Harvest time is here. During this busy time, remember to not only monitor what’s coming in from the field, but also to think about what could be happening in other regions from which you may be purchasing feed ingredients.

Molds and yeasts can grow very rapidly as the weather warms in the spring and in the heat of the early summer months. But what about the end of summer and early fall? The weather across North America was extremely variable this summer — from extremely hot temperatures to drought to floods, week after week. How do these weather patterns affect the crops, and what should you be looking for in your feed this fall?

It is commonly understood that drought-stressed fields do not yield well. Digestibility and overall quality will be poor from feed grown in drought-stressed areas. Can living organisms like molds grow during a drought? The answer is yes: many species of molds will still grow during a drought, or they become dormant and wait for the right growing environment to return. One example of a drought-tolerant mold is Aspergillus. Many times, Aspergillus molds will appear olive green to yellowish in color on infected plants. Aflatoxins come from the mold species Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Aflatoxins are carcinogenic and thrive in hot conditions. Aflatoxin B1 can convert into M1 and can be found in milk. If this toxin is found over a set limit, the milk must be discarded. When fed to livestock, aflatoxins cause liver damage, suppress the immune system and reduce protein synthesis.

What about areas under heavy rain?

Several molds are typically found during summers of heavy rain, including Fusarium, Penicillium, Mucor, Rhizopus, etc. Fusarium is commonly found in both normal growing conditions and during wetter months. Many times, this mold first appears white and will change to a reddish-pink color. Under stress, both in the field and during storage, this mold can form many mycotoxins, including the trichothecenes family (DON or Vomitoxin, T-2, etc.), fusaric acid, fumonisins, and zearalenones. Clinical signs that these are present include immune suppression, bowel hemorrhaging, reduced intakes, poor milk production, reduced weight gains, abortions, conception challenges, vasodilation and even mortality.

The Penicillium molds will typically show blue to greenish in color, or potentially white, depending on the host crop. Penicillium molds will typically infect feed during storage, but abnormal weather patterns — such as heavy rains or, sometimes, cooler temperatures — can cause more mold to form. Certain tillage practices can also influence mold growth. When stressed, Penicillium molds can form patulin, Penicillic acid and ochratoxin. Clinical signs that these are present include edema, rumen upsets, loose manure, bowel hemorrhaging and increased rates of mortality.

This is a minute sampling of the mycotoxin challenges that can exist during harvest in your fields. Remember: the commodities or other purchased feedstuffs that are shipped in by boat, train or truck may present their own mold and mycotoxin challenges. Check the origin of purchased feed to determine what stress or abnormal weather was experienced in that region. Your local dealers, nutritionists or Alltech representatives can put together information on mycotoxin results from other regions. If you want to be especially diligent in lessening mycotoxin challenges, an on-farm RAPIREAD® mycotoxin test or Alltech 37+® mycotoxin test will check your feeds for any concerns. Remember, more information on mycotoxins is always available online at knowmycotoxins.com.

I want to learn more about protecting my feed from mycotoxins.

The KEENAN “Green Machine” has made its way from Ireland to Northern India, with Gurpreet Singh Grewal being the first KEENAN machine owner in the area. Gurpreet has worked in the dairy business for the past eight years and is currently milking 105 Holstein dairy cows on his farm.

Gurpreet is the owner of HG Grewal Dairy farm in Chimna village, Jagroan Tehsil, in the state of Punjab — an area with a continuously growing dairy sector.

Jagroan Tehsil is one of the leading milk belts of Punjab and is home to most of the Progressive Dairy Farmers Association’s active farmers in the state. Milk is the main product from livestock in Punjab, accounting for nearly 80 percent of the total value of livestock output.

Punjab is considered one of the most progressive states for the dairy industry in India. Dairy farmers in this area are adopting the latest techniques and technology rapidly, and Gurpreet is among those early adopters. He bought a KEENAN ECO50 in December 2017 after attending an Alltech event, completing research and receiving recommendations from his brother. This is the first time Gurpreet has used a Total Mixed Ration (TMR) wagon.

The KEENAN machine in action at HG Grewal Dairy farm.

