Companion animals have now become an extension of the family. It should come as no surprise, then, that many pet parents would say their pet’s nutrition is just as important as their own. They pay as much attention to the ingredients in their pet food as they do to the food they put on the dinner table. 

Superfoods make it into the doggie dish

Consumers are gravitating to “superfoods” that tout beneficial effects on the human body, and they want the same for their dogs and cats. Functional foods now starring in the ingredient lists of pet food include: 

• Blueberries: Identified as a source of antioxidants, they can be found in dry dog food. 
• Carrots: Known for having beta-carotene, they can be found as a principle vegetable ingredient in pet food and can be given as a treat to dogs in their raw or cooked form. 
• Pumpkins: In the fall, when we are all inundated with pumpkin and pumpkin spice products, even pet food is not immune. Pumpkin is a good source of soluble fiber with beneficial digestive properties.

Sustainability: Supporting a positive cycle of “good” for pets and the planet

Sustainability is a concept that has become increasingly important to consumers when thinking about their own food. They want to know not only how nutritious their food is, but also what practices were used to grow the vegetables and feed the animals that are nourishing their bodies. 

This concern extends to pet food ingredients and how the grains, vegetables and fruits (and superfoods) were grown.

From this standpoint, the management practices used on the farm are very important to the concept of sustainability.

When a plant is stressed, whether from environmental factors, disease pressure or micronutrient deficiency, it lacks the necessary ingredients to attain its peak performance. This can result in subpar yield, size, flavor and texture. Growers will invariably use synthetic products to try and combat these deficiencies. 

However, a more sustainable approach will incorporate the use of products that are naturally based, with substances such as amino acids that enable micronutrients to be more readily available to plants, increasing their ability to fight stressors. The plant becomes stronger, and, by using these natural products, growers also limit residues that could be left on the fruits and vegetables that go into the pet food. 

The process is cyclical. By using sustainable practices that protect the soil, such as cover crops, crop rotation and precision agriculture, growers create a more active soil microbiome filled with beneficial microorganisms that help provide micronutrients to the plants. These micronutrients, in conjunction with natural plant biostimulant products, improve a plant’s resistance to stressors and help the plant protect itself. This in turn decreases the need for pesticides and other synthetic products that leave residues in the ground, on the field and in the food.

Plants raised on healthy soils with the micronutrients needed for plant health, supplemented with naturally based fertilizer as needed, have increased nutritional value. Meanwhile, these farming practices also improve the environmental footprint of the crop itself so you can be confident that your pets’ food is not only good for them, but for the planet, too. 

The following is an edited transcript of Tom Martin’s interview with Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer and vice president of corporate accounts at Alltech.

Click below to hear the entire interview:

Now in its seventh year of analysis, the Global Feed Survey continues to provide valuable insights into the feed industry, serves as a barometer for agriculture as a whole, and demonstrates the economic strength of the countries surveyed. What can we learn from the 1.068 billion tons of feed produced globally?        

Aidan Connolly is chief innovation officer and vice president of corporate accounts at Alltech. He joined Tom Martin to highlight what has been learned from the seventh annual Alltech Global Feed Survey. New to the survey this year is information gathered from the Asia-Pacific region, including countries such as Cambodia and Laos, for a total of 144 countries representing more than 30,000 feed mills.

Tom:                            The 2017 survey documented world feed production topping 1 billion metric tons, an all-time high for a single year. How does that compare with the findings for the 2018 survey?

Aidan:                          In the previous year, we had also seen production exceeding 1 billion tons, but this one was a larger number, finishing at almost 1.07 billion tons. That confirmed that those numbers are correct.  Of course, the way that we calculate these numbers is through estimates. We ask people to estimate how much feed is produced in each of their countries, and then we collect all that information from our own managers in those 140 plus countries. So, the first year, to see it was over 1 billion tons, was great. To see it again at a bigger number just makes us very sure that we have the right number.

Tom:                            There had been a 7 percent reduction in feed mills from 2015 to 2016. Obviously, that trend has not continued.

Aidan:                          Actually, that's not quite true. I believe that the numbers of feed mills are continuing to consolidate and to drop, but we've reclassified quite a number of feed mills that were on farms, smaller scale, in places like Russia, in particular Eastern Europe, by changing our methodology. So, we actually ended up with a larger number of feed mills overall, even though the number of feed mills, I think, continues to drop.

Tom:                            You have identified seven key findings in the 2018 Alltech Global Feed Survey. Let's take them one by one and begin with what the data reveals about China.

Aidan:                          Yes. The Chinese feed production was down a little bit. And, in particular, some of the species did see a reduction. Specifically, aquaculture continues to drop. However, we saw a rebound in terms of the feed production for pigs, and that was quite significant. Of course, China is in the process of consolidating its pig farming. We did see a number of the smaller farms being closed over the last two to three years. That has led to a reduction in the number of breeding animals, sows. And overall, there was a reduction in pork production the previous years of about 7 percent. However, this year, feed production went back up. And overall, that had the effect that China in general was about flat.

Tom:                            These reductions are happening at a time when the Chinese population is going the other direction — is increasing, expanding. Is that cause for concern?

Aidan:                          No. Feed production is affected by many factors. It's affected by consumption of meat, milk and eggs, but it's also being reduced by the fact that we are genetically selecting animals to be more efficient. And in the Chinese case, they have had a lot of farms that were very inefficient. So, when we talk about closing small chicken farms — in particular, small pig farms, but also ducks, geese, fish farming, etcetera — typically we’re moving toward farms that are much more efficient in how they convert feed into food.

Tom:                            Russia has registered noteworthy increases in feed production. What's happening in Russia?

