India is the largest dairy market in the world, with over 300 million cows and buffaloes, facilitating many fascinating opportunities for the sector. Speaking at the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience, Shrirang Sarda, CEO of the Sarda Group shared with our audience how an engagement-based perspective of doing business in India has worked for his dairy venture, Sarda Farms.

About Sarda Group and Sarda Farms

The Sarda Group began 99 years ago as a startup with three workers producing inexpensive cigarettes. Now, Sarda Group is one of India's most reputable firms, with more than 25,000 team members across six verticals. Its diverse business includes Sarda Farms, a pioneer in the dairy industry in India.

Sarda Farms has differentiated itself based on quality and delivers antibiotic-free, hormone-free milk in glass bottles directly to customers’ doors. This project is the brainchild of Shrirang Sarda, who grew up in the business, getting involved in the IT department from the eighth grade, and then succeeding his father as CEO at the young age of 25. He has continued the successful growth of the business, moving into new markets and a new age.

Insights

The dairy venture started in the late 90s, early 2000, as a part of the company’s vision to diversify. At first, it seemed like a good opportunity to make profit. However, there was discomfort with the quality of the product.

Ten years later, Sarda reassessed the business, and his criteria for choices were more refined. The company developed a more institutional view as an organization; its vision was clearer.

“It was more about fulfilling a need in the market — or need in the environment, actually, more than a market — and rather than just chasing market share,” noted Sarda. “And that kind of helped us not see it as an exploitative opportunity but more as an exploration of what can be done, what needs to be done. It’s evident that engagement really matters.”

The company started to recognize the importance of engagement. It observed that in the areas of business where it underperformed, it lacked an element of engagement.

Goals, strategy and results

There were several gaps in the market to be addressed through an engagement-based perspective:

1. The whole supply chain was not optimized: Cold chain was non-existent in the first and the last mile of transportation. As a result, the milk coming into the dairy processing unit and the milk going to the house both had high bacteria loads.

2. There was a lack of high-quality milk: “Good milk was simply not available in India,” stated Sarda. “Even in 2010, nothing was right about the market and the product we looked at in the dairy business. The milk quality was just not right. Every household in India, virtually, boils the milk as soon as they receive it because the bacterial load is so high.”

3. There were many fundamental structural challenges: This is from the cow's productivity to feed sourcing to traceability of the milk. “It is also very easy to make spurious milk in terms of just drink the brand name of somebody else and add a white liquid and sell it,” said Sarda.

4. There was no service orientation: According to Sarda, this is a very large category, but there was no service, even though home delivery was available in most places in India.

“So, some sort of an agenda began to form in our heads based on the gaps we saw in the market,” said Sarda. The mission became clear: to produce good milk and provide a good service for India.

This was not an easy or inexpensive task. The milk quality depends on several factors, including how the milk is produced, packaged and delivered. This is where engagement came in to play through different facets:

• Milk quality: Sarda aspired to the EU or the U.S. standards, which were not met in India. “[Global standards] need not be the whole market, but it certainly should be a choice in India.” In the end, he used the European family farms model as a benchmark, as the corporate farms model in the U.S. was too large for them to apply to India at that time.
• Environmental and food safety needs:
  • Packaging: Sarda Farms started using glass bottles because they are blemish-free, do not react with the milk and are reusable and environmentally friendly. Furthermore, it is easier to see if glass has been tampered with, so the consumer can be assured of the quality.
  • Testing: Sarda Farms used engagement as a basis of transaction to substitute for the lack of institutional arrangements. “We do this in our own farms, simply because that institutional arrangement is missing,” said Sarda. “And we can't just send it to a lab and get it tested.”
• Supply chain: Sarda shared that “one big thing in this agenda that emerged for us was this whole idea of education of all the stakeholders and all the different elements that we interact within the supply chain.”
  • Improving farm management: A farm manager from Holland was hired to make sure best practices from developed markets came to India. “And one side note here is, obviously, Alltech was hugely instrumental in educating us in turn,” said Sarda. “And we got a lot of technology transfer done to us and a lot of knowledge transferred onto us through Alltech.”
  • Silage: Timely delivery was required so that silage can be made. Silage was not a common practice then, but it was important for Sarda Farms to have the right kind of maturity and synchronization of plantation dates across farmers.
  • Cold chain: Because the need for cold chain was obvious, a cold chain was put in place even though it costs a lot more money. Delivery guys were required to understand the importance of cold chain in transportation, to the extent of what temperature is desired.
  • Home delivery: This was a new element in India's dairy market, which worked well before and after COVID. The pandemic did not only increase awareness of hygiene and demand for higher quality, traceable milk, but also enhanced appreciation for milk delivery during the lockdowns.
• Customer needs: The target market segment was identified as the discerning customer, someone who would appreciate the added value and be willing to pay more for a premium product.

“The reason? So, because all these costs were stacked, if somebody did not value this offering, it would seem an extravagant or very luxury kind of offering, whereas we saw it as the bare necessity of having good milk,” explained Sarda. “And somebody who did not value it would think it too expensive.”

The strategy was to start with early adopters to establish a higher quality choice in the market, then influence the rest of the market later.

Despite being a small size business with no familiarity or experience in the industry, Sarda Farms has made a significant impact in India's dairy industry by addressing the gaps in the market and being engaged with customers and suppliers. “We’re only 10 years old,” said Sarda. “But we certainly have seemed to establish a new kind of offering and a new kind of choice in the market.”

Indicators of success

Sarda noticed changes in Indian regulation, copycat products in the market, and business opportunities during COVID times.

• Stricter institutional regulations for quality: “We've seen some changes in regulation in India,” noted Sarda. “Maybe not as much as we'd like to see, but some changes which are in the right direction. They're making it more stringent. Some new parameters have been added.”
• Appearance of copycats: Sarda shared that the biggest indicator showing they are doing well is that “many, many, many "me-too" products have been launched. And many people seem to be jumping on this good milk, farm-to-home model.”
• Trust and quick response time from suppliers and partners: Sarda Farms has conceptualized and launched three different products, all post-COVID. Sarda credited this success to the trust-based ecosystem, in which suppliers and partners rose to the occasion, and negotiations can come after delivery. The high-end trust was a result of Sarda Farms’ good reputation and relationships with suppliers and partners.
• Word-of-mouth marketing: “Our experience has shown that if somebody tries our milk for a month, we have more than a 75% conversion rate at a reasonably premium-priced product in India,” explained Sarda. “And these are people who are not necessarily even seeking to buy a premium milk, but they know that they're unhappy with the milk they have. There are children at home, or there's somebody senior at home, or there is a patient at home suffering from some health issue or the other, and they need to get high-quality milk. And they look for it, and they ask their friends. And their friends refer us, and it has worked really well for us. It also gets us the right kind of people, who care about milk, instead of putting customers in some sort of a sales pipeline, where you may sell to them on the wrong basis. So, we are very clear that we want people who appreciate what we do, who value what we do, and the rest is easy. In a very B2B environment, I think it kind of works the same way, especially in an engaged business. But we wanted to do the same in a B2C environment.”

