An Interview with Becky Timmons

The following is an edited transcript of our interview with Becky Timmons, director of applications research and quality assurance at Alltech.

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

Here at ONE 2016, you are presenting on the fish oil dilemma. Why exactly is fish oil important?

Fish oil is a very important part of the food chain. If you look at our growing population needing more and more protein to feed the people, aquaculture, which is farmed fish, has finally surpassed the amount of wild capture. With overfishing, we cannot catch enough fish in the sea. We are having to farm, and fish oil is part of that diet to produce farmed fish.

Why is fish oil important to humans, how do we get fish oil and what does it contribute to human nutrition?

If you think about it, we are all told to eat one to two servings of fish a week and with one serving of that being a fatty fish. The reason for that is the DHA omega-3 portion of that fat, which is very important to our heart health, eye health and brain health. If you think a little further with prenatal vitamins and infant formula, those all have DHA incorporated into them now because it’s so important for brain and eye development of children.

Because we have a shortage of fish oil, what are producers doing to make up for that shortage?

About 1 million tons of fish oil is all that’s available every year, and that fluctuates a little bit depending on weather conditions and fishing conditions, etc., but the maximum is a million, and, as consumers, we are using every bit of that. Most of it is going for fish farming, but a growing segment is going for direct human nutrition (e.g., the fish oil capsules you take). As more and more of that is going to human nutrition, there is less available to produce farmed fishing.

Farmed fish is a growing segment; what are they going to do? They have started to replace fish oil and fish meal with things like vegetable proteins, soymeal, soybean meal and soy oil. What that causes is that omega-3 that’s so important to go down in the fish that you’re eating. Now they are starting to say: Instead of that one to two servings per week, that’s going to double to two to four servings per week. That’s a lot of fish.

Sitting down to that salmon dinner no longer has the same value it once did. You have to eat a few more of those a week.

That is correct. There have actually been studies done. In Scotland, they pulled about 3,000 salmon and did studies on that to look and see — what are the levels? — and it has gone down significantly.

What can be done? Are there any alternatives for producers?

Yes, that’s what Alltech is working on. We have an algae that we produce that is a high-fat, high-DHA algae. If you think about it, fish do not naturally produce DHA omega-3. They get it in their food chain; they get it from algae. We are just bypassing the fish and taking that same algae, producing it so that we then have a nice high-fat, high-DHA algae to feed to the fish.

Does it matter how the algae are produced?

It does. In our case, we are producing this (algae) in very large enclosed vessels. With that, we can control everything — the temperature, the time, the pH, the mixing speed, all of those things that give us very high efficiency, which is good, but also we control the nutrients that we feed it. What that means is, something you hear about with fish and fish oil is that mercury and dioxins can be a problem; we don’t have to worry about that since we are controlling everything going into the system.

Algae are not just for aquaculture diets; we see applications for other production species, right?

That’s correct. If you think about it — back in history, how we used to feed our animals — we would feed scraps to our pigs and chickens out back. They would naturally have things like that fish oil in the food chain, and therefore it was found naturally in the meat, milk and eggs we would eat. We don’t do that anymore, so now they are fed very heavily on things like soy, corn and distillers grains. What we have found is that if we put in algae, the high-DHA, in any livestock diets, the animal benefits. It is beneficial to their health status as well as it incorporates back naturally into the meat, milk and eggs for human nutrition.

I’m sure kids are sometimes more likely to eat some scrambled eggs than a plate of salmon.

That is very interesting because, like I said, DHA is something that’s added to prenatal vitamins as well as infant formula, but once a child reaches about 1 year old, where are they getting DHA? They are not munching on salmon or trout. A study showed that in the U.S., the recommended daily intake for a 3-year-old would be 150 milligrams a day. The average American child at 3 years old is getting 19 milligrams per day. That’s a huge discrepancy, and, as you have said, a child is more willing to eat eggs or naturally enriched chicken fingers or hamburger, something like that, that will have the DHA omega-3 in it.

There is an incredible opportunity for food companies to specialize and differentiate themselves on the market with these functional foods. What is the availability of algae?

Again, when we say algae, algae is a huge category with lots of different types of algae. We’re talking about one specific type that we are producing. We have been working really hard over the last five years, increasing our efficiencies, lowering our costs and increasing our scale so we can produce more and more to be able to fill that gap.