Aidan:                          Russia is a really interesting story. Of course, Mr. Putin, the president, wants to make Russia a strong country, bring it back to some of its glory days and, in particular, is focused on food production. Self-sufficiency of food production is a critical part of that. Russia has been importing a lot of food from the United States, was importing from Europe, and was also importing from Brazil, but it's been exerting its soft power in its ability to restrict the importation, in particular, of chicken and, more recently, of pork and is looking for its own farms to replace that, so they become, if not necessarily self-sufficient, less dependent on imports.

Tom:                            What is the significance of that independence?

Aidan:                          The significance for the feed industry is that feed production numbers grew quite significantly this year, by about 14 percent.

                                    That is being seen specifically in terms of pig farms, dairy farms and, to a lesser degree, chicken farms. But in general, it probably will mean for the Russian population more expensive food. But, obviously, that's a decision being taken at the government level in terms of the strategic desires of the government to not be reliant upon people who they often have arguments with.

Tom:                            Also noted in this year's survey coming on strong is India. Where do you see growth occurring in India's feed production?

Aidan:                           India’s species are much more restricted because, from a religious and cultural perspective, they don't consume beef. They are relatively limited in their consumption of pork, and even a certain percentage of the population doesn't want to consume chicken. So, eggs have continued to grow. Broiler meat is growing and did grow this year very strongly as well. But milk, in particular, continues to grow. So, those three species are very strong.

                                       India has become a significant exporter of shrimp. We have seen a growth in aqua feeds as well from India. There are some concerns over the use of antibiotics. India is relatively light in terms of its consumption of protein per capita. And if that grows, that will lead to growth in eggs, of chicken meat and, to a lesser degree, of milk.

Tom:                            Going back to aquaculture, India has more or less defied a global decline in aqua production. What are the country’s strengths in this area?

Aidan:                          Primarily, it's coming from a relatively low position to start with. It is a low- cost producer. But, specifically in the area of shrimp, a number of viral diseases have afflicted areas such as Ecuador and Thailand. Much of this comes from the desire to grow aquaculture in areas with either rivers or estuaries where the water can quite often move from one farm to another, passing disease from one farm to another. India has not had those diseases to the same degree as other countries, so far. If it continues to remain disease-free, then it can continue to be a very large producer of aquaculture, particularly for export.

Tom:                            What are the trends in aquaculture feed production, and in what parts of the world is growth strong right now? Where is it lagging?

Aid an:                          We had a lot of controversy in this survey about the aquaculture numbers, particularly following last year, when we also saw that the aqua production was flat. Much of the discussion about aquaculture is about the fact that we are consuming more and more farmed fish, and that undoubtedly is true, and that is displacing our part of the requirement for replacing the fish from the sea. What we are seeing, however, is that the largest producers of fish in the world — typically China represents about 50 percent of the world's production of fish, Asia represents overall about 65 to 70 percent — in those parts of the world, we are seeing a reduction in the feed production for farmed fish, for aquaculture.

                                    We believe that in the case of China, it’s being driven very much by government policies and, to a lesser degree, by the economics of larger, more efficient farms. We are seeing some changes from a cultural perspective: people consuming less fish at banquets, etcetera. In the rest of Asia, many of the numbers we saw related to disease.

                                      Globally, however, aquaculture did grow. So, if you look at salmon, trout, sea bass, seabream, if you look at tilapia in countries — Europe, in particular — we do see a continued growth. What you have is the drop in Asia being offset by strong growth in other parts of the world. I would also continue to underline that, as aquaculture becomes more efficient, as it's become more modern, it has required less feed to produce the same amount of weight. 

Tom:                            For a number of years now, the survey has tracked a pretty steady growth curve in the African feed market. What accounts for this?

Aidan:                          African economic growth continues to be strong. It's coming from quite a low level, though the economic growth is also spread across many countries. It's not coming from any particular country. So, on a yearly basis, we are seeing that the African continent is growing by, in excess of global averages, probably somewhere between 5 and 7 percent in terms of GDP, and that is widespread.

                                       In particular, we saw a very strong year in Nigeria. Of course, Nigeria is expected to be the world's third-largest population by 2050, exceeding the United States, exceeding Indonesia, exceeding other countries in the world, just following China and India. So, it's not surprising that we will continue to see an increase in protein consumption there. However, the cost of protein continues to be very expensive in Africa. Nigeria in particular, but also many of other countries, did report extremely high feed prices. And high feed prices mean high prices for eggs, meat and milk.

Tom:                            As mentioned in the introduction, new to the 2018 survey is information gathered from the Asia-Pacific region. What did you find?

Aidan:                          Really, we’ve just been digging in every year deeper and deeper into establishing which countries produce feeds. Now, not surprisingly, we continue to skip a few: Andorra, for argument’s sake; Monaco is just famous mainly for gambling; Vatican City, which is mainly famous as a city-state for the Vatican.

                                    Nonetheless, of those 200 plus countries in the world, we think we've gotten to almost every single country that's producing feed in any significant, or even less significant, manner. We added in a few more countries this year. Those were in Asia, but they don't add to anything more than just creating a database of information, which is stronger and more robust.

Tom:                            There seems to have been steady growth in the equine industry, and it looks like it's happening nearly everywhere. What's going on there?

Aidan:                          The consumption of horse feed, of course, is driven primarily by the economics of the world, and last year was a good year. I know some of our listeners may feel that maybe their pockets didn't feel quite as full in terms of cash. But globally, it was a good year for the world economy. And in fact, for this coming year, the Economist magazine is predicting that only four countries in the world will not grow, and two of those were Venezuela and North Korea. So, you can see that we are in a period of general global economic growth that is leading to a larger middle class. It's leading to more people moving to a city, so more urbanization. And those typically are favorable trends for horse production.

                                       It has been quite hard to capture data relating to horses — not entirely sure why this is. People seem to be quite secretive, even in the United States, about how much horse feed they produce. So, we have struggled to be accurate in our estimates. I think this year's estimates were more accurate than previous years. I know the American Feed Industry Association issued a number that was much larger than ours but included forages, included other forms of feeds that of course don't go through feed mills. But, in general, I would say economic growth is lifting the tide and is helping the horse feed industry.

