. Weekly Monday Mycotoxin Report videos have reported on the poor quality of wheat and mycotoxin contamination.

The Alltech 37+® mycotoxin analytical services laboratory is also currently conducting a 2017 Summer Harvest Survey of wheat throughout the U.S. and Canada. Final results will be released in a couple of months, but initial samples show high levels of DON, T-2/HT-2 and zearalenone.

According to Dr. Alexandra Weaver, a mycotoxin management expert from Alltech, these are key symptoms that producers should be aware of if DON, T-2/HT-2 and zearalenone are present:

• Lower feed intake and feed refusal
• Gut health challenges: damage to intestinal tract, increase in intestinal pathogens
• Altered immune status: increased susceptibility to other diseases, poor response to vaccinations
• Reduced growth rates
• Impacts on reproductive performance: abortions, reduced conception rates, increase in mummies or stillborn, increased variation within litter

What can you do?

Programs such as the Alltech® Mycotoxin Management program provide a tailored solution to help control mycotoxins through a combination of mycotoxin management tools, mycotoxin testing and nutritional technologies.

Effective mycotoxin management is about seeing the whole challenge, from the farm to the feed mill and from risk assessment to feed management. Being proactive instead of reactive will benefit you and your herd in the long run.

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

The pre-weaning growth of a dairy calf is a powerful predictor of long-term productivity and profitability. However, diarrhea is one of the most common antagonists resulting in poor digestion and less than optimal weight gain in calves.

A unique product derived from a selected strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been shown to enhance performance, including intake, growth and overall health, by improving gut health and digestive function.

A recent meta-analysis conducted by Dr. Anna Catharina Berge of Berge Veterinary Consulting BVBA has put Alltech’s product, Bio-Mos®, to the test.

Berge’s trials revealed that pre-weaned dairy calves fed Bio-Mos in milk or milk replacer had significantly improved average daily gain by an estimated 0.14 pounds per head per day, which corresponds to an 8.37-pound higher weight on average for calves weaned at two months of age. The long-term improved performance in heifers with enhanced pre-weaning growth would be equivalent to 220 pounds more milk in the first lactation!

“The results are a significant improvement in average daily weight gain,” said Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer and vice president of corporate accounts at Alltech. “This improvement leads to greater returns for the producer through enhanced milk production, health and development, and long-term productivity.”

The meta-analysis included 23 cohort studies performed in the U.S.A., the United Kingdom, Brazil, Chile, the Czech Republic, India, Japan, Peru, Poland, Spain and Turkey between 1993 and 2012. Bio-Mos was supplemented from 2–10 grams per day, with an average inclusion of 3.8 grams per day. Twenty-one of the studies reported an increase in daily weight gain for calves fed Bio-Mos in milk or milk replacer compared to control calves.

As new restrictions come into play on antibiotic use, producers across the globe are beginning to take a closer look at natural approaches to improve animal health and performance. Choosing an alternative that is backed by substantial research is a sure bet for a smart start on any dairy operation.

For more information on Bio-Mos, visit http://alltech.com/bio-mos.

Former Iowa Governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently led a discussion amongst four other past U.S. Secretaries of Ag — Dan Glickman, Ann Veneman, Mike Johanns and Ed Schafer — at the 2017 Iowa Hunger Summit. Their primary objective was to address a less commonly realized but ever-prevalent issue affecting U.S. citizens: food insecurity.

Some may be asking themselves what exactly the term “food insecurity” means. It is defined as being without consistent access to an adequate supply of reasonably priced, healthy food. And, while it may seem almost inconceivable for such a highly developed country to be dealing with an issue like hunger, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, it’s an unfortunate reality for some 41.2 million Americans living in food-insecure households.

Fortunately, the U.S. has one of the most comprehensive feeding programs in the world, offering the Woman, Infants and Children (WIC) program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

Yet, programs like SNAP have no restrictions. People may buy whatever unhealthy options they wish to, and often do. So, the question arises: Should we limit participant options? And, while we’ve come a long way from the days of food stamps and the associated stigmas, many feel that restricting offerings would only serve to further reinforce shame felt by program participants.

Domino effect

According to estimates from the 2015 U.S. Census Bureau, the official poverty rate is roughly 13.5 percent, meaning over 43 million Americans are living on an insufficient income. The nation also sits at a record high obesity rate; according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 36.5 percent of U.S. adults are considered grossly overweight. It would seem these two issues go hand in hand with the issue of food insecurity.

