High levels of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) present in grain and forage samples across Canada

[GUELPH, Ontario] – The 2017 growing season was a variable and challenging one across Canada. From drought conditions on the prairies to above-average rainfall in Ontario, weather conditions can not only reduce yield, but can also increase plant stress and lead to challenges with mycotoxins. Results from samples submitted for the Alltech 2017 Canadian Harvest Analysis show that grains and forages from across Canada are at risk of mycotoxin contamination.

Samples submitted between Sept. 1 and Oct. 15, 2017, show that grains contained mixtures of mycotoxins, including deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA). Forages such as corn silage, barlage and haylage samples also contained multiple mycotoxins in 2017, particularly from mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species of moulds, such as DON, ZEA and T-2/HT-2 toxins.

As a result of the late-season rains in many provinces, especially following the dry conditions during the summer in the prairies, there is additional potential for mycotoxins such as fumonisins.

Mycotoxins are a regular concern for producers, as they influence feed quality and animal safety. They are produced by certain species of moulds and can have toxic properties that impact animal health and performance.

“Farmers should carefully consider if and how feed with mycotoxins is used,” said Dr. Alexandra Weaver, Alltech® Mycotoxin Management technical specialist. “Even minimal changes in feed quality can have a big impact on an animal’s production over time.”

Mycotoxins are seldom found in isolation, and when multiple mycotoxins are consumed, they may have additive, or even synergistic, interactions that increase the overall risk to performance and health. As a result, an animal may have a stronger response than what would be expected if it was only experiencing a single mycotoxin challenge.

For feedstuffs harvested in 2017 and currently being fed, it is important to conduct a mycotoxin analysis that identifies storage mycotoxins, including the Penicillium and Aspergillus mycotoxin groups, as there is added potential for additional mycotoxins to develop during storage. Proper mycotoxin management techniques can reduce the risk of mycotoxins coming from feed materials as well as help to prevent the negative effects mycotoxins can have on animal health and performance.

Alltech Canada will be hosting two webinars to review the 2017 harvest analysis results with Weaver on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2017. The Western Canada webinar will take place at 9:00 a.m. MT, and an Eastern Canada webinar will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET. Reserve a spot for the Western Canada webinar via this link and for the Eastern Canada webinar via this link.

For more information on mycotoxin management, visit knowmycotoxins.com.

The Alltech® Mycotoxin Management team can now test and analyze samples for over 40 different mycotoxins in animal feed

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – Mycotoxins threaten animal health and producer profitability, so identifying and addressing these hidden challenges is very important for farmers. Alltech is a world leader in mycotoxin management and now has the ability to test for over 40 different mycotoxins in animal feed samples. With this new analytical capability, Alltech is able to not only detect these new mycotoxins, but can also begin to understand how they can impact animal performance and health.

The Alltech 37+® mycotoxin analysis test is the cornerstone of the Alltech® Mycotoxin Management program, as it tests for more than 37 types of mycotoxins. When samples are submitted for testing, farmers will now see an additional five mycotoxins that have recently gained attention in scientific research for becoming important to the agriculture industry. These additional mycotoxins and toxicity symptoms are:

- Citrinin:

o Kidney damage, oxidative stress, gut health challenges, diarrhea/loose manure

- Beauvericin:

o Oxidative stress, antimicrobial activity, contamination of milk/meat

- Moniliformin:

o Heart damage, immune suppression, loss of performance

- Citreoviridin:

o Vitamin B1 deficiency, immune suppression, oxidative stress, poor reproductive performance, reduced weight gain

- Cyclopiazonic acid:

o GIT damage, oxidative stress, immune suppression, loss of performance

Alltech 37+ test results provide a realistic picture of feed contaminants in feed ingredients or total mixed rations to speed up the process of diagnosis, suggest effective remediation and help move toward an effective mycotoxin control plan. Between Alltech’s 37+ mycotoxin analytical services laboratories in Lexington, Kentucky, and Dunboyne, Ireland, they have run nearly 20,000 samples, each searching for over 37 mycotoxins in animal feed.

To learn more, visit www.knowmycotoxins.com.

WHAT: Join Dr. Kayla Price, Canadian poultry technical manager at Alltech, as she discusses the essentials for a premium egg and factors affecting eggshell quality. Eggshell quality is important to consumers, as they are looking for a uniform, crack-free shell, and to producers, who are looking to increase the number of healthy chicks through eggshell strength.

The live webinar will also cover topics such as:

· How an egg is made and the role that gut health plays in the creation of the egg.

· The factors that influence egg quality.

· Programs to enhance eggshell quality.

WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017

2:00 p.m. ET

WHERE: Reserve a spot now via this link. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, you can register via the link to receive the recording.

OTHER: Price’s presentation will be followed by a live question-and-answer session.

About the speaker:

Dr. Kayla Price is the Canadian poultry technical manager for Alltech. She provides technical and sales support with additional research responsibilities in Canada. Prior to joining Alltech, Price completed her Ph.D. at the University of Guelph in Canada with a research focus on environmental influence on live coccidiosis vaccine success in chickens.

There is only so much arable land on planet Earth. Only so much water. But people are plentiful and becoming increasingly so, year after year. And people must eat to survive.

So how are we humans doing on the matter of feeding ourselves?

The World Health Organization has set the bar high, defining food security as “a situation when all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preference for an active and healthy life.”

We do not live in that perfect world.

The global population is on track to swell from the present 7 billion to nearly 10 billion people in the next 30 years, according to the United Nations (U.N.). And if World Bank projections are on target, Earth’s population will have doubled by 2080.