Tom:                            And you mentioned money in pockets. What does the survey reveal about feed costs?

Aidan:                          Feed costs, thankfully, have remained low, and I say “thankfully” because feed represents about 70 percent of the cost of the production for chickens, pigs, also for eggs, milk and aquaculture. So, effectively, for every protein that we consume, feed represents most of the life cost of that. And of course, when you further process it, it still continues to be a very significant contributor.

                                       Feed costs were low last year and remained low this year, by historic standards. Of course, in real terms, that means that they continue to drop, and that is directly correlated to the price of corn, soybeans, to a lesser degree, other forms of cereals such as wheat and barley, and other forms of protein such as canola, etcetera. That relates to the fact that we've had tremendous harvests. And even in years that we've got droughts, when it appears that we haven't done as well in the middle of the growth cycle as we expect, we still seem to take a lot out of the field, which has been good for farmers. It’s been good for feed. And, eventually, that means it's good for consumers.

Tom:                            As you keep your eye on current trends, do you have any early forecasting of what we'll see in the 2019 survey?

Aidan:                          If you look at some of these economic forecasts, it looks like consumers will continue to see their affluence grow. Certainly, we will see economic growth, which we hope will translate into consumer benefits. If that means that feed costs are low, food costs are low, and we can expect that harvests continue to contribute more and more to the silos of the world, I think it could be an excellent year for the feed industry.

Tom:                            Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer and vice president of corporate accounts at Alltech. Thank you for joining us, Aidan.

Aidan:                          Thank you, Tom.

Click here to sign up to download a booklet of results and explore an interactive map.

As much as we try to keep our pets healthy and protect them from illness, they can still get sick. Luckily, much like ours, your pet’s body has a built-in line of defense to fight pathogens that cause illness. Optimal selenium nutrition can help strengthen these defenses and enable your pet to fight its best battle against disease.

What happens when your pet is infected by a virus?

When your pet is exposed to a virus, their body launches a series of defense mechanisms that make up the immune system response. The immune system is responsible for identifying foreign intruders called pathogens that can cause disease and mounting a defense against them before they can make your pet sick. The immune system has two main components: the innate and the adaptive immune systems. The innate immune system is the first line of defense and includes barriers like skin and non-specific immune cells like macrophages, whose sole purpose is to attack at the site of infection. This general, non-specific immune response is a rapid onset, taking only a few hours.

But what happens if this isn’t enough and the virus or pathogen continues to infect? This is where the adaptive immune response kicks in. The components of this part of the immune system remain quiet until they are activated and adapt to the presence of the virus. The adaptive immune system is comprised of humoral, mediated by antibodies produced by B cells, and cell-mediated response, mediated by T cells. B cells make special proteins called antibodies that locate the virus and help the body destroy them. T cells, on the other hand, take a less direct route and form helper T cells and killer T cells. Killer T cells find and destroy viral-infected cells, while helper T cells coordinate the effort. The cells are destroyed and viral shedding to other cells is reduced.

To better help your pet during subsequent exposure, components of the adaptive immune system can produce memory cells. These cells “remember” the pathogen so when the same pathogen infects your pet again, the response is faster and stronger. The challenge with some viruses is that they mutate, causing small changes that make it so your pet’s body doesn’t recognize it as the same pathogen.

What role can organic selenium play in your pet’s health?  

Selenium is an essential trace mineral that is required in the diet of animals. Once consumed, selenium is incorporated into a family of proteins called selenoproteins. Selenoproteins are expressed in almost all tissues of the body and have vital biological roles. Selenoproteins function in hormone metabolism, redox regulation and antioxidant defenses. Selenium can be found in the diet in two primary forms: inorganic (a salt form) and organic (selenium yeasts).

You may wonder how your pet’s immune system, viruses and selenium relate. Selenium has two roles: maintaining proper function and strength of the immune system, and counteracting the oxidative damage associated with infection.

In chickens, selenium can reduce viral shedding and increase the expression of important anti-viral genes like interferons. In horses, selenium increases the expression of cytokines in immune cells. This link between selenium status and innate immune system function becomes clearer when you look at studies using selenium-deficient animals. These animals not only have higher pathogen loads, but they have reduced numbers of immune cells. The cells that are present do not function as properly as those of a normal animal. Luckily, these problems can be reversed simply by adding selenium back to the animal’s diet. At the adaptive immunity level, selenium can improve antibody production by B cells and accelerate T cell proliferation and total numbers.

Conclusion

A healthy immune system is your pet’s first line of defense against sickness and disease. If you remember when you were little, your mom might have said you have to “feed a cold.” While it might have sounded silly at the time, she wasn’t far off. Proper nutrition, especially selenium, is essential to make sure your body can fight off viral infections. The same is true for your dog or cat. No one likes when their pet gets sick, so ensuring they are eating a healthy diet containing optimal levels of selenium can help prevent this.

Sel-Plex^® is Alltech’s proprietary organic form of selenium yeast and is manufactured to mimic what is found in nature. Click here to learn more about Sel-Plex.

I want to learn more about pet nutrition.

The following is an edited transcript of Tom Martin's interview with Dr. Jorge Arias, global director of aquaculture and country manager for Chile and Argentina at Alltech, and Avelyne Saint Hilaire, the local administrator of the Alltech Sustainable Haiti Project in Ouanaminthe, Haiti.

Click below to hear the full interview:

What's happening in Haiti? Alltech is there, having arrived in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake of 2010 to a nation in need of much more than immediate disaster relief. There was, and remains, a need for sustainable economic growth, jobs, agriculture and education. Joining Tom Martin for an update on the Alltech Sustainable Haiti Project are Dr. Jorge Arias, global director of aquaculture and country manager for Chile and Argentina at Alltech, and Avelyne Saint Hilaire, the project’s local administrator in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. Dr. Arias served as Ms. Saint Hilaire’s translator for this interview.

