Today’s pets are part of the family and have longer lifespans, thanks to advancements in veterinary medicine, animal welfare and nutrition.

Nutrition is something that pet owners have the ability to influence every single day, so while we may be biased, we believe that nutrition is one of the most important ways to care for pets through every stage of life.

Some of the most important elements — literally! — of premium nutrition are trace minerals.

What are trace minerals?

Trace minerals are elements, such as zinc, copper, iron and manganese, that are required in very small amounts in a balanced diet but that have a wide range of health benefits, including supporting your cat’s or dog’s immune system, musculoskeletal health and skin and coat condition, to name a few.

In pet food diets, there are two important considerations when it comes to trace minerals:

1. The form of the mineral offered (inorganic vs. organic)
2. The amount of trace mineral provided (to ensure that there are no nutritional deficiencies)

Both of these factors will significantly influence the mineral’s bioavailability, or the impact that a particular trace mineral has on your pet.

Trace minerals for cats and dogs are not created equal

The nutrition marketplace has many different options when it comes to supplying trace mineral supplements for pets. These can be broadly classed as either inorganic (ITM) or organic trace minerals (OTM). The latter are so-called because the trace minerals are complexed — that is, they are associated with organic bonding groups. These bonding groups include amino acids, small peptides and organic acids, all of which influence the strength of the mineral binding.

Many factors need to be considered when trying to compare OTM products, but ultimately, the strength of the interaction between the mineral and the bonding group is the most important factor influencing bioavailability. Enhanced OTM bonding can ultimately increase the mineral’s bioavailability and effectiveness in the animal’s body.

The choice of bonding group is, therefore, critical to the effectiveness of OTMs, and research over the last number of years has highlighted the differences that exist between individual products. A poor choice of bonding group can result in the creation of products that offer no benefit over inorganic sources of minerals.

Inorganic trace minerals come from mined sources. Safety and traceability must be part of the quality assurance process to avoid the inclusion of heavy metals that, if present in a diet, can be deleterious to the long-term health of dogs and cats, especially as their lifespans increase.

In essence, not all trace minerals are created equal, but not all OTM products are created equal either.

How does the mineral form affect the nutrients that pets receive in their diets?

Keeping the nutritional balance of minerals in pet food can become rather complicated, because inorganic sources of trace minerals have variable absorption rates, and their bioavailability may be influenced by factors such as other dietary nutrients and the physiological condition of the animal, to name a few.

To counteract their poor bioavailability, it is common practice to add higher-than-recommended levels of inorganic trace minerals to commercial foods.

Bioplex® organic minerals, an alternative to the use of inorganic mined mineral sources, provide a number of benefits, from improved bioavailability to the support of the proper metabolic and physiological processes, which may not be carried out at full capacity when the trace mineral elements are not adequately supplied.

The amount of the mineral provided in diets will differ based on its form

As noted above, inorganic sources of trace minerals have variable absorption rates due to their structure. The absorption rate is a measurement of how the minerals are “taken up” by the digestive system and recruited into areas of need, such as the immune response and tissue repair.

When inorganic trace minerals are included in pet food diets, the amount that a pet consumes does not reflect the amount of trace minerals they actually absorb.

After a pet eats, the food is broken down by their digestive system to make nutrients available for absorption and use. The structure of the inorganic mineral causes it to interact with other components during this process. This results in the inorganic mineral forming an indigestible complex that ultimately ends up on the lawn or in the litterbox.

We describe this as poor bioavailability because, even though you are providing your pet with trace minerals in their food, those minerals are not able to be properly put to use and benefit your pet. To counteract this problem, it is common to add higher-than-recommended levels of trace minerals — but doing so is simply disguising one issue with another.

There are three ways that mineral form can influence nutrient absorption in the gut:

1. Food and feed antagonisms

Increasingly, the interactions between food components and trace minerals have come under scrutiny, with the possibility for negative interactions and antagonisms.

Credit: https://orthomolecular.webs.com/Elements/MineralWheel1.jpg
 

2. Impact on vitamin stability

The oxidation of vitamins, such as vitamin E, can lead to reduced vitamin function and can be caused by the oxidation of fats and, often, the actions of trace minerals. The type and, particularly, the form of the trace mineral will influence its effect on vitamin stability.

Studies examining vitamin E stability in the presence of inorganic or organic minerals demonstrate that, in the inorganic form, minerals can be detrimental to the stability of the vitamin molecule. Depending on the OTM source, however, the use of chelated minerals for dogs and cats may not cause such a dramatic decrease.

3. Compromised antioxidant function

Additional research assessing the effect of minerals on food components has established that commonly used antioxidants can be compromised by inorganic minerals. The data further indicates that, in cases where OTMs have shown weak mineral bonding, there is a significant negative impact on antioxidant activity. The choice of OTMs, therefore, plays a role in ensuring the quality and stability of food components.

Bioplex® organic trace minerals for pets are superior

Organic trace minerals are made differently. Organic minerals have a ring structure, which gives them protection and allows them to successfully pass through the digestive system. From there, the minerals can go through the gut wall and into the bloodstream to do their work. This is where inorganic trace minerals get left behind, as they stick to the gut instead of passing through it. Think of the gut as a gate; it either allows nutrients through or it doesn’t.

Inorganic forms of trace minerals are still used in pet food, but we are beginning to see more pet food manufacturers moving to better mineral nutrition, such as Bioplex® organic trace minerals.

Organic trace minerals make for healthy pets

While only required in small amounts in the diet, organic trace minerals play a large role in the body, and mineral deficiencies can be detrimental to an animal’s health.

For example, zinc is directly utilized for the hair and skin, favoring processes of cellular integrity. A zinc deficiency may manifest as a dysfunction of the epithelial tissue, dermatological conditions, coat problems and gastrointestinal tract injuries (due to damage to the microvilli).

Copper and manganese are directly deposited in the bones, joints, liver and muscle, and they are greatly important for the formation and homeostasis of the bone structure, making these especially important minerals for puppies and kittens. Copper is a cofactor of the enzyme lysyl oxidase, which is necessary for the cross-linking of collagen and elastin during cartilage synthesis. Manganese is a cofactor of glycosyltransferases, enzymes that are important in the formation and elongation of the glycosaminoglycan chain, which forms the basal substance of the cartilage model.

We could go on and on, but when it comes to mineral choice in pet food diets, organic trace minerals are far less likely to negatively affect other essential nutrients than inorganic sources. However, not all forms of organic minerals react in the same way. Therefore, we encourage diet formulators to pay greater attention to their choice of ingredients to maximize not only nutrition but the quality and stability of pet food.

Optimizing trace mineral nutrition will create healthier pets with more robust immune, musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal systems. Not only will your pet food be a superior option on the shelves, but pet parents will see the difference and will surely continue buying your products.  

I want to learn more about pet nutrition.

A look back at history

“To confront the myriad of challenges we face today, we need to have a legacy mindset,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, at the Alltech ONE Ideas Conference (ONE) on June 24. “We need to look to the past for perspective and for learning.”

With that in mind, Dr. Lyons took the audience back to when humans first started to arrive in North America. People brought and domesticated animals, began using natural resources for food production and required more land.

As this growth was happening, global economies and continents became more connected through railways, highways and shipping lanes. Carbon became the main way to fuel the growing economy and growing planet. Consequently, carbon emissions have increased.

Agriculture was growing. Scientific breakthroughs were leading the way to a more efficient food system and created the opportunity for the rise of brands and businesses that, today, we call the food industry.

The need for agricultural productivity, as well as food production efficiency, led to new farming innovations and a realization about the carbon emissions produced by agriculture. In terms of meat, milk and egg production, farmers began making improvements, responding to the influences and demands of the market.

Since the mid-1800s, the amount of fossil fuels being used has increased by 20,000%, while the human population has increased by 1,329%, and the animals being utilized to feed that growing population has increased by far less, at 524%. In fact, to date, 50% more beef is produced in the United States than was being produced in 1960 — but this increase in production is being accomplished with one-third of the number of animals that was required 60 years ago.

Although scientific breakthroughs have led to a better understanding of our environment, there has not been an agreement about the culprits of climate change. This story is not unique to North America. 

Change is happening

“One thing that is becoming crystal-clear is that a change has started, and it is going to continue,” said Dr. Lyons. “In fact, we saw that the pandemic actually accelerated this change and the acceptance of the changes that were happening around us.