According to the most recent update (2015) of U.N. population data, most of the world (60 percent of the global population) lives in Asia, 16 percent in Africa, 10 percent in Europe, 9 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the remaining 5 percent in North America and Oceania (Micronesia, Fiji and all of Polynesia). China and India remain the two largest countries of the world, each with more than 1 billion people, representing 19 and 18 percent of the world’s population, respectively.

With such demographics to consider against the backdrop of finite natural resources, the security of a sustainable global food supply is challenging researchers and planners to map long-term strategies.

Agricultural production will have to increase significantly in order to meet the growing need. Can it be done safely and sustainably?

Food price volatility will somehow have to be brought under control — a tall order in a world of competing (even warring) nations and economies contending with increasing demand from finite resources.

Without agricultural innovation, half of the population could be undernourished by 2050

Those concerns, as pressing as they are, may pale in comparison, however, with the uncertainty and disruption brought on by climate change.

“Under a no-climate change scenario, based upon projected changes in population and agricultural land use only, 31 percent (2.5 billion people by 2050) of the global population is at risk of undernourishment if no adaptation or agricultural innovation is made in the intervening years,” according to projections cited in the report “Modelling Impacts of Climate Change on Global Food Security” by a team of researchers at the University of Dundee in Scotland and the University of Southampton and the University of Reading in England.

“An additional 21 percent (1.7 billion people) is at risk of undernourishment by 2050 when climate change is taken into account,” the report states.

A young girl in Kolminy, Haiti, eats peanut butter bread given to her by missionaries. Credit: Michelle D. Milliman / Shutterstock.com

The researchers concede that their projections do not take into account future trends in technology, improved crop varieties or agricultural trade interventions, “although it is clear that all of these adaptation strategies will need to be embraced on a global scale if society is to ensure adequate food supplies for a projected global population of greater than 9 billion people.”

Important solutions might arrive through technological innovation. But there are other key factors to consider.

“There are lots of things that technology can do, but there are also global political and cultural systems coming into play all the time,” said Dr. Karl Dawson, Alltech’s chief scientific officer. “It’s not something a single scientific breakthrough is going to solve.”

Literal food security in the face of terrorism

The term “food security” becomes very literal in the context of the rise of terrorism around the world today.

Since the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept.11, 2001, for example, the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has stepped up efforts to protect America's supply of meat, poultry and egg products from intentional or unintentional contamination.

FSIS inspectors have remained on heightened alert to detect unusual or suspicious activity, reinspecting imported meat and poultry products before they are allowed to enter the U.S. food supply.

It’s no small irony that food insecurity can act as a catalyst for conditions that lead to terrorism, according to a report by the World Food Programme.

China’s rising middle class and diminishing arable land

In addition to changes in climate and social and political instability, one factor looms large: China.

Shoppers fill Nanjing Road in Shanghai. Credit: TonyV3112 / Shutterstock.com

Although China's agricultural output is the largest in the world, only about 15 percent of its total land area can be cultivated.

“In a quest for rapid economic growth, and the global economy’s insatiable desire for the supply of cheap Chinese goods, China has displayed agricultural negligence — with ramifications yet to be determined, but likely to serve as a catalyst in food security negotiations,” writes the World Policy Journal’s Keshar Patel.

The Chinese ministries of Environmental Protection and Land and Resources issued a national bulletin on soil pollution in 2014 stating that one-fifth of Chinese soil is fallow, “a consequence of exposure to heavy metal contaminants.” The statement described the soil and environmental problems as serious.

This reality collides with another: China’s overall food supply, while growing, is not rising fast enough to keep up with demand.

“The key long-term food security challenge in China remains the steady growth in protein consumption (fueled by urbanization and an expanding middle class),” said Michael Woolsey, senior strategic manager for Alltech China.

“This situation explains much of the sharp rise in beef, pork and dairy imports in the past decade,” he continued. “China can close this gap by improving productivity, as Chinese agricultural productivity remains well below global leaders in key industries.”

Woolsey noted that China’s corn yields per hectare are half the levels in the U.S. and Brazil. Dairy output per cow is 40 percent the dairy output in Wisconsin. Average piglets per sow per year are reportedly around 15, roughly half the level in the European Union.

Chinese imports of wheat have doubled in recent years, as Chinese grain self-sufficiency has drastically decreased.

And after years of negotiations, notes USA Today, “China has agreed to open its domestic market for U.S. rice exports for the first time ever, acknowledging its need for foreign shipments to meet the growing demands of its vast middle class.”

Rice terraces were built into the hillsides of Gullin, China, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368).

Servicing that demand has prompted the Chinese government to start leasing farms in North and South America, Australia and Africa. And in some cases, it has bought the land outright, according to Patel.

Water is also at a premium in China.

“Rice is an aquatic crop, a water and labor hog, demanding twice as much labor and water as any other row crop in Asia,” reports Forbes. “In China alone, rice consumes about 70 percent of the nation’s irrigated water.”

Spread the tech to places where it’s needed

“So much of our focus is on high-input agriculture in the U.S. and South America and other parts of the world, but the U.N. estimates that about 60 percent of our food comes from peasant agriculture in low-income countries,” said University of Kentucky agricultural economist Lee Meyer. “That area has seen substantial growth in food output, but there is so much more potential there.”

Key to enabling those countries to meet their food output potentials, asserts Dawson, is finding ways to democratize technologies.

“Getting technology uniformly distributed around the world so we can have an efficient food production system is very important,” he said. “We have the technologies, and we do a lot to develop new technologies, but I’m concerned about educating the world about what those technologies can do and then implementing those technologies.”

Improved feed, feed efficiency, seed genetics, animal genetics and on-farm technical capacity are all key to improving Chinese agricultural productivity, according to Woolsey. Alltech’s range of animal nutrition solutions and technical assistance are helping Chinese producers close the productivity gap, he said.

