How many of us floss daily?

How many of us are brushing our pet’s teeth?

We have good intentions. We buy the floss for ourselves but don’t use it regularly. We may even add the doggie dental care kit to our Amazon order, but we have a hard enough time taking care of our own teeth (ahem, unused floss). In fact, according to Packaged Facts, only 20 percent of dog owners and 11 percent of cat owners brush their pet’s teeth at all!

If you’re on the receiving end of doggie affection, you know why this is important. No one likes bad breath, even if the offender is your best fur friend.

Pet maladies: A malodorous cue?

But bad breath is more than just offensive to us; it can be an indication of a more serious health issue.

According to Banfield Pet Hospital’s State of Pet Health Report 2016, 76 percent of dogs and 68 percent of cats are affected by dental disease, which not only impacts the teeth, gums and mouth, but can potentially affect a pet’s heart, liver and kidneys.

Brushing and professional teeth cleaning are key to oral and dental health, but treats, chews and supplements can also play a significant role. Building a pet’s immune defenses with the right nutrition is critical for oral health.

Perfecting your pet’s pearly whites

The form of the pet diet is important. Hard kibble cleans teeth better than wet foods.

Composition is also critical. Nutrition influences tooth, bone and mucosal integrity, oral bacterial composition, resistance to infection and tooth longevity.

A nutritionally adequate diet will prevent any mineral or vitamin deficiencies, but we can do better. By providing our pets with ingredients that support immunity, prebiotics like Bio-Mos® and probiotic bacteria help support gut health and nutrient absorption. Bio-Mos is designed to feed the gastrointestinal tract, promoting beneficial bacteria and building natural defenses.

Feeding organic trace minerals like Bioplex® and Sel-Plex® ensure our pets absorb the minerals in a way that their bodies can fully utilize. Immunity starts in the gut, but it affects a pet’s entire body, including its oral and dental health.

Place that Amazon order for a doggie or kitty dental care kit, but don’t ignore what’s going into the food bowl. Supporting immunity from the inside out through nutrition is a crucial step in keeping breath fresh and preventing dental disease.

Your pets will appreciate it, and the resulting kisses will be a little more pleasant for you, too!

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[SNOWBIRD, Utah] – Young agricultural communicators are the voices of the future, and helping these passionate leaders join the global conversation is key to educating the world’s consumers about where their food comes from.

Alltech is proud to support young agricultural journalists at the Ag Media Summit through the Livestock Publications Council Forrest Bassford Student Award and, new in 2017, the American Agricultural Editors’ Association Alltech Cultivating Young Ag Journalists Awards.

The 2017 Livestock Publications Council Forrest Bassford Student Award, sponsored by Alltech, was presented to Topanga McBride, a senior at Kansas State University who is majoring in agricultural communications and journalism as well as agricultural economics. McBride was presented with a $2,000 scholarship and a plaque during the Ag Media Summit.

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, and raised in Fort Collins, Colorado, McBride grew up showing Milking Shorthorns for her 4-H dairy project. While she initially had no intention to stay in the agriculture industry, her peers’ lack of knowledge regarding their food sparked her passion for agricultural communications.

“When I realized that my teachers’ and friends’ sole connection to agriculture was me, I knew that I had to use my voice,” said McBride. “Agriculture is an industry that touches everyone’s lives, and we cannot afford to sit out on the conversation.”

McBride is currently a media relations intern for Monsanto Co. She will return to her role as a communications intern at the Kansas Department of Agriculture in the fall. Previously, she served as a public relations intern for Look East and the Center for Food Integrity.

In addition to her intern experiences, McBride is heavily involved in collegiate and national organizations. She serves on the Agriculture Future of America Student Advisory Team along with nine other collegiate agriculture leaders. She is an active member of Sigma Alpha, a professional sorority for women in agriculture, a Kansas State University ag ambassador and editorial director for Kansas State University’s chapter of Spoon University.

The Forrest Bassford Student Award honors excellence, professionalism and leadership among students. Each year, following a competitive application process, the LPC Student Award Program provides travel scholarships for four students to attend the Ag Media Summit. In addition to McBride, this year's travel award winners were:

• Katie Friedrichs, Oklahoma State University
• Taylor Belle Matheny, Kansas State University
• Jill Seiler, Kansas State University

During the Ag Media Summit, the four finalists’ portfolios were reviewed, and each was interviewed by a panel of professionals.

2017 marks the 32nd year of the LPC Student Award Program. In 1992, Forrest Bassford's name was attached to the LPC Student Award in honor of his contribution to LPC and his particular interest in furthering the Student Award. Alltech has co-sponsored the award since 2012.