“We believe every challenge can be an opportunity — and, indeed, a gift,” Dr. Lyons continued. “Whatever we believe can become reality, but you won't do things differently unless you see things differently.”

Let’s look at some of the innovations being dreamed of and implemented around the world:

1. Giant air purifiers: Nine out of 10 people around the world breathe polluted air, and this pollution accounts for almost 9 million deaths per year. Some engineers are thinking about how we can create giant outdoor air purifiers that are also pieces of art. Perhaps the true beauty is clean air and clean energy.

2. Cooling the planet by filtering excess carbon dioxide out of the air on an industrial scale: Giant air scrubbers in Texas — which could be a common sight by 2050 — use simple chemistry to capture CO2 and pump it into oil wells, which have been drilled dry in the last century. Some of the greenhouse gases that are heating up our planet could be removed with these types of innovations, potentially contributing to a reduced greenhouse effect.

3. Electricity generators using heat from the Earth’s mantle: This is being done on a small scale in Kenya, but it has great future implications for not emitting greenhouse gases into the air at all.

4. Using recycled plastic as a bitumen replacement in road construction: Among the fossil fuels that have already been taken out of the ground, a lot of them have been converted into plastics, which take over 1,000 years to biodegrade. Some of those plastics can be recycled and utilized in road construction, creating a smoother ride, fewer potholes and a longer road life.

5. Solar roadways: Technologies like Gorilla Glass can be used to create solar roadways by protecting solar panels that are used to pave roads, driveways and sidewalks. If these roadways covered the entire United States, they would produce three times the electricity that we need today.

6. Sonic fire extinguisher: As a result of climate change, we’ve seen more and more forest fires burning. To combat this challenge, scientists are working on a sonic fire extinguisher, which can be installed on a drone and works by using sound waves to separate oxygen from the fuel source.

7. Hydrogen as aviation fuel: Since 1990, the carbon dioxide emissions per passenger flight have dropped more than 50%. Nevertheless, the aviation industry is also evaluating new fuel sources, with hydrogen potentially serving as a new, clean aviation fuel. An Airbus commercial-scale hydrogen plane has already taken flight in the U.K.

8. A “blended wing” that serves as both a passenger compartment and a wing for aircraft: With the entirety of a plane generating lift, this could save 20–30% of the fuel currently required for passenger flights.

9. Green algae as a cleaner of the environment and a source of travel: The ability of green algae to eat bacteria is more prevalent than previously thought, and this finding could have important real-life uses related to environmental and climate science. In addition, green algae could also be a fuel source for many different types of travel, including both in the air and on the ground.

10. Gut microbiome genes are linked to array of human diseases: So much of what is happening within our microbiome is linked to human diseases. As we come to understand more about the science, there will be many new ways for us to overcome human health challenges.

11. An antibiotic alternative capable of treating resistant bacterial infections: Scientists at Durham University have improved the current standard alternative to antibiotics (called peptoids) by altering their chemical structure to enhance their delivery into cells and their effectiveness against bacterial infections. These alternatives could help combat the plague of antibiotic resistance.

12. Methane from animal waste can be used to grow single-cell protein for food: People are not only converting methane into energy with biogas digesters but are also utilizing a number of different nutrients and creating single-celled proteins that can go back into food for animals — and even humans.

13. An intelligent trash bin that identifies food types and encourages recycling: Food waste is an area of untapped potential. The intelligent bin could reduce one-third of our food waste before it even leaves the home.

14. A kitchen appliance that turns waste to compost: There are systems being developed today that will allow us to convert our food waste directly into compost that can be used in our gardens. With a single button, Lomi grinds and heats waste to break it down with no smell and turns it into nutrient-rich compost, reducing up to 50% of the waste that would otherwise be sent to a landfill.

15. Microbial tools could improve productivity while limiting environmental impact: There are new tools to help develop specific microbiomes in the gastrointestinal tract, soil and waste-processing systems. As a result, new nutritional and feed supplementation strategies are being created to improve production efficiencies while limiting the intensity of emissions.

16. Measurement tools to assess environmental impact and mitigation strategies: Tools like the E-CO₂ farm audit systems, laboratory testing and feed evaluations (Alltech IFM™ and the Yea-Sacc^® Value Test), as well as the use of supplementation and pasture management programs to control emissions and the mineral impact on the environment, are critical for reducing our overall environmental impact.

17. Biotic tools for mitigating agriculture emissions and emission intensity: New management systems use filtration to take out methane at the source and potentially use this methane in other agricultural production systems. Manure management, pasture management and pasture nutrition all get back into our understanding of the microbiome and the importance of seeing all of these areas as linked.

18. Using activating enzymes as biological catalysts: Enzymes can help us in many areas, such as improving digestion and feed utilization, beneficially modifying microbiomes in animals and soils, altering fermentation patterns to break down waste and mitigating environmental toxins.

“I believe the agriculture industry will create climate-neutral food,” said Dr. Lyons. “We will continue to be one of those core industries that can sequester carbon, and we will be a big part of the answer to climate change.”

In closing, Dr. Lyons asserted that no industry could have a more positive impact on the future of the planet than agriculture.

“It’s the industry that I'm most excited about, and it’s a great honor to be working in this industry,” Dr. Lyons shared. “We can nourish the world while cooling its climate. We can leave not a footprint but a legacy. What an extraordinary opportunity as we all gather, working together for a Planet of Plenty™.”

Visit one.alltech.com for more information.

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What if, when something went wrong, your natural response was to feel positive, calm and proactive? Can you actually train your brain to handle life’s greatest challenges without stress and negative emotions?

According to Shirzad Chamine, neuroscientist and CEO of Positive Intelligence, Inc., you can do both — and when you do, you will be happier and more successful and will perform better.

This may sound aspirational, but Chamine has the research — and methodology — to prove that mental fitness is the key to unleashing your true potential at work and in life.

More than 500,000 people from over 50 countries have participated in Chamine’s Positive Intelligence research. Having coached hundreds of CEOs and their executive teams, as well as world-class athletes and students from Stanford University, he’s helped professionals worldwide make mental fitness a part of their daily routine.

What is mental fitness?

Mental fitness is our capacity to respond to life’s challenges with a positive mindset, rather than a negative one. It’s measured by your Positive Intelligence Quotient, or PQ, which is the percentage of time your mind spends serving you as opposed to sabotaging you. As a conscious method for avoiding self-sabotage, your PQ can be built and strengthened over time.

Independent researchers have validated the many benefits of a higher PQ, ranging from higher salaries to greater success in work, marriage, friendship and more. Additionally, project teams with a high PQ are shown to perform 31% better on key performance metrics.

Chamine’s approach to boosting PQ, which he recently discussed during his keynote address at the 2021 Alltech ONE Ideas Conference, begins with learning the behavioral neuroscience behind two very different components of the mind: the Saboteurs and the Sage.

This might sound complex, but understanding the roles that Saboteurs and the Sage play in the way we experience life is one of the simplest, most effective ways for overcoming long-term patterns of self-sabotage.

Identifying your Saboteurs

Saboteurs are the negative voices and limiting beliefs and habits that stand between you and the potential you actually fulfill.

• Saboteurs motivate you through negative emotions like fear, stress, anger, guilt, shame and insecurity.
• There are 10 Saboteurs responsible for the most common ways that we self-sabotage. The most common is The Judge, or the voice that tells us to find fault in ourselves, in others, and in our situations and circumstances. It’s constantly judging what’s wrong and fails to see what’s right.
• Imagine Saboteurs as a cast of characters in your mind that keep you in a place of negativity, reaction and self-doubt.

Finding your Sage

By contrast, the Sage is the Saboteurs’ positive counterpart that motivates us through emotions like curiosity, empathy, creativity and calm.

• Whereas the Saboteur fuels self-sabotage, the Sage brain tells us that every outcome or circumstance can be turned into a gift or an opportunity.
• The strength of your Sage is what determines your PQ and enables you to take clear-headed, laser-focused action.
• Understanding the differences between your Sage and your Saboteurs — and identifying which one your mind is serving — is the first concrete step to self-mastery.

“You're not just of two minds; you are of two brains. You have two entirely different wirings in your brain, with different neurochemicals that get produced and very different functioning,” said Chamine. “A big question at any given time is: Which part of your brain is activated right now? That determines everything about how you handle life's great challenges.”

By understanding which part of your brain is activated and the power of Positive Intelligence to determine your response, you can train yourself to recover and switch from negative to positive at a faster pace.