Alltech partnered with Nestlé in opening a Dairy Farming Insititute in Shuangcheng, Heilongjiang province, China, to help train Chinese dairy farmers.

Dawson, as Alltech’s chief scientist, has for years concentrated on the study of such solutions, with a focus on nutrigenomics, the science of understanding nutrition’s impact at the genetic level. This work has resulted in the development of new tools for understanding precisely how nutrients function, why different forms of nutrients have different effects and how such nutrients can be optimized for health.

“It’s providing us with a very basic toolset that allows us to look at production efficiencies, animal health and the overall effectiveness of food production systems,” he said. “It’s not going to solve all of the problems, but it provides us with a way of evaluating new management strategies and techniques and feeding strategies that we never had before.”

Raising fish on land

Fish farming holds tremendous promise in responding to surging demand for food that is taking place due to global population growth, according to a report by the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

This has led to a rapid expansion of the aquaculture industry in recent years, and with it, increased water pollution. The search for ways to prevent contamination has resulted in the development of land-based farms known as recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).

RAS systems consist of tanks, water filtration units and, usually, degassing and oxygenation. For warm water species, the water is heated as well. This reconditioned water can be recirculated and reused.

“These systems were developed to become less dependent on water sources and climates. Now you can farm almost anywhere with these advantages,” said Gijs Rutjes, technical sales support manager at Coppens International, the Dutch fish feed producer that joined the Alltech family of companies in 2016.

“Closed systems score much better. They have no escapees, the feces are collected and removed, and the nitrogen and phosphorus output is reduced due to filtration units in closed RAS systems,” Rutjes said.

Closed, recirculating aquaculture systems, such as the Marine Harvest one shown here, improve efficiency of production and reduce environmental impact.

Salmon farms have started to move more of their production on land for this purpose.

“There’s a lot of investment in these systems in the Scandinavian countries,” said Dawson. “They’re becoming important, particularly in the area of environmental impact. There is a complete re-use of water; capturing carbon dioxide and recirculating heat to generate power. It gives a whole new meaning to what it takes to build a biological protein.”

Food waste: A paradox of plenty

Perhaps most confounding for a world in search of ways to feed an expanding human population is waste. Countries that have more food also waste more food, according to YieldWise, a seven-year, $130 million Rockefeller Foundation initiative to demonstrate how food loss and waste can be cut in half globally.

“About a third of total food is wasted or at least doesn’t make it from the farm to final consumption,” noted Meyer.

That’s enough to feed everyone in the world for two months, according to the YieldWise initiative. The effort’s initial focus is on fruits, vegetables and staple crops in Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania, where up to half of all food grown is lost.

Begging for brains: New talent needed for agricultural innovation

The status of global food security is subject to many influences, including the unpredictable. One thing is certain: The planet needs very smart people to carry on the evolution of present technologies and to envision entirely new and innovative solutions to these vexing issues. While perhaps not for everyone, the broad field of agriculture is begging for talent.

“Oh, absolutely,” acknowledged Meyer. “In the College of Agriculture, we are the applied nature to so many of the sciences. There are programs in biotechnology, agricultural engineering, agricultural economics, international development, food policy. There are really rewarding ways to apply a good education in this whole area of food production and food security.”

There is no doubt that corn silage, barley silage and alfalfa haylage are the major fermented forages supporting the dairy industry in Canada and the US. Any variation in the nutrient composition and digestibility of these forages will therefore directly affect a producer’s ability to meet their dairy cows' nutrient requirements throughout the year.

In other words, a good understanding of the nutritive value of your fermented forages will allow you to develop a nutrition program that helps your cows reach their true genetic potential for milk production and health.

More nutrients for the cow, more dollars in your pocket

Over the last few years, nutritionists and dairy producers have been paying special attention to the nutritive value of fermented forages. It is now widely acknowledged that this nutritional concept can positively impact animal productivity and producer profitability. The performance of the modern dairy cow is highly dependent upon the adequate levels and favorable balances of nutrients in the fermented forages they consume.

It is an oversimplification to define the nutritive value of fermented forages purely as the ability to supply the nutrients present in the dry matter to the cow. Before nutrients can reach their target tissue in the cow, the feed must be consumed (feed intake) and the nutrients in the forage must be released and absorbed by the cow (digestion).

When it comes to digestion, fermentable forages are a step ahead

Many factors influence the nutritive value of fermentable forages, including forage cultivar, stage of maturity at harvest and storage methods. In contrast to non-fermentable forages, the digestion of fermentable forage begins long before it is added to the feed bunk.

During normal ensiling processes, some nutrients ferment, releasing molecules that make the crop more palatable and easier to digest. Under these conditions, the nutrients have a better chance of being ingested and absorbed.

Practically speaking, this fermentable forage has an optimum nutritive value. In commercial dairy herds, this forage will result in high milk yield and milk components, leading to excellent reproductive performance and good health.

Test your forage to see how it measures up

Usually, producers and nutritionists send forage samples to a lab in order to obtain information on the nutritional composition of the fermented forages. However, this information can come up short in terms of allowing producers to understand how available these nutrients are to the cow.

Fortunately, methods such as Alltech’s In vitro Fermentation Model have been developed to efficiently and quickly determine the nutrient availability in these forages, including the neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD), or the organic matter digestibility. Results from these tests are positively correlated with potential intake. When this information is analyzed as a whole, producers can get a good idea of the nutritive value of their fermented forage.