Tom:                             Let's begin, Dr. Arias, with a brief history of Alltech’s engagement and presence in Haiti. Tell us how it all began.

Jorge:                          We went to Haiti about 10 days after the earthquake. That was in January 2010. We went with Dr. Lyons (Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech) and a couple of friends. We went directly to the Dominican Republic and then by helicopter to Port-au-Prince. We wanted to check on the situation there and to see what we could do.

                                       Port-au-Prince was the main area suffering from this earthquake, but actually, the whole country is in a continuous crisis situation. Dr. Lyons said, “What if we try to help Haiti through another region?” Through contacts and friends, we connected with people in the north of the island — in the Ouanaminthe area. People were arriving in Ouanaminthe from the critical area of Port-au-Prince. We found a school there, and that’s the beginning of the story.

Tom:                           This earthquake was devastating. Up to about 300,000 people were lost.

Jorge:                          Yes.

Tom:                           This struck a country that already had long been suffering from entrenched problems of all sorts. Could you carry on that description? How would you describe what you found?

Jorge:                          It was a terrible situation. All the buildings had fallen down. It was terrible. We really felt the need to start helping — not just that particular crisis, but in the long term.

Tom:                           You absorbed what you had seen and what you learned on the scene and out of that came a plan.

Jorge:                          Yes.

Tom:                           Can you tell us what that looked like in the beginning?

Jorge:                          Dr. Lyons said, “We need to make this project sustainable.” We asked what can grow in Haiti. What activity could we promote? We learned that Haiti was the first country in the Americas to produce coffee. Before Brazil, before Colombia, it was Haiti. It was also the first country to produce sugarcane. We chose coffee. Through that project, we could subsidize the rest of the activity. That was just the beginning.

Tom:                           Haiti, as I understand it, had undergone significant deforestation in the past. Did that lead to a decline in coffee production?

Jorge:                          I think it was all part of the same process. When you go to the island, you find two countries: the Dominican Republic and Haiti. One was colonized by Spain, the other by France. Haiti was trying to produce food for Europe and to export to different countries and also to produce coffee and sugarcane. On the other hand, the Dominican Republic has more sustainable beef and dairy production. What’s the difference? They didn’t deforest the area. So, they are two contrasting situations.

Tom:                           The aim of the coffee initiative was to help Haitian farmers get back on their feet. Has that been an outcome?

Jorge:                          Yes, at least in the community we’re influencing, which is the community of Dondon, a small village in the north part of the country. The original idea was to see what we can do: We find a coffee. We import the coffee to the U.S. green, as most of the coffee trading is taking place in the form of green coffee. We roast it in Kentucky, and then we sell it. With the profits, we can sustain the project. That was the original idea. We set an example for other people to follow.

Tom:                           Alltech’s involvement in Haiti extends beyond coffee production to educating and inspiring the next generation of Haiti. Tell us how the coffee connects to children.

Jorge:                          The first thing we started with was sponsoring a school. There was an elementary school in Ouanaminthe, and in one of our visits with Dr. Lyons, we knew there was another school (also in need of help). So, we took Dr. Lyons to see this second school. He immediately said, “Oh, we need to do something about this school also, Jorge.” That was the beginning of subsidizing and helping the other community. The students receive special education. We keep sending volunteers to teach the kids music, language, art and many activities.

                                       We also prepare lunch for the whole community of students. And we have some parents coming every noon to enjoy good food in both schools.

                                      We have more students now, to the point that we are planning to move to a new school in Ouanaminthe. We need to grow because we ran out of space where we are.

Tom:                           Wonderful. Let’s bring in Avelyne. Avelyne, thank you for waiting.

(Interpreted by Jorge)

Avelyne:                      Thank you, Tom. How are you?

Tom:                           Take us back to the beginning of your engagement in this project with Alltech. What was that like?

Avelyne:                      This is an experience where I’m growing every day because Alltech gave me the opportunity, not only to work with the community, but also the possibility to help the needy people in my area. The kids and the parents are enjoying and learning. They are evolving.

Tom:                           Avelyne, can you tell us about some of the ways that the school projects have made differences in people's lives — children in particular?

Avelyne:                      In the last seven years, the parents have received significant help. We started with 150 students in Ouanaminthe. In Dondon, we had fewer than 100 kids. Right now, between the two schools, we have 652 students. There are around 500 families that receive help and this education. That’s not only helping the students at the school, but also beyond school. And the kids are receiving quality education.

Tom:                           Avelyne, do you see this kind of educational experience and opportunity changing Haiti’s future?

Avelyne:                      That’s the main goal. We need to start from the beginning in order to change the country, and we need to start with the kids. I believe this was a real intention of Dr. Lyons’.

Tom:                           Thank you, Avelyne. Turning back to you, Jorge, let’s talk about water — clean, potable water. Tell us about Alltech’s water purification efforts in Haiti.

Jorge:                          The First Presbyterian Church in Lexington is associating with the effort that we started in 2010. They started buying the coffee first. That was the first activity. They did it for more reasons than to simply transfer the profits back to Alltech in order for us to sustain the project. They decided to use that money to go to Haiti and do some work with us. So, they have taken two or three trips to Haiti in these last few years, and one of those projects was to set up a water purification system for the whole community.

                                       We bought a piece of land where we are setting up this purification system. We can sell the water at a reasonable price and that, in turn, will also subsidize the growth of the project and help us to build a new school.

Tom:                           And why was the water project necessary to begin with?