The key learning

Looking back on Sarda Farms’ journey for the past 10 years, Sarda believed engagement is a big part of Sarda Farms. “And that engagement seems to be the big reason why we're punching above our weight in this category,” Sarda said. “We're a teeny, tiny player. And despite our really small size, we've gotten disproportionate publicity, we've got a disproportionate position in this market, and we've got an extraordinary number of copycats. So that, to my mind, tells me that our impact is very high, despite our size. And I believe the real reason is engagement and how engaged and responsive we've been.”

Future implications

Sarda offered his insights and ideas to better cater to current and future consumers:

1. Create new products in response to customer needs: Sarda told a story of how his customers called to say they did not get unsalted butter in Bombay and asked Sarda Farms to make it for them. “And we had no idea how that was made or what kind of shelf life we would get. But within five days, we made the first batch of unsalted butter and sent it to the customers to try and give us some basic feedback on. And then eventually, a product was done.” Similarly, they created a new ghee product (stratified butter used in India for cooking) purely based on customer demand for high-quality ghee. “We are not too keen on doing product, per se, but we will do them if the customers so require.”

2. Pay attention to the shift in consumption habits: Sarda asserted this will happen in the larger food sector as well as the dairy industry. According to his entrepreneur friend, India can be segmented into three buckets:

• India One (about 22% of India) is everybody who has domestic help at home, whether part-time or full-time.
• India Two (about 50% of India) is the people helping India One, such as drivers, maids, cooks, restaurant staff.
• India Three is somebody else, like construction laborers and beauty workers.

India One is growing at a rate of 1% each year, which is a big growth in terms of the number of people. Interestingly, the children of India Two will likely grow up to become India One.

“To us, that was very attractive, that we saw India One fundamentally changing habits, becoming more demanding about what they wanted, in terms of how they see movies to what kind of food they consume to what kind of digital experiences they want or don’t want,” commented Sarda.

This is why Sarda is determined to cater to the present and the future by providing acceptable standards of milk and dairy, as well as the herd’s health and productivity in India.

3. Experiment and apply on-farm technologies 

• Experiment on becoming a sensor-driven farm: “We experimented with a full range of sensors, for example, an ammonia sensor, which will detect if the farm is clean or not,” said Sarda. Sarda Farms also started with cow motion sensors. For example, to ensure animal welfare, they use an activity monitor for notifications of stresses from the cow. “When a cow is no longer productive, we ensure they go to a cow sanctuary where they can live the rest of their life in a relaxed way.” In addition, Sarda sees a lot of need for using newer hardware for sensors “to get the milk even more right and get the cow care even more right.”
• Applications on-farm, logistics and retail: On-farm, they are increasing the autonomy of the cow and calf. For logistics, they are looking at Bluetooth sensors for cows and thermal inks on their packaging to detect temperature quality. In retail, they are focused on engaging with and understating the shopper.
• Applications for sustainability: “Our entire farm runs completely on biogas energy,” said Sarda. “We also try to minimize and avoid plastic use and have optimized our routes to minimize distances traveled. We also strive to get the maximum efficiency from feed.”

4. It’s not just about technology: “We are also sensing that it's not just about tools and technology, but it's really about behavior,” Sarda noted. “And if you don't have the right practices and the behaviors in place, there's only so much that technology can help. And there's only so much that you can expect from the technology. So, at the moment, we are very focused on getting the analytical part going in the dairy business.”

Final thoughts

“I think challenges have always been there,” Sarda commented. “Epidemics have always been there. And certainly, in the short term, there is a fair amount of misery that comes in certain amounts of periods. There is this really wise, age-old saying — I believe it originates from Gautama Buddha — that this too shall pass and that nothing is permanent.

“And I see a lot of good signs. In India, for example, we had a huge problem of migrant laborers returning home in these COVID times, and the amount of compassion and empathy generated in India was unprecedented.”

To Sarda, COVID is a short blip, and we should continue to stay focused on what we can do, how we can solve problems and how we can contribute.

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One of the biggest complaints surrounding the poultry barn — apart from flies — is the smell of the manure. The ammonia concentration in poultry houses not only contributes to the smell but can be harmful for both the birds in the barn and the workers who frequent the barn. Understanding how ammonia gas is formed, the impact it can have on the bird and how to control ammonia levels can be helpful for proper poultry management.

How is ammonia gas formed?

Nitrogen is a component of poultry diets, via either protein or other sources. Some of this nitrogen can be used by the bird and is incorporated into tissues or eggs, but most of it is excreted in the urine or feces in the forms of uric acid (around 80%), ammonia (around 10%) and urea (around 5%). Once the uric acid and urea are excreted, they are converted into ammonia through microbial and enzymatic breakdown via the bacteria and enzymes found in manure. After this process, ammonia is readily released into the air as a gas that can be detected by both birds and farmworkers.

What impact can ammonia have on the bird?

The results of poultry research studying how ammonia levels can impact production are varied. Some groups suggest that 25 ppm should be the maximum, whereas other groups suggest that exposing birds to 20 ppm for long periods of time could lead to issues like a debilitated immune system and respiratory tract damage. Other research suggests that, when poultry can choose between environments featuring different levels of ammonia, they choose environments with ammonia levels under 11 ppm.

Ammonia is toxic to animals. High levels of ammonia may lead to observable changes, such as difficulty breathing, irritation of the trachea (the breathing tube), air sac inflammation, inflammation of the mucus membranes of the eye or a combination of these symptoms. Many other, less obvious changes can take place upon exposure to lower levels of ammonia. Studies have found that exposure to 20–25 ppm throughout production can result in increased susceptibility to secondary challenges (viral or bacterial), decreased feed efficiency and tissue damage. These changes have been noted in broilers exposed to ammonia levels between 20–30 ppm for 16–28 days. Studies of turkeys have found that, among birds dealing with an E. coli challenge, those that were exposed to ammonia levels between 10–40 ppm had more bacteria in their lungs than the birds that were not exposed to ammonia. In layers, it has been suggested that early exposure to ammonia could have a lasting effect and might impact how pullets perform later as laying hens. Additionally, chronic exposure to high ammonia concentrations may impair egg production for layers. 

At a microscopic level, researchers have found that exposure to ammonia can trigger changes within the animal. In poultry, high-level exposure to ammonia for 20 days decreased the intestinal surface area (possibly impacting nutrient absorption), decreased the bird’s resistance to oxidative stress, altered the intestinal tract’s ability to break down nutrients and impacted immune organs. Exposure to high concentrations of ammonia for even a short period of time may impact birds just as much as exposure to medium concentrations of ammonia for longer periods.

Harmful effects of ammonia concentrations in poultry and humans

How to reduce ammonia levels in poultry houses

There are several strategies for decreasing ammonia in the barn. These strategies can be used individually or in combination and can help encourage good barn air quality and better poultry performance potential. These strategies include ventilation and management of both the barn and the poultry litter/manure.

Ventilation acts as an in-barn air quality control, removing ammonia from the barn and bringing in clean air. This method does not, however, reduce or inhibit the formation of ammonia. Nevertheless, maintaining appropriate ventilation during all seasons will help reduce the gaseous ammonia levels in the barn and keep the litter dry.