In Ontario and Quebec, a recent survey carried out on 47 fermented forages indicated that over 84 percent of the forage samples collected showed NDFD (at 30 hours in vitro) values below 52 percent, suggesting poor nutritive value. Therefore, it is important not to assume that your forages have a good nutritive value. To assure herd performance, testing is a must.

Reviewing the nutritive value of the fermented forages used in any feeding program is essential to help your dairy herd reach its maximum genetic potential and is an integral part of dairy farming profitability.

The Alltech Young Scientist program offers fully funded Ph.D. and postdoctoral positions for undergraduate and graduate winners

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – The Alltech Young Scientist (AYS) program is considered the world’s most prestigious agriscience competition for university students. Now in its 13th year, AYS has discovered some of the best and brightest upcoming researchers from universities around the world. Rising agri-scientists now have until Dec. 31, 2017, to register for the 2018 competition.

Undergraduate and graduate applicants will compete first within their home regions of North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific or Europe/Africa. Regional finalists will be invited to attend an all-expense-paid Alltech Young Scientist Discovery Week held May 17–23, 2018, in Lexington, Kentucky, where they will compete in the global competition. Global winners will be announced during ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE18) on May 23. The prizes include a fully funded Ph.D. position and $5,000 USD for the global undergraduate winner and a fully funded postdoctoral position and $10,000 USD for the global graduate winner.

“Lifelong learning is a core value within Alltech, and we are proud to invest in young, bright minds through our Alltech Young Scientist program,” said Dr. Aoife Lyons, director of educational initiatives and engagement at Alltech. “It provides a global stage for students to present their research and have the opportunity to further their education and join the Alltech team.”

Students must be nominated by a professor in order to participate and may submit scientific papers on topics such as animal health and nutrition, crop science, agriculture analytical methods, food chain safety and traceability, human health and nutrition, and other agriscience-related sectors. Paper submissions may be completed online through Dec. 31, 2017, and regional winners will be announced in March 2018.

For more information and to register for the Alltech Young Scientist program, visit AlltechYoungScientist.com, and stay connected through the Alltech Education Facebook page.

Luther:                        Robert Walker is CEO of Ireland-based KEENAN, an Alltech agri-brand and a pioneer in the internet of things for the farm. A KEENAN specialty is finding ways to pair its range of machinery with innovative digital technologies. Thank you for joining us.

Robert:                        Hi. Thanks.

Luther:                        Let’s start with defining “the internet of things.” What is it?

Robert:                        So, the internet of things is literally the future, where we have all the things that surround us connected via devices or connected to the internet. So, you have a connection between people and things, things and things, and people and people.

Luther:                        What would you say is the future of the internet of things?

Robert:                        There is a predicted spend on the internet of things of somewhere around $7 trillion to set up the infrastructure. So, it’s certainly a “big dollar” future, but it means that our houses, our cars, our cities, our environment are all going to become smarter.

                                    As Google chairman Eric Schmidt said, the internet is literally going to vanish all around us as the internet becomes integrated with our day-to-day lives. So, the world as we know it will become the internet, and we won’t be interacting with the internet in the same way as we have up until now.

Luther:                        In what ways is the internet of things reaching the farm?

Robert:                        Up until now, the internet of things has mostly been focused on houses — smart homes, smart cities and wearables — we all know the wearable technology we can have in our exercise watches. But there’s been very little focus on the farming side of smart tech. However, smart farming is really the area that is probably the most exciting for most tech companies. There are companies like Intel, Vodaphone and IBM clamoring to try and get into the ag-tech space because there are literally so many things in agriculture that can be connected. The gains that you can have from agriculture are just massive.

Luther:                        KEENAN has been a leader in this space and ahead of its time. Tell us how KEENAN can capitalize on the internet of things.

Robert:                        We’re used as a bit of a poster child for the internet of things now, I think, because we were one of the first to innovate in that space. But what we’ve done practically — let’s just get down to practicalities here — we have a device in the side of our mixer wagon — our mixer wagon mixes a total mixed ration (TMR) diet — that device weighs or collects the data from the weigh cells of the wagon and the number of revolutions that that mixer wagon goes through. In other words, it knows how much feed has been put in the wagon and how processed the TMR is in that wagon. It then transmits that data via the cloud to a hub in Ireland — we also have other hubs being set up currently — and algorithms in that hub determine if we’ve overfed or over-processed that TMR. There’s a tolerance set in those algorithms that notifies a team of nutritionists if the machine has deviated from what it was supposed to have done.

                                    We can then immediately contact the farmer and tell the farmer what happened, or go directly to the machine and make adjustments in real time. The most exciting part is that we have the data from what was supposed to have been fed and the actual performance results. We can then provide real insights to that farm to help them improve productivity. At the end of the day, productivity is what it’s all about.

                                    The KEENAN system is designed to improve efficiency. By efficiency, I mean that we can get the same amount of milk or beef from less feed, or more milk and beef from the same amount of feed. So, it’s about having efficient farms, which obviously drives the profitability of farmers.

Luther:                        When Alltech acquired KEENAN in 2016, you became the CEO. What have you learned in the last year with KEENAN?

Robert:                        First, that ag-tech is going to profoundly change your business model. You see some of the business models — for example, John Deere — where what they sell today is vastly different from what they were selling maybe five or 10 years ago. They are now selling bundled packages of technology and machine. They are selling performance. They’re not just selling steel anymore. We are doing the same. We have started selling a machine paired with technology and a consumable. That consumable is high-value nutrition. By pairing machine, technology and nutrition, we’re basically able to perform better on the farm.

                                    The second thing I’ve noticed in my year at KEENAN is that ag-tech is growing a lot faster than people think. We assume a lot of what we see at conferences are for the future. But those technologies are actually here today. Today, there are big changes. Google had their conference in San Francisco this week. Some of the things they launched were just mind-blowing. Those technologies are already here and can be used today on the farm. That’s very exciting.  