Jorge:                          Water quality is an issue in Haiti — in the whole region. We can decrease the influence of different diseases and we can guarantee the quality of the water we use for our kids, but also for the community. We don't know how far we can get with the (water) project. We know from experience that in Dondon it became the water well of the whole community. It’s interesting to see all the community getting involved. Sometimes what the community needs is for somebody to kick off a project and people will follow.

Tom:                           You mentioned disease. Have doctor visits also been a part of this project?

Jorge:                          Yes. On one of my trips, I met a group of doctors visiting the Ouanaminthe area, and I had been told that they were coming from Lexington. I met them and we became very good friends, and remain so today. They’re going to Haiti every year to work on another project with Southland Christian Church. We basically formed a “joint effort” with these guys. They’re still going every year, and they are visiting our kids at the school. One of the doctors created a foundation to sponsor kids coming from Haiti to study at the University of Kentucky.

                                       We are trying to educate those guys and send them back to Haiti to work in their communities. We have one good example in James Blanq. He’s actually producing chickens now in Ouanaminthe, and he came through this program.

Tom:                           Another part of this project has been the important recognition of the healing and enriching power of the arts. What sort of connections have been made, and how have they developed?

Jorge:                          Dr. Everett McCorvey (University of Kentucky professor of voice and director and executive producer for UK Opera Theater) helped us, not only through the UK School of Music, but Everett is also a member of the community of First Presbyterian Church. We’re taking their volunteers to teach our kids music. We also invited a person that was giving a lesson in painting.

                                       Every time that somebody approaches Alltech and our group of people working on the project and they say, “I know how to do this, I know how to do that,” they are more than welcome to come along and join us in the effort.

Tom:                           If somebody would like to join in the effort, how would they do that? Who will they contact?

Jorge:                          They have to contact our people at Alltech, and they can do it through me or anybody in the Alltech community, the Alltech family. We’ll be more than happy to find a way for them to participate in this project.

Tom:                           I have one question for each of you: I’ll start with you, Avelyne, and ask what positive changes have you seen occurring as a result of the efforts of the Alltech Sustainable Haiti Project?

(Interpreted by Jorge)

Avelyne:                      Now the parents are much more involved in the education of their kids, and they're more conscious about the importance of education. As an example, Mondays and Fridays are marketing (shopping) days in Ouanaminthe. There is marketing on the border between the city of Dajabon in the Dominican Republic and the city of Ouanaminthe in Haiti. In the past, parents directly involved in the trading process were taking their kids. So, on Mondays and Fridays, the school was empty. The big change now is that the kids are going to school from Monday to Friday and their parents are doing their thing in the market.

                                    I have noticed that the government is aware of the project and is approaching the school to look at what we are doing, and they are getting more involved in all this process. That didn’t happen before.

Tom:                           Thank you very much, Avelyne. Dr. Arias, your response to that question too: What are the positive changes that you’ve witnessed?

Jorge:                          It’s just amazing. Dr. Lyons once told me, “Jorge, we need to bring different people every time we come to Haiti. We need to bring different people of our Alltech family or people from the Kentucky community simply because it won’t necessarily just change their lives, but it’s also changing our lives.” If you go there and see what’s going on, it really changes your perspective on your life; you see what you have, and what those people don’t have.

                                    So, we’ve been doing that through Dr. Lyons. We are taking different people to visit the project. Those people are getting more involved in the project some way or another. I took part of my family on my last trip. I took my son and he wants to go back.

Tom:                           Dr. Jorge Arias, Avelyne Saint Hilaire, thank you both for spending time with us.

Jorge:                          Thank you, Tom.

Avelyne:                      Thank you, Tom.

Big data is ready for the farm. But is the farm ready for big data?

84 percent of U.S. farmers who responded to a recent Stratus Ag Research survey said they have high-tech equipment that captures reams of data from livestock, planting, harvesting or crop protection operations. Yet, only 42 percent of them are transferring this information to a field data management software program for further analysis. 

The question is: How can producers harness all of this information to drive efficiency and profitability once it has been collected?

KEENAN, a technological entrepreneur of diet feeders, stepped up to this challenge by expanding into farm data analysis with InTouch technology, which delivers solutions on-farm in real time.

“We've been involved with the internet of things (IoT) since about 2011,” said Conan Condon, director of KEENAN’s InTouch system. “At that stage, there wasn't much connectivity. There were about 12 million connected devices. Today, there are about 6.4 billion connected devices.” 

At present, more than 2,000 livestock operations, ranging in size from tens to thousands of cows, use the InTouch system, a live review and support service that helps producers apply actionable intelligence to their operations, giving them the benefit of KEENAN’s access to data on more than 1.3 million monitored cows.

InTouch technology: Acting on data today

KEENAN InTouch is a simple, cloud-based communications platform that offers real-time performance monitoring. The system allows for all feed ingredients to be added to the diet feeder in consistent orders and ratios, thereby promoting feeding consistency and improving livestock performance and profitability.  

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Producers are looking for easy alternatives to interpreting and actioning data. InTouch supports that process, as data is automatically transferred and received after completion of every load. Not only are paperwork and time delays eliminated, but the InTouch platform also allows for instant feedback. This means that producers can make informed decisions on maintaining and/or improving ration accuracy, consistency and presentation, thereby maximizing livestock performance. InTouch can also incorporate data from other herd management software programs and services such as the Dairy Herd Improvement Association, resulting in better quality analysis. 

Convenience is also a key feature of InTouch. Ration changes can be made from a computer or smartphone, through the InTouch customer service center or programmed directly to the KEENAN diet feeder. Nutritionists can also send ration changes directly to the weigh scale on the diet feeder.

The pre-self-loading order and mixing time takes the guesswork out of loading accuracy, suggesting a mixing order based on type, length of cut and moisture levels of the ingredients. It also calculates the required number of mixing revolutions needed to maximize effective fiber and delivers a consistent, uniform mix, based on 17 years of data gathered from farms all around the world.