“I am very much satisfied with the KEENAN machine performance and its contribution to the overall profitability of the farm, as well as with Alltech solutions and technical support,” said Gurpreet. “I highly appreciate Alltech’s technical help in TMR formulations and Alltech In Vitro Fermentation Model (IFM) lab facilities for testing silage samples.”

Gurpreet is particularly pleased with:

• Gentle mixing of TMR — the cows do not separate the feed, so there is less feed waste
• Uniform mixing of TMR, which leads to no sign of Acidosis
• Uniform Body Conditioning Score
• Good processing and mixing of rye grass, which maintains the structure of the fodder
• Increase in milk production

Soon after Gurpreet started using the KEENAN machine, his farm attained peak milk production of 1,660 litres from 56 dairy cows, from December 2017 to January 2018. This was even without changing the TMR formulation.

HG Grewal Dairy farm currently uses the following Alltech products: Yea-Sacc®, Optigen® and Mycosorb A+®.

Please contact india@alltech.com with an questions.

I want to learn more about nutrition for my dairy herd.

Tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) is a cool season, perennial bunch grass native to Europe. Since its introduction in the early 1800s, it has spread widely throughout the southeastern and lower midwestern United States. Due in large part to its tolerance for heat and low-quality soils, and its adaptability to a wide range of conditions, tall fescue is now grown on more than 37 million acres of land in the U.S. (Thompson et al., 1993), and it is estimated that more than half of these fields are infected with the fungal endophyte Epichloë coenophiala (Jones et al., 2004). This endophyte provides positive characteristics to the plant, but the secondary metabolites (ergot alkaloids) produced by the endophyte have negative consequences to animals grazing on infected fescue.

The positives and negatives of fescue utilization

Symptoms of tall fescue toxicosis in cattle

The pathology of cattle consuming infected tall fescue can vary greatly depending on the weather and alkaloid concentration. The signs most readily apparent to producers include reduced feed intake (up to 50 percent) and weight gain, decreased milk production, reduced reproductive efficiency, tissue necrosis and a rough hair coat. Collectively, this range of conditions is known as “fescue toxicosis.” The decrease in productivity caused by fescue toxicosis has been estimated to cost U.S. beef producers more than $2 billion per year due to reduced growth, diminished reproductive efficiency and market discrimination because of unthrifty appearance (Kallenboch, 2015). 

Consumption of the ergot alkaloids in endophyte-infected tall fescue results in widespread vasoconstriction in cattle. This reduces the ability of the animal to dissipate heat, resulting in a variety of physiological symptoms, including increased respiration rate and elevated core temperature. This reduction in tolerance to heat leads to less time spent grazing and reduced weight gains, generally called “summer slump.” In colder months, the vasoconstriction from fescue can combine with natural vasoconstriction related to thermoregulation, resulting in tissue death in extremities such as ear tips, tails and feet, commonly known as “fescue foot.”

The vasoconstriction also reduces blood flow to the rumen, decreasing volatile fatty acidy (VFA) absorption. Consumption of ergot alkaloids also reduces passage rates of digesta from the rumen, likely by reducing rumen motility. These alterations work together to reduce nutrient availability, contributing to the reduced growth rate frequently observed in cattle grazing fescue. 

I would like more information on fescue and Alltech solutions for beef cattle.

A new type of cow’s milk is appearing in supermarkets across the globe: “A2 milk.” Supporters of A2 milk, including consumers who report they cannot drink cow’s milk without suffering digestive issues, indicate that A2 milk may be easier to digest than traditional cow’s milk.

What is A2, and how can it affect me?

Cow’s milk is a good source of protein, containing 8 grams of protein per 8-ounce glass. The primary proteins in milk are casein and whey, with casein accounting for about 80 percent of the total protein. There are different types of casein, with one of the three major casein proteins being beta-casein. A1 and A2 are two variants of beta-casein.

Depending on a cow’s genetic makeup, it can produce A1 beta-casein only, A1 and A2 beta-casein, or A2 beta-casein only. Commonly, unless otherwise labeled, both A1 and A2 are expressed in the traditional cow’s milk found on supermarket shelves. There are small variations between the two proteins — they’re nearly identical — and while there is no strong scientific research on the topic, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest milk containing only A2 beta-casein is easier for some people to digest.