How to strengthen your PQ

1. Intercept your Saboteurs

When you feel a negative emotion, stop to observe and label your Saboteurs. By simply bringing them into awareness, you’ve already weakened their power.

2. Power up your Sage brain

Now that you’ve confronted your Saboteurs, it’s time to shift into Sage mode. Practice PQ reps to activate your Sage mind. PQ reps are simple exercises that involve shifting your attention to your body and your senses for at least 10 seconds. These practices strengthen the self-command muscle that helps you regulate your emotions. You can do PQ reps anytime, anywhere.

3. Choose Sage responses

Now, you can explore, empathize, innovate, navigate and activate to respond with the Sage perspective.

“When your Sage comes in and says, ‘You know what? I can and I shall convert this into a gift and opportunity,’ imagine what emotions you’re going to be experiencing,” Chamine suggested. “You're going to be feeling optimistic. You're going to be feeling curious.

“When you ask ‘How do I turn this into a gift? What could the gift be?’, you're activating a positive region of your brain that's wired for creativity, for resourcefulness,” he continued. “You're creating a positive foundation — not just in your own head, but amongst others.”

With this knowledge, Chamine wondered: What if you focused on building the powers of your mind with the same determination you bring to our improving your physical fitness? Can you imagine the possibilities?

“Moment by moment, one day at a time, that muscle of positivity builds,” Chamine reminded viewers at ONE. “And then, the contagion effect that you create in the world — you have no idea how powerful that is. You create a contagion, (but) rather than a contagion of negativity, you intercept that, and you create a positive contagion. And it's beautiful, as you become part of the solution rather than part of the problem in our world.”

Will you join us in seeing challenges as opportunities and pursuing greater happiness and success through the power of Positive Intelligence?

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“Africa is the fastest-growing continent. Africa is getting educated now. Africa is where you need to be. Africa is where you (should) look to grow your food.”

That’s what Dr. Ruth Oniang’o, a keynote speaker at the 2021 Alltech ONE Ideas Conference (ONE), used to tell her fellow board members when she served on the board of Nestlé. A professor of nutrition and former member of Parliament in Kenya, Dr. Oniang’o has spent her career advocating for food and nutrition policies that will feed the world’s fastest-growing continent and increase access to food across Africa.

Over the past several decades, many African countries have made great strides in reducing chronic hunger, malnutrition and weight loss — but with one in five African people still “chronically undernourished,” including millions of children, there is much more work left to be done to help turn African communities into examples of food security.

Dr. Oniang’o’s approach is a holistic one. Beyond her focus on growing healthier crops and strengthening food assistance, her work is transforming society through avenues that most people may not think of when it comes to food and nutrition.

1. Empower women

The first step to transforming how Africa grows and eats is identifying who’s behind the continent’s current food production.

“In Africa, it’s mostly women who are producing food,” said Dr. Oniang’o during her keynote address at ONE. “And I said, ‘No wonder we are a hungry continent. Women are already overworked. They bring up children, many children. They have to farm. They have to feed them.’”

We cannot solve hunger in Africa without women, Dr. Oniang’o argued. By elevating their value in society and providing them with the education and resources they need to manage their farms, their families and their health, we can create conditions that will allow African women to grow more food, feed a greater number of people and share their knowledge with others.

2. Promote adult literacy

One major key to that empowerment is literacy. According to data from the United Nations, the adult literacy rate in sub-Saharan Africa is around 63% — meaning that one in three adults in the region, or some 182 million people, cannot read. And while some African countries have higher literacy rates, many are actually lower: South Sudan’s 35% literacy rate is among the lowest in the world.

Promoting adult literacy, both via governments and NGOs, leads to more educated adults across Africa, which has positive, long-term effects related to food, nutrition and families.

“Adult literacy is so important,” said Dr. Oniang’o, “because when women are educated, they will not want too many children. They'll want to do other things. They'll take good care of themselves, take care of their family, and therefore, their children will survive better. They want a better life for themselves, and they know what foods to provide to the family.”

3. Provide resources directly

No matter where they are in the world, farmers need resources of all kinds, from education and research to funds to help purchase seeds, nutrients and supplies. Providing resources directly to farmers is one of the fastest ways to improve their conditions and crop yields, as well as the health and nutrition of their families and communities. And providing resources to farmers doesn’t just help build individual and community food security — it can help alleviate poverty, too, since extreme poverty and hunger have “a cyclical relationship” in Africa, according to the United Nations. Hungry people have a hard time working, and people who can’t work have a hard time affording food.

“If we do agriculture properly — if we distribute our resources properly — we can get people out of poverty,” said Dr. Oniang’o. “As someone who has worked with farmers right on the ground, it doesn't take a whole lot. It doesn't take a whole lot to transform a community and to make them have more food and to have them eat better.”

4. Look after the soil

We can’t increase the production of food sources without addressing soil health. Unhealthy, malnourished soil leads to malnourished crops that wither instead of thriving. Finding ways to improve soil health — like rotating in legumes to boost the nitrogen in the soil and supplementing malnourished soils with nutrients — helps foster healthier crops and establishes farming practices that will be more sustainable over time.

Dr. Oniang’o first realized the importance of soil health when she saw crops that looked weak and frail, mirroring the effects of malnutrition in adults and children in Africa. She advocates for ways to help farmers improve their soil health, starting with technologies like rapid soil tests to help farmers identify deficiencies within their soils — a prerequisite to growing stronger, healthier crops. After all, as she said, “If the soils are not healthy, human beings cannot be healthy.”

5. Build and support smart partnerships

“Nobody can do this alone,” said Dr. Oniang’o. “(The) private sector has a role to play. Public-sector government has a role to play. Civil society has a role to play. Everyone has a role to play.”

Implementing change on a continental scale cannot be done alone. It takes local groups and national governments to put all of the practices outlined above into place in support of individuals, communities and countries. National and local governments, NGOs, scientists, farmers and private-sector companies all have a role to play. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) notes that “increasing yields for staple crops (in Sub-Saharan Africa) will require greater investment, both domestically and through assistance from donors and international research organizations.”

Local groups across Africa know what local farmers need. By listening to these stakeholders, private companies, national governments and international collaborative efforts can find ways to be good partners, bringing about change on a scale that local groups can’t accomplish alone. These partnerships can help decrease food insecurity across Africa and transform the future of the continent for the long term.

The future of food in Africa

Imagine it: a farmer in Kenya learns to read. She’s able to take advantage of educational materials and research that help her grow her crops more efficiently, with higher yields and healthier soils for her specific growing conditions. She’s given the resources she needs to put these findings into practice, thanks to partnerships between her local government and private companies. She’s able to feed her family and even has a surplus to help feed others, contribute to a food bank or sell for a profit. She’s valued and respected as an expert; she shares her knowledge with other farmers nearby, and she helps build communities that are more food-secure — and the ripple effects continue to spread.

By investing in her, we invest in the future of Africa. That’s how we transform the future of food: one farmer at a time.

Visit one.alltech.com for more information.

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When it comes to our priorities in life, our day-to-day concerns can often take precedence over our long-term goals. We are constantly focused on what is happening right now, in our careers, families, social lives and more. Very rarely do we take the time, or even get the opportunity, to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. However, when we do get to take this broader view, it is only then that we begin to observe the issues that not only affect ourselves but the world and the people around us. And not only can we identify these challenges, but we can also engage with them and develop the opportunities and solutions that will help us all for generations to come.

This was one of the main themes of “Economics and Health: A Natural Connection,” an in-depth keynote discussion between Alltech president and CEO Dr. Mark Lyons and Irish economist, author and university lecturer David McWilliams during the Alltech ONE Ideas Conference. Over the course of their conversation, the two speakers discussed a range of different countries that significantly influence global agriculture and assessed how their current and potential agricultural practices could affect the world as we know it.

“How do we become what will be described as ‘good ancestors,’” asked McWilliams, “so people in the future can look back at us and say, ‘They left the place in good nick’?”

This conversation came on the heels of a new animation project between Alltech and McWilliams. In a series of short videos, the two teamed up to focus on different nations’ economies in a quest to understand them better and learn how our histories and ideas are interrelated.

“We thought it would be a good way to look at what's the big global challenge,” McWilliams explained. “What are the historic, what are the momentous events going on? And then (we can) say, ‘Okay, how do these percolate down into countries big and small, major producers but also small, nimble producers?”