To maximize profits for producers, InTouch’s support services help them monitor everything from feed costs and diet feeder performance to proper inclusion rate accuracy in order to maximize profits. Daily, monthly and annual performance reports for feed efficiency, the cost to produce 100 pounds of milk, profit margin per cow and production trends are automatically produced. This means no more combing through data or handwritten notes to find patterns that might unlock efficiency — using InTouch, farm consultants can generate benchmark summary reports that can reveal management practices to improve livestock performance and profitability.

The MechFiber difference

Based on years of data from more than 1 million cows, KEENAN has developed a range of products tailored to the needs of farmers, including reel, self-propelled, vertical and static machines for small- to medium-sized farms and pro-mixers for high-volume feed manufacturing and larger farms. These machines are designed to improve rumen health, resulting in improved feed efficiency and livestock production.

They are durable and easy to maintain, with a low daily operating cost and stationary blades for controlled chopping. They have a simple drive system, with no gearbox required and they empty completely, so no ration ingredients intended for one group of animals are fed to another.

Each diet feeder has two chambers (mixing and dispensing) and, together with a six-paddle reel and patented fixed-knives system, is engineered to produce a consistent, uniform, fluffy mix called MechFiber, which is unique to KEENAN machines.

Independent trials have consistently shown that MechFiber retains the fiber structure needed to stimulate rumination, allowing greater absorption of energy and maximizing feed conversion efficiency.

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KEENAN diet feeders produce consistent rations from as little as five percent capacity up to 22,000 pounds. They easily handle and deliver a consistent, uniform mix for smaller dry cows, post-fresh cows and heifer groups. KEENAN customers can purchase separate ingredients to prepare their own premixes.  

Additionally, the low-power requirement design saves up to 50 percent in fuel consumption and reduces tractor and KEENAN diet feeder maintenance costs. Larger, more expensive tractors are not required compared to equivalent capacity vertical mixers, as a 120-horsepower tractor will operate a 1,000-cubic-foot diet feeder at recommended speeds of 1,200–1,500 revolutions per minute.

KEENAN started manufacturing quality diet feeders with cutting-edge designs and technology in 1978. In 2016, Alltech acquired KEENAN and is re-establishing the diet feeder in the U.S. market with a fresh approach to innovation that builds on KEENAN’s strong reputation for quality and performance.

Manufactured in Borris, County Carlow in Ireland, KEENAN products are available for purchase in the U.S. For more information about KEENAN, visit www.keenansystem.com. 

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By Walter Moncayo

In aquaculture, pathological challenges become a learning opportunity for production technicians, helping us to better understand our role and realize that we are mere mediators between science and nature. An aquaculture pond is a diverse habitat populated by countless species that interact with each other to achieve a unique balance, known as symbiosis.

A holistic approach to maintaining aquatic symbiosis

The existing variables in aquaculture are diverse and interrelated. Pathological events are an imbalance of the aquaculture universe; therefore, any techniques and methodologies that incorporate key elements (e.g., water quality, soil, nutrition, biosecurity) must be positive and sustainable over time. Treating these variables separately will not generate permanent results. The aim should be to seek alternative options, such as integrating them into a more holistic concept.

A great example is technology that combines prebiotic concepts with probiotics, which work together to create a symbiotic environment. Eventually, this alternative approach stimulates beneficial microorganisms (e.g., phytoplankton, zooplankton, bacteria, yeast), which stabilize aquaculture ponds and lower the risk of disease.

Becoming part of the symbiosis

Through management programs focused on health, biosecurity, nutrition and immune support, we have integrated ourselves into this symbiosis, effectively becoming the missing link in aquaculture.

For example, in Ecuador, we have been working with industry partners to develop a symbiotic environment for shrimp through the production of bokashi. Bokashi consists of soy cake, a source of soluble and insoluble fibers. Its protein is also considered a functional food source. Soy nutrients are released when combined with enzymes such as Allzyme® SSF and Allzyme® Vegpro, in addition to Lacto-Sacc®, which provides high-performance probiotics.

An interesting fact is that the probiotics in Lacto-Sacc, such as Latobacillus acidophilus and Enterococcus faecium, contribute metabolites (natural organic acids), which acidify the digestive tract. Additionally, enriching bokashi with Bio-Mos® and organic trace minerals like Sel-Plex® and Bioplex® may result in optimal farming conditions and significant cost savings.

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In a recent live webinar, Dr. Kristen Brennan, research manager at Alltech, discussed how the science of nutrigenomics can be applied to pet nutrition. Click here and sign-up to view the recorded webinar and the interactive question-and-answer session.

Precise nutrition: What does it mean?

When we talk about precision nutrition, or target nutrition, we are referring to specific dog/cat foods for specific breeds, age groups or sizes of dogs/cats. We know that certain breeds might be predisposed to joint arthritis (e.g., larger dogs), and other breeds might be more sensitive to gastrointestinal issues. The idea behind precise nutrition is designing the best nutrition for an animal based on its genetics, physical build and lifestyle.

How long has nutrigenomics been around? What drove this technology to the forefront of nutrition?

Nutrigenomics has been around since the evolution of the first living thing, because nutrition has always influenced the genome. We just figured out a way to measure it. Really, the sequencing of genomes is what drove this technology forward. Once we understood what each part of the genome coded for, we could capture that information.

What advantages are there for us to use nutrigenomics studies compared to tradition nutrition studies?

The number one advantage is purely the sheer volume of information we can get. We can profile thousands of genes and their activity in one snapshot versus just a few phenotypic measures like body weight. Another benefit is that these can be relatively non-invasive. We need only small samples of tissue and that can be as simple as bloodwork.

Can we use nutrigenomics to explain why some breeds respond different to the same diets?