Good barn management can help to diminish the formation of ammonia gas. Proper barn management includes ensuring that the litter or manure is not wet. Several ways to keep litter from getting wet are to fix leaky drinkers and sprinkler systems; choose the appropriate litter; maintain a suitable barn relative humidity for the age of the bird; reduce the potential for condensation; and properly heat and ventilate the barn.

Strategies for managing the litter and manure can be separated into two main management actions:

• Managing the bird diet: The formation of ammonia in the manure and its subsequent release as a gas can be traced back to increased nitrogen levels in the manure. Fecal nitrogen levels can increase if the bird does not properly break down and absorb the protein in the feed. This can happen if the bird’s diet features too much complex protein, if the bird is sick or if its gastrointestinal tract is not functioning properly. These issues can be remedied or prevented by balancing the protein and/or amino acid levels in the diet and by maintaining the bird’s gastrointestinal health. 

Another method to help prevent ammonia emissions from nitrogen within the feces is to use components such as the extract of Yucca schigidera, which plays a role in binding ammonia. De-Odorase® is derived from Yucca schigidera and has been shown to reduce blood urea and blood ammonium ions, reduce excessive nitrogen breakdown in the ceca and bind ammonia so it stays in the manure instead of being released as gas. When it is used in the feed from the time the birds are placed to the time the birds leave the barn, it can control the release of ammonia into the air.

• Managing the manure once it is in the barn: Acidifying agents can be used to lower the pH of the litter (below its usual 7.5–8.5), which will help slow down and decrease the activity of the microbes that break down the nutrients in the manure to release ammonia. Another strategy could be to use odor and moisture absorbents in the litter or manure. These absorbents, which are usually clay-based, act to either slow down the microbial activity or lower the moisture content of the litter. De-Odorase® can also be used as a spray over and on manure to help control ammonia that has been released and reduce its odor. There may also be microbial and urease enzyme inhibitors that can be used to prevent the action of the microbes and enzymes in the manure that help to release ammonia.

All these strategies, however, can be negatively affected by litter and manure accumulation, litter and manure moisture, bird type, barn temperature, disease challenges or a combination of these factors.   

Conclusion

Poultry farm ammonia emissions from manure and ammonia gas in the barn are complex topics in the poultry industry, but with a combination of good ventilation, good barn management and a strategy to reduce ammonia gas formation, this issue can be successfully overcome at any time of the year.

This blog is a summary of an article published in Canadian Poultry.

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The importance of colostrum for newborn calves is well-recognized. Colostrum, the first milk produced by the cow at calving, offers a rich source of energy, nutrients, immune cells and antibodies. These antibodies are especially important since newborn calves lack disease protection, as antibodies do not pass through the cow’s placenta to the calf’s circulatory system. The antibodies in the cow’s colostrum will provide her calf with initial disease protection.

The immunity acquired during the first few days of life is particularly important for calf health and survival. Studies on calf death loss have shown that 4–12% of calves are either stillborn or die within the first 24 hours after birth. While there are many risk factors during this time that may lead to calf mortality, early nutrition and colostrum management are key influences.

What are immunoglobulins?

For the first three to five weeks of a calf’s life, the passive immunity received from the absorption of immunoglobulins in colostrum provides substantial protection to help the calf fight off infections, illness and diseases. Immunoglobulins are large protein molecules that function as antibodies and that are produced by plasma or white blood cells. They serve an important purpose in immune response by fighting off bacteria, viruses and other harmful invaders. There are different classes of immunoglobulins that each have specific functions, biological features, targets and structures. The primary (80–85%) colostral antibodies are immunoglobulin G (IgG), followed by immunoglobulin A (IgA, at 8–10%) and immunoglobulin M (IgM, at 5–12%).

The major factors that will influence newborn calf colostral immunoglobulin absorption are:

1. The age of the calf when it receives its first feeding of colostrum.

2. The number of immunoglobulins made available to the calf.

Colostrum absorption is maximized and at its most efficient shortly after birth, beginning to decline steadily as time passes, with very minimal absorption occurring 20 hours post-calving. However, in some calves, this closure of the gut can occur as early as 12 hours postpartum. Despite the length of time to gut closure, immunoglobulin transfer across the gut epithelium is most efficient in the first four hours postpartum and begins to decline rapidly after 12 hours postpartum. By 24 hours, it is estimated that only 10% of immunoglobulins are absorbed. Therefore, it is important to get that essential colostrum into the calf as soon as possible.

While these large proteins can be transferred through the gut prior to closure, so too can bacteria and large particles that may be harmful if ingested. This is yet another reason why it is so important to calve on clean, dry ground.

The number of immunoglobulins presented to the newborn calf is dependent on the volume of colostrum available and the immunoglobulin concentration of that colostrum. The quality of the colostrum can be affected by the dam’s age, health and nutrition status. Cows that are older — i.e., in at least their third lactation — typically have a higher volume of colostrum that is better-quality compared to the colostrum of a younger cow or first-calf heifer. While there are tools that can be used to measure colostrum quality, typically, good indicators of high-quality colostrum include a tan or yellow color and very thick, creamy consistency.

Nutritional status of the dam

The dam’s nutritional status can greatly impact the colostrum available to the calf. Colostrum and immunoglobulins start to form 5–6 weeks prior to calving. A Virginia Tech study has shown that colostrum volume and calf absorption of IgG were lower in nutrient-restricted cows compared to cows fed to their requirements, even though the IgG concentrations did not change. A study in sheep found that nutrient restriction from mid- to late pregnancy in ewe lambs altered colostrum quality and quantity. The dam’s nutrition prior to calving can greatly impact the amount of colostrum produced and the absorption of immunoglobulins, which may lead to scours and higher mortality rates if inadequate. Bio-Mos® 2 has been shown to support gut integrity and colostrum quality, thereby promoting overall performance. This product should be fed two months prior to calving for optimal results.

Failure of passive transfer

A frequent problem during calving season is failure of passive transfer (FPT), which occurs when a newborn calf does not receive the necessary colostrum. This can occur if cows were in a nutrient deficit and did not produce quality colostrum, or, in cases of dystocia, weak calves, temperature stress or the dam not taking care of her new calf, all of which can prevent the newborn calf from nursing. These factors may prevent the calf from not only getting essential nutrients from colostrum but also from getting the required antibodies. FPT can result in significant economic losses through increased calf illness and death. If a calf has not nursed or is at a high risk for not nursing within the first couple of hours, it may be best to intervene and provide it with colostrum.

The ideal method for a calf to receive colostrum is from its own dam. If possible, use a chute to restrain the cow in order to allow the calf to nurse. If the calf does not want to suckle, the cow could be milked out and a tube feeder can be used to get colostrum into the calf. A newborn calf should be fed about two quarts of colostrum within four to six hours post-birth and again within four to six hours from the original feeding. Colostrum should be collected within 24 hours of calving. If collecting from the cow is not possible, colostrum replacers or supplements can be used. In these situations, consult a veterinarian for assistance in selecting the best option.