When A1 protein is digested in the small intestine, it produces beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7), a peptide that has been linked to stomach discomfort and symptoms similar to those experienced by people with lactose intolerance. 

Experiencing stomach discomfort (symptoms such as gas, bloating and diarrhea) after consuming dairy products is often attributed to lactose intolerance. However, a few researchers now believe that it may be BCM-7, not lactose, that is producing these symptoms in some people.1-3

A2 milk

The a2 Milk Company was founded in 2000 in New Zealand, providing milk from cows that only produce the A2 protein. The a2 Milk Company tests the DNA of its cows using a strand of hair from the tail of each cow to ensure the animals produce milk that contains the A2 protein only. These cows are then segregated and milked separately. The milk is also tested after production to ensure it does not contain A1 protein. The company owns the patent to the method for identifying the A2 milk cows, meaning it’s the only brand that can sell milk with the A2 label.4

Should I choose A2 milk over traditional cow’s milk?

For consumers who do not experience any digestive issues with milk consumption, there is no evidence to suggest benefits in drinking A2 milk over traditional cow’s milk, which contains both the A1 and A2 proteins.

But, for consumers who report digestive discomfort when drinking traditional cow’s milk, it may be a suitable option to be able to enjoy milk and its health benefits without symptoms.

It is important to note that A2 milk still contains lactose and milk protein, so it is not an appropriate alternative for people with diagnosed lactose intolerance, galactosemia or a milk allergy.

References:

1. Nutrition Journal. 2016 Apr;15(35). Effects of milk containing only A2 beta casein versus milk containing both A1 and A2 beta casein proteins on gastrointestinal physiology, symptoms of discomfort, and cognitive behavior of people with self-reported intolerance to traditional cows' milk.  Jianqin, S., Leiming, X., Lu, X., Yelland, G. W., Ni, J., & Clarke, A. J.
2. Eur J Nutr. 2014 Jun;53(4):1039-49. Comparative evaluation of cow β-casein variants (A1/A2) consumption on Th2-mediated inflammatory response in mouse gut. Ul Haq MR1, Kapila R, Sharma R, Saliganti V, Kapila S.
3. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2014 Sep;65(6):720-7. Dietary A1 β-casein affects gastrointestinal transit time, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 activity, and inflammatory status relative to A2 β-casein in Wistar rats. Barnett MP1, McNabb WC, Roy NC, Woodford KB, Clarke AJ.
4. https://thea2milkcompany.com/about-us/about-our-products/

I want to learn more about nutrition for dairy cows.

The following is an edited transcript of Tom Martin's interview with Dr. Gregory Jicha, chief clinician and professor at the University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Center. Click below to hear the full interview:

Tom:              According to the Alzheimer's Association, an estimated 47 million people are living with dementia worldwide, and this number will triple by 2050. With a new case diagnosed every three seconds, can we stop the clock on dementia? It’s one of many questions we have for Dr. Gregory Jicha, chief clinician and professor at the University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Center. Thank you for joining us, Dr. Jicha.

Gregory:         Thank you for having me.

Tom:              Given what you know from your research, are you optimistic that we can indeed stop the clock on dementia?

Gregory:         I am an incredibly optimistic person, but my thoughts are based in reality, and, yes, indeed, they are optimistic. We have discovered what causes Alzheimer's disease at almost every level. We have almost every piece solved, and we know how to go about attacking each of those targets with a set national plan in the U.S. of having a cure or medicine for the prevention of Alzheimer's by 2025. That means the medicines we hold in our hands today are the cures of tomorrow.

Tom:              You and your team are actively engaged in several state-of-the-art clinical trials in an effort to find better treatments and investigate potential cures for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Can you tell us what you're looking into?

Gregory:         We're looking into a variety of different mechanisms, and what we know about Alzheimer's is it is a long process that begins about 20 years before the first complaints of memory loss. There is a slow buildup of amyloid in the brain, inflammation and oxidative damage, eventually leading to neurofibrillary tangles, cell death and dementia. So, we are looking at a variety of agents that may prevent the disease initially, and that once it's begun, may abort it at many of the different time points along that pathologic spectrum. The excitement is quite high. We do think that our best opportunities, the most promising medications that we're using currently, are in early prevention or in aborting the process very early on.