Down the road, that is the goal. We are starting to understand changes in the genome’s sequence (called SNPs) and their role in health. Eventually, we hope we can link those changes to how dogs or cats respond to diets. The work being done now is more “big picture.”

Gene expression: What does up- and down-regulating mean? Which is better?

By up-regulating (“turning on”) or down-regulating (“turning off”) genes, the body changes the levels of the proteins that make up structures and functions in the cells. This, in turn, alters physiological processes like energy production or immune response. Nutrigenomics is the field of research we use to study if changes in genes occur with changes in the animal’s diet.

Which is better: up-regulating or down-regulating? The answer is, it depends. For instance, if you have genes that are responsible for cancer cell progression and you see an increase (i.e., the genes turn on, or up-regulate), that is a negative thing, but if you see a decrease (i.e., the genes turn off, or down-regulate), that is a good thing. However, if you have genes that are involved in a different function, such as protein translation or energy, increases (up-regulation) are good.

What do we know about obesity and gene expression?

More than half of all cats and dogs are obese in the U.S. Nutrigenomics helps to identify the molecular markers associated with, or before, body weight gain, potentially offering an opportunity to identify targets for nutritional intervention before a problem becomes bigger, literally.

Nutrients and molecules: What is the impact on gene expression?

What we’ve seen on a molecular level is that the form of the nutrients — for example, organic trace minerals versus inorganic — is extremely influential to how an animal responds. By observing genetic expression, we can determine which form of a trace mineral will have the most beneficial effect.

Nutrients and energy: What is the real benefit of organic selenium?

We like to talk about the mitochondria being the “powerhouse” or “battery” pack of the cell. Every cell in your body has mitochondria, which provide energy. We have found that selenium plays a role in controlling the gene that essentially says, “make more mitochondria.” PGC-1 alpha is a key regulator that says to your body, “We need more capacity for energy, so let’s make more mitochondria.”

Nutrients and inflammation: Omega-3 fatty acids can have an impact

Nutrigenomics is telling us that omega-3 fatty acids can decrease the transcription genes involved in joint inflammation, opening the doors for potential nutritional therapy or alleviation of symptoms.

Nutrients and digestive health: Other applications of nutrigenomics

By using nutrigenomics, we have found that special molecules from yeast-based polysaccharides (prebiotic fibers) can increase goblet cell counts and mucin, protecting the mucous membrane and, ultimately, the intestine from chemical and physical injury.

The bottom line on nutrigenomics and pet nutrition:

• Nutrition and the environment are the two main factors that can affect the health of a pet.
• Nutrigenomics examines the nutrient-gene interactions on a genome-wide scale.
• Better understanding of nutrition is possible through nutrigenomics. If we understand the “why,” we can figure out the “how.”
• Nutrigenomics enables us to design diets to target specific concerns such as obesity and joint inflammation.

Livestock producers are scrambling in the face of a global shortage of vitamins A and E during the first half of 2018. Recent weeks have seen extreme price volatility in markets for this pair of vitamin feed components that are so vital to animal health and performance.

Vitamin E spot prices more than tripled soon after Oct. 31, 2017, when fire broke out at the BASF citral plant situated along the Rhine River in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF is by far the world’s largest producer of citral, a key intermediate in the synthesis of vitamins A and E. 

Compounding matters, the BASF fire was preceded in the summer months by a downturn in production of these vitamins in China. New Chinese government-enforced environmental protection measures are forcing all Chinese vitamin manufacturers to limit production output.

“The vitamin industry is considered one of the heavily polluting industries, secondary to chemicals, cement and the pharmaceutical industry,” noted Alexander Buchan, Alltech inventory manager for the Asia-Pacific region. “As a result, the environmental protection tax law will without any doubt have a drastic effect on the manufacturers in China and their efforts for cleaner production.”

BASF declared force majeure, which suspends a company’s contractual obligations in the wake of disasters that lie beyond its control, for its citral and isoprenol-based aroma ingredients. The company later extended force majeure to vitamins A and E, shutting down production of both. Those operations cannot be restarted until the supply of citral is re-established and the corresponding intermediates for vitamin A and E again become available.

Immediately following the BASF force majeure declaration, all Chinese manufacturers stopped offering quotations in order to increase market prices. Only wholesale commodity agents had adequate stocks, offered at inflated prices higher than the manufacturer price. Once the agents’ stocks were depleted, the Chinese manufacturers began producing again at a higher price, often two to three times that of the agents’ previous offerings to the market.

Vitamin A

An estimated 40–45 percent of the global vitamin A 1000 feed grade market is currently supplied by precursors that were being manufactured at the BASF citral facility, according to an estimate by Feedinfo News Service.

Although the benefits vary from species to species, vitamin A is generally important for immunity and reproduction and helps the heart, lungs, kidneys and other organs function properly.

Vitamin E

High concentrations of vitamin E are present in fresh green forage such as hay and silage. But levels decrease as plants mature and are stored. The most important functions of vitamin E are as an antioxidant and in boosting the immune system.

Vitamin E has also been shown to be essential for the integrity and optimal function of the reproductive system as well as the muscular, circulatory and nervous systems in animals and humans.

Vitamin E deficiency causes disorders of the cellular membrane due to the oxidative degradation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, resulting in protein oxidation and ultimately leading to nucleic acid damage. The symptoms are specific to each animal species.

Due to the oxidative degradation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E deficiency generally causes liver necrosis. A lack of vitamin E in the diet can cause species-specific disorders such as encephalomalacia (“crazy chick syndrome”) in poultry and exudative diathesis (abnormal permeability of the capillary walls). The deficiency is also linked to mulberry heart disease, which results in the sudden heart failure of pigs, and “white muscle disease” (muscular dystrophy) in livestock and poultry.

Barely detectable subclinical vitamin E deficiency can result in impaired feed conversion and retarded growth. It has also been shown to lead to reduced stress resistance, higher susceptibility to infectious diseases and lower fertility. 