People are not only undereducated on nutrition but are often unsure how to prepare food. To put it simply, many people don’t know how to cook anymore. Without this knowledge, most seek quick, convenient and often calorie-dense options.

And we are paying a high price for these correlations:

• Globally, more people are dying of non-communicable diseases (e.g., heart disease and diabetes) than communicable diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), unhealthy diets and lack of physical activity are some of the top reasons for premature death.
• Obesity is one of the biggest drivers of healthcare costs. In fact, the fastest growing part of the U.S. budget is healthcare. The United States spends an estimated $147 to $210 billion annually on costs associated with preventable chronic diseases.

Focus on nutrition, not just hunger

The panel did seem to collectively agree that nutrition education should continue to be a top priority. The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) was established nearly 50 years ago to help with nutrition and exercise-related behaviors for low-income families, particularly those with small children. SNAP to Health is another example of an effective program aimed at reducing food insecurity and promoting better nutrition for Americans. Additionally, many grocery store chains are now employing dietitians to help consumers make better choices, often at little to no cost.

How agriculture can help

We must continue to be proactive in our efforts to end hunger in this country. Not surprisingly, agriculture will continue to play a critical role. We are making headway with efforts such as the expansion of farmers markets and local food options, more widely available crop insurance and risk management tools, and the establishment of farm-to-school program grants for sourcing local foods. But the hard work can’t stop there. As our population continues to grow and weather patterns shift, we will need to continue to examine new resources, fresh ideas and innovative technologies, all aimed at making food insecurity a thing of the past.

How do you think the future of farming will impact issues like food insecurity? A panel of agribusiness experts recently discussed “Farming the Future” and what it may hold for not only agriculture, but the entire food supply chain.

Watch Farming the Future

Are you looking to rebuild or remodel your swine production facility? The prospect of taking on the rigorous endeavor can be daunting. Russell Gilliam, Alltech's U.S. swine business manager, has a list of areas that he feels are most important for rebuilding a facility to lower costs and increase comfort for workers and pigs. He asks questions that are important to consider and includes helpful tips from his 20 years of experience in the swine industry.

The following is a checklist with Gilliam’s suggestions, consolidated from his talk at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference 2017.

What are your goals?

What would you like to accomplish? What type of market are you going to sell to? What do you already have in your barns that will work?

Picture your ideal operation. What does it look like? What does it not look like? If you have an ideal operation in mind, you can proceed to making the more technical decisions that are going to produce the facility that will help you reach your goals.

Master checklist for remodeling/rebuilding swine production facilities

Pens

• Crates or pens

This may differ based on your farm location due to laws and regulations.

Questions to consider: How big are your pens? How many pigs per pen? How big are the pigs?

• Penning equipment

“Oftentimes, we select our penning equipment based on the animals in the barn, and we may forget about the opportunity to increase worker safety and comfort while replacing gates,” said Gilliam.

Questions to consider: Does this work for the animal and employees?

TIP: A walk-through gate might be easier for employees to use. Easier access means better animal care and improvements in animal performance.

Facility

• Monitoring equipment

Will the facility be strictly for production, or will there be research done as well?

• Fans

There are different demands based on location and climate. Match your selection to the air quality expectations in your area.

• Heaters

What kind of heater do you really need? Will it be used for small or young pigs, or is one required to heat the barn throughout the life cycle?

• Concrete slats

Check the width of the opening. Is it too wide? Sometimes hooves can get stuck in slats that are too wide, causing injury.

Check the thickness of the slats. Are they strong enough to hold the pigs?

Research the supplier. Do they have a good track record in the industry?

LED or inexpensive lighting

Inexpensive lighting can reduce costs upfront.

LED lighting can extend the day length for pigs, stimulate feed intake and put workers in a better mood.

Although it costs more, LED lights may help you save money in the long run. You will need fewer lights, and they tend to last longer than inexpensive lights. There are also energy grants available in the U.S. for reduced electricity costs.

TIP: “Pigs don’t see very well, so we need to make sure we have the lights placed where they eat and drink,” said Gilliam.

Feed

• Electronic or manual feeding

Electronic feeding allows producers to track the animals’ eating habits in real time: if they are eating, when they are eating and how much they consume. This information can be seen by the producer on his/her phone anywhere.