The outcome of this journey into world economics has been the revelation that everything is connected and that we all have a part to play in the betterment of our planet.

“What the (COVID-19) pandemic has told us is that none of us are alone, none of us can isolate ourselves, and the world is kind of smaller than we thought — and more interrelated,” McWilliams continued.

United States: Going back to its agricultural roots

The first of these country-focused animations looked at the United States. In the video, McWilliams pointed out that:

• The U.S. agriculture output tripled between 1948 and 2015, with enormous gains in efficiency.
• Around 90% of farmers cannot make a living off of their land alone.
• Agriculture only contributes to 7.5% of total U.S. greenhouse gases, far below the 30% attributed to cars.

Taking all of this information into account, McWilliams insisted that the U.S. itself will be the source of change in our environmental future.

“I think American culture is changing, at least when you see it from the outside,” explained McWilliams when asked his thoughts on the current Biden administration and what it means for the future of the U.S. “He's saying, ‘There's no point being wealthy if the wealth is only (in the hands of) a small minority. The wealth has to trickle down to everybody else. And if it doesn't trickle down, we're going to force it up.’”

What President Biden understands, according to McWilliams, is that the environment and inequality are the important issues and that they need to be addressed in order for the world to move forward, even if that goes against previously held beliefs.

“We are now at this phenomenal, intergenerational tipping point that the older generation isn't quite getting and the younger generation hasn't quite articulated,” said McWilliams. “But what it is is a change of macroeconomic policy, and what is driving the entire thing is this idea that we cannot simply be a gratification mindset, all of us together.

“We cannot have an immediate gratification mindset, which is ‘me, mine, my balance sheet, my profit margin, etc.,’” he continued. “We have to have a legacy mindset that we are, as I said at the top of the animation, we're just custodians. We're only passing through, right?”

McWilliams also highlighted the Biden administration’s understanding that the farming community is key to addressing these issues, especially regarding the country’s environmental impact. He said that the president realizes that agriculture is the solution to meeting carbon-neutral targets in the future. With this in mind, McWilliams believes U.S. agriculture is about to go through an enormous change, reinstating confidence and self-belief in the industry that has been missing for a long time.

“Before the industrial age, before the electricity age, before the internet age, there was agriculture,” McWilliams stated. “And agriculture will be the industry of the future, because only agriculture can naturally bring us to carbon neutrality. So, I think it's a really exciting time.”

Brazil: Re-telling the story

When it comes to feeding the world, Brazil is at the forefront. The South American country is:

• The largest exporter of beef and chicken meat globally.
• The world’s fourth-largest producer of swine.
• The largest exporter of soybeans and coffee.
• The biggest global producer of sugar and ethanol.
• The most widespread exporter and producer of orange juice, claiming over half of the global market.

But, according to the animation created by Alltech and McWilliams, Brazil has often failed to spread the good news stories of its agri-food industry. While its soybean farmers may feed billions, we only ever hear nightmarish stories of them forcing cattle ranchers off their land and allowing the rainforest to be destroyed. The video suggests that maybe now is the time for Brazil to reassess its legacy and to show how, rather being than part of the problem, its agricultural industry is actually integral to the global solution.

McWilliams is convinced that as long as Brazil can improve the messaging, it could be at the forefront of agricultural and environmental change.

“It seemed to me that if Brazil gets its agriculture right, the world gets its agriculture right,” explained McWilliams. “And what happens in Brazil will happen elsewhere around the developing world.”

However, he believes that the country first has to get its story right. He suggested that Brazil has to focus on aggressively positive messaging, revealing to people how much of what they eat comes from Brazil and how efficiently it is produced.

“And that, I think, is its challenge over the next 10 or 15 years, because it's clear that Brazil is going to go from strength to strength in terms of basic production,” concluded McWilliams. “The question is: Can it go from strength to strength in terms of people's perceptions of whether Brazil is a good environmental citizen?”

China: A changing economic and agricultural landscape

According to the next installment in this animation series, the next 30 years will be the most important in the history of agriculture. This will be mainly due to the changing economic and agricultural landscape of China and Asia as a whole.

The short video states that in order for China to succeed in becoming the world’s largest economy and military power, it must secure a sufficient food supply for its people and ensure that they are not subjected to inflated food prices. However, this is complicated by the fact that China has limited natural resources, particularly water. The outcome has been a transformation and modernization of Chinese agriculture, an industry that utilizes cutting-edge agriculture technology like no other country. This development has allowed China to stake its claim as the world’s most sustainable food producer.

Another huge trend in China and Asia as a whole, McWilliams pointed out, is that with newfound wealth comes a change in diet. This can be seen with upper-middle-class Asians, who are dining on a more Western diet of beef and dairy instead of traditional tofu and rice. This shift in taste is another indicator of how the continent will influence food and agriculture production and the supply chain as we move forward.

“The future is one whereby China will try and do whatever it can to make sure that its agricultural production remains high and/or that it can buy in food,” McWilliams explained.

Ireland: The benefits of modernizing agriculture

When considering a list of some of the biggest agri-food producers and consumers on the planet, you could be forgiven for thinking that the addition of this small island on the edge of the Atlantic was a clerical error. But Ireland is a significant player when it comes to the global agriculture industry. According to the animation focusing on the island, Ireland’s geographic location and climate make it the perfect place for healthy grass growth. And with healthy grass growth comes healthy cows. This amounts to a total of $13 billion in annual food exports.

However, there are large stumbling blocks scattered along Ireland’s path to energy-efficient and sustainable food production. One is the commonly encountered misconception that the solution to reducing carbon emissions is to reduce food production — something that McWilliams said the European Union is pushing but that he believes is a mistake.

“In order for the European Union to get an aggregate reduction in carbon emissions,” McWilliams evaluated, “it would seem to me much more logical to favor those countries that have had an evolutionary or ecological or environmental gift, in order to actually produce more, not less, in places like this, because your input/output ratio is so much lower here (in Ireland) than it is either in the parched Mediterranean or in the frozen tundra of the North.”

McWilliams believes that in order for Irish agriculture to modernize and grow, it needs to take a leaf out of the book of one of Ireland’s leading sectors: technology, which generates over $25 billion in exports. He said in the animation that embracing innovation could cultivate new agricultural breakthroughs, making Ireland the most resource-efficient, carbon-neutral, sustainable food producer on Earth — something which, in turn, could produce a new export: incredibly valuable ag-tech.

In concluding the discussion, McWilliams reiterated that everything in economics is interrelated and that positive change now will lead to further growth in the future, allowing us to leave a positive legacy for generations to come.

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When he was 26 years old, Dewitt Jones walked into the headquarters of the famed National Geographic magazine as its newest photographer in what, amazingly, was his first professional photography job.

“I remember standing there in the lobby … surrounded by the most beautiful photographs I'd ever seen in my life,” recalled Jones in his keynote address at the 2021 Alltech ONE Ideas Conference. “How was I ever going to prove myself, (prove) that I was worthy of working there?”

Despite his fears, Jones did more than prove himself; his eye for detail and stunning images have made him one of the premier photojournalists in the world. He worked as a freelance photographer for National Geographic for 20 years, and his photography has also been featured in global advertising campaigns for such powerhouse clients as Canon and United Airlines.

And his talents don’t stop at still photography: As a filmmaker, Jones had garnered two nominations for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards before he turned 30 years old.

So, how did Jones overcome his fears and establish such an incredible portfolio of work? As he explained in his presentation, he believes that the key to success is following four steps that reveal the extraordinary in the ordinary and provide a fresh perspective on life:

• Training your technique
• Putting yourself in the place of most potential
• Allowing yourself to be open to possibilities
• Focusing your vision to celebrate what’s right in the world

“When I applied these four techniques, I made some incredible images,” Jones said. “I locked in those images by always beginning by celebrating what was best … and letting the rest fall away.”

1. Train your technique

“Vision without technique is blind,” Jones said. “It's fine to have a brilliant idea, but if you don't have the technique … to manifest it, you have nothing.”

As a photographer, for Jones, honing his technique meant taking thousands of photos in the quest to get the handful of images that would resonate most with readers.    

“When I worked for (National) Geographic, the average article was shot in 400 rolls of film. That's over 14,000 images to get the 30 that go on an article,” Jones explained. “(But) I don't care how many shots it takes. We all know when those right answers come into focus … but you're not going to get (them) unless you're willing to press out on the edge of your own comfortable envelope to take the risk.

