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

Tom:                Selected from more than 180 applicants, Hargol FoodTech is among the 10innovative food and agriculture ventures around the world brought to Lexington to make its case for investment. Co-founder and CEO Dror Tamir is among presenters in The Pearse Lyons Accelerator program — his latest stop in what has been an enormously successful whirlwind world quest.  Hargol … is in the grasshopper business. Dror, thank you for joining us.

Dror:                You're welcome. Happy to be here.

Tom:                We're pleased you're here, especially given all the traveling that you've been doing. We'll get into that in just a moment because it's very interesting. But first, I have to ask, edible grasshoppers. Do tell.

Dror:                Yes. Well, I can start with the story about the expected increase in global demand of protein. It is expected to double by 2050. And we all know that existing protein sources have their limitations. So the demand for alternative, high-quality protein will skyrocket. That's one story.

                        The other story is grasshoppers are the most widely eaten insect in the world, by about 2 billion people worldwide, mainly in regions where there is a lack of protein in people's diet. Today, they just collect them in the wild, and it means that they have a very limited season of four to six weeks. We will enable them to farm them year-round and reduce their cost significantly.

Tom:                I understand that you have developed a way to lengthen the normally short breeding season of edible grasshoppers. Is that correct?

Dror:                A little bit different. What we did was shorten the eggs' incubation period. In the wild, it takes about 40 weeks for the eggs to hatch, which means they can have one cycle a year. And what we did, we incubate in an incubator the eggs and we reduce the period to two weeks, meaning that we can have 10 cycles per year.

Tom:                And how did you come up on this idea? What instigated it?

Dror:                The funny story is, I'm an accountant. So accountants have very strange ideas. But the real story is, my previous startup, Plate My Meal, is dealing with obesity prevention and, while working about that startup, I learned about malnutrition and the lack of protein in people's diet. So as an entrepreneur, when you see a big problem, you start looking for a solution, and I came up with grasshoppers.

Tom:                When we think of grasshoppers, of course, especially in this country, we think of a bug. However, there are other parts of the world where it's nothing at all to have a handful of grasshoppers. What is the end product like? Is it a powder? Or is it a grasshopper?

Dror:                Both.

Tom:                Both?

Dror:                Yes. Just south of the U.S., you have Mexico, and the local grasshoppers called chapulines are a national dish. You have tens of millions of Mexicans in the U.S., and the demand for grasshoppers is high, and there is no supply of them. So when we look at the market potential and the opportunities, we look at two different products. One is, we mill the grasshoppers into a protein powder. We sell it to food manufacturers that produce healthy foods based on it. And we also sell to restaurants in Southern U.S. And that's about 35 percent of the demand that we see from the market.

What does a grasshopper taste like?

Tom:                I have to ask, what does a grasshopper taste like? Not chicken, I'm sure.

Dror:                I'm using that answer, usually. The thing is this: The grasshopper is almost neutral in taste and flavor, so the actual taste depends on the way you cook it. So you can get a taste that feels like shrimps or small fish, a nutty taste, or even a wheaty taste.

Tom:                Tell me about the company's former name and why you changed it to its current name.

Dror:                Oh, that's a good question. Former name was Steak TzarTzar, and, actually, everything started as a joke because steak tartare, we all know what it is. And tzartzar in Hebrew means crickets. So it started like that. And the name really caught, and people really liked it until we had our first investor from the U.S., and said we cannot pronounce tzartzar, you have to change the name. So we came up with Hargol, and that's the name of the kosher grasshopper from the Bible.

Winning global competitions with grasshopper genius

Tom:                Now, as we mentioned earlier, you've been experiencing quite a whirlwind of excitement in recent weeks. How is this interest in your product influencing your plans for the future?

Dror:                That's a complicated question to answer. What happened in recent weeks, we got a lot of attention and attraction from all over the world, and it means that it's hard for us to maintain the focus we had. Our focus is on the U.S. market. We want to produce an ingredient to food manufacturers. Keep it simple with a single product to a specific market. And the attraction from all over the world, from Europe, from Africa, from Asia, means that there's very high demand for whole grasshoppers frozen, freeze-dried, roasted, for powders of all kinds of species of grasshoppers, and we have to maintain focus on what our plans are and keep all these new opportunities to a later stage of the company.