Would you consider it to be economical for a producer to incorporate algae in their animals’ diets?

Absolutely.

How does that work in the animal diet? Can you describe how algae would be added to feed?

Our product is a dry powder, so it can be added just like any other feed ingredient. It can be mixed into the meal, and then it can be pelleted, extruded if it were going into a pet food. It can be handled just like any other raw material.

The animals enjoy it?

Yes, the animals enjoy it.

Lastly, you referenced that algae are very diverse organisms. It also brings to mind what we hear about soil and how much of soil is yet to be discovered. Are there some similarities there, and what else is there for us to discover in algae?

In soil, you would find hundreds of microorganisms in each gram of soil, even thousands. A lot of those are undiscovered, so now they are starting to find the benefits of soil, the same thing is true with algae. In the ocean and depths of the ocean, there are believed to be several hundred thousand species of algae, and each one is different. You can imagine the untapped resources out there.

Noo-tri-jee-noh-miks: the official pronunciation of nutrigenomics. It’s difficult to say, and it can be even more difficult to understand.

In its simplest definition, nutrigenomics is the study of how diet affects gene expression. Even more simply put, nutrigenomics looks at what a person or animal eats and studies how their body responds to it.

Nutrigenomics is a relatively new and quickly evolving scientific field. Fortunately, Alltech has been at the forefront of this research for almost a decade. In 2008, Alltech opened the world’s first fully dedicated nutrigenomics and epigenetics lab at the Alltech Center for Animal Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Nutrigenomics’ true implications are only now being understood.

What value can nutrigenomics bring to animal nutrition research, specifically beef research?

1) Traditional research is slow; nutrigenomics is fast.

Compared to poultry or swine research, beef research is horrendously slow. The weeks or months necessary to study other species pales in comparison to the often three to four years needed to capture appropriate lifecycle data for beef cattle. As a result, innovation becomes more challenging and time-consuming for researchers. Many industry products have remained the same for more than 30 years.

Nutrigenomics produces data almost immediately, and information can be gathered while cattle are still alive.

2) Traditional research gives us just one (or, sometimes, a few) key data points; nutrigenomics gives us 22,000.

With the use of micro-array technology, Alltech uses a specialized gene chip that utilizes tissue samples to show almost instantaneously how a change in diet (or any environmental change) has affected gene expression. The more than 22,000 data points on a gene chip produce a digital reading that shows whether each specific gene is turned on (shown in the reading as “hot”) or turned off (shown in the reading as “cool”). This high volume of data is read using specialized software to inform researchers which pathways have been most affected by a change in diet. This breakthrough dramatically decreases the time needed to conduct and evaluate research.

Conversely, traditional research can only look at one issue (or a few issues) at a time and is therefore limited in the depth of its findings.

3) Traditional research explains often only what happened; nutrigenomics tells researcher not only what but also why changes happen within cattle.

For instance, Alltech has pinpointed the specific feed ingredients necessary to optimize lean tissue deposition — a key performance parameter in feedlot cattle. Through nutrigenomics, the metabolic pathways crucial to muscle growth have been identified, and as a result, both what has changed (i.e. increased weight gain) and why it has changed (i.e. improvements in energy metabolism) can be observed by researchers. To produce the scale and scientific scope necessary to make these conclusions through traditional research techniques would require investments of time, money and cattle that are simply not feasible in most circumstances.

Making nutrigenomics profitable: EPNIX®

Now, Alltech is beginning to see the first fruits of its nutrigenomics research in beef. Through more than eight years of nutrigenomic refinement and repeated testing in large-pen commercial feed yards, Alltech is proud to launch its new feedlot technology, EPNIX®.

Named to reflect its epigenetic and nutrigenomic roots, EPNIX is a two-part feedlot technology designed to support the carcass weight and dressing percentage of finishing cattle. It is fortified with 100 percent organic trace minerals and is delivered with strategic supplementation through both a receiving and a finishing technology. EPNIX optimizes rumen function and systemic metabolism, bringing new innovation and value to feedlot production.

Yet the challenge faced by any new innovation is twofold: Is it relevant, and does it provide a return on investment

Designed without antibiotics or antimicrobials, EPNIX is formulated to comply with relevant changes in feeding regulations, such as the Veterinary Feed Directive. To further validate its formulation, EPNIX is certified by IMI Global as a Feed Verified ingredient for use in Verified Natural Beef, Non-Hormone Treated Cattle and Global Animal Partnership programs.