“It is not trespassing to go beyond your own boundaries,” he added.  

Jones also emphasized the importance of focusing on perfecting your own technique, not on trying to be better than others or doing what everyone else is doing — a lesson he learned from Bob Gilka, who was the head of photography at National Geographic when Jones was hired.

“He said, ‘You know, Dewitt, the people who photograph for (this magazine) are the best in the world. And you're one of them now,’” Jones remembered. “‘You don't have to prove yourself … but by God, every day, you had better improve yourself. I want you to spend every day trying to be better than you were yesterday.’

“He changed the way I did everything from that day forward,” Jones said.

By focusing on improving our own techniques and strengths instead of worrying about how we measure up to others, Jones argued, we can free ourselves from our hang-ups.

“When we really are doing that improving, not proving, believing that there's more than one right answer (and) reframing obstacles into opportunities, that's when we'll begin to lose all our fear of mistakes or setbacks,” he said.

2. Put yourself in the place of most potential

No matter what your career or passion, Jones said, your chances of achieving great success are slim if you don’t put yourself in a place of great potential. For Jones, that meant literally traveling to locations with the most potential for finding the perfect shot.

“If nature is going to open up multiple windows of opportunity, where do I have the best chance of finding them?” Jones would ask himself. “There are 1,000 ways to come at any challenge to find that extraordinary view.”

Jones recalled one particular photo assignment where things weren’t going exactly as he’d hoped — but by being open to the location’s great potential, as well as to advice from someone who knew the place well, Jones was able to get even better pictures than he’d anticipated.

While on location in Scotland to shoot a campaign for Dewar’s Scotch, the weather wasn’t what Jones had planned for — but a local fisherman advised him that if he came back the next day, he might see something extraordinary, albeit unexpected.

“He said, ‘You know, laddie, there was mist on the water this morning. That's unusual for this time of year.’ And I climbed all over it,” Jones recalled. “I want to be in the place of most potential. So, I'm out there two hours before dawn, and when the light starts coming up, I got the boats, and I got the fishermen. … I got my first right answer, (and) they just kept coming.”

3. Be open to possibilities

Even if you do put yourself in the place of most potential, Jones argued, it won’t make a difference if you aren’t open to the possibilities and what the world has to offer.   

“When the great photographer Minor White would go out to photograph, he would never say, ‘What will I take today?’” Jones recalled. “Rather, he would ask, ‘What will I be given today?’ And I would add: Will I be open enough to see it?”

For photographers, the possibilities are endless — but over the course of his career, Jones noticed that many people mistakenly believe that there’s only so much beauty to go around.

“Mother Nature never stood in front of a forest and said, ‘There is one great photograph hidden here. One photographer will find it, and the rest of you will be hopeless losers,’” Jones said. “No, nature says, ‘How many rolls you got, Dewitt? Bring it on! … I'll fill it up with beauty and possibility beyond your wildest imaginings, right down to my tiniest seed.’”

Along with being open to all of the possibilities, Jones argued that being willing to look for the next right answer instead of believing that there’s only one right answer is not only transformational — it is “the key to creativity.”

“So many things begin to change when you come at the world from that perspective,” Jones explained. “As you press on, looking for that next right answer, … you do so not in terror but comfortably knowing it's going to be there for you. And you really do begin to embrace change rather than fear it. You really do hit the day with a sense of possibility, not paralysis. And you just get more and more comfortable with reframing an obstacle into an opportunity.”

4. Focus your vision by celebrating what’s right

Jones saved his most important step for last, positing that how you see the world — and what you choose to focus on — will affect everything else in your life.  

“It's your vision that's going to make you a success, because vision controls our perception — and our perception becomes our reality,” Jones said.  

Jones began cultivating a vision of positivity when he was hired by National Geographic, who always encouraged him to focus his camera lens on the good instead of the bad.

“What they charged me with, every time they sent me out, was to celebrate what was right with the world,” Jones said. “I mean, why do you think we keep those silly yellow magazines? It's a national sacrilege to throw one away! Why? Because they celebrate what's right with the world.”

Jones acknowledged that it’s not always easy to find — or even look for — the positive, especially in the midst of overwhelming struggles, like the COVID-19 pandemic. But he still encourages everyone to try.

“I'm not going to deny that there's very real pain and suffering in the world,” Jones said. “But if I'm in love with life, I've got a lot more energy to face (it). By celebrating what's right, we find the energy to fix what's wrong. And (it’s) so important … to have a vision that will give us energy at a time when so many things are trying to take it away.”

Even when focusing on the good doesn’t come easily, Jones believes that we can become champions of finding the positive in the world the same way we become proficient in anything: practice, practice, practice.

“Unless you … make it a practice, it's not going to change your life,” Jones acknowledged. “This means that, every day, you have to consciously say, ‘I am going to celebrate what's right in my life.’”

So, how do you begin celebrating the good? In Jones’ opinion, it helps to tap into your passions — that is, things that “fill (your) cup”. This can be anything from sports to music to good conversations, and everything in between. It’s just a matter of finding it in your own life.

“You're going to have to go out and say …, ‘I just had an amazing interaction with my friends. I just saw the sunset. I just read a good book,’” Jones suggested. “Whatever it is that fills your cup up to where you overflow (and) you say, ‘These are things that make me glad to be alive.’”

By taking all four of these steps in our lives, Jones truly believes that we can change our perspective — and, ultimately, change the world.

“We can celebrate the best in every situation and every person every day,” Jones said. “We'll have the tools and the vision to face any challenge … while celebrating, with gratitude and with grace, all that we've been given. That perspective, that vision, it will change your life, as it has changed mine.”

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“As a society, globally, we seem to be struggling with finding a universally agreed-upon set of facts,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, at the opening of the Alltech ONE Ideas Conference (ONE) on June 22. “With more data at our fingertips, we find it even harder to agree upon the truth.”

A few years ago, a book called “Factfulness” was shared with Dr. Lyons, and it transformed his perspective of the world. Since then, the book has been featured twice in the Alltech virtual book club, and hundreds of copies have been given away to Alltech colleagues and friends around the world.

The book was written by Hans Rosling in collaboration with his son, Ola Rosling, and his daughter-in-law, Anna Rosling Rönnlund. Together, they founded Gapminder to combat misconceptions and present facts, global trends and data in a way that everybody can understand. Rönnlund is also the founder of Dollar Street, which reflects her own passion for photography by using images and videos to promote a fact-based view of the world.

“What if we are wrong about the world?” asked Anna Rosling Rönnlund, the first keynote speaker at ONE this year. “How can we then make sure we do the right things?”

What are the facts about what’s happening around the world?

The world is full of problems. Climate change and COVID-19 are two hot topics, to name a few. To check whether conference attendees’ worldview was up to date, Rönnlund carried out a short quiz with 18 multiple-choice questions on topics that varied from suicide to low-income countries, farming and plastic waste. You can take the quiz here.

The following facts are true:

1. The suicide rate decreased by 25% over the past 20 years.

2. 9% of countries are low-income countries now.

3. 6% of plastic waste ends up in the ocean.

Below are the results of ONE participant responses comparing to the facts:

On average, attendees only answered 4.7 of the 18 questions correctly. The results demonstrated that our perspective of the world is often not based on facts and, as a result, can cloud our judgment.

What causes a skewed worldview?

Rönnlund gave three explanations for how misconceptions are often generated:

1 .The things we learned in school have become outdated.

2. What we see around us is a narrow slice of reality.

3. The news is overdramatic — we only hear about extraordinary events, instead of things like, “Yesterday, all trains were on time again.”

How can we update our worldview?

1. Get a reality check.

To broaden our horizon and see the truth about ordinary things, Rönnlund suggested that we pay attention to what’s happening in reality as well.

“We need to look at how people really sleep, how they brush their teeth, where they go to the toilet even,” said Rönnlund. “We need to see that everyday reality (in order) to understand that most of us are having everyday struggles that look pretty much the same, even though we might be in different countries and on different income levels.”

You can see pictures of items and activities from households with different income levels around the world here.

2. Look at the data.

“But that (seeing everyday reality) is not enough. We also need to look at the data,” Rönnlund noted before sharing 32 things that have improved in the world over time.

For example, legal slavery has decreased dramatically, deaths due to disasters have all but disappeared, fewer children are dying, more kids are getting vaccinated and there are more movies to choose from.