Manual feeding (hand-feeding or drop boxes) allows for changes or alterations to be made while walking through the barn. Additionally, it eliminates the worry of technology breakdowns.

• Bins

How many bins are needed? Will they run in tandem? How many phases will you feed?

TIP: If feeding in multiple phases, consider adding bins.

Feeding system

There are numerous feeding systems on the market. Match your choice to your expectations and to the volume of feed that will be going through your barn.

TIP: “Keep in mind how many times (the feeding system) will have to turn corners in your barns because some technology can turn around corners easier than others,” said Gilliam.

• Feeders

What type of genetics are you feeding? How do they eat? All day? Three times per day?

TIP: For pigs that eat a certain number of times per day, make sure that the feeder is larger and has more space to help reduce aggression.

Water

• Water meters

“I’m a big fan of water meters,” said Gilliam. “I really feel like they help us to make early production decisions based on the health of our pigs, and it tells us when they’re stressed.”

• Water medicators

Water medicators make it easier to have water interventions. Interventions can be done more quickly and can be monitored to ensure the desired response. There are different styles and types of medicators, and they should be matched to their usage purpose and rate.

• Drinkers

Who is drinking: sows, nursery or grow-finish pigs? Will the drinkers be hanging, swinging or mounted to the wall? Will you use pans, cups or nibble bars?

Consider looking at different types of nipple technology.

TIP: Avoid spraying. In addition to water waste, spraying can scare young pigs. “If we splash them in the face, they have a little bit of reluctance to go drink,” said Gilliam.

Final thoughts

Gilliam said the following three items are his non-negotiables: water medicators, water meters and LED lighting. The extra benefits, especially for the health and welfare of the pig, far outweigh the extra costs.

New technology, such as sensors, can also be beneficial to your operation. Sensors on sows allow convenience and efficiency in multiple areas. They can send a message to your phone when the sow is ready to farrow, prompting a heat lamp to automatically turn on just for that sow and not the entire barn. This greatly reduces energy cost and is better for the overall care of the pigs.

One of the most exciting innovations, however, is electronic barn monitoring. Gilliam calls it “the future of (the pig business).” It allows you to monitor the barn remotely, see problems in specific pens and then communicate it to all your farm workers.

“I can connect every single piece of my farm to my phone and then send it right out to the internet so that my farm managers can see it,” said Gilliam.

Rebuilding or remodeling can be nerve-wracking. However, knowing where to be frugal and where to invest your money will help you make decisions that work best for your operation and, as Gilliam said, “give your animals the opportunity to reach optimum performance.”

In this series, we have investigated the many ways Alltech has harnessed bioscience under the guidance of its ACE principle to reconcile producer profitability with agriculture’s impacts. All of this against a backdrop of a burgeoning global population and increasing concerns about our environmental stewardship. Part four concludes the series with an overview of ACE: where it came from, what it has inspired and how it is leading the company into the future.

Serendipity can happen in a sentence. Consider the origin of the Alltech ACE principle, the architecture of a corporate research and development framework that materialized in the mind of company founder Dr. Pearse Lyons while traveling the world nearly 30 years ago.

Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech

“We were talking about the things we were doing, the products we were developing and the move against antibiotics,” recalled Dr. Lyons. “Professor Archimede Mordenti, from the University of Bologna, who sadly passed away, was the chairman of a meeting in Italy. He said, ‘I don’t know if you realize it, but you are describing a company that will be friendly to animals, consumers and the environment.’ He could see where we were going, even before we could.”

“ACE” has since become firmly embedded in the Alltech DNA, a guiding reminder that the company’s product lines, programs and concepts must benefit the animal, the consumer and the environment.

That’s a tall order, and it has taken time for the agriculture industry’s priorities to shift in the direction of this more holistic philosophy.

“ACE was not popular amongst animal farmers when first proposed at the Alltech Symposium in 1989 by professor Mordenti,” said Aidan Connolly, Alltech's chief innovation officer and vice president of corporate accounts. “Most believed that animal production should only focus on food availability, affordability and safety. How far our industry has come.”

Aidan Connolly, vice president and chief innovation officer

This vision was indeed somewhat radical at a time when the application of chemicals and antibiotics dominated agriculture’s approach to issues impeding productivity.