Additionally, EPNIX focuses on delivering profitable returns to producers. In repeated, large-pen studies, EPNIX has demonstrated improvements in overall performance and has supported carcass weight gains, which are key to profitability.

To explain the research on and key concepts of EPNIX, Alltech recently hosted a webinar led by Dave Pfenninger, Alltech territory sales manager, and Dr. Vaughn Holder, head of beef research for Alltech. Click below to watch the Alltech Beef Innovations17 webinar, in which they discuss EPNIX and the future of feeding cattle with Alltech solutions:

For more information on EPNIX, nutrigenomics or Alltech’s beef technologies, contact your local Alltech representative or e-mail beef@alltech.com.

Agriculture is not immune to the changes of the digital age. Technological innovations have the ability to transform every link in the food chain, from seed to fork.

The need to embrace the opportunities these innovations offer is real. In order to feed the nearly 10 billion people with whom we will be sharing this planet by 2050, crop and livestock productivity improvements are essential.

Agricultural efficiency is still relatively poor: 7 tons of feed are needed to produce just 1 ton of meat. It takes 880 gallons of water to produce one gallon of milk.

Further, climate change is already requiring changes to crop management, and access to fresh water and good soil are becoming serious limitations for agriculture.

Finally, there are competing food requirements. In wealthier areas, food is a relatively small part of the household budget, and consumers are becoming prosumers, with high expectations for the standard and types of food they want. At the same time, global hunger and food scarcity are serious challenges - nearly 800 million people are undernourished. Connecting both is the global food chain: ensuring that there is transparency, traceability and trust between producers, processors and prosumers.

Digital disruption drives the next agricultural revolution

Fortunately, the makings of a fifth agricultural revolution are here, with the potential to reduce or eliminate all of these issues.

Eight emerging digital technologies each have the potential to transform agriculture. They range from specific technical tools to new ways of seeing the existing system. Some, especially the first ones, sound familiar but their use in agriculture is novel.

These eight digital technologies can be categorized into four each of hardware and software and, when combined with the IoT (Internet of Things), can profoundly change the way food production works.

To discover Aidan Connolly’s list of the eight digital technologies disrupting agriculture, view his original post on LinkedIn.

In recent years, food consumption in China has increased an average of 23 percent. Not only has there been an increase in the demand for food, but also for a more diverse range of food.
 
Yet, in 2015, China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection reported that 19 percent of arable land in the country was polluted. When one considers the decline in the amount of arable land due to urbanization as well as the constraints caused by pollution, there is little doubt that it will take significant effort to remediate the soil for agricultural use.
 
In order to face the challenges of preserving farmland as well as protecting and improving the environment while promoting the sustainable development of Chinese agriculture, the Soil and Fertilizer Alliance of China (SFAC) was formed. This organization relies on the national agricultural platform for research and extension and focuses on the soil and fertilizer industry to promote the innovative integration of crop planting, livestock feeding, operating and servicing systems. 
 
When Alltech joined the SFAC, the company had already been working on research to reduce mineral outputs in animal manure through diet. This is being increasingly examined by governmental authorities, as evidenced by China’s December 2016 Environmental Tax Law addressing heavy metals and minerals, which are of particular concern for heavily polluted areas of China.
 
“We hope that this project can help livestock farms find a more sustainable way to reduce pollution,” says Dr. Mark Lyons, Alltech’s global vice president and head of Greater China, and the vice president of the SFAC. “We are finding that the Alltech solutions are not only significantly reducing mineral release in manure, but are also decreasing heavy metal levels.”
 
Projects such as these, combined with pollution monitoring, are an important step in reaching the country’s goal of significantly reducing soil pollution in the next five years.  

A postgraduate student at the Institute of Technology, Carlow in Ireland, Richard Lally’s research on plant growth promotion won him first place at the graduate level of the 2016 Alltech Young Scientist (AYS) program. In addition to global recognition at the ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, he took home $10,000 and secured a two-year fully-funded postdoctoral contract with Alltech.

“It has been one of the most exciting and enjoyable experiences of my life and has been my greatest achievement to date,” said Lally.