Remember, the first meal is the most important meal of a calf’s life and plays an instrumental role in calf immune system development. It is vital to ensure that each calf receives rich, nutritious colostrum in order to set them on a path to successful performance.

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There has always been a threat of mycotoxin-contaminated feeds in the diets of terrestrially farmed animals as a result of the inclusion of high levels of cereals, and this has extended to include aquafeeds over the past few decades, as higher levels of cereals have become more commonplace. Mycotoxins in aquaculture and fish feed is an emerging and an underestimated problem for the industry.

What are mycotoxins?

Mycotoxins are chemical compounds produced by soil-borne "filamentous fungi". These lowly microbes are notorious plant pathogens in cereal crops, while their secondary metabolites, mycotoxins, are dangerous feed contaminants for farmed animals. It is possible for fungi to contaminate cereals in the early stages in the field, or later, during the transportation and storage of the commodities. Their growth, as well as the production of mycotoxins, is climate-dependent. That means that different fungi and mycotoxins bloom in different geographic regions.

For instance, Fusarium fungi flourish in temperate areas, and as a result, their corresponding mycotoxin, deoxynivalenol, is highly present. Similarly, in the tropics, the bloom of Aspergillus fungi is often linked to the release of aflatoxin. Unfortunately, the climate change and extreme weather conditions we are now experiencing may alter the fungal community structure and quantity of mycotoxin-producing fungi. Thus, in the coming years, we can expect an unavoidable and unpredictable increased risk of mycotoxins in our fields and agricultural commodities. 

The hidden threat to farmers

The aquafeed industry has made remarkable attempts to develop sustainable fish feeds by reducing the inclusion of traditionally used marine ingredients and replacing them with novel ingredients derived from crops and their byproducts. Thus, the inclusion of plant-based ingredients in fish diets, along with some known nutritional limitations, also introduces a potential exposure pathway for mycotoxins. To our knowledge, corn and its byproducts are the most highly contaminated with mycotoxins, followed by wheat and soybean products. If we consider the industry's long-term goal of reducing the value chain’s dependence on marine ingredients, then we can expect much higher inclusion rates of plant-derived raw materials in aquaculture feeds. Undoubtedly, these higher inclusion rates of plantstuffs, in combination with ongoing climate change, may boost the presence of mycotoxins in fish feeds, making the challenge of keeping contaminants out of fish feed even more difficult for the aquaculture industry.

Effects of mycotoxins on fish health and performance

Based on our established knowledge from the Alltech 37+ lab database, numerous individual mycotoxins have been detected in fish feed samples. In most cases, more than one mycotoxin is simultaneously present in a feed batch, at unpredictable levels and combination patterns. There are indications that some combinations might have synergetic effects on animals. However, the interactions among mycotoxins that co-occur in the feeds are not well-determined, as most of the research focuses on individual mycotoxins and not their combined toxicity.

An additional challenge to unraveling the effects of mycotoxins in aquaculture is the complexity of the industry itself. Fish farming is diverse and can include different fish species with different life histories, physiologies and, as a result, sensitivities to the toxins. The impacts of mycotoxins depend on various factors, including:

• The type and quantity of mycotoxins in the feed
• Feeding level
• The duration of exposure
• Fish species
• Sex
• Age
• Health
• The nutritional status of the exposed species

The biological effects of the most common mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, fumonisin B1, deoxynivalenol, T-2 toxin and zearalenone) are described below based on studies on mammals.

As a result of the developing trend of mycotoxins in the aquaculture industry, scientists are undertaking research trials aimed at evaluating the impact of mycotoxins on fish species. Initial reports of the results are focused on growth trials, indicating that we still have quite a long way to go. Regardless of the type of toxin, reduced growth performance and high feed-conversion ratios are often associated with the ingestion of contaminated feeds.

Growth might be affected directly, due to lower intakes of contaminated feeds, or indirectly, due to the molecular damage the toxins induce on the cellular level. In any case, the final output is the same: reduced growth performance for the fish and economic losses for the fish farmers. Unfortunately, mycotoxin contamination is a “silent” enemy for farmers, since most cases are not correlated with visual symptoms. Long-term ingestion of feeds with low levels of mycotoxins or acute exposure to high levels might be a reason for the unexplained mortalities that occasionally are observed in fish farms.

The solution

Sustainability is our priority, and we feel we have a responsibility to establish and maintain an aquaculture industry that protects farmed fish welfare, helps farmers maximize their profits and creates sustainable products that are essential for consumers to live a healthy balanced lifestyle.

To properly manage the mycotoxin risk at the industrial level, it is crucial to examine potential solutions at all of the critical points in the value chain, from the fields to the feed mills. Starting in the fields, good agricultural practices — like growing resistant crop varieties, crop rotation, soil tillage, and chemical and biological control of plant diseases — are recommended.

At the pre-harvest stage, mycotoxin contamination cannot be fully prevented, especially during unpredictable weather conditions. Raw material suppliers should implement methods for rapid mycotoxin analyses in cereal products to accept or reject a batch. Unfortunately, these quick tests can only detect a few toxins, and the regulatory limits vary among different countries. Thus, the responsibility of mycotoxin management in aquafeeds is automatically transferred to the aquafeed producers.

At this final stage, mold inhibitors are usually included in the feed formulations to prevent fungal growth in the finished feeds during storage. Mycotoxins produced in the pre-harvest stage are still present in the feeds and remain almost stable in high temperatures during the extrusion process. As such, feed producers should consider detoxification feeding strategies in order to eliminate the negative impacts of mycotoxins on fish after exposure. 

Among different commercially available detoxification products, enzymes appear to have a high selectivity in transforming mycotoxins to less toxic forms. However, this strategy would only be effective if aquafeeds contained just one mycotoxin. In reality, as mentioned previously, a cocktail of mycotoxins is likely to be present in the feeds, and it is not feasible to supplement an enzyme for each potential toxin. As a result, attention is shifting to more practical and universal solutions, such as mycotoxins binders. In general, organic adsorbents bind with a larger spectrum of mycotoxins than the inorganic ones.

Overall, effective mycotoxin management is about seeing the whole challenge, from the farm to the feed mill and from risk assessment to feed management. The symptoms can be many and varied, but the outcome in all cases will be reduced performance and lost profits. The Alltech Mycotoxin Management team provides a number of solutions to help you mitigate the threat you could face from field or storage mycotoxins. Speak to the aquaculture team today and find out how you can mitigate the threat of mycotoxins in your feed. Email aquasolutions@alltech.com.

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The equine gut microbiome represents an extremely complex microbial ecosystem that is comprised of quadrillions of microorganisms. These microorganisms include bacteria, yeast, fungi and protozoa. Bacteria are thought to play the most important functional role. This microbial community not only impacts the equine digestive tract but also plays an instrumental role in immune and endocrine response, cognitive function and behavior.

Researchers have been working for many years to identify specific gut microbes and learn more about their functionality in order to further understand the role of the equine digestive system in both disease prevention and treatment.