What should livestock producers do in the vitamin A and E crisis?

So, among producers struggling to maintain healthy herds, the burning question is, “What now?”

Crises have a way of sparking innovation.

“I think we need to rethink vitamin E formulation strategies and, in particular, the tendency to increase supplementation rates that has been seen over the last few years,” said Dr. Richard Murphy, research director at the Alltech European Bioscience Centre in Dunboyne, Ireland. “If we look, for instance, at reformulating vitamin levels based on the synergy and antioxidant contribution that other nutrients like selenium offer, then we can look at reducing the effective inclusion levels of vitamin E.”

Lowering vitamin E inclusions, however, is not as simple as finding a replacement.

“The reality of antioxidants is that they do not act alone, but instead constantly interact with one another, forming an intricate antioxidant network,” said Dr. Kate Jacques, Alltech director of nutrition. “No two antioxidants interact within this web with the same specificity, so while antioxidants work in concert, one cannot replace the other.”

In the case of the vitamin E shortage, the question is not how do we replace vitamin E, but rather, how do we maximize the efficiency of the antioxidant network with less vitamin E?

That is exactly the premise of the Alltech product EconomasE^®. EconomasE is a proprietary antioxidant blend that has been found to support the antioxidant network and improve the efficiency of antioxidant systems that depend on vitamin E. Developed using gene expression measures, research scientists found that this particular blend of nutrients could give a similar gene expression profile to that activated by supplemental vitamin E.

Rather than replacing vitamin E, EconomasE supports the rest of the antioxidant system and makes the most of the existing vitamin E. By ensuring the optimal activities of the existing antioxidant system in the cell and assuring a supply of essential trace minerals that are necessary for antioxidant enzymes, EconomasE reduces the amount of vitamin E necessary to keep oxidation at bay.

Is EconomasE a real solution when there is a serious shortage of vitamin E?

“Further genomic studies have found that EconomasE increased the activity of genes that normally respond to vitamin E,” said Murphy. “In fact, when EconomasE is included in the diet, it is possible to reduce vitamin E supplementation without compromising animal welfare and performance.”

In livestock performance trials, EconomaseE has also shown promise as an alternative antioxidant system by supporting antioxidant capacity and decreasing the cost of feed. In broilers, birds supplemented with EconomasE exhibited equal or better performance and antioxidant activity compared to birds supplemented with vitamin E (the optimal inclusion rate was found to be 200 grams per ton). In both dairy and beef, EconomasE at 2 grams per animal per day showed benefits to reproduction.

There is no sign of vitamin prices relenting in the early months of 2018; meanwhile, EconomasE provides a way to optimize antioxidant defense and offset the cost of vitamin E.

 When will BASF resume production?

BASF does not anticipate restarting the Ludwigshafen citral plant before late March 2018. Once production at the citral plant is re-established, vitamins A and E are expected to be available for transport six to 12 weeks thereafter and will then be subject to country-specific shipping lead times. BASF has established a website to provide updates, available here.

Would you like to learn more about EconomasE^®?

When faced with the challenge of quickly showing product efficacy to a new dealer, Alltech Crop Science (ACS) U.S. technical sales manager Brian Springer decided to take an innovative approach. 

“We didn’t have time or space for a traditional demo,” says Springer, who searched for a way that would highlight how ACS products help crops under stressful situations. 

The answer would take the form of a 79-day, head-to-head barrel trial using two control and two separately treated barrels of tender sweet corn. Soil-Set® was applied to both of the treated barrels at planting and resulted in a greater initial take-off during the first week  —  when compared to the two control barrels — and were later treated with Grain-Set® and Liqui-Plex®Zn. 

“The plants in the treated barrels were uniform in size and larger than those in either of the control barrels,” says Springer. “We also saw 100 percent emergence in the ACS barrels, whereas one of the control barrels only reached 67 percent emergence. This is a trend we continued to see throughout the trial.”   

Drought conditions soon set in, with 10 days of no water and temperatures of 100°F (37°C), and the ACS-treated barrels stood out significantly.

“The treated plants stood back up after the drought stress and produced corn,” says Springer.  “We also found that the root systems in the treated plants were significantly larger and resulted in greater yield than the control plants.

“Not only was the dealer surprised, but so were all the customers who visited the dealership everyday to buy feed or other farm needs," continues Springer. "They understand that fields produce differently, but now they see it’s possible to improve their soils in a cost-effective way, to compete with anyone.” 

Barrel trial using two control and two separately treated barrels of tender sweet corn. 

To learn more about what measures you can take to improve your soil, contact cropscience@alltech.com. 

Crops like grapes and peaches are among the most impacted by frost, which can lead to physiological stress and a reduction in plant development. The application of amino acid-based solutions is a first-string approach to mitigating damage caused by dropping temperatures and frost. 

In the town of Farroupilha (in the state of Rio Grande do Sul), Brazil, peach and grape farmer Fabiano Anselmi uses Alltech Crop Science solutions and observed improved crop development.

"The physiological stress was greatly reduced,” said Anselmi. “The plants’ color improved, becoming greener.”

According to agronomist Marcos Revoredo, an Alltech Crop Science technical manager specializing in fruits and vegetables, "When amino acids are supplied to the plant, they promote an activation or an acceleration of the plant’s metabolism. Consequently, there is an increase in the internal temperature of the cellular content and of the freezing point. Thus, it is possible to minimize the impacts of low temperatures and frost.”

However, applications should be performed preventively.

“It is important that the plants are treated weekly during the winter period, before the temperature drops,” said Revoredo.  

The amino acids can be complexed with nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and boron to enhance the results.

Additionally, management practices such as using a plastic cover to avoid abrupt drops in temperature, nocturnal irrigation and other field measures can make the environment more favorable for helping the crops overcome winter challenges.

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