Tom:                You have a great deal of momentum going for you right now, and you are in the midst of some pretty serious globetrotting. Can you describe for me what the past week or so has been like for you in your travels?

Dror:                The past actually three weeks, since we finished the Alltech Accelerator in Dublin. We've been working hard with their team, with (the) Dogpatch team and Alltech, to perfect our pitch. And the moment we finished that demo day, three weeks ago, we applied to several competitions, startup pitching competitions, five of them, actually, and we won all five. Some of them are international. The largest one, just two days ago in Singapore, with over 10,000 startups from over 100 countries, and it's unbelievable for us to imagine that grasshoppers could beat all these amazing technologies. I can only tell that this is the hard work of Alltech and Dogpatch with us to get the pitch to that level.

Could grasshoppers be the next sushi?

Tom:                How do you envision your concept — and I should interject here that I understand that you're targeting two different markets, the grasshoppers themselves and also the protein supplement, I suppose. How do you envision these concepts affecting the average consumer's diet or the dinner table?

Dror:                Well, as we see it, the new protein sources, it will take them a long time to replace existing protein sources. It's hard to change our behavior, our habits. So it's the same as it was with sushi. In the '80s, no one would ever try raw fish in the U.S., and now it's common food you can find everywhere and it's really cheap. And we believe that it will be like that. It will be only insects or only grasshoppers. You will have a variety of new protein sources: plant-based, algae-based, cultured meat maybe, and many, many other sources. And eventually, they will become part of our diet. And we will have, because of that, many new food applications that we will be able to find in the market, and we also see it getting into the pet food industry and feed industry as well.

Grasshoppers…on Mars?

Tom:            There's a lot of lore around this insect, many stories, and I know that you have plenty of them. Can you give us a few?

Dror:                Sure. Let's do some amazing facts about grasshoppers and insects.

                        First, grasshoppers have been around on Earth before the dinosaurs. They're an ancient, very efficient creature.

                        Second thing, grasshoppers are the only kosher and halal insect in the world. They are mentioned on Leviticus as kosher. Actually, that's the name of the company, Hargol.

                        And the last thing is that's our vision in Hargol FoodTech and it will be that missions to Mars will have insects as part of the closed system to support humans on this long and challenging trip.

Tom:                And why is that?

Dror:                Because insects first are really efficient, and they provide zero-waste farming, meaning they can use any waste generated by humans and plants and generate with that protein and fat for the uses of both humans and plants.

Tom:                What do you enjoy most about what you do?

Dror:                It's fun. We're having so much fun. We're having so much laugh about it, so many jokes. The joke I like the most is that our CTO Chanan Aviv, for over 30 years, has been growing, breeding and eating a wide variety of insects, and this is why he is the only guy with hair on his head on our team.

Tom:                Dror Tamir with Hargol, which is among the 10 companies chosen for The Pearse Lyons Accelerator program. Thank you for being with us.

Dror:                Thank you very much.

Dror Tamir presented at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE17) as part of a special pitch fest by the top 10 agri-tech startups selected for the Pearse Lyons Accelerator program. To hear more talks from the conference, sign up for the Alltech Idea Lab. For access, click on the button below.

Why eggs don’t make it to the store shelf 

1. Egg loss: broken eggs that cannot be sold
2. Downgrading: eggs that are given a lower score due to visible defects

Strengthening the shell

Putting the eggshell to the test

Have a question or comment?

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.

With the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) on the horizon and going into full effect Jan. 1, 2017, producers from all livestock sectors will be required to conform to these new regulations. For some, this will only require a little more paperwork; for others, a whole new business plan will be required.

A healthy start for calves begins with colostrum

With producers looking for ways to operate within the new law, the answer may be found in a fresh look at their management practices, beginning with calving. The first day of a calf’s life, especially the first few hours, is critical to its health and survival, setting the stage for lifetime performance.

The most crucial time is shortly after birth when the calf receives colostrum, which is naturally high in the nutrients necessary to increase the calf’s metabolism and stimulate the digestive system. Most importantly, it is the only source of immunoglobulins (IgG), or antibodies, which provide the passive immune protection essential for keeping the calf healthy.