“Studying the equine intestinal microbiome is important because horses are hindgut fermenters,” said Scott Weese, DVM, M.Sc., Dipl. ACVIM, a professor in the department of pathobiology at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College. “Changes in the microbiome can result in diseases such as colic, colitis and laminitis, which are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in horses.”  

Influential factors

Each horse’s gut is unique to them, with the microbiota structure beginning to take shape within the first few days of life. The overall gut microbiome is influenced by several factors, including age, genetics, diet, exercise, stress, body condition and the horse’s environment. Interestingly, the microbiomes of wild horses include a more diverse spectrum of microbiota than domesticated horses (Fig. 1). Beyond age, differences in housing and pasture habits, the composition of their feeding diets, contact with humans, veterinary healthcare and medication seem to be among the most influencing factors for equine microbiomes (Kauter, A., Epping, L., Semmler, T. et al., 2019).

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Figure 1. The microbiomes of non-domesticated horses (left) include a more diverse spectrum of microbiota compared to those of domesticated horses (right).

At present, scientists believe that hindgut microbiota are largely responsible for:  

• Fiber digestion and the breakdown of structural carbohydrates, such as those found in grass, hay, beet pulp and other forages. This process results in the production of volatile fatty acids, which are then converted to energy. Hindgut forage fermentation provides up to 70% of a horse’s energy requirements.
• Enhancing immune ­functions by helping to neutralize potential toxins and protect the horse from an overgrowth of pathogenic organisms. For example, an overabundance of Proteobacteria is reported to be associated with inflammatory intestinal diseases and dysbiosis, such as colic (Kauter, A., Epping, L., Semmler, T. et al., 2019). Imbalanced microbiota are also linked to other horse diseases, such as colitis, laminitis, equine gastric ulcer disease and equine metabolic syndrome.
• Promoting gut-brain connectivity, which influences behavior. In addition to protecting horses from pathogens, microbiota produce fatty acids (as noted above), hormones, cytokines and neurotransmitters. Through these various chemical pathways, microbes affect the equine mood.

Keeping the hindgut properly balanced is imperative to horse health. Although some highly influencing factors, such as age, are beyond control, there are a few things you can do to encourage a happy hindgut.

1. Focus on forage. Forage should make up the majority of your horse’s diet. Feed only high-quality hay and/or grasses, and offer free-choice, if possible. The equine digestive system is designed for an almost constant, slow intake of forage, which helps to maintain proper hindgut pH levels. This is critical to influencing the abundance of good gut microbes, such as fiber-fermenting bacteria.

2. Don’t go overboard on grain. Some horses require more calories and nutrients than forage alone can provide, but grain is often high in sugar and starch, which is difficult for the hindgut to digest. This can have an adverse effect on pH and bacteria levels.

3. Provide plenty of exercise. Activity helps to stimulate gut motility and can reduce the risk of impactions and gas buildup. Offer stalled horses the opportunity to be at liberty, ideally through daily turnout, in addition to regular work in your preferred form (e.g., riding or driving).

4. Offer constant access to fresh, clean drinking water. Most horses will naturally drink what they need when given access to clean water. Chewing and digesting dry forage alone requires a lot of water, but keeping enough fluid in their systems to keep ingested food moving is also crucial. If there's not enough water present, these substances can dry up and block the further flow of food, leading to potentially fatal impaction colic.

With proper feeding and management practices, a healthy microbiome contributes to good digestion, as well as improved immune and neurological function. When imbalanced, it can result in serious and potentially fatal disorders. Therefore, we must do our utmost to ensure that we are taking the necessary steps to contribute to a healthy microbial population, which will, in turn, help result in a healthier horse.

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Believe it or not, service dogs have been learning new tricks for centuries. Although the exact chronology of when canines began to aid people with disabilities remains a mystery, there is early evidence of such partnerships, dating as far back as the first century A.D. So, it should come as no surprise that assistance canines are only continuing to hone their modern-day skillsets.

For the past several years, a team of researchers at Georgia Tech University has been working on wearable technology that will allow working dogs to communicate crucial information to their handlers and others, if necessary — such as in emergency situations when their handlers require aid.

The team is using this tool to explore the emerging area of animal-computer interaction (ACI), which focuses on interfaces for inter-species communication. The project is known as FIDO (Facilitating Interactions for Dogs with Occupations) and has applications for both service and detection dogs.

“Currently, dogs can only communicate with people by barking or through body language. Sometimes that isn’t good enough,” said FIDO Project Director Dr. Melody Jackson. “Sensors can give them a ‘voice’ they’ve never had.”

Specialized FIDO vests can dial 911, text a family member or play an audio recording requesting assistance, among other tasks.

How does this technology work?

The FIDO team has been working on prototype vests outfitted with sensors that will stand up to dog mouths and a variety of environments, including water. These include:

• A touch sensor with a screen similar to that of a smartphone, which a dog taps with its nose.
• A rope sensor, which the dog tugs at with its mouth.
• A proximity sensor (like a touchless bathroom faucet) that is activated with the movement of a dog’s snout.
• A bite sensor that — you guessed it — is activated when a dog bites it.

In a 2014 formal study, eight dogs wearing FIDO vests with multiple sensors were tested. The longest it took a dog to learn the system was 30 minutes. The fastest was an astounding 27 seconds.

Real-world possibilities

Vests can potentially be customized depending on the dog’s job, and messages could be tailored to apply to a handler’s disability. For example, diabetic-alert dogs might have an easier job of communicating if they can “tell” their person whether their blood sugar is at risk of becoming either too high or too low.

FIDO technology may also help to expedite critical situations, such as search-and-rescue missions. At present, once a dog locates a missing person, they must leave them and return to their handler in order to lead the search party back to the found individual. With a FIDO vest, the dog could activate a sensor, thereby sending a text message to the handler’s phone with GPS coordinates. The dog could then stay with the person or, if necessary, continue searching for others.

This technology could also apply to military and police dogs, such as those trained to detect bombs.  After alerting handlers to an explosive, the dog could then interpret the bomb's odor signature. Using a multi-sensor vest, the dog can indicate which chemicals are present, helping the handler understand what type of bomb they are dealing with.

While FIDO’s technology has only been lab-tested at this time, the development team is in talks with several companies that are interested in manufacturing this innovation. Dr. Jackson hopes that, soon, service dogs will wear these high-tech, potentially life-saving vests on the job.

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From your breakfast smoothie to savory dishes, blueberries have a much greater versatility than their small size might convey. In order for that blueberry to get to your kitchen, growers of this labor-intensive crop must face the many challenges of berry production. After ensuring the presence of the acidic soil that various blueberry cultivars prefer, as well as ensuring that the variety used fits into the location’s growing season demands, the battle against environmental and disease pressure begins. A slew of diseases attack blueberry bushes, but the fungal diseases that attack the leaves, branches and flowers of the plant are some of the more common problems that directly affect the plant’s yield and its ability to continue to be a viable plant for future harvests. 

A few of the most common diseases that affect blueberries include botrytis, mummy berry and anthracnose. These diseases, which proliferate during the times of the year that are more humid, spread when infected material comes into contact with healthy growth. Rain and irrigation help with this transmission, either by directly depositing disease spores onto the bushes or by creating a wet environ that nests the infection and fosters more favorable conditions for spreading.