“So, a lot of things are actually improving, but we’re very bad at seeing these slow trends on a global level,” said Rönnlund. “Instead, we see the media, and we see the drama all around us.”

The world is, in so many ways, getting better. However, there are still many problems to solve. The danger of being wrong about data and global trends is that we might end up solving the wrong problems — or solving them in the wrong order.

3. Trick your brain.

Even when we are highly educated and know the facts, the world keeps changing. In addition, our brains love dramatic stories more than the truth about global trends. We need to trick our brains to be smarter without spending too much time learning.

With this in mind, the authors of “Factfulness” developed the 10 Rules of Thumb to control the dramatic instincts in our minds.

What are the 10 Factfulness Rules of Thumb?

1. The Gap Instinct: We tend to think about the world as divided, such as either poor or rich. The majority, however, is in the middle.

2. The Negativity Instinct: Our brains might think things keep getting worse because of what we hear, but sometimes, we should ask ourselves: Would an improvement get publicity?

3. The Straight Line Instinct: When we see a trend, we tend to think it will continue. However, many lines bend.

4. The Fear Instinct: Often, we see and search for stories that are dramatic and interesting, but our brains overdramatize reality.

5. The Size Instinct: Everything we hear on a global level seems to be huge because the numbers add up. But we need to compare, divide and put things in perspective.

6. The Generalization Instinct: For example, we tend to group people together and think they are all the same, even if they have different backgrounds.

7. The Destiny Instinct: Thinking that nothing can be done because of destiny is a bad ground for doing change work.

8. The Single Instinct: We tend to think that we have a hammer, and we want to use it on everything we see. To make smart decisions, however, we need to use a toolbox.

9. The Blame Instinct: This is our instinct of pointing fingers at certain people, forcing them to bear the guilt for things going bad.

10. The Urgency Instinct: We often feel the urge to do something big immediately upon hearing about dramatic events happening around us. “There is a risk of doing the wrong thing and doing too much of it, which might cause problems rather than fix them,” said Rönnlund. “What we need to do is to take one step at a time and keep evaluating and keep looking at it.”

How can we support a fact-based view of the world?

1. Foster data literacy by providing transparent and free data.

2. Make the world more understandable by visualizing data, especially in schools. “We need to serve the brain enough excitement so it’s interested enough to keep listening, and (we should) stay true to the facts and ensure we are not overexaggerating anything,” advised Rönnlund.

3. Be humble and curious. “You don't want to be looked at as someone who’s … wrong, but according to the testing we have done, we’ve seen that most people are wrong in most industries, in most ages, in most educational levels,” shared Rönnlund. “I think, if we are humble and curious and start looking for the data, we will find data, because it is existing.”

4. Keep upgrading our worldview, because the world keeps changing, and so do the facts about it. A lot of data is freely available from big organizations online. “We need to foster this new habit with curiosity and humility, looking for facts, and keep updating them,” said Rönnlund. “It’s not a small thing, because it’s about rewiring the way we think as a species, but I think we have to start doing it.”

5. Beware of unreliable data. Most information around us is not fake, but we get it wrong anyway. We also now have to deal with fake news. Be sure to check your sources.   

6. Reach out beyond your network. When it comes to social media, look for friends of your friends or distant relatives to widen your point of view. Explore other fields of interest to broaden your understanding of how people see things differently.

Fun facts from the Q&A session

• Rönnlund started writing “Factfulness” with her husband, Ola, and father-in-law, Hans, after the three of them worked closely together on Gapminder for more than 10 years to make the world easier to understand.
• Their collaboration began after a family dinner, where Hans shared his struggle to explain global health to medical students. At first, Rönnlund and Ola helped Hans simplify the information by creating more appealing visuals. Then, together, they started to innovate and find better ways to teach global health and development to a bigger audience.
• The three authors wrote about five big risks for the future in “Factfulness,” and the number-one risk was a global pandemic.
• People can be happy with what they know about the world, and it’s hard to change or upgrade that knowledge. The writers focused on two things: first, what people are most often wrong about, which they determined by screening populations with factual questions, and second, why we have such a hard time understanding the world around us, which they explored by looking at the brain.
• Rönnlund and Ola are continuing Hans’ legacy by creating new content and new factual questions so that people can stay updated on different topics. They are working to create more teaching materials that can be used in the classroom.  

“Factfulness is recognizing that a single perspective can limit your imagination,” said Dr. Lyons in the conclusion of the session. “And remember that it is better to look at problems from many different angles. When we see the world in this way, we truly become possible-ists, people who can really see clearly how progress can be made, the potential ahead, and make sure that we can play a role in making it better.”

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Horse owners often wrongly believe that they are destined to put up with a high number of flies and insects. As mid-summer approaches and heat and dry weather become the norm, many parts of North America are likely to experience an onslaught of fly populations, while other parts of the country are likely to have intense mosquito issues. Additional troublesome insects, such as biting midges — often called “no-see-ums” or buffalo gnats — can make summer almost unbearable for horses.

All of this makes many of us horse owners want to resort to utilizing heavy-hitting chemicals to keep our animals comfortable. While there may be a time and a place for this type of chemical warfare, looking at some big-picture management options is the safest way to begin your warfare strategy and reduce the need for insecticides. You should waste no time in planning your attack on the coming season’s flies and insects.

In this blog, I will review some of the least-toxic, most environmentally friendly methods for reducing and managing the fly and insect population at your horse facility, including diminishing the insect habitat, using mechanical barriers, putting beneficial insects and native birds to work for you, and setting non-insecticidal traps. We will also cover the topic of insecticides so that, if using these products becomes necessary, you can make an informed decision.

Using these controls as your first line of defense will help you reduce both the amount of chemicals used around your property and your impact on the environment. Less flies and fewer chemicals will be healthier for you and your horses, all while promoting sustainability in the equine industry.

1. Practice manure management.

Insecticides and fly sprays are commonly used in livestock fly control protocols, but you can greatly reduce your dependence on them if your manure and mud are managed properly, as flies, mosquitoes and other pests depend on manure and mud as a breeding ground.

Start with picking up the manure in stalls and confinement areas on a regular basis and developing a composting or manure storage area. Composting manure is the best option, as flies are generally associated with fresh manure rather than compost. A simple cover or tarp helps prevent rain runoff, which can contaminate surface water, creating the muddier habitat in which insect pests prefer to breed.

Gutters and downspouts on farm buildings divert clean rainwater away from animal confinement areas, reducing the chance of mud and the amount of water and mud in which insects could live. 

Stagnant water — that is, water that has not been moved or added to for five to seven days — can become a breeding site for mosquitoes in levels as small as half of a teacup. Flies and other pests also need water to survive, so it’s important to eliminate unnecessary sources of water, such as leaky faucets. Get rid of anything lying around that can hold stagnant water, such as old tires, toys, flowerpots, birdbaths, dog water bowls, buckets, barrels or trash.

Some insects — including face flies, biting midges, and deer or horse flies — do not like to enter darkened barns or stables. Providing your horse with a shelter or putting them inside a barn before and during dusk (when these insects are most active) may help horses escape being attacked by these miserable creatures.

Biting midges and mosquitoes tend to be poor flyers, so offering good ventilation or safely placing a fan outside a stall can create air movement, which may help individual horses that are particularly tormented by bugs.

2. Prioritize pasture management for horses.

Whenever possible, graze horses on higher, drier pastures at the beginning of the summer to avoid creating muddy areas. Save the lower, wet pastures — which harbor mosquitoes, deer flies, horse flies and biting midges — until later in the summer when those areas dry out.

Harrow (or drag) your pastures regularly to break up manure piles. Harrowing spreads manure, allowing plants to utilize the nutrients and organic materials contained therein. Spreading also dries out manure, making it a less attractive habitat for flies. 

Using footing materials — such as finely crushed gravel (sized 5/8 of an inch or less) or coarse sand — in confinement areas helps to further reduce mud. Three to six inches of footing material will help build up the area, keeping horses up out of the dirt and allowing rainwater to drain through.

3. Use physical barriers.

Most horse owners know about one wonderfully safe and effective method of fly management for horses: the fly mask. Fly masks act as a physical barrier between the horse and flies, with the added benefit of being a sunscreen for horses that are sensitive to sunburn. Most horses learn to appreciate fly masks quickly and will willingly lower their heads to have a mask put on them. Some masks only protect the eyes, while others also protect ears and jowls.