“Alltech is proud to support young agricultural communicators as they share the stories that need to be told within the agriculture industry as well as educate the urban population on where and who their food comes from,” said Jenn Norrie, on-farm communications manager for Alltech.

2017 also marked the first year of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association Alltech Cultivating Young Ag Journalists Awards, providing the opportunity for active AAEA agricultural journalists 35 years old or younger with a travel stipend to attend the Ag Media Summit as well as an invitation to attend ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE18), May 20–23, 2018, in Lexington, Kentucky.

The 2017 American Agricultural Editors’ Association Alltech Cultivating Young Ag Journalists Award recipients were:

· Ann Hess, AGDAILY/Carbon Media

· Anna McConnel, Successful Farming/Meredith Agrimedia

· Kasey Brown, Angus Media

· Shelby Mettlen, Angus Media

“The American Agricultural Editors’ Association believes it is vital to provide professional development and education opportunities for its younger members to attend the annual Ag Media Summit,” said Samantha Kilgore, executive director of AAEA. “The Cultivating Young Ag Journalists Awards, made possible by Alltech, will help reach that goal of continuing to provide development and education for the nation’s leading ag communicators.”

The 19th annual Ag Media Summit hosted more than 600 agricultural communicators, media professionals and students at the Snowbird resort outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, July 22–26, 2017. The Ag Media Summit is a joint meeting of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA), the Livestock Publications Council (LPC) and the Connectiv Agri-Media Committee, and it offers opportunities for professional development and industry networking.

Matthew Aardsma wins award for paper on relative metabolizable energy values for fats and oils in young broilers and adult roosters

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] — Connecting the farm to the lab through research is critical for agricultural innovation. Illustrating its commitment to encouraging student research, Alltech presented the 34th Alltech Student Research Manuscript Award to Matthew Aardsma of Purdue University during the 106th annual Poultry Science Association meeting, held in Orlando, Florida, July 17–20.

The Alltech Student Research Manuscript Award is given to a student who is the senior author of an outstanding research manuscript in Poultry Science or The Journal of Applied Poultry Research. Aardsma’s winning paper titled, Relative metabolizable energy values for fats and oils in young broilers and adult roosters, focused on developing a bio-assay where feed-grade fats and oils were evaluated for their relative metabolizable energy content quickly and accurately. The paper showed results for several fats and oils that are commonly fed in the poultry industry, and that the results obtained for adult roosters are the same with young broiler chickens.

"Research is an integral part of Alltech and the poultry industry's success to date," said Dr. Ted Sefton, director of poultry for Alltech Canada. "Alltech is proud to sponsor the Alltech Student Research Manuscript Award to encourage students to publish their research in peer-reviewed journals and communicate new technologies and discoveries being made in the lab that can have a direct impact on the farm."

Aardsma grew up in Central Illinois, where his parents encouraged him to explore his interests in agriculture and animal production. He received his bachelor’s degree in animal sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2013 and his master’s degree in animal sciences with an emphasis in poultry nutrition in 2015, working with Dr. Carl Parsons. After a summer internship at Southern Illinois University working in aquaculture nutrition, he began a Ph.D. program in animal nutrition at Purdue University. Aardsma is currently studying with Jay Johnson and focusing on nutrition-based stress physiology in poultry and swine.

Alltech has sponsored the Alltech Student Research Manuscript Award since 2000, recognizing young leaders in scientific innovation for their commitment to publishing and sharing their work within the poultry sector.

The Great Green Getaway: Alltech & KEENAN launch sweepstakes for U.S. dairy producers

Three winners will receive trip for two to Ireland for the week of St. Patrick’s Day 2018

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – Ireland is known as “the land of a thousand welcomes,” and staying true to its roots, Alltech is upholding the enduring tradition of Irish hospitality by launching The Great Green Getaway. In partnership with KEENAN, an Alltech company, maker of the “Green Machine” mixer wagon, the sweepstakes invites American dairy farmers to enter for the opportunity to win one of three travel-expense-paid trips for two to Ireland in March 2018, coinciding with St. Patrick’s Day.

The tour destinations include a “how it’s made” tour of the KEENAN production facility in Borris, County Carlow, Ireland, a guided VIP experience at the new Pearse Lyons Distillery (opening summer 2017), visits to a host of high-performance Irish dairy farms and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Dublin City Centre.

“We are proud to work with dairy farmers around the world and provide technology to increase on-farm productivity and maximize feed efficiency,” said Robert Walker, chief executive officer of KEENAN. “We are looking forward to welcoming the sweepstakes winners to Ireland to show them our innovations while also celebrating Irish traditions.”