Botrytis

Commonly called grey rot, this disease is caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea. Signs of botrytis include blossoms that have turned brown, appear to have a grey powder and begin to die off. This fungus can be spread by the wind and via water splashed from infected blossoms and foliage, and it can lay dormant on pruned branches and plant debris from previous cuttings. Botrytis poses the greatest threat to the plant at some of its most susceptible growth stages: bloom and right before harvest.

One of the most important steps to take for botrytis control in blueberries is to plant bushes that are spaced far enough apart to allow for sufficient air flow. Drip irrigation is preferred in order to keep the aerial parts of the plant dry. Prune and remove infected and damaged twigs.

Mummy berry disease

Another fungal disease that makes flowers turn brown and die off, mummy berry disease also produces blackened marks on leaves that eventually wilt and die. Mature fruit that is Infected will become grey and hard and will fall off the bushes before harvesting time. 

Since this disease can be transmitted to healthy flowers through pollinating insects, wind and rain and can be transferred to new growth through fallen infected berries, one of the more effective ways to combat mummy berry disease is to keep the fallen infected berries from being able to access the plant. This can be accomplished by removing or burying mummified berries from under and around the plant by cultivating the soil underneath the bushes. While time consuming, harvesting and destroying mummified berries before they drop to the ground can be very effective for mitigating infection.

Anthracnose

Plants infected with ripe rot, or anthracnose, may not show any symptoms until after harvest. This is a tricky disease that spends the winter months hiding in infected twigs, older growth and live buds. New infections occur in humid conditions, when rain and irrigation can transfer spores, most often between the flowering and berry development phases. If any symptoms manifest prior to harvest, they will appear near the time of berry maturation, and a few flowers may wilt and turn brown, or the flower part of the berry may soften. The greater danger with anthracnose comes during post-harvest, when berries are packaged and stored; salmon-colored spores will appear on the berries and spread to other berries in the same package.

Mitigation strategies for anthracnose are similar to those for botrytis: Separate bushes to create more space between each plant; drip irrigate; and increase the air flow in the plant through pruning. Additionally, quickly move harvested fruit to cold storage.  

Growers can also use fungicides to help limit the spread of these diseases. However, with the future of many fungicides in question, what else can growers do to help their blueberry bushes? Once the practices that create physical barriers for fungal infections, such as plant spacing, have been implemented, the focus should turn to the plants themselves. After planting and during the growth phases, it is important to ensure that the plant’s nutritional needs are met. Well-nourished plants are more capable of resisting environmental and disease pressures.

Growers can complement their existing fungicide programs with biostimulant nutritional aids, such as AGRO-MOS, maximizing plants defense mechanisms.

Benefits of Agro-Mos:

• Based on nutrigenomic research
• Proper nutrition aids in reducing overall plant stress
• Complements existing pest-management programs while avoiding residues

Find out how Agro-Mos can be beneficial in your berry production!

What lies ahead for the agriculture industry, and how will technology play an instrumental role in influencing future production? As part of the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience, Robert Walker, Alltech’s European growth officer, was joined by Patrick Walsh, founder and CEO of tech entrepreneur community Dogpatch Labs, and Nicky Deasy, managing partner of global agrifood tech accelerator The Yield Lab, to learn more.

The Alltech 2020 ag-tech insights report, developed by Dogpatch, examined more than 1,600 startups across 35 different sectors. Included below are some of the key takeaways:

1. Early-stage funding is up significantly:

There has been a doubling of early-stage funding over the past 12 months, but mid- to late-stage funding remains fairly stagnant. New ag-tech funds are on the rise, with about $500 million more available in funding for this sector.

2. Year-over-year (YOY) tech funding growth:

YOY tech funding growth has been very strong, hitting $3.6 billion this year. We’ve witnessed 40% growth in this segment annually since 2017. The top five startups in 2019 — Impossible ($300 million), Ginkgo Bioworks ($290 million), Farmers Business Network ($175 million), Perfect Day ($140 million) and Ynsect ($124 million) — account for almost one-third of all funding (worth as much as all ag-tech funding in 2016). Three categories captured half of all ag-tech investments in 2019: alternative protein, supply chain/marketplace and indoor farming.

3. The next trend in early-stage ag-tech deals:

The highest number of early-stage startups were in the livestock sector. We can expect that a lot of these small early bets will become significant businesses in the near future. Within livestock, aquaculture startups are where the money is flowing, receiving four times as much investment ($162.73 million) over the next species (dairy, at $37.33 million).

4. The ag-tech industry is still underinvested:

Despite seeing a fourfold investment since 2014, ag-tech remains one of the most underinvested subsectors in the global startup ecosystem, with $3.6 billion in 2019, compared to WeWork’s total funding of $22.5 billion and SoftBank’s Vision Fund at $100 billion.

Walsh offered his insights: “The universe of ag-tech startups continues to grow, with more money flowing into more countries — and more startups in more countries — than ever before,” he said. “In 2019, alternative protein was the destination of most of that VC (venture capital) money. Almost one in every four dollars, I think, went into an alternative protein company, whether that was plant-based, insect-based or cell-based. And as investors get more aggressive in that space, the deal sizes are getting bigger than we've ever seen [before] in agri-food tech.

“Impossible Foods did a $500 million deal,” he continued. “I think they’ve raised over $1 billion in funding now, making them worth maybe $2–3 billion. We saw an insect protein company raise, I think, a total of $172 billion, but what excites us more is what's happening at the super early stage. And what's really interesting to me is that there have been twice as many early-stage investments (the number of deals made in 2019) than in the previous year.

“So, what that means is, there are a lot more people looking at startups in different industries, in different parts of ag, and taking a small bet,” said Walsh. “And where are those bets being made? Well, most of them (are) in livestock (like) dairy, and some in aquaculture as well. And that's because, I think, you're starting to see a lot of technologies moving on an exponential trend and getting more cost-effective and more powerful, in terms of capabilities, and starting to hit the right stage and opening up new possibilities.”

Deasy went on to share what she has been seeing in the VC landscape at present: “Well, I suppose our figures, indeed, echo those,” she said. “The data from last year indicated that seed-stage funding in Europe was up 70% in ag-tech over the previous year. We would expect that trend to actually accelerate over the coming years. We now have the EU farm-to-fork strategy coming in, which is going to [offer] a pricing incentive for companies — ag-tech companies with sustainable technology — to improve the footprint of the industry.

“So, all of that is driving a very, very vibrant ecosystem in the European early-stage ag-tech landscape,” Deasy continued. “When we started investing in 2017, most investors had never heard of ag-tech, which is quite extraordinary when you consider that the underlying industry — the ag and food industry, globally — is worth about $8 trillion per year in terms of the value of its output.

“This sector is still very much in its infancy because the underlying industries that it's trying to support are huge, and there's much opportunity to improve how we do things,” she concluded. “Technology will help drive a better, stronger and more profitable industry for all of its participants, including primary producers.”

How can we expect the recession to impact ag-tech startups?