Luther:                        Expanding upon that: What is your realistic view for the future of the farm?

Robert:                        The farmer of the future is going to be connected via smart devices that are capable of gathering data, which can be analyzed and provide unique insights. There are two scenarios: The first is that these devices get so smart that we no longer need a nutritionist and agronomist to help us interpret it. I’m of a different opinion: I think that the more data we have — the more information and insights we have — the more we need people to help us interpret those results — or at least people to interpret how to put those algorithms in place.

                                    The smartphone of the future is a connection between animal, farmer, crop and experts. All are connected via the web and all are able to provide unique insights from analyzing huge amounts of data to improve profitability. At the end of the day, why would we do it if it wasn’t about profitability and productivity?

Luther:                        You state that we are in the midst of an agricultural revolution. What do you mean by that?

Robert:                        What I mean by that is that there have been three agricultural revolutions: The first was domestication of animals and crops. The second was the industrial era, when we went into mechanization, plant protection, products, fertilizers and agrichemicals as we know them today. This third era is one in which we’re using multiple devices — technologies — to leverage the data generated on the farm. That allows us to produce more from every acre of farmland and produce more from every animal.

Luther:                        You described data as the new electricity. What do you mean by that analogy?

Robert:                        When electricity was discovered, it was absolutely revolutionary; it changed everything. Electricity changed the way in which we live. It brought about heating, cooling, lights and so on. It was truly a transformative technology. The same thing is happening with data and ag technology. It is going to completely revolutionize how we operate on the farm, how we tend our crops and how we tend our animals. That is going to have a transformative effect on how we profit off those animals. It will be transformative to the way in which we operate and, of course, how we feed the world and nourish the population.

Luther:                        What are the benefits to a farmer of tapping into cloud-based tools?

Robert:                        The fundamental benefits are productivity, profitability, convenience and speed. For me, it’s got to be about the productivity and profitability piece because if it’s not going to be beneficial to a farmer’s bottom line, he’s not going to want to do it. There are a lot of technologies out there that possibly need to be improved upon to show benefit, but there are also a lot of technologies out there that are already showing massive improvements in productivity and profitability.

                                    Those technologies really need to be looked at quickly by farmers. They need to be adopted quickly. Farmers really need to be embracing this new era. It is sometimes difficult because there is so much coming at them — so many apps, so much data, so many people trying to sell them things. But, wading through all of that, there are real jewels within ag- tech that can transform a farmer’s bottom line within days.

Luther:                        Given recent cyber events, are there any concerns regarding security of cloud-based tools or the internet of things?

Robert:                        There absolutely are major concerns about security, and that’s an area that I believe needs to be worked on at great length. It’s something that concerns us, and we take it very seriously. We invest in the best technologies for our system, and we’d expect the same from other reputable vendors. There’s a lot of work that needs to be happening and is happening from the big companies out there like the Googles and the IBMs.

                                    Even from our perspective, we’re very vigilant and believe that it is vital that we protect our farmers’ data and our own data, because it impacts food security around the world. I also think that governments are going to get more involved with this because food is, in the end, a major security risk. It’s something that can be leveraged. So, the U.S., as a nation, needs to protect its food source. As food gets more connected via technology, it’s somewhat the responsibility of the government as well.

Luther:                        How are agriculture and food control changing in a world of big data?

Robert:                        Big data and technology allow us to link all the players — the key stakeholders — in the industry. Up until now, it’s been segmented: farmers have looked after their farm; milk processors have looked after their milk; supermarkets looked after selling their product. Big data and technology allow us to link all of that so the entire food chain becomes one continuum. That means that your supermarket can very easily know the traceability — the source — and the way in which food has been produced all the way up the chain. That provides the consumer with many more guarantees. The consumer has a much bigger voice and knows where his food was produced, how it was produced and whether the companies and people that produce it are reputable and can be trusted. It is already transformative.

                                    KEENAN, for example, is working with supermarket chains in Ireland and in the U.K. to ensure that the beef is produced sustainably; that the beef is produced in a way that is humane, friendly to the environment and friendly to the animal. And we’re also able to look after the farmers so that his interests are then conveyed to the supermarket. So, the continuum is vital.

Luther:                        With the rising billions in China, India, Africa and other parts of Asia that are moving into a middle class with more requirements and demands, would you say that the internet of things is the key, or one of the keys, to meeting that demand?

Robert:                        It absolutely is. The internet of things shrinks the world so we can communicate directly with that end customer, whether the end customer is in China, India or right here in the U.S. So, the food chain between consumer, supermarket, processor, farmer, supplier to the farm, all that shrinks. We can better understand what that consumer wants, what that consumer needs, and innovate around that. It gives a lot more power to the farmer and the ag sector to be able to deliver what is required down the line. It more evenly spreads the responsibility and the balance of power across the entire chain, whereas right now, some would argue that responsibility is slightly more eschewed in terms of some of the players in that food chain. I think a lot of farmers would believe that they’re the small players in that chain, but I think in the future they’re going to have a bigger voice.  

Luther:                        How will the future of farming affect the average consumer’s kitchen table?

Robert:                        The average consumer is going to be able to understand much better where the food comes from. They’re going to understand the environmental impact of the food and the way in which it was produced. They’re going to have more choices. They’ll be able to have food that’s healthier and that’s more in tune with their ethics and their preferences.

Luther:                        What’s the most fascinating trend you’re keeping an eye on these days?