Tom:              Some time ago, Alltech and the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging began partnering on research into the properties of the selenium-based Alltech product AT-001. A 2009 study using a mouse model found that the supplement significantly reduced the levels of amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Phase I trial. That study confirmed that the AT-001 seemed to be preventing these plaques from migrating from the spinal fluid to the brain. You now have a Phase II trial underway focusing on volunteers who are at risk for Alzheimer's. Can you bring us up to date on the study?

Gregory:         That's correct. We've had a long-standing relationship with Alltech in moving AT-001 forward from the early animal preclinical studies, which not only have shown an impact on reducing amyloid plaques, suggesting a role in the early prevention and/or treatment of Alzheimer's, but even later stage changes like neurofibrillary tangles.

The Phase I study that we performed was really looking primarily at safety: How high could we push the dose of AT-001 safely in humans? We found no ceiling on that. We went up to 800 milligrams a day — that's 400 micrograms of selenium — and that is much higher than the U.S. RDA (recommended dietary allowance) for selenium. But in this particular form — the form produced by Alltech in the compound AT-001 — safety was not an issue at any dose. We were able to show in that study that we could use the high dose successfully over 12 weeks, and in that 12-week period, we saw tremendous changes in the research participants.

We saw an overall reduction in systemic inflammation — that's inflammation throughout the body — and we also saw very positive trends for reduction of Alzheimer's proteins in the spinal fluid. We've carried that forward now in conjunction with Alltech in a Phase II study. We have a large number of subjects receiving the supplement. Many folks have finished a one-year duration of high-dose treatment with AT-001.

Again, we're not seeing any signals suggestive of any safety concerns whatsoever. I am “blinded,” of course, during the course of the study, so I can't comment on outcome measures as of yet, but I will tell you the last subject out of that study will be December 2018. We hope to have data available by late winter or early spring 2019, which will hopefully confirm everything that we saw in the Phase I study and pave the way not only for AT-001 to make its mark as a supplement for brain health and the potential prevention of Alzheimer-like changes in the brain, but also as the scientists at Alltech move forward, trying to identify the active compounds to purify, to improve the efficacy, the ability of this supplement to promote brain health. I think we have a long road ahead of us with lots of discovery, and it's a very exciting time for us at the University in this partnership with Alltech.

Tom:              We would very much like to follow you on that. When the second phase is over, perhaps we can revisit and see where you are at that point.

Gregory:         Absolutely.

Tom:              Alltech founder Dr. Pearse Lyons was a major proponent of these studies. What do you recall about Dr. Lyons' enthusiasm and support?

Gregory:         Well, Dr. Lyons had inexhaustible energy, in my opinion. I never saw him moving at less than 180 miles an hour — that’s in brain thought processes, not in the rate at which he operated his car. Dr. Lyons was incredibly excited about the potential of AT-001 to impact humans. It's a supplement that's been used in the animal husbandry business for many, many years, and Alltech scientists have noted profound benefits on brain health in those animals. As the first endeavor to move Alltech discoveries directly into human care and disease prevention, this was something that Dr. Lyons really championed and maintained his enthusiasm for throughout the entire project.

Tom:              On another subject, you've noted that what we eat today can affect our cognition in the future. There is recent research that demonstrates that people who follow a Mediterranean-style diet enjoy a high level of protection against age-related cognitive decline. What components of this diet contribute to these benefits?

Gregory:         That is the million-dollar question when it comes to diet in humans. We know that composite diets like the Mediterranean diet, and the modified version that's become quite popular — the MIND diet — are certainly associated with better brain health outcomes. Unfortunately, we're currently lacking data on which of the components are most beneficial in that regard. Is it a potential combination of components where we need certain ingredients or certain food types to promote brain health, and the others are simply things that are carried along? I think that looking at the individual nutrients — much the way that we're doing with studies of AT-001, studies of omega-3 fatty acids and of other nutritional compounds —is someday going to unlock that mystery. We may find the ideal diet, where each of the components is based on science rather than our current coarse understanding of dietary needs for brain health.

Tom:              What additional lifestyle changes, cognitive exercises or dietary supplements might be of further use in preserving brain health and cognitive ability as we age?