1. Public market crisis lag:

Venture capital investments tend to follow downturns of public markets with around a 6-month delay. Deals in the pipeline are typically being finalized, but no new ones are being made.

2. CVC slowdown:

Expect ag-tech corporate venture capitalists (CVC), such as Syngenta Ventures, Tyson Ventures and Nutreco NuFrontiers, to pull back earlier and more sharply.

3. Early-stage investment advantage:

Early-stage investments are usually the least affected because they don’t depend on revenue and can easily pivot. Venture capitalists are more likely to invest in them, as early-stage startups are taking advantage of the new economic situation.

4. An increase in entrepreneurs:

More than 50 tech unicorns, such as Uber, WhatsApp and MailChimp, were founded during the 2007–2009 recession, and half of all Fortune 500 companies — think IBM, Microsoft, Disney and even Alltech — were created during a recession or bear market. Startups created this year could be unicorns in the next five to 10 years.

The impact of COVID-19

COVID-19 will drive automation startups that sell more products designed to solve problems associated with lack of labor and social distancing. E-commerce and supply chains will become less of a perk and more of a necessity. We will see cost-savings startups that can help businesses stay alive through their services.

We will also witness supply chain acceleration and automation innovation. Governments that used to slow down approvals are now pushing companies for faster innovation.

Walsh shared his take on the effect of COVID-19: “One of the things we did is we reached out to the startups that were in the Pearse Lyons Accelerator [now the Pearse Lyons Cultivator],” he said. “We had 22 startups over three years, and they've gone on, since leaving the accelerator, to raise $65 million or so. Because many of them were in the middle of a growth phase, (they) were doing larger funding rounds.

“It was clear that, when COVID hit, conversations stalled,” Walsh continued. “Valuations of their companies started to get re-examined and repriced. And a lot of investors (were) saying, ‘Well, we're still open for business,’ but, in reality, they were much more focused on protecting their existing investments rather than making new (ones).

“But as we've moved through this crisis now, we're starting to see that the money is — for the most part — flowing, and startups are really getting demand in different ways,” he said. “A lot of the time, a startup's proposition was focused on saving costs or increasing revenue. The pitch decks have started to change a lot more (now) to say, ‘We can make you and your food safer.’

“Startups are nimble,” Walsh concluded. “They can adapt fast to this new paradigm. And they can deliver on the new needs of the industry pretty quickly. I would feel pretty confident (saying) that COVID will actually drive innovation. After an initial shock and a sense of uncertainty about what's going to happen in the short term, you’re going to see more innovation flowing now as we go into next year.”

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Consumers are asking more questions about the meals on their tables: Where is my food grown? How is it grown? Is it sustainable? Is it environmentally friendly? This shift in consumer preference is changing the way that corporations work, because now, sustainability must become a permanent line item in their business plans. Not only is sustainably produced food becoming a non-negotiable for consumers and businesses, it also happens to be a solution to feeding the world.

At the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience, Ciarán Black, owner of Nuevo Growth, hosted a discussion with Ryan Rakestraw, director at Temasek International, and Claudia Roessler, director of agriculture for Microsoft, to further discuss how to sustainably produce more food. The consensus? Via sustainable agriculture technologies. There are many forms of ag-tech — from technologies that help with the efficiency of how food is produced to technologies that create sustainable packaging and even technologies that can reduce food waste.

“Now, ag-tech is making substantial progress. It’s one of the fastest growing areas, but it still remains one of the most under-invested subsectors in the global startup ecosystem,” said Black. So, if ag-tech is a solution, what needs to be done to hasten its road to success? Black proposed three methods:

1. Encouraging investments in ag-tech
2. Identifying sustainable agriculture technologies
3. Stressing the urgency around a sustainable food supply

Investments: How can we make sustainable ag-tech more attractive to investors?

As awareness of sustainability grows, investors are taking notice. Rakestraw says there is a strong drive for sustainability today amongst most groups, including:

• Consumers. Consumers want to know the environmental impact of their purchases, and this influences a majority of their buying decisions.
• Businesses. Businesses are appointing directors with a sustainability agenda because consumers will continue to demand it.
• Farmers. In fact, Rakestraw says that most farmers are already environmental stewards.

“They’re looking after their land, they’re thinking about passing the farm on to the next generation, so this is something that they’re certainly thinking about and interested in,” he said. “I just don’t think they’ve had a good way to act on this.”

Because sustainability is, historically, an interest of farmers, is currently an interest of consumers and is now an interest of businesses, investors are primarily focused on companies that have implemented sustainability methods.

“The question is, if you don’t have some type of sustainability agenda or the ability to influence sustainability in your product or service, will you even continue to exist?” asked Rakestraw.

So, how can we ensure that we will continue to drive this sustainability agenda — especially when farmers, according to Roessler, are notoriously “late bloomers” when it comes to digital trends and advancements? There are many sustainable deliverables farmers need to achieve, including:

• Growing more while using fewer resources
• Tracking and measuring their sustainable footprint
• Telling consumers how their food was produced and where it’s coming from

Farmers need digital and data-related innovations on their farms in order to meet these deliverables, and luckily, as Roessler noted, “the amounts that are being invested in the ag-tech industry are increasing over the last couple of years.”

Investments are imperative for startups, universities and research organizations that have the goal of developing sustainable, environmental and agricultural practices.

“This is from anything like detecting pest stress or disease stress on a farm in a certain region to smart irrigation in another region,” said Roessler. “So, we want to help harness this ecosystem.”

It’s about more than just investing, though, and Roessler uses Microsoft’s startup programs as an example: They not only help invest but also help adjust the footprint, monitor sustainability goals, develop the process, market the products and deliver them to the buyer. Investors need to nurture startups to stimulate success. With this nurturing comes the speed that is necessary to “drive innovation at the speed that’s needed to address all those environmental changes.”

Identification: Where are the applications that can help agriculture create a Planet of Plenty?

Now that sustainability is on investors’ radars, it comes down to identifying sustainable ag-tech startups. Which startups should we be looking into? According to Roessler, we need to be looking at technology that increases productivity by growing more food that uses:

• Less energy
• Less land
• Less water

This is especially important because productivity has one of the biggest impacts on the environment.

“Think about if you could use 1.5 billion (fewer) acres of land in agriculture,” said Roessler. “This would be a significant purpose to what’s in our environmental goals.”

Another area to identify is risk prevention. Ag-tech that can monitor farms and the environment prevents incidents that lead to:

• Food safety issues
• Food waste
• Disease
• Abnormalities

Overall, Roessler stresses that it’s critical to address these issues before they arise, which will ultimately improve our whole food production process.

“I think that’s really the ultimate goal, which we need to enable now,” stressed Roessler.

Black then expanded on these points by reiterating the importance of identifying ag-tech that mitigates risk and creates a link to help the consumer understand sustainability within the supply chain.