Antibodies are absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract during the first 24 hours of life and provide the basis of the calf’s immune system for the first three to six months of age. Not only does colostrum provide the necessary antibodies needed for survival, but it provides a source of fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Ensuring passive transfer of antibodies in colostrum feeding 

Colostrum feeding is the most important practice for getting the calf off to the right start. However, just because a calf receives the amount needed at the desired time does not guarantee the calf will remain healthy. A study by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) showed that almost 20 percent of dairy calf heifers had failure of passive transfer, or a concentration of IgG in the serum less than 10 grams per liter (2007).

When the topic of colostrum quality comes up in conversation, one can hear “No, I do not test my colostrum, I can tell by physical appearance” or “I do not have issues with my calves, so the quality must be good.” However, there are many factors that affect colostrum quality that cannot be seen by observation only. It is recommended that a calf receive at least 100 grams of IgG, ideally 150 grams, from a minimum of 4 quarts of colostrum to help ensure passive transfer (USDA, NAHMS, 2007).

Factors affecting colostrum quality

What defines “good” quality colostrum? Research suggests that the concentration of IgG in the colostrum should be at least 50 grams per liter, with many factors affecting that level (USDA, NAHMS, 2007). There are other factors that contribute to and affect colostrum quality that are imperative to consider in your calves’ first feedings:

• Breed plays a big role in affecting the concentration level of IgG. Jerseys average 66 grams per liter of IgG compared to Holsteins at 48 grams per liter (BAMN, 2001). As a cow produces more colostrum, we tend to see dilution affecting the concentration level of IgG.

• Production of more than 18 pounds of colostrum at first milking (BAMN, 2001). Again, the tendency is to see a reduction in quality due to dilution of antibodies.

• The age of the cow. Typically, the younger the cow, the less quality colostrum she produces. Younger animals have not been exposed to pathogens as the older animals have. Therefore, the concentration of antibodies in the colostrum is much lower compared to older animals.

• The exposure a cow has to pathogens, whether young or old, varies from operation to operation. Each operation deals with its own issues when it comes to diseases. This is why a sound vaccination protocol needs to be in place not only to help promote animal health, but also to aide in producing good quality colostrum that has the needed antibodies for the calf to fight disease.

• The management of the cow during the dry period. A minimum of a three- to four-week dry period is needed to help ensure antibodies in the blood stream eventually concentrate in the colostrum.

• Along with length of dry period, nutrition can have an effect. If a dry cow is deficient in protein and energy, there will be a decrease in quality compared to cows with adequate nutrition.

• Cows that have colostrum removed by milking or leaking before calving will produce poor quality colostrum due to the removal of antibodies and the dilution of what colostrum is left.

• Colostrum that has a low concentration of bacterial contaminants (<100,000 cfu/ml total bacteria count, <10,000 cfu/ml coliform count) (Godden, 2008). To keep counts low, be sure proper handling of colostrum after milking is practiced to ensure a clean product.

• Seasons that impact the cow, causing cold stress or heat stress and affecting forage quality. Stress from environmental temperature not only has a direct effect on the cow, but also affects the quality of forages that are fed.

Tools for quality colostrum

To help ensure a good quality colostrum, it is beneficial to get into the habit of using either a colostrometer or Brix refractometer. The colostrometer measures specific gravity using a color coded scale that converts the measurement to determine the concentration of IgG. Lately, the use of a Brix refractometer has shown to be useful in testing colostrum. Normally used to measure the amount of sucrose in a solution, the Brix refractometer can use the values to determine IgG levels in colostrum.

There are many ways to help improve the quality of colostrum that is fed to newborn calves. Ensuring that colostrum quality is high improves calf mortality and morbidity rates and provides additional insurance when producers are faced with reduced use of antibiotics.

¹Bovine Alliance on Management and Nutrition. Rev 2001. A Guide to Colostrum and Colostrum Management for Dairy Calves.

²Godden, S. 2008. Colostrum Management for Dairy Calves. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract. Mar, 24 (1): 19-39.

³United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 2007. National Animal Health Monitoring System  (NAHMS) Dairy 2007, Heifer Calf Health and Management on U.S. Dairy Operations, 2007. USDA-APHIS-VS, CEAH. Fort Collins, CO.
 