Lally noted that he has been overwhelmed by messages of support, which he is still receiving to this day. It has touched him and made him very emotional that people cared so much about him and the work he is doing.

Lally spoke of his pride in representing not only his college, but his village and country. He credited the other three finalists from the postgraduate section and said they are all exceptional scientists.

“To have been selected overall award winner is a real privilege for me, considering their excellent research and talents,” he said.

Lally received his undergraduate degree in bioscience with an emphasis in biopharmaceuticals in 2012. He is currently in the process of completing a Ph.D. in environmental biotechnology and bacterial genetics. Lally’s research has been on plant growth-promoting bacteria.

“These bacteria produce mechanisms as part of their normal cellular metabolism,” said Lally. “The mechanisms help protect plants against disease, benefit soil nutrient availability, produce plant growth hormones and can relieve plant stress.”

He focused on three Pseudomonas fluorescens bacterial strains and their symbiotic relationship with bio-fuel and the food crop rapeseed oil.

“I examined the plant growth promotion potential of the three bacterial strains, determining how they colonize and increase plant biomass,” he said.

The current use of “agri-chemicals” can negatively impact climate, ecology and water resources in addition to being threatening to human health. Lally’s research aims to provide alternative solutions.

“This area of research is deemed relevant in sustainable agriculture, and the bacterial treatments (or biofertilizers) have the potential to reduce the application of agricultural chemicals,” he said.

He believes his research will provide new insights into the genetics of plant growth promoters, how they interact with plants and their field potential for crop production.

“I hope overall to contribute to the understanding of plant growth-promoting bacteria and their role in sustainable agricultural practices,” said Lally.

Lally is currently finalizing his Ph.D. thesis and preparing papers to be submitted for peer review. Once Lally receives his Ph.D., he will begin his postdoctorate research with Alltech. Lally wants to further broaden his skills in biotechnology, sustainable agriculture and research.

“I now wish to apply my skill set to a constructive and innovative working environment,” said Lally. “I have many ideas that I wish to work toward experimenting with in the future.”

After Lally completes his time with Alltech, he plans to get a job in which he can contribute to the education and development of others. He’s thankful for the people who surrounded him on this journey and credit them for where he is today.

“Ultimately, a dream job for me would be a job that I can develop in, help others develop through, one that is satisfying to work in and, of course, one that makes me happy,” said Lally.

On an overcast morning, George Hupman looks out over his soybeans and talks about how, as a kid, he looked out over the same field and could see three sets of hills in the distance. Now you can only see one. You can’t tell him that things haven’t changed.

Since graduating from the University of Kentucky and beginning his own farming career in Loretto, Kentucky, Hupman has seen 41 years of crops. In that time, the years have been filled with successes and failures, both of which have taught him invaluable lessons and paved the way for experimentation on his fields.

Hupman takes an objective approach to his crop maintenance.

“Basically, I try something and see if it works,” he said. “I’ll put it to the test, and I don’t know that I can be any fairer than that.”

Using strip trials, soil sampling and yield monitoring, he is able to get a clear picture of how effective a treatment is on his fields.

A move to no-till farming

The norm when Hupman began farming was to use a long-term crop rotation, in which a grower would plant crops for two years followed by two to four years of using the same field for pasture or hay before returning to crops and continuing the cycle.

Advancements in fertilizers and pesticides made it possible to crop annually on the same fields. In 1983, Hupman went no-till.

Improving soil conditions with a more natural farming approach

“If you work the soil, you destroy the biology, you destroy everything, and that’s the whole secret to soil: that biology,” he said.

In the first few years, Hupman put an emphasis on fertilizers to get his soil back in order and to build up the micronutrient levels. Searching for ways to improve his soil biology has led Hupman to look for more natural options in his crop inputs.

“I would much rather put a natural type of product on the soil or crop than pesticides,” he said. “We’ve got to put more work into natural products and natural ways of controlling things. Eventually, all these pesticides are going to catch up with us.”

Since taking this more natural farming approach, Hupman has found that he has needed to use less fungicide and herbicide.

Through the years, Hupman has also used various types of cover crops to help reestablish the soil biology. Currently, he has switched from a purely ryegrass cover crop to a mixture of several winter crops, including winter peas and buckwheat.