“Dr. Lyons decided from the beginning that it was not going to be a chemical or antibiotic-based approach to food animal nutrition,” added Dr. Kate Jacques, Alltech nutrition director. “They were going to dump money into research to find new ways around it. Thirty years ago, that was a very radical idea. It was one we had to drag into the light.”

“We went against the stream,” remembered Dr. Lyons. “Indeed, on a couple of occasions, when we made awards to people who had made breakthroughs, the industry reacted against us and we lost customers. However, we stuck to our guns, and the fact now is that we have literally billions of chickens and pigs around the world on the Alltech Antibiotic-Free program.”

Scientific to the core

Science in support of sustainability is the foundation of ACE. But in the early days of the company, industry resistance to this idea was not the only obstacle the company had to overcome.

“We were starting a business in Kentucky, and we did not have the people with the specific knowledge in the areas that we were to be working,” noted Dr. Lyons. “So, we had to effectively develop our own team. Therefore, we developed the people through our Ph.D. and master’s degree programs.

“We are very proud of the fact that we have had over 260 people do their master’s degree and Ph.D.s with us,” he continued. “We pay two-thirds of the cost, and they pay one-third. When they finish their program, we pay them the one-third of the cost, plus another one-third. It is by reinvesting in education that we have been able to build our business.”

An architecture for ideas

Creating such career-advancing educational opportunities has attracted dedicated, highly educated professionals to work within the ACE structure. Their innovations have positioned Alltech to offer an array of sustainable alternatives to the use of chemicals and antibiotics in farming.

Among the earliest products in the company portfolio is Sel-Plex®, Alltech's proprietary organic form of selenium yeast. Manufactured to mimic Mother Nature, this organic form is better absorbed, stored and utilized by the animal than inorganic selenium.

“We pioneered the fact that you could use one-third the level of minerals if you put it into the biologically appropriate form,” said Dr. Lyons. “As a matter of fact, you will see a two-thirds reduction in pollution and, indeed, improvement in animal and human performance.”

A turning point was reached 10 years ago in Alltech’s work in nutrigenomics, the study of the interaction of nutrition and genes, especially in regard to the prevention or treatment of disease: humans may also see a direct benefit from Alltech’s mineral technology.

The research has indicated that when fed to animals, Sel-Plex favorably altered the activity of certain biological pathways associated with several serious human illnesses, Alzheimer’s disease prominent among them.

“Out of this work came the observation by the late professor Bill Markesbery of the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging that there was an opportunity on the human side for Alzheimer’s patients,” said Dr. Lyons. “From his observation, we launched a research program to find the active ingredients. Here we are today with our AT-001 (Sel-Plex) now in Phase II of the FDA’s clinical studies for Alzheimer’s.”

The paradigm shifts

In recent years, the agriculture industry has been turning to these rapidly emerging, often revolutionary technologies to support production and profitability while sustaining a healthy environment and serving an increasingly aware and demanding consumer.

“The ACE principle has long served as the primary driving force and standard for developing all new research, product lines and applications,” said Dr. Karl Dawson, Alltech’s chief scientific officer. “It is truly part of our research culture at Alltech. Our approach has always been to use the most recent biotechnologies to investigate, develop and apply natural solutions to many of the problems that limit the efficiencies of agricultural production.”

These have included the science of nutrigenomics, as well as some of the most advanced tools in molecular and analytical chemistry, and trend-setting fermentation technologies.

Going bananas in Costa Rica

Alltech Crop Science provides an example with its non-chemical solution to black sigatoka, also known as “black leaf streak," a fungal blight plaguing the banana groves of Costa Rica.

Kyle McKinney examines banana leaves for signs of black sigatoka.

“From a consumer standpoint and part of ACE, the consumer is driving down inputs on crops,” noted Dr. Kyle McKinney, Alltech Crop Science development manager for Central America and the Caribbean. “They want healthier foods for their families to eat. That’s the big reason we started the project in Costa Rica, but that’s really the overall spectrum of Alltech Crop Science.”

Deploying Alltech’s soil-microbiome stimulating Soil-Set® and plant nutrition supplement Agro-Mos®, McKinney and his team have developed a consumer- and environment-friendly alternative to the practice of weekly aerial sprayings of chemical fungicides.

In the interest of ethical productivity

Animal health and welfare have always been a key component of Alltech research and product development strategies.