The sweepstakes opens June 28, 2017, during National Dairy Month, and the winners will be announced on Oct. 7, 2017, at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. The sweepstakes is open to U.S. dairy farmers who have 50 cows or more and are over 18 years of age.

For more details and to enter The Great Green Getaway sweepstakes, visit http://go.alltech.com/greatgreengetaway.

[BROOKINGS, S.D.] – The agriculture community recently banded together at the fourth annual Prime Time Gala to support Feeding South Dakota, which provides food assistance to hundreds of men, women and children across the state. Both Alltech and Hubbard Feeds, an Alltech company, supported the successful event, which raised a total of $236,508.

The highest-bid item at the event’s fundraising auction was a KEENAN mixer wagon donated from Alltech South Dakota, which raised $40,000 and was sold to Mike Winter from Brandt, South Dakota.

“Alltech is proud to support the Prime Time Gala with the donation of a KEENAN mixer for auction, as the money raised for Feeding South Dakota will go back to the people in our communities who need it most,” said CJ Tanderup, Alltech regional sales manager.

The event, hosted by the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, welcomed more than 1,540 guests. To date, the Prime Time Gala has raised a total of $737,508 for Feeding South Dakota, which has helped purchase 414,644 pounds of beef for those in need across the state since 2014. Also presented during the gala were $10,000 in scholarships to four students attending South Dakota schools who are interested in improving beef production and promotion.

“Hubbard Feeds is honored to be part of the Prime Time Gala as our agriculture industry and community come together to raise money for those struggling with food insecurity and to show our support for the South Dakota beef industry,” said Tyler Melroe, beef nutritionist for Hubbard Feeds.

For more information about the Prime Time Gala, please visit sdprimetimegala.com.

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – The National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) has awarded Alltech with its Preferred Supplier seal for companion animal and equine feed products.

The NASC Preferred Supplier program ensures quality and confidence in the supply chain, from start to finish. For a company to display the NASC Preferred Supplier seal, it must meet and comply with strict criteria set forth by NASC.

“We are very pleased to have been awarded the National Animal Supplement Council’s Preferred Supplier status,” said Dr. Juan Gomez-Basauri, global director of Alltech’s companion animal business. “This award is a validation of Alltech’s long-standing commitment to the pet food and equine industries to provide nutrition that is safe and beneficial to animal health.”

Central to the development of all Alltech nutrition products and feeding programs is the guiding Alltech ACE principle. This principle sets the standard for all company efforts, from the lab to the production floor, and ensures that what Alltech delivers is safe and beneficial to the Animal, Consumer and Environment.

For more information about Alltech nutrition for pet health and horse health, visit Alltech.com/Animal-Nutrition or contact your local Alltech sales representative.

[BROOKINGS, S.D.] – Global animal health and nutrition company Alltech is proud to announce the donation of a KEENAN mixer wagon to be auctioned at South Dakota’s Prime Time Gala on June 17, 2017.

Hosted by the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation, the Prime Time Gala is an annual fundraiser that benefits Feeding South Dakota, an organization that provides emergency food assistance to thousands of people in any given week and hundreds of men, women and children every day across South Dakota.

“We understand the impact that an event such as the Prime Time Gala has, not only on our state, but our local community,” said CJ Tanderup, Alltech regional sales manager. “We are proud to donate the KEENAN mixer wagon to a great cause in order to raise money for those in need and to show our support for the South Dakota beef industry.”

Since hosting the first Prime Time Gala in June 2014, over $501,000 has been raised for Feeding South Dakota to purchase over 361,804 pounds of beef. Feeding South Dakota provides emergency food assistance for an estimated 190,000 people every year and nearly 50 percent of the individuals are children and infants. To learn more about how to support Feeding South Dakota through the Prime Time Gala and to order tickets, visit www.sdprimetimegala.com.

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – They chronicle the tragedies and triumphs of the world’s greatest athletes, human and horse. They write, photograph and broadcast rain or shine, carrying the heavy weight of their storytelling gear from stadiums to media centers, rising before the sun and sustaining themselves with caffeine and love of the story when day has faded into darkness.

The McCauley’s Alltech A+ Award turns the spotlight on these storytellers. Honoring the best of equine journalism, the awards program is now in its eighth year and includes a new partner, McCauley Bros.

Nestled in the heart of Kentucky’s Bluegrass region, home and nursery of the world’s finest horses, McCauley Feeds (McCauley’s) has been nourishing champion equine athletes since 1938. McCauley’s, now an Alltech company, is a dedicated equine-only nutrition company specializing in the formulation of premium feeds and nutritional supplements. They are home to one of the equine community’s most trusted technical teams, aligning expertise and practical experience with personalized problem-solving.