When asked if he had any advice for the future generations of growers, Hupman offered these simple yet poignant words: “If we’re going to have a sustainable agriculture in this country, we need to protect and rebuild our soils.”

While North America prepares to hunker down for the winter, December marks the beginning of the cotton planting season in Mato Grosso, a state in the western region of Brazil that is the country’s main producer of the crop.

The area faces several challenges due to weather, soil quality and pests, such as the boll weevil. Nutritional management during plant development is therefore essential in aiding the grower to obtain good results at harvest. In Mato Grosso, growers who are using amino acid-based solutions are already seeing healthier cotton crops that are expected to result in yield increases.

Cotton is a very demanding crop, requiring careful management throughout the growing cycle in order to ensure boll set, which directly reflects productivity potential. Poor soil and nutrient deficiencies can quickly affect yield potential if not corrected.

Benefits of amino acid technology for crops, such as cotton

“Amino acids facilitate the uptake of micronutrients such as boron and manganese, resulting in improved development, nutrition and fill,” explains Brazilian cotton consultant Thiago Ferreira Gomes.

Gomes notes that the nature of amino acids allows for easier nutrient absorption by the cotton plant without an increase in stress.

Similar challenges to those facing Mato Grosso can be found in Texas and Georgia as well as other cotton-growing areas of North America, where successful yields are also being reached through proper management and nutrition.

“Using amino acid technology reduces environmental stress and increases plant health, which can result in increased yields and profitability,” says Carly Borel, Alltech Crop Science business development manager.

Recent wheat research at the University of Kentucky also demonstrated the benefits of amino acid technology.

When you go out to your dairy, stop, look and listen to your cows. There are clear cues as to their comfort, and they can tell you if something is wrong with their environment.

Three elements of a productive cow’s environment

The freestall:

• Brisket locator: The brisket locator’s purpose is to comfortably position the cow to lie down in the stall. Without the brisket locator or enough sand, the cow can become positioned too far forward in the stall, which can cause injury and deposit manure in the back of the stall rather than the alley. When I see manure on either side of a stall instead of directly behind it, it tells me the cows are angling themselves and trying to adapt to a stall that has not been adjusted properly.
• Neck rail: The purpose of the neck rail is to position the cow so that when she stands up, she backs up a few inches to defecate in the alley. 
• Deterrent strap: It should be a nylon strap, 4–6 inches wide. It should deter the cows but not injure them. A cable should not be used, as it can cause significant injury.
• Stall size: Many barns still have stalls that were manufactured in the 1990s. Today, we have larger animals that require larger stalls. We need to set our stall measurements based on the size of our cows, and it needs to be one cow per stall. We want the cows to have ample room to lie down and achieve optimal blood flow. If a cow does not have enough room, she may perch in the alley, and that’s where we can see an increase in hoof rot. Even a few inches of space can make a major difference in hoof condition and milk production.
• Sand: Sand needs to be clean and dry. 

Water:

​Milk is 87 percent water, making it critical that cows always have plenty of access to warm water. But how often are you cleaning and scrubbing your water troughs? It should be done every day or every other day and be clean enough that you would be willing to drink from the troughs.

Feed:

When cows are done milking, they should come back to fresh feed so that they stand for 20 minutes before lying down. Likewise, dry cows must have ample access to feed.

Little issues affect milk quality, yield and the longevity of your cows. Focus on “cowsistency,” and your cows will reward you.

Tom highlighted these points among others during his recent Dairy Strong webinar, “Cows don’t lie,” which can be viewed on YouTube.

Fifty-three percent of consumers frequently wonder if the food they buy is safe, according to research conducted for the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance.

Food safety has become a top priority among poultry producers today because of its direct and significant effect on brand reputation. The effects of a food recall are always costly and can severely harm a brand's reputation if consumers lose trust.

For over two decades, the meat and poultry industries have been following the guidelines of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, or HACCP, a management system for food safety put in place to address potential biological, chemical and physical contamination. This allows producers to identify possible hazards in order to take the necessary actions to reduce or eliminate the risk.

There is no silver bullet strategy that has the capability to address every potential threat along the production chain, so producers and plants use a variety of strategies at their critical control points.

Three steps to improve food safety

As stated on the National Chicken Council website, some ways that producers can improve their food safety include:

• The use of feed additives that can reduce the growth of potential microbial hazards.
• Approved rinses to kill any surviving bacteria.
• Metal detectors to make sure physical contaminants are not found in a product.