“The well-being of animals is not only important to our view of the ethical treatment of livestock, but also results in more productive agricultural practices,” said Dawson. “This has resulted in the development of feed supplementation strategies that use natural ingredients and fermentation products to improve health and improve nutrition.”

Alltech animal nutrition strategies are designed to benefit the spectrum of species, from ruminants and swine to poultry and fish, to horses and pets.

“Apart from strictly reducing the amount of a pollutant like methane that comes from an animal, we also look at the efficiency with which these animals produce food for humans, said Alltech research project manager Amanda Gehman. “If we can have an efficient animal, that animal is by nature a more environmentally sustainable animal.”

An Alltech facility in Winchester, Kentucky, acquired in 2010, has since become one of the world’s largest commercial algae production sites. Work taking place there addresses the pressure on wild fisheries to provide fish oil and fish meal to the world’s expanding aquaculture operations. As a consequence of overfishing, many wild fisheries have been teetering on collapse.

“We believe we have a real solution in our algae that will reduce reliance on fish oil while increasing the amount of DHA available to farmed fish and, ultimately, to consumers,” said Dr. Jorge Arias, Alltech’s global director for aquaculture.

The new Alltech Coppens Aqua Centre in the Netherlands is working to deliver new technologies, including algae, aimed at achieving greater efficiency and sustainability.

Since joining Alltech in 2016, Coppens International, an aquatic feed solutions company in the Netherlands, has collaborated with Alltech’s research teams to introduce several new algae-based products containing innovative technologies such as ForPlus®, a sustainable algae-derived fish oil replacer that delivers very high levels of DHA..

Concern for the consumer

Why would an animal feed company have interest in ensuring high levels of DHA?

Western diets are seriously deficient in this omega-3 fatty acid that is a primary structural component of the human brain, cerebral cortex, skin and retina. Yet, vertebrates do not manufacture DHA, so it must be consumed in our foods.

“What we’re doing with our DHA enrichment program is making omega-3 fatty acids more accessible to the consumer by adding them to food products that they already enjoy eating, that they already buy, that they already know how to prepare, that are fairly inexpensive and are convenient,” explained Nikki Putnam, registered dietitian nutritionist and a nutrition solutions specialist at Alltech. “So, chicken, eggs, dairy products, beef, bacon — we can put DHA in all of those food products.”

Where all of this is going

Alltech continues to invest in natural-based approaches to agricultural production. Over the last decade, guided by its ACE “North Star,” the company has embraced many new scientific technologies that can be used as tools to improve understanding of feeds and feed management.

As Alltech’s chief scientist, Dawson envisions the development of ways to naturally improve disease resistance, reproductive health and the overall comfort of livestock using new feeds, ingredients and more precise nutrient management practices.

Connolly, ever mindful of connecting the dots between farm and table, anticipates increasing consumer demand for products that are clean, in keeping with their values, aspirations, ethics and expectations.

“In fact, this fits with the ACE principle,” he noted. “Alltech’s development of new strategies to allow farmers to remove hormones from beef production, antibiotics of all types from the feed of poultry or pigs, to help reduce viral diseases or avoid parasitic challenges such as sea lice, all of these are animal-friendly, consumer-acceptable and don’t negatively affect the environment.”

Read our entire ACE series:

The Animal

The Consumer

The Environment

Piglets should be weaned at an appropriate age and body weight to ensure that they continue their desired growth curve. Poor growth, immaturity and high variability within the litter can lead to variation in performance as the piglets progress through the grower and finisher phases, causing increases in costs at slaughter. This may negate the “all-in/all-out” (AIAO) strategy used on many farms, in which pigs reach age when they have reached finished weight.

All piglets should be checked at weaning

Monitoring weight gain immediately before weaning is important to make sure that there are no growth issues in the first seven days after weaning. Several strategies can be implemented to avoid problems with subsequent performance.

All piglets should be checked at weaning to ensure target and uniform weights are attained. The manager can either group piglets by litters or by body weight; both groups have pros and cons, so the choice should be consistent across litters.

During the first four days after weaning, specific attention to the housing environment is essential to eliminate cold spots and draughts. Solid boards, rather than slatted floors, should be used.

All weaned piglets must have free access to clean water

They should also be provided with highly digestible feed that they find palatable. The feed should be soaked with water for the first two days to encourage intake.