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Five mycotoxin minutes with Randy Asher, Alltech regional sales manager (and overall mycotoxin expert)

As the 2016 crop rolls in, now is the time to get the scoop on this year’s harvest and what that means for your operation. We grabbed Randy Asher, Alltech’s regional sales manager, with a host of consulting experience on mycotoxin issues for beef and dairy operations, for a little Q and A. 

What’s made the conditions for mycotoxins particularly unique this year?

The weather was a huge factor this summer. Regionally, weather conditions varied a lot, with Kansas having heavy rainfall and a large crop, whereas other areas, like West Texas and New Mexico, were historically dry and production was down.

The overall amount of stress was pretty high, too, because of the weather. Even the regions that got rain had long dry periods in the middle of the growing season and then lots of rain right before harvest, especially in the Corn Belt. This created an inconsistent environment, with both wet and dry patches in the crop, which, unfortunately, is perfect for mold and mycotoxin growth. Producers should really be on the lookout this year, just as Dr. Max Hawkins described in his Animal AgWired interview.  

What have you heard about the 2016 crop so far? What does it mean for feeding cattle?

DON will be the story this year. DON, also known as vomitoxin or deoxynivalenol, is one of an array of trichothecene mycotoxins produced by Fusarium graminearum and looks to be at much higher levels than normal. Aflatoxin levels also look to be high in this year’s crop. What DON and aflatoxins are known to do is inhibit the synthesis of protein in cattle and alter the immune system. As a result, feed conversion, particularly in lightweight feedlot cattle, is really affected and overall performance goes down. 

To combat this, everyone needs to be diligent in testing their corn and corn silages. Producers should have their feedstuffs and forages tested at laboratories, such as the Alltech 37+^® mycotoxin analytical services laboratory, to determine if any of their silages or hay has a mycotoxin prevalence before feeding. It’s really important to discard any feed ingredients you can tell are already moldy and musty smelling and use a sequestering agent in feed to prevent and/or offset the negative effects of molds and mycotoxins. 

How can producers tell if there’s a high mycotoxin load? Are there any early indication signs?

The big challenge when it comes to mycotoxins is that everything is dosage-dependent. Meaning, both the volume and duration of mycotoxins have a compounding effect over time. As a result, producers might not see any impact at all on day one, but don’t confuse that with thinking there isn’t an issue. It’s easy to blame a drop in performance on management or breed influences when the real problem could be right in the feed itself. 

Testing for mycotoxins is critical, but also let your cattle tell you what’s going on. Visually, there are a few cues: 
•    Rough or dull hair coats
•    Stiff joints and/or lameness 
•    Increases in respiratory-related incidents
•    Gut irritation that causes inconsistent or loose stool samples 

This year in particular is the right time to focus on nutrition to boost the immune system to combat the varied mycotoxin load cattle will face.  

Lastly, what’s the one thing the farming public needs to know about mycotoxins that they might not already know?

For me, I hear lots of producers worrying about aflatoxins and testing for them, which is good, but we know there are as many 1,200 different mycotoxins overall that can potentially be in feedstuffs. What I think farmers need to know is that testing for aflatoxins alone isn’t enough. 

I’ve said it before, but it’s the additive or synergistic effect of mycotoxins that really causes the issue. It takes a comprehensive management strategy, including testing and feed application, to drive the health and performance of cattle. That’s what’s best for cattle and supports profitable production at the end of the day.

To learn more about the Alltech® Mycotoxin Management program, visit www.knowmycotoxins.com.

The countdown to 2017 began for many producers back in 2015 when it was announced that new regulations limiting the use of antibiotics, called the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD), would go into effect Jan. 1, 2017. Since then, many questions have been top of mind for producers and feed suppliers: Do I need a VFD for my feed? Is there anything I need to change? How do I get prepared for the new regulations? Dr. Chris Rademacher, senior clinician at Iowa State University, explored these questions and more in the webinar “The VFD. What does it mean for me?”

“One of my jobs in extension is to work with and educate how producers get programs implemented,” said Rademacher when opening the webinar. “This is probably one of the bigger ones we have had from a regulatory standpoint in my 20 years in professional practice…the focus now is to help get producers, veterinarians and feed suppliers ready for these new regulations.”