In addition to food safety systems, producers also need to make sure that their consumers understand proper food handling practices. Consumers should be made aware of the proper way to clean, prepare, cook and chill raw agricultural products in order to further reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses.

West Liberty Foods, a leading supplier of sliced meats in the U.S., understands that the concepts of food safety and consumer trust are crucial to success. The company’s chairman, Paul Hill, explained its strategy in a recent Alltech feature story. Learn more about how a brand like West Liberty Foods approaches food safety by clicking on the link below.

http://stories.alltech.com/west-liberty-foods-our-brand-is-food-safety.html

Are cattle producers ready for the impending U.S. Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD)?

More than 550 days ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its updated regulations for the VFD, and now, in just a few short days, the rules will go into effect. Some producers are now scrambling to get clarity on this critically important new directive.

Alltech has put together the latest information to separate fact from fiction and make sure everyone is ready to make the most of the upcoming changes. Let’s start from the beginning:

What’s the VFD, again?

The Veterinary Feed Directive, or VFD, will restrict the use of medically important antibiotics in animal feed. On Jan. 1, 2017, it will be illegal to use certain antibiotics without a veterinary prescription, and affected antibiotics will only be available to prevent, control or treat a specifically identified disease.

Functionally, it will work as follows:

• Feed companies and distributors must register with the FDA if distributing veterinary feed directive feeds.
• Veterinarians will be prescribing veterinary feed directive drugs and must have pre-existing veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR); more on that below.
• Veterinary feed directive prescriptions may be sent to distributors by veterinarians or by hard copy delivered by clients.
• Drug manufacturers will be allowed to assist veterinarians and feed companies with the processing.

Which drugs will be affected by the Veterinary Feed Directive?

A full list is available through the FDA website, but some of the most commonly affected drugs are listed below.

Remember, the list below shows the generic names and not brand names, so be sure to review the appropriate end products.

What worries have some producers expressed about the Veterinary Feed Directive?

The language around a “pre-existing veterinary-client-patient relationship” within the VFD can be confusing. To break that down, generally, this relationship for a producer requires:

• A veterinarian who is familiar with the producer’s operation.
• A veterinarian who will assume responsibility for making medical decisions on the animals involved.
• Medically timely visits to the premise.
• A producer who agrees to follow veterinary directions.
• A veterinarian who is available for follow-up as needed.

For additional insight, a complete list of VCPR criteria by state can be found here.

Dispelling Veterinary Feed Directive rumors: True and false facts

Information on the VFD can be found easily, but misinformation and incorrect rumors about what the VFD is can be just as common. As the start date approaches, what are the most common rumors that need to be dispelled?

Rumor: Feed-grade antibiotics are going away for good.

 That’s false. What is going away is the ability to use feed-grade antibiotics for growth promotion and other off-label uses.

Rumor: Injectable antibiotics will be banned.

That’s false. These will still be available over the counter as needed.

Rumor: The VFD will affect both small and large producers.

That’s true: Large or small, all producers who are found non-compliant will face a wide range of penalties ranging from fines to jail time.

Rumor: Water-soluble antibiotics are not affected.

That’s false. A prescription, not a VFD, will be necessary for medically important antibiotics used in drinking water.

What resources are available on the Veterinary Feed Directive?

Staying up-to-date on the latest information is key. Alltech highly recommends going straight to the source to get the most complete information. There are several comprehensive resources available online:

• The FDA website. Here you can find brochures outlining the requirements for producers, veterinarians and feed distributors, whether or not they manufacture feed.
• This FDA video gives an overview of the VFD.
• The Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University has created free modules on the VFD.
• In this webinar, Dr. Darrell Johnson from the University of Kentucky speaks in depth about the unique challenges faced by beef and dairy producers affected by the VFD.
• WATT and GlobalVetLink put together this great infographic.
• Your local agriculture extension office.

What comes next?

Alltech supports producers by promoting health and performance through nutritional feeding innovations. By bringing together over 35 years of research and practical application with state-of-the-art support tools, Alltech can provide technical expertise in the following management programs:

Preparing for the VFD might seem difficult, but with planning, producers can have a smooth transition and bring new value to their operation. To learn more, contact your local Alltech office.