But it doesn’t just stop at risk detection; Rakestraw listed several additional technologies that warrant investments, including:

• Gene editing and precision breeding systems for crops and livestock
• Insights around the microbiome and the use of synthetic biology tools
• Sustainable packaging of food products, using less packaging or biodegradable materials while still maintaining the safety and shelf life of the product

Rakestraw specifically highlighted the importance of ag-tech that reduces food waste, “whether that’s new coating technologies, optimized logistics or predictive analytics associated with matching supply and demand.”

Urgency: Will we embrace ag-tech quickly enough?

The growing population and increased environmental education add a sense of urgency to identifying sustainable ag-tech to invest in.

“So, we know that agriculture is becoming more sustainable, but just not fast enough,” said Black. “Is there anything we can do to increase the pace of that change? How do we go about doing that?”

Rakestraw listed three possible solutions:

• Industry collaboration — and not just within animal health and nutrition, but across industry segments. Through this collaboration, we will be able to educate consumers through quantifying and showcasing benefits.
• Public and private partnerships with government and industry to define standards, quantify metrics and regulate the messaging to convey to the consumer.
• Be bold and take some risks with moonshot goals associated with sustainability.

“I think the onus is on not only us as investors but (as an) industry to find these technologies that could have a significant impact and support them and help them come to life in this 10-year, 20-year, 30-year time period,” explained Rakestraw.

Digital technologies can increase the collaboration between startups, corporations and government. Will fast-paced industry collaborations lead us into a more sustainable future?

Roessler says yes, but not by itself. We need to build programs that are sustainable for many years — not just short-term initiatives. The societal impact of agriculture requires creating infrastructures like internet connectivity for rural farms and fostering talent in agriculture that can work with technology in the future.

While speed is important, Roessler says that longevity is also key. We need innovations quickly, but we also need to look at how technology evolves and stays current.

“This is really (something) we’re in for the long run, and I think that’s really what’s needed to drive a systemic change in the industry,” said Roessler.

Final thoughts

By attracting investors, identifying technologies and urging quick action, we can anticipate a strong push in sustainable ag-tech for our futures. With the population growing rapidly, the industry has a collective duty to ensure food for the masses, and nurturing farms through new technologies can make this happen. Because, as Black stated at the beginning of his discussion, “Agriculture has the potential to provide solutions, both to feeding the planet and combating climate change — but we must do both.”

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The unpredictable nature of the current environment — including the increasing prices of raw materials for aquaculture, the reduced availability of animal-based proteins, using fish meal for fish feed, disease risks and health pandemics — is an ongoing concern, and the industry will be impacted by all of these issues for years to come. It is time for us all, as an industry, to adopt new strategies and learn to co-exist with new norms. This will, no doubt, be a test for each stage of the food chain, but there are some long-term approaches that the industry can take to help increase our profitability and sustainability.  

The ultimate objective for producers

Without a doubt, the most important goals for producers in the aquaculture industry are to:

• Produce healthy fish in the most sustainable manner.
• Reduce the use of marine ingredients.
• Aim for increased growth.
• Reduce operational costs.

Attempting to improve weight gain and lower the feed conversion ratio (FCR) puts increased pressure on the digestive tract to function with the highest efficiency. Considering this, maintaining the health and welfare of fish and shrimp will still be critical for efficient production. Stress from the rigors of production, disease resistance, age and feed, combined with external factors — such as temperature, salinity and pH — can cause imbalances in the gut, potentially leading to disease.

Diets in the aquaculture industry have changed significantly over the last number of years and will continue to be modified and improved. From a sustainability perspective, there is an ever-growing need to reduce fish meal and fish oil in aquaculture feeds. Feed ultimately provides energy and nutrients to support the development of the species. Providing the correct balance of feed is crucial for protecting against foreign pathogens and is critical for the system to function optimally. Formulations must be highly digestible, and each ingredient must add value to and enrich the diet to impact performance. As feed ingredients are derived from several different sources, significant planning, research and development can lead to more sustainable, economical and responsible feed solutions. When considering any change to an existing diet, the nutritional requirements of the species must be met. Each aquatic species has a different set of nutritional requirements, and they can fluctuate depending on their stage in the lifecycle.

Aquafeed is comprised of a selection of natural feed ingredients, including:

• Essential amino acid sources
• Essential fatty acids
• Vitamins and minerals

Imbalances in the diet will lead to a lack of required nutrients, which will have a direct impact on the performance and welfare of farmed fish.

The gut is the key to success

To fully protect fish and shrimp for long-term success, protecting them right from the start is crucial. Their first point of interaction with outside world — the skin, gut and gills — play a vital role in protecting the animal against the environment and its internal physiology. The gut is a complex system of tissues and organs that play an essential role in all interactions related to these functions:

• Food digestion and absorption
• Metabolism
• Defense mechanisms
• Immune response

An unhealthy gut cannot defend itself. A healthy gut, on the other hand, can digest and absorb the maximum amount of nutrients, providing the most benefit for the farmer. 

Importance of maintaining and improving gut integrity

1. Choose the correct selection of ingredients to prevent gut inflammation.
2. Increase the growth of good bacteria.
3. Create a solid foundation for health and growth.

The use of mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) in diets has been shown to improve gut performance. However, their function can be altered depending on the strain of yeast, the fermentation conditions and the processing methods.

Recent trials carried out with trout, carp, catfish, tilapia, seabass, sea bream, sole and salmon show the effectiveness of MOS in aquaculture species, promoting a healthy growth rate and improving intestinal morphology. The effects of different concentrations of dietary MOS in carp (Cyprinus carpio) included higher weight gains as well as improved FCR, productivity and immune parameters (Zhou and Li, 2004). Improvements in growth performance and reduced FCR and mortality have also been observed in MOS-treated juvenile common carp (Culjak et al., 2006) and rainbow trout (Staykov, 2007). Similar results have also been observed in European seabass (Torrecillas et al., 2006; Ramirez et al., 2016).

Bio-Mos® is a unique product derived from a selected strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast using a proprietary process developed by Alltech, Bio-Mos is incorporated into animal diets to support overall animal performance. Effective during all phases of growth, Bio-Mos is designed to feed the gastrointestinal tract, thereby maximizing performance and profitability. Bio-Mos has been shown to maintain gastrointestinal health and integrity, contributing to increased growth and lower FCR. It has also displayed an ability to increase the absorptive surface area supporting the immune system, and  stimulating the natural defenses and health status of the animal.

The inclusion of Bio-Mos in the diet improves gut morphology by increasing the microvilli density and length, leading to an enhanced absorptive surface. A report completed by Dimitroglou et al. (2007) demonstrated the effects on the gut morphology of several species. Similarly, in European seabass, an increased number of folds was noted, indicating a larger surface area for nutrient management (Torrecillas et al., 2015).

More and more fish farmers around the world are finding that including Bio-Mos and Actigen in their strategic feeding programs provides a successful and cost-effective solution to their animal health problems. Getting this aspect right as early as possible in the production cycle will ultimately benefit fish performance in later life.

Reducing costs will always be an important element in the viability of any farmed species; however, it is clear that the positive impact of solid gut health will affect production and performance and help mitigate the challenges faced by farmers worldwide. Providing fish with quality nutrients, backed by innovative technological solutions based on sound research and development, plays an important role in ensuring financial success.

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