Feed should be offered in enough open dishes to allow free access for all the animals during the first three days post-weaning. Troughs should be large enough to supply feed to all piglets after this date. Poor access to feed can lead to smaller animals being excluded from feeding.

Use a highly digestible and palatable diet

Diets should include proven enzyme supplementation to enhance digestion, as well as products such as Actigen®, which will balance microflora and contribute to good gut health at this important time. Specialist ingredients, such as nucleotides, can be used to promote the development of the digestive tract. Creep feed should be available little and often throughout the day — perhaps four or five times — and any refusals or stale feed should be discarded.

Group the pigs by weight

Seven days or so after weaning, any small piglets should be removed and placed together in a separate pen within the same house. They should be maintained on the creep diet for longer to allow their body weight to catch up with their siblings. Any in-feed medication prescribed by a veterinarian should be administered during the first 10 days after weaning.

Use different diets according to body weight and age

As the piglets progress in age and weight, diets must be adjusted to match their changing requirements. The environment needs to be controlled and changed accordingly (e.g., temperature). This will prevent the development of respiratory and other diseases as well as help maintain optimal conditions for growth and health.

Feeding age-and weight-appropriate diets with proven zootechnical ingredients to promote digestive function and the ideal gut environment are crucial to the development and efficiency of the intestinal tract. Without the appropriate diet, or if the pigs are exposed to gut pathogens, the villi that line the gut may be damaged. This may lead to atrophy and poor endogenous enzyme secretions, poor mucous protection and reduced nutrient absorption. Because only minimal amounts of feed are consumed during the pre-weaning period, attention to detail during this stage is important for the health and productivity of the animals until slaughter age.

Key factors dictate the degree of villus atrophy

Several factors affect the chances of the piglet developing atrophied villi after weaning. The age and weight at weaning is important, as this is a measure of the animal’s maturity and ability to cope with weaning stresses. Environmental factors within the house are also important; if not controlled correctly, it can add further stress to the piglet and make it more susceptible to disease.

Feed should be palatable and highly digestible to ensure that it is digested in the upper ileum and does not bypass enzyme breakdown, which can result in the feed flowing into the hind gut, where it will act as a substrate for non-beneficial bacteria. This can lead to the development of gastrointestinal disease. Certainly, protein is important in this respect, as bypassed protein can be utilized by toxic bacteria such as Clostridia spp. Feed and water hygiene will help reduce the introduction of many pathogens into the piglets, and whilst feed is often monitored, water troughs and water quality may not always be. Many pathogens are transmitted via dirty water systems.

To arrange a complimentary Alltech Pig ASSIST audit for your herd, please contact us at pig@alltech.com.

The quality and stability of animal-derived food products, including pet foods, will depend on the management, diet and genetics of that animal. What an animal is fed can directly impact their antioxidant defense system. Incorporating dietary antioxidants and other functional feed ingredients can minimize oxidative damage, which will impact the end product (and pet food ingredient): meat.

When we are talking about food, whether for people or pets, oxidative deterioration will impact palatability. Oxidative damage to lipids and proteins produces rancid off-flavors and off-odors and decreases textural characteristics. But even more importantly, when proteins are oxidized, there is a loss of important amino acids, which are necessary for pets’ growth, development and overall health.

More to minerals

Minerals are necessary for proper biological function and good health. They are especially important in maintaining the antioxidant and oxidant balance within humans, livestock and pets. Some key players involved in maintaining this balance are antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase. But, minerals are a double-edged sword. They can be beneficial or detrimental depending on the quantity fed and the form used.

Going full circle

Making sure pets get the right nutrition for optimal health means we need to look at what livestock animals are fed.

Organically complexed minerals are more bioavailable than their inorganic counterparts, which means we don’t need to add as many minerals to the diet of livestock. By replacing and reducing the amount of minerals in the diet, we can restore the oxidative balance in the animal and, in turn, the meat ingredient in pet food. Research has shown that feeding organically complexed forms of selenium, iron, zinc and copper can increase antioxidant enzyme activity in skeletal muscle. Also, by including fat-soluble antioxidants, such as vitamin E and/or carotenoids, we can inhibit lipid oxidation and subsequently protein oxidation in muscle. This will translate to more nutritious, delicious and better-quality ingredients being fed to pets.

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