In the webinar, Rademacher covered the following topics:

• What exactly the Veterinary Feed Directive means
• What changes will have to occur with your feed company
• A list of antibiotics that this new regulation affects
• The necessary actions that producers will need to take as a result of this new regulation

Rademacher emphasized that in order to make sure we get things done right, producers need to be having these conversations with their veterinarians right now. To learn more, click the link below and view the webinar.

http://go.alltech.com/vfd-webinar-signup-pig

Spain’s old-world charm is infused with music, food and wine. The Alltech Crop Science (ACS) Spain Crop Tour 2016 certainly enjoyed these Spanish delights, but attendees were there for something else: Spain’s agriculture.
 
Seventy-two tour participants representing Brazil, the United States, Canada, Morocco, Algeria, Greece and northern Spain commenced their week-long journey in southeastern Spain. They began with a visit to Primaflor, a producer of ready-to-eat salads that specializes in leafy vegetables. Primaflor farms over 14,000 acres and has been using ACS products for four years, resulting in increased quality and quantity. Inside a 7.5-acre, fully automated greenhouse, the group viewed the systems that allow the greenhouse to produce the equivalent of 22 acres’ worth of greens!
 
The lack of water throughout eastern Spain means that producers have to be more creative in their usage and make every drop count. From Plantiagro, a seeds and seedling producer in Murcia, to Daramezas and Castrejón Alto in Toledo, which produce grapes for cognac and olives, respectively, challenges include not only overcoming issues with scarcity, but also with salinity and poor water quality. Growers are constantly looking for ways to make their farms more efficient while maintaining and increasing productivity levels, something many of the tour participants found relatable.
 
Before ending with a day at Fruit Attraction, the largest agronomic trade show in Europe, the tour included a visit to the research fields and laboratory of Ideagro, an independent research group that has been working with ACS for years, as well as touring the table grape variety fields of ITUM and sightseeing in Murcia, Toledo and Madrid
 
After spending a week together, the group felt like a large family.
 
“The trip was wonderful in networking, fun and learning, but what truly makes a difference are the people we share the experience with,” noted Sebastião Rodovalho from Trisolo.
 
“In one word, I would describe the tour as wonderful, because it makes me want to do more, learn more,” said João Garcia, who represents Casa do Adubo. “I came back excited and full of knowledge to share.” 
 
A few days later, Garcia shared his experiences from the tour with friends who were “amazed with all the information I was able to bring back,” he said. “With all that we learned during the week, Brazil and the world gained more experienced people when we returned home.” 

The year is 2050. 

The global population has now reached 9.6 billion people and is increasing every day. You turn on the television, and once again the news turns to how we need the equivalent of three planets in order to feed this unprecedented population. 

Is the world ready for this type of reality? Through the use of sustainable practices and precision agriculture, the answer could be a resounding “yes!”

In October 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was created, with one of the key goals being to effectively manage the global food system. To celebrate the founding of the organization, World Food Day was created, and this year, the 71^st anniversary, the theme is “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must, too.”

Dr. Steven Borst, general manager of Alltech Crop Science, believes that biotechnology, as an evolving science, is paramount to tackling the challenges of sustainable development. In 1987, The United Nations defined sustainability as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” 

“Having the ability to understand, influence and obtain immediate feedback on how we can assist and maintain the maximum potential inherent to each crop could unlock the keys to yield increases as well as abiotic and biotic stress resistance in ways that we could not imagine,” said Borst. 

In order to feed this growing population, we will have to work together at every level: global, local and individual.

“Regardless of which category you fall under, utilizing sustainable approaches to maximize yields and quality will assist with ensuring that we maintain the successes we have already gained in this battle,” continued Borst. 

To bring the goal of sustainably and feeding 9.6 billion people one step closer to reality, new tools and management practices will be needed. We must be able to do more with less, while improving and maintaining food quality.

Alltech Crop Science utilizes unique technologies that stem from research. By strengthening natural plant processes and providing precise micronutrient availability, crops are better able to withstand environmental stresses and reach their maximum genetic potential in yield and quality.

The increasing use of precision agriculture also enables today’s growers to pinpoint areas under stress. By targeting fertilizer and other input applications only to the affected areas, growers can improve their environmental footprint and even their bottom line.

These new technologies could lead to a 2050 that’s more sustainable for our world, our food production and the operations of the modern grower.

Have a question or comment?