Robert:                        There are so many fascinating trends out there, but one that is really changing the way we think of things is the trend of visual technologies. Up until now, we’ve always measured things on farms and in laboratories in terms of their chemical makeup. Now, with digital recognition technology, we’re able to look at feeds and understand what could be in that feed. We know if it’s more homogenous. We might be able to predict what its nutritional value is. We can look at animals through facial recognition technology and understand what their behavior patterns are.

                                    Who knows where that technology can go? We all know that the human eye can detect things almost intuitively. So, if we can do that through a machine, imagine what can be achieved. Farmers seem to have a second sense when it comes to understanding things like the health of animals or whether a feed is good. A lot of that comes from their visual sense. If we can replicate that through technology, I think it’s very, very exciting. So, visual technology for me is probably the most exciting part.

Luther:                        What would you say to a farmer who is apprehensive about technology or about these trends — or change, perhaps — in this vision that you have? What are the benefits for them? And then maybe address some of their concerns as well.

Robert:                        Firstly, I think we — meaning the ag industry — have been responsible for using jargon and launching products that are really complicated to use. So now we’ve really been trying very hard to make that a much simpler exercise. If you think about consumers around the world with general household products, when they buy that product, it’s in part because it’s easy to use. Why shouldn’t it be the same for agriculture? So, we’re to blame for not making technology easy to use and easy to understand.

                                    From a farmer’s perspective, they really should be adopting these technologies and they should be trying them out as quickly as possible. They need to be educating themselves. They need to be ahead of the game. Most farmers I know are pretty tech savvy. They have very technically enabled tractors. They use smartphones. They use computers. They know what’s going on. So, it’s not that there’s a lack of education, but maybe there’s a lack of exposure to some of these technologies. My advice is that they just jump in there, try them out, assess them for themselves. Also, hold the salesman accountable for the results that they have on the farm. If they don’t see results, that’s fine. Move on. It’s not a lifetime commitment.

Luther:                        As with many technologies, there is often a false start where a technology promises to transform an industry, but sometimes it takes a while for it to get to that point. So, it sounds like you’re saying that we are now at a point where these technologies are ready to have an impact not only today, but going on into the near future.

Robert:                        Absolutely. It is happening today, and the technology is ready. There are wonderful apps and technologies out there that are transforming agriculture right now. There have been some false starts. There will still be some false starts. I think that what we’re going to see is a consolidation of the industry. There are so many little players out there that have small ideas that are great, but when paired with bigger ideas can make a better end product.

                                    So, lots of little pieces together make a much better package for that farmer to use and to invest in. Consolidation is already happening with some of the bigger companies buying some of the smaller technologies. It’s in the newspapers every day. And, as that consolidation happens, the technologies are going to become more robust. They’re going to be more intuitive. They’re going to rely on other ancillary technologies to make sure that they work.

                                    The overall user experience is just going to get better and better.

Luther:                        What do you enjoy most about your work?

Robert:                        I enjoy the fact that we have, at the moment, a machine — which is a very tangible item a farmer uses on an everyday basis and that he has been using for the last 40 years — that is suddenly given a new “lease on life” through technology and can greatly improve performance from where it was.

                                    I like the fact that we can bring these new solutions to farmers and help them be more profitable. At the end of the day, we’re only here because of the farmer — because of the demand for food. So, we are, in many ways, a service provider to that farmer and to the feed industry. I like that idea of being a service provider for the betterment of farming, consumers and the world population.

Luther:                        Robert Walker, CEO of the Alltech agri-brand KEENAN. Thank you for your time.

Robert:                        Thanks very much. I had fun.

Robert Walker spoke at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE17). To hear more talks from the conference, sign up for the Alltech Idea Lab.

Mineral needs in modern dairy diets

Most dairy research tends to focus on protein and energy needs, and minerals are often overlooked. Yet, when we fail to consider the role of minerals, problems can arise, including interferences or interactions with minerals in feed and water.

Mineral types

• Zinc:
  • Essential to more than 200 enzyme systems at work in the animal, such as carbohydrate and energy metabolism, protein synthesis, nucleic acid metabolism, epithelial integrity, cell repair and division and utilization of vitamins A and E
  • Needed for development/function of the immune system and critical to the cellular function of cells, including heterophils, basophils, macrophages and T-lymphocytes
  • Essential in wound healing
  • Critical to reproduction because of its involvement in sexual maturity, reproductive capacity and semen quality
• Copper
  • Component of immune system enzymes
  • Necessary to increase structural health and elasticity of connective tissue and blood vessels as well as increase strength of bone
  • Needed for metabolism of iron and maturation of red blood cells
• Manganese
  • Cofactor for enzymes in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and nucleic acids
  • Essential for normal brain function
  • Involved in the formation of collagen, bone growth, urea formation, fatty acid synthesis, cholesterol synthesis and protein digestion
  • Important for proper immune function and wound healing
• Selenium
  • Critical to proper enzyme function and cellular antioxidant systems
  • Involved in muscle contraction and immune functions
  • Important for reproduction

Form defines function

Understanding the difference between organic and inorganic minerals is important. When we look closely at organic minerals, or minerals with a carbon structure such as Bioplex®, they are in the same form that we would find in corn, grain or forages. In other words, they are similar to the minerals stored in plants.

Bioplex minerals are produced by replicating plant material in a patented manufacturing process, which chelates the minerals onto amino acids and peptides. Bioplex and Sel-Plex® trace minerals provide mineral nutrition in the forms most similar to those present naturally in food and feed ingredients.

Why not just supplement with more inorganics?

There are various issues that can arise when using inorganic minerals due to their lower biological activity, including associated environmental concerns. Various research studies have demonstrated that over-fortification of trace minerals can elevate antibiotic resistance in swine operations as bacteria like Salmonella develop tolerance to high levels of copper and zinc.