Fly sheets are an additional option. These cool, open-weave, lightweight horse blankets can be quite useful at keeping pestering flies off a horse’s body. Fly boots are also available to help protect the horse's legs and hooves by helping to greatly decrease stomping.

4. Recognize good bugs.

When it comes to pest management, we often err by approaching all insects as pests. However, according to the Xerces Society — a forty-year-old nonprofit organization that works to conserve habitats for beneficial insects worldwide — only about 2% of all insects are actually considered pests. The Xerces Society also reports that beneficial insects are worth quite a bit to agriculture economically: around $4–12 billion annually. Many insects prey on each other, and insects would rule the world if that were not the case.

One example of a beneficial insect that horse owners can put to work is the fly parasite, a gnat-sized, nocturnal wasp that lays its eggs in the developing pupae of flies, thereby reducing or nearly eliminating the fly population. Fly parasites do not harm humans or animals in any way and are rarely even noticeable, since they are tiny and are only active at night.

Commercially raised fly parasites can be purchased from several sources, which can be located by doing an internet search of the words “fly parasite”. To be most effective as a fly control program, fly parasites should be released early in the fly season and every four weeks thereafter.

5. Encourage insect-eating birds.

Encouraging insect-eating birds to move into your yard and barn area is an excellent method for reducing the flying insect population. Members of the swallow family can be a tremendous asset to a horse facility, as they dive and dart through the neighborhood collecting bugs. One adult barn swallow will consume several thousand insects per day — a number comparable with using a bug zapper via a method that is much safer than using insecticides.

Some common North American insect-eating birds include violet-green swallows, tree swallows, barn swallows, bluebirds, purple martins and cliff swallows. Nesting can be encouraged by hanging nest boxes specifically made for the types of birds in your area. Swallows, such as violet-greens, will utilize nesting material like hair that is shed by horses or dogs. For help determining the insect-eating birds specific to your part of the country and their nest box needs, consult your local Audubon Society, birding organization, extension office, wild bird store or library.

6. Accept bats.

Bats play an important part in every healthy environment by eating the nocturnal flying insects that plague both our horses and ourselves, such as mosquitoes. Bats are reported to eat up to 600 mosquitoes an hour — more than 5,000 a night! They also eat other agricultural pests, such as corn borers, cutworm moths, potato beetles and grasshoppers.

You may be able to encourage a bat family to move onto your property by hanging a bat box built specifically for the types of bats common in your region. Bat houses should be placed on the southern exposure of a barn, pole, tree or house. The best habitat is within a half-mile of a stream, lake or wetland. Place bat houses by early April and be patient, as it may take up to two years for a bat colony to find your house.

A word of caution: Because of the concern for rabies, which can be carried by bats (as well as any warm-blooded animal), consult your veterinarian for their recommendations on vaccinating your horses against rabies. And just as you would do with a stinging insect or an unfamiliar dog, always leave bats alone. Bats are not aggressive, but like any wild animal, if cornered, they may bite to defend themselves.

7. Use insect and fly traps.

Several types of simple, non-toxic insect traps can be extremely useful for reducing the flying insect population on your farm. The cheapest and easiest are sticky traps; flying insects happen across them and get stuck. Fly paper or sticky tape can be attached above doorways or from barn ceilings. Old-fashioned sticky strips — the coiled kind — are probably the cheapest and easiest to utilize. Try hanging many of them (i.e., 10 or more) from your barn ceiling. Once they are full of dead flies, remove the old pieces of tape and hang fresh ones. Choose these locations carefully to avoid snagging human hair or swishing horse tails.

Other kinds of traps include brightly colored sticky tubes, as bright colors attract flies; these tubes can also be hung up. These traps may or may not come with an attractant (i.e., an embedded scent), which flies seek out.

Several commercial brands of pesticide-free bags are available on the market. The stinky attractant used in these bags activates when dissolved in water. Lured by the scent (and perhaps also the color), flies enter the trap through the yellow cap top and drown in the water. These bags come ready to hang and use and are easy to dispose of when full by simply tossing into the trash. There are also reusable varieties.

Place attractant bags on the perimeter of your property to lure flies away from high-traffic areas. The downside to these traps is that they are smelly — which is another good reason to place them away from barn areas.

8. Understand your chemical control options.  

An insecticide is a chemical that kills insects, while a repellant is a substance that discourages flies and other insects from landing. When using insecticides, read and follow the directions carefully and avoid using more than necessary. Only use insecticides that are recommended for use on horses. Generally, insecticides are meant to be used outdoors, in well-ventilated, open places — not in an enclosed area, such as an indoor stall or barn. Indiscriminate use of insecticides may promote resistant strains of flies and could kill beneficial insects or harm birds and bats.

Equine insecticides generally fall into one of four categories (listed here in order from least to most toxic):

• Pyrethrins (a botanical insecticide made from chrysanthemums)
• Permethrins (synthetic pyrethrins)
• Carbamates
• Organophosphates

Unfortunately, “least toxic” and “most effective” don’t always go hand in hand. Even the best fly sprays containing pyrethroids do not last long.

Insecticides are usually used as premise sprays, which means that any insect they come into contact with will potentially be killed — including beneficial ones, not just pests.

Most equine fly sprays are repellents. Repellents are available as sprays, lotions, wipe-ons, gels, dusting powders, ointments, roll-ons, shampoos and towelettes. Repellents contain a substance irritating to flies, such as oil of citronella, and most contain some amount of insecticide.

Repellents also contain a product, known as a base, that helps hold the active ingredients to the horse’s body hair. The most common repellent bases are water, oil or alcohol. Oil-based repellents remain on the horse’s hair shaft longer, but oil attracts dirt. Water-based repellents do not last as long but attract less dirt, and alcohol-based repellents can be drying to the horse’s skin. To increase the lasting effect, some repellents are made with silicone, which coats the hair shaft and holds the repellent in place longer. Repellents can also contain sunscreen, coat conditioners (such as lanolin or aloe vera) and other products that may increase their staying power. How long a repellent lasts depends on the weather, the exercise level of the horse (i.e., how much they sweat), brushing and rolling.

Moderation is key. Sometimes chemicals must be used, especially on insect-sensitive horses, but it is best to avoid spraying the horses every day or while they are in their stalls or pens; that’s a lot of chemicals to put on the horse, and it may also be very costly.

Say goodbye to the bugs in the horse barn.

The key point to keep in mind when trying to manage insects is to first strive to diminish the insect habitats where insects live and breed, which include mud, manure and stagnant water. After you have these areas under control, go after insects with birds, bats, fly parasites and non-insecticidal traps.

Beyond that, if certain insects become problematic, you can choose whether you want to use a repellent or an insecticide-based spray on your horse. With these tools on hand, you’ll have more options available for the coming insect season, meaning you won’t have to put up with as many pests and can also reduce the use of chemicals on your horse property.

I want to learn more about nutrition for my horses.

Google the phrase “joint supplements for horses,” and you will quickly be overwhelmed by more than 165,000 results.

Many owners and trainers in the horse industry consider joint health a top concern for their management programs. This is warranted; after all, the average horse weighs around 1,000 pounds and is supported by four relatively thin legs with very little protection.

Understanding equine joints becomes increasingly important for each horse owner, as musculoskeletal injuries are classified as the number-one reason for loss of performance.  

What’s really going on in the horse’s joints?

There are three types of joints in the body, but the type that is most influenced through nutrition (and the type that we typically think of when we think of a joint) is called the synovial joint.

Synovial joints are those that allow for movement and help transfer the load between bones, including the elbow, knee or wrist — or, in the horse’s case, the knee, hock or fetlock joint.

Synovial joints are composed of:

• Cartilage, which covers the ends of the two bones that meet at the joint.
• The joint capsule, which is the space encompassing the entire joint with an inner synovial membrane housing synovial cells and synovial fluid.
• Ligaments, a type of connective tissue that connects bone to bone.

Cartilage is one of the most important aspects of the joint

We hate to play favorites, but when it comes to joints, we are partial to cartilage for the role it plays in handling the compressive and concussive forces that joints deal with on a minute-to-minute basis. Cartilage is a metabolically active tissue composed of chondrocytes, the main cells in cartilage, as well as type II collagen and a proteoglycan network.

You can think of cartilage as a small, remote town — “Joint Town,” perhaps.

In basic terms, the chondrocyte cells produce collagen fibrils, which undergo an extensive cross-linking process during development. Collagen is the road system of “Joint Town.”