From affordable maintenance to elite performance products, McCauley’s covers a wide range of needs and delivers quality-assured nutrition programs to all horses and horse owners. McCauley’s facility is a medication-free plant, dedicated exclusively to the production of premium equine feeds.

“The International Alliance of Equestrian Journalists (IAEJ) is delighted that Alltech, through their company McCauley’s, has renewed their support for the A+ Awards,” said Pamela Young, president of the International Alliance of Equestrian Journalists. “We’ve had some great entries and winners since Alltech and the IAEJ first collaborated on these awards in 2010. I think I can speak for all our members when I say Alltech’s generous support is much appreciated by everyone who works tirelessly to convey the excitement of competition and the beauty of man’s relationship with horses. I am equally pleased that McCauley’s has agreed to expand the broadcast category to include our friends in radio and television.”

The theme for this year’s contest is “Partnership.” Articles, interviews and photos entered should convey the unique partnership between humans and horses. Winners receive $500 and a display award. Entry to the McCauley’s Alltech A+; Award is open now to submissions in the following categories:

Article

Broadcast (including webcasts, podcasts, videos, radio and television)

Photography

For details and requirements of entry, please visit www.equijournalists.com <http://www.equijournalists.com>, and see contest news on the home page or click on “Awards.” The deadline for submission is January 30, 2018.

Breakthrough technologies discussed at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference

33rd annual event attracted a record 4,000 attendees from nearly 80 countries

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] — During ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE17), 70 speakers, including the brightest international minds in science, agriculture, technology and business, highlighted technologies that have the potential to revolutionize agriculture and make the next big leap in productivity possible.

Across all agricultural sectors, digital technologies and applications are emerging that are disrupting production systems and supply chains, creating radically different business models and enabling farmers and agribusiness to work with levels of precision and insight that were previously unimaginable.

“Technology will change beyond belief,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech. “Things are changing at a rapid pace, and companies need to start thinking like startups: go and grow fast.”

Sharing his perspective from more than 36 years in business, Dr. Lyons listed his five key elements for success in this ever-changing marketplace:

1. Speed

2. Leadership

3. Culture

4. Training

5. A unique dynamic of “fun”

“We’re in the midst of an agri revolution — it’s happening right here, right now, and it’s exciting,” said Robert Walker, CEO of KEENAN, who addressed attendees on disruptive and data-driven technologies.

During his talk, Walker highlighted how KEENAN, an agriculture manufacturing specialist, partners with technology companies such as Vodafone and Intel to provide farmers with instant information on their herds’ feed ration through cloud computing.

Peter Diamandis, founder of the XPRIZE Foundation and co-founder of Singularity University, addressed attendees on disruptive innovations, highlighting that the only constant is change, and the rate of change is increasing.

“To stay ahead in any industry, companies and entrepreneurs must think in an exponential way, as it’s exponential technology that will transform every industry,” he said.

Diamandis was awarded the Alltech Humanitarian Award, which is bestowed annually to someone of strong character who uses their accomplishments to positively influence and inspire other people.

The three-day conference also heard from George Blankenship, former executive at Tesla Motors, Apple Computer and GAP Inc., Lisa Bodell, founder and CEO of futurethink, Jack Bobo, senior vice president and chief communications officer at Intrexon, and many more.

The program was closed by global phenomenon Riverdance, which performed traditional Irish dance on the main stage in Rupp Arena.

ONE17 attracted approximately 4,000 attendees from nearly 80 countries across the globe.

The conference will return to Lexington, Kentucky, USA, May 20–23, 2018.

Visit one.alltech.com for highlights from the event. Presentations will be made available in June on the Alltech Idea Lab. Sign up now for free access at ideas.alltech.com.

Atlanta brewery takes home the overall grand prize for their beer Tears of My Enemies

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] — Over 5,000 craft beer aficionados attended the fourth annual Alltech Craft Brews & Food Fest on May 20, 2017, at the Lexington Convention Center. This festival featured over 65 breweries from across the country, and food from local vendors and some of the best chefs in the state of Kentucky.

More than 50 breweries from four countries submitted 325 unique beers, which were judged by an expert panel of judges according to Beer Judge Certification Program guidelines. At the end of the day, and the bottom of the glass, the Commonwealth Cup was awarded to Tears of My Enemies, a scotch barrel-aged milk stout brewed by Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Alltech Craft Brews & Food Fest marked the beginning of ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE17), held May 21–24 in Lexington, Kentucky. The international conference is expected to be attended by nearly 4,000 people from as many as 80 countries. For more information, visit one.alltech.com.

Follow Kentucky Ale® on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter (@KentuckyAle) for updates as well as information on the Alltech Craft Brews & Food Fest. For more information about Alltech Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co., visit www.kentuckyale.com.