Inorganic minerals can have various mineral interactions, and they can serve as antagonists that can interfere with normal biological processes. Examples include:

• High levels of calcium and phosphorus can reduce manganese utilization by up to 65 percent (Wedekind and Baker, 1990; Baker and Oduho, 1994).
• Excess manganese itself impairs utilization of iron (Baker and Halpin, 1991).
• Excess zinc has an antagonistic effect on copper and manganese (Vohra and Heil, 1969).

Total replacement in dairy heifers: The research support behind Bioplex

When comparing supplementing Bioplex minerals to sulfate forms of minerals in a study done by Pino and Heinrichs, published in the 2016 Journal of Dairy Science, Bioplex diets included fewer trace minerals yet showed an increase in total volatile fatty acid and butyrate concentrations, due to an acceleration of rumen organism replication. The dairy heifers also spent less time eating, indicating that Bioplex minerals had improved palatability.

There are other examples of Bioplex’s effect:

• In 1993, a study done in Missouri determined that Bioplex Zn® supplemented at 800 milligrams per day led to a reduction in the number of new mastitis infections.

• In 2007, a study done by Kinal showed that Bioplex trace minerals reduced somatic cell counts, and the same study showed that there was more milk produced in the first 60 days of lactation when using Bioplex.
• A study done by Scaletti and Harmon in 2012 showed a reduction in E. coli levels in milk as well as an increase in milk production.

The research support behind Sel-Plex

In a study done by Silvestre and Thatcher in 2006, cows supplemented with Sel-Plex showed improvements in immune function, adaptive immunity, cervical discharge scores and pregnancy rates.

The adage that “form defines function,” especially when it comes to minerals, is both important and true. Alltech continues to carry out research across the world to prove the impact of organic minerals on herd health and performance.

For more information on Bioplex and Sel-Plex, click here.

To listen to the full webinar with Roger Scaletti, Ph.D. click on the button below.

Click here to watch the webinar

Documenting trends is the closest thing in business to peering into a crystal ball. When it comes to consumer food trends, a dizzying variety of surveys from around the world readily fill pages upon pages of a Google search.

But which trends are long-term and which are just passing fads? What are shoppers really thinking? What’s influencing or impacting their behaviors? And what’s driving their purchases?

A particular pair of studies stands out for depth of insight for those along the food chain whose job it is to tweak strategic consumer marketing plans.

PERIscope 2017 is a biennial, large-scale quantitative study launched in 2001 by Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board. Based on interviews with 1,000 consumers in each of eight countries, the study identifies major shifts in consumer attitudes over time. The eight markets include Ireland and Great Britain, four continental European Union markets, as well as the U.S. and China. The study explores consumer attitudes about eating at home, cooking, local food, the environment, and health and well-being.

A second survey taps into the consumer food trend perceptions of more than 1,700 registered dietitians (RDs). What’s Trending in Nutrition, an annual survey produced in partnership between Pollock Communications and Today’s Dietitian magazine, covers bases ranging from shifting attitudes to favored resources and much in between.

Here are some of the highlights featured in each.

A source of tension

Among the standout trends of 2017 illuminated in the eight-nation PERIscope survey is a tension between the desire for “new” versus the comfort of tradition.

“We know that across all markets, consumers are placing more importance on spending time as a family over meals, enjoying cooking more and increasingly hosting dinner parties, all indicating people’s desire to balance modern life with tradition,” said David Deeley, a member of Bord Bia’s consumer and market insight team.

Among the countries surveyed for PERIscope, China, followed by Spain, leads in striving to balance modernization and tradition. The U.K. is ranked 7th and the Netherlands dead last in this category.

This finding is supported by the Today’s Dietitian survey, which attributes the latest shift in consumer food perceptions to a slower and more thoughtful approach to eating.

Keep it real

When it comes to authenticity, noted PERIscope’s Deeley, “consumers are tired of uniform, impersonal, throw-away products and the invisible nature of global supply chains. They crave stronger connections with the brands they buy, increasingly seeking out authentic and storied products that tell their brand story in an interesting and resonating way.”

What’s the story behind the story?

The demand for transparency is as strong as ever. The PERIscope survey finds consumers continuing to challenge producers to provide the full details about their food products. Labeling and quality symbols are a major point of interest for many countries, especially in China, where many people have lost faith in the safety of produce.

Provenance and quality matter. In Ireland, 78 percent of food shoppers check for country of origin, while checking for quality symbols stands at 75 percent, up by 20 percent since 2001. In the U.S., almost 7 in 10 people claim to check for country of origin, while 67 percent of consumers check for a symbol or certificate that guarantees the quality of the produce, according to the survey.

Registered dietitians responding to the Today’s Dietitian poll indicate that GMO-free and sustainable foods have experienced on average a 20 percent decrease in terms of what concerns consumers.

“Dietitians attribute this decline to food label transparency and more food companies changing their ingredient deck,” the report said.

And 59 percent of dietitians said consumers are choosing to "eat clean,” selecting foods that are less processed as well as more whole foods, such as veggies, fruits, ancient grains and green tea. Plant-based proteins like nuts and seeds also figure more prominently in diets.

Make it lasting and environmentally friendly

Smart devices deliver a mind-boggling amount of information about brand practices, processes and procedures. The result?

“Consumers are calling out inappropriate, bland or opaque brand behavior and are sharing it with their peers,” observed Deeley.

The PERIscope study finds that consumers prefer to buy from companies that are aware of environmental issues and the value of sustainability.

“We also know that they’re increasingly more aware of terms like ‘food waste’ and ‘sustainably produced' in countries like Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, where awareness of both tops 90 percent,” he said.