Proteoglycans are molecules that aid in the shock absorption properties of cartilage. They are made up of a core protein linked to a glycosaminoglycan chain, such as keratin or chondroitin sulfate. 

Proteoglycans are similar to the houses and buildings that comprise a town.

Cartilage is a largely avascular structure, meaning that it receives a limited blood supply, and as a result, repair and renovation is a slow process. This is a small, remote town, after all.

While the proteoglycans can be replaced completely after 300 to 1,800 days, the collagen network is considered to be a once-in-a-lifetime building process — in fact, it is estimated to only be replaced every 120 years in dogs and every 350 years in humans!

You know how road construction goes. Can you even imagine how long it would take to completely replace a town’s road system? Let’s just say that remodeling a home or building (i.e., the proteoglycans) is enough of a task for the construction workers (i.e., the chondrocytes), who receive limited resources.  

That being said, it is important to understand that cartilage, being a metabolically active tissue, will vary based on its location within the joint and how much of a load that area experiences. The load in different areas is dependent on the type of exercise that the horse does on a regular basis, as well as on that animal’s unique conformation.

Daily “wear and tear” impacts the horse’s joints

When a foal is born, it is believed to be born with “blank” joints. The foal’s bone, cartilage and overall joint makeup will develop based on its activity level, and the foal’s early life will set the animal’s joints up for a lifetime of success (or not).

This is where balancing the exercise cycle comes into play.

Based on this information, we know that exercise is a critical component of equine joint health. On the one hand, exercise builds strength and stimulates blood flow and the “pumping” of synovial fluid in and out of the joint.

Synovial fluid not only acts as lubrication in the joint, but it is also an important communication medium between many pieces of the joint, carrying nutrients into the cartilage and waste out. More movement means more nutrients coming in and waste being removed. Think of exercise as traffic control; it helps keep the one-way street in and out of the remote town working, so that resources can continue to be brought in or traded out.

On the other hand, too much or chronic, repetitive exercise can strain certain areas of the joint, resulting in “wear and tear” of the cartilage, inflammation, damage and, in the worst-case scenario, osteoarthritis.

While some of these effects may be unavoidable, there are certainly preventative measures that can help protect the joints and maximize performance — and nutrition may be one of the least invasive ways to protect horse joints.  

Which joint supplements for horses actually make a difference?

There are many questions about whether joint supplements are useful, and frankly, conducting research that investigates the effects of joint nutraceuticals is challenging, to say the least.

While there is always more research to be done, we can honestly say that the evidence does support the fact that joint supplements provide many benefits — especially if you choose the right ones.

When shopping for a joint supplement for your horse, consider four key nutrients:

1. Glucosamine

Glucosamine is an amino sugar that is a natural component of the horse’s cartilage. Glucosamine is a precursor to building glycosaminoglycans, which, as you know from earlier, are important players in the proteoglycan network.

Glucosamine is like “joint food”; it is believed to help prevent cartilage degradation, inflammation and pain in the joint while also supporting cartilage growth.

2. Chondroitin sulfate

While glucosamine is a precursor to glycosaminoglycans, chondroitin sulfate is an actual glycosaminoglycan, which bolsters the strength and resistance capabilities of the joint. Research has found that using a combination supplement of glucosamine and chondroitin in horses with osteoarthritis improved flexion tests while decreasing joint volume and lameness scores.    

3. Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is an organic sulfur compound necessary for the production of connective tissue. Perhaps one of the lesser-understood joint nutrients, research in horses has shown that MSM may help protect the body from free-radical damage due to exercise, and it also appears to play a role in the glutathione pathway, which is an important antioxidant in the body.

4. Hyaluronic acid (HA)

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is most well-known for its lubrication and comfort-inducing properties as a major component of synovial fluid. HA is also found in cartilage and helps aid in absorbing shock. Studies have found that HA plays an important role as a protective and anti-inflammatory agent in the joints, decreasing the breakdown of cartilage and synovial fluid. 

Key points to remember

Performance horses are prone to joint disease as a result of their normal activity. While some of this may be inevitable, especially as the joints’ regenerative ability decreases with age, there are various therapies and technologies that can help promote equine joint health.

First and foremost, asking your horse to perform a variety of different exercises at various intensity levels and on different surfaces can help keep your horse moving and can help balance the load on the horse’s joints, as well as the inflammation cycle associated with training.

Additionally, do not underestimate the power of nutrition. While it is human nature to always seek new information, research offers convincing evidence that high-quality joint supplements can help protect and restore joints throughout a horse’s life.

Alltech’s new Lifeforce Joint supplement was designed to provide all four key joint nutrients in one scoop, helping support and maximize your horse’s joint health and long-term performance.

I want to learn more about nutrition for my horses.

Like with all living things, there are many aspects that need to be taken into account when aiming for the best possible crop growth and performance. Only when these factors are all accounted for can we begin to see optimal plant production. Proper nutrition plays a key role here, giving the plant metabolism everything it needs to function efficiently. But producers need to find the right balance, as leaving a crop deficient in any of its essential nutrients can leave it susceptible to disease and other debilitating issues.

The productive potential of every plant depends solely on its genetic characteristics. In order to reach this potential, plants have specific requirements that must be met. These criteria include:

• Temperature.
• Light.
• Water.
• Nutrients.

Furthermore, each of these factors must be provided to the plant in the quantities and proportions suited to each stage of development, from germination to harvest.

In crop management, we use practices that provide the best conditions for plant development. Among these, we ensure that the plant is provided with:

• Adequate irrigation.
• Phytosanitary and weed control.
• Physical preparation of the soil.
• Correct adjustment of fertility.

Finally, we supply the specific nutritional quantities and balances required for each phenological phase of the crop and the productive potential of the chosen genetic material.

There are specific mineral elements considered essential for plant nutrition. They participate in some structural or physiological functions of the plant. Without these elements, development and productivity are compromised.

In terms of macronutrients:

• Nitrogen provides more vigorous growth and boosts productivity.
• Phosphorus maximizes root development and plant longevity.
• Potassium, magnesium and sulfur intensify photosynthesis and the transport of photoassimilates, favoring a greater filling and maturation of fruits, tubers, pods, stems and grains.
• Calcium participates directly in the development and growth of plant tissue structures.

When it comes to micronutrients, one of the main players to consider is boron. This participates in the formation of the polynic tube, the firmness of the peel of the fruits, the transport of carbohydrates and greater leaf growth. The same can be said for copper, manganese, zinc, chlorine and iron. These also participate in the metabolism of photosynthetic activity.

The picture above shows a visual representation of the effect these elements can have on plant production. Of the pictured soybean crops, those provided with the necessary macro- and micronutrients, through the use of Alltech Crop Science products, have a notable greener and more robust appearance.

Next, we need to think about the action of the enzyme reductase nitrate, which acts in amino acid production. Amino acids act as a natural chelate or complex. They bind to minerals and other molecules and facilitate increased absorption within the plant. To help promote this action as much as possible, molybdenum is fundamental. This trace mineral also contributes to the germination of pollen grains and helps to optimize fruit maturation and tissue resistance. Nickel is also crucial for similar reasons. It is an essential catalyst for numerous enzymatic activities related to carbon and nitrogen metabolism.

In secondary metabolism, deficiency or imbalance of any of these elements will trigger negative processes. Some elements, such as copper, manganese and zinc, are directly related to the activity of antioxidant compounds. These compounds act by reducing reactive oxygen species. The same elements also contribute to better lignification of tissues and lead to metabolic activities related to the defense system of the plant.

Deficiency or imbalance in required nutrients will restrict growth and the productivity processes in plants. There will also be adverse effects on the plant’s ability to defend itself, as it will become less resistant to diseases and pests.

It is, then, essential to provide and improve the efficient absorption of the specific and balanced quantity of nutrients required at each of the crop’s phenological stages. Alltech Crop Science offers a range of products with amino acid complexing technology that allows increased nutrient absorption efficiency, both for root and foliar application. These will enable you to better meet the plants’ requirements and achieve higher crop quality and productivity levels.

It is imperative to focus on the efficient supply of nutrients to plants, regardless of the crop, soil type and climatic conditions. Only when we address this issue can plants complete their production cycle adequately and aim at a more significant accumulation of assimilates. Ultimately, this will lead to them achieving a higher level of their productive potential. This will also result in greater final profitability for the producer.

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