Across all eight markets, the survey shows that consumers are adopting a greener mindset and are increasingly drawn to eco-friendly businesses and practices.

Deeley’s suggestion to food producers and processors: “Recycling, upcycling, downcycling, zero waste — it doesn’t matter what you call it. Just be sure that you adopt a green mindset and eliminate any negative environmental impact your products and services may directly or indirectly cause before, during and after production — this includes the entire consumption cycle, too.”

Localism lives on

With a growing number of adults turning toward the local and the familiar, the emergence of the “locavore” is becoming ever more pervasive, according to the PERIscope 2017 survey.

“Local food for consumers means food that is better quality and is transparent in its production processes,” said Deeley. “A growing number are looking closer to home for groceries, and more and more are seeing the importance of purchasing from their local communities. This trend holds true across most countries, with the French placing the most importance on buying local foods (79 percent).”

China (76 percent) and Spain (75 percent), Ireland (67 percent), Germany (64 percent) and the U.S. (60 percent) are warming to the concept. Consumers in Great Britain (55 percent) and the Netherlands (35 percent) are the least interested in seeking out specifically local food sources.

Make it quick — but good

Demand for foods that are quick to prepare has been on the rise. Pre-portioned meal delivery services such as Blue Apron, HelloFresh and FreshDirect have skyrocketed, with 45 percent of consumers now turning to these and similar healthy meal or weight loss menu delivery programs in order to eat healthier, according to the Today’s Dietitian survey.

“In Ireland, this figure rose from 56 percent in 2001 to almost 7 in 10 (69 percent) in 2017,” according to PERIscope’s Deeley. “The majority of Americans have a tendency to pick foods that are easy to prepare (91 percent) and quick to cook (85 percent). More than 7 in 10 people claim to eat convenience or ready-prepared meals regularly.”

In an observation worthy of the attention of food labelers, Deeley noted some uncertainty about which foods are healthy, “with close to half of those polled claiming to be confused about the health benefits of particular foods and 60 percent saying nutritional claims and food labels are hard to understand.”

Keep it interesting

More than 7 in 10 consumers in all eight countries of the PERIscope survey claim they like to try new foods. An increasingly wider variety of foods is available in today’s markets, making it is easier for consumers to explore foods from around the world.

And there’s China again, leading this time in adventurous eating, with 96 percent saying they like to try new foods. And once again, the Chinese are trailed closely by Spanish consumers in an open-mindedness about new foods (94 percent), while the French (81 percent) and Irish (74 percent) are more likely to stick with what they know.

There are apps for that

When it comes to technology, Chinese consumers are far ahead of their counterparts in the seven other countries surveyed by PERIscope in 2017.

Asked if they have ever downloaded a food app, 76 percent of Chinese consumers responded that they have. The next closest are Americans at 34 percent, with only 19 percent of Irish and 18 percent of consumers in the U.K. poking at food icons on their smart devices.

What is influencing consumer perception?

The survey of dietitians looked at the sources of consumer nutrition information. Most (73 percent) said consumers rely on blogs and websites, followed by social media (70 percent). Fifty-eight percent turn to television and radio for most of their information.

The survey also reveals a paradox by asking where consumers get the most nutrition misinformation. Seventy-seven percent cited social media, 67 percent pointed to blogs and websites, and 63 percent said celebrities often get it wrong (a change from 2016, when celebrities were believed to be more misleading than social media).

Consumers gauge their health and weight, according to the dietitians, by comparing themselves to people in magazines or on television (72 percent), friends/family members (64 percent) or people on social media (57 percent).

Food consumers in China are far more likely than those in the other seven countries of the PERIscope survey to share recipes via social media — 77 percent of Chinese respondents versus the next highest social media users, Americans at 41 percent.

Where are registered dietitians sourcing their own information? According to the Today’s Dietitian survey, most (80 percent) of RDs have bookmarked the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate website for nutrition education. Sixty-five percent include the published resources of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics among their tools.

What leaps off the page

“For me, the most interesting story is revealed when we look back at the 2001 report and track the changes over time,” said Deeley. “The world was certainly a very different place, and that is reflected in those reports. Today, we know that health and well-being have changed dramatically over time, with people now making more conscious decisions to enjoy a holistic approach to physical health and emotional well-being.”

Although dietitians say consumer awareness of healthy food has increased and mindful eating is on the rise in 2017, they note that issues of access and cost continue to prevent certain populations from being able to eat and purchase healthy food.

“For low-income consumers, RDs say that cost, above all other factors including physical health, is the largest barrier when making food purchasing decisions,” suggests the Today’s Dietitian study. “This often makes healthy eating options out of reach for low-income families. RDs recommend increasing affordability and availability of nutritious food in low-income areas to help reduce barriers to healthy eating.”

The polling for what’s hot and what’s not in 2018 is underway. It will be interesting to see how these trends persist, shift or change altogether in the coming year.

WHAT: An idea, even in its root meaning, is “to see.” Da Vinci, Einstein, Edison, the Wright brothers, Tesla, Bell, Borlaug and Fleming — they had the ability to see what others could not. Because they opened their eyes to possibilities and thrived in pursuit of them, we have light. We have abundant food. We can even fly. Ideas change everything.

The transformative power of ideas will be the focus of ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference 2018. Join us to explore how ideas can germinate into innovations that change the course of our businesses and lives.

WHEN: May 20–23, 2018

WHERE: Lexington Convention Center

Lexington, Kentucky, USA

one.alltech.com

MORE: Register before Nov. 1 to save $600. Details on sessions and speakers will be available in early 2018. To view last year’s presentations, visit ideas.alltech.com, where access is free after sign-up.