Gregory:         I think that there are several areas of our lifestyles that do need to be modified for brain health, the first of which is cognitive exercise. I hear frequently from folks as they age that they can't wait to retire and do absolutely nothing. That may be great for relaxation, but that is the worst thing in the world for your brain. We know that if you don't use it, you will lose it.

                        Recently, the National Academy of Sciences had an advisory panel looking at brain health and prevention, and their number one recommendation was cognitive activity. That was followed by management of medical issues such as blood pressure control throughout middle age and later years.

                       We know that negative impacts on the body are also reflected through negative impacts on the brain. If you're not seeing a doctor and have those medical problems, get out there and get those problems addressed.

                      The third is physical activity. We're not talking about devoting your entire life to becoming a gymnast or a heavyweight champion; what we're really talking about here is a simple 30 minutes, three days a week, of high-intensity exercise. It reduces your risk for a disease like Alzheimer's to almost one-third. That's a 300 percent improvement in your brain health through that single activity.

                      What we don’t yet understand is the impact of combining all those things. Perhaps if each one lowers it by a third, and we're looking at a third of a third of a third, we may be to a point where there is a 90 percent plus chance of eliminating the future threat of Alzheimer's for an individual person who's maintaining that healthy lifestyle.

Tom:              Are there any emerging technologies or innovations that excite you that you're keeping your eye on?

Gregory:         There are a number of exciting technological innovations. Many of these are in the area of genetics. Genetics have helped us unlock the mysteries of Alzheimer's disease, and more importantly, they're helping us unlock the secrets to brain health and the individual cellular pathways that are important for us to target through interventions, nutritional supplements and medications.

                      One always thinks about genetic discoveries as being something that we're simply left with — that you're “stuck” with genes and if you have that risk, there is nothing you can do about it. But I think what we've learned from precision medicine in cancer is that understanding your genetic risks can help us to develop a personalized prevention program for Alzheimer's disease — a personalized program for your individual brain health.

Tom:              Dr. Jicha, what would you say you enjoy the most about the work that you do?

Gregory:         That is an incredibly difficult question. I am a physician, and I directly care for patients one-on-one throughout most of my day, whether that's in the context of research or in straightforward clinical care, and that's incredibly rewarding. But on the other hand, the ability to help move innovative ideas forward, to be at the forefront of our search for cures for a disease as devastating as Alzheimer's disease, is incredibly intellectually rewarding. That combination is something I simply wouldn’t trade in for anything.

Tom:              Dr. Gregory Jicha, chief clinician and professor at the University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Center. Thank you so much for your time.

Gregory:         Thank you for having me.

Dr. Gregory Jicha spoke at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference(ONE18). Click the button below to see presentations from ONE18: 

Australis Vietnam is the largest barramundi producer in Asia and has introduced a new superfood to the market: The Sustainable Seabass®. This barramundi is antibiotic-free, mercury-free, hormone-free and high in omega-3. Located in Van Phong Bay, Vietnam, this premium brand aims to produce 10,000 tons of fish a year upon reaching maximum production capacity.

A recipient of the prestigious Seafood Choices Alliance’s Seafood Champion Award, Australis brought its innovative ocean farming approach from the U.S. to central Vietnam. It employs a hybrid system of offshore marine net pens and on-land nursery tanks using  recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). RAS, a sustainable technology that has modernized aquaculture, dramatically reduces the amount of water and space required to intensively produce seafood products.

To ensure the efficient growth of their fish, Australis Vietnam has been using Alltech’s Bio-Mos® since 2013. Bio-Mos is incorporated into aquaculture diets to support gut integrity and overall animal performance. It is effective during all phases of growth.

“Bio-Mos meets our demands for feed performance and conversion goals,” said Bao Nguyen, production manager at Australis Vietnam. “I am satisfied with the product. It is irreplaceable.”

Australis and Alltech are aligned in core values. While Australis’ mission is to pioneer climate-smart ocean farming with The Better Fish® concept, Alltech aims to deliver smarter solutions for agriculture through its ACE principle. Ensuring the quality and safety of food is a priority for both companies.

“Alltech has a great brand awareness and reputation in the feed industry, so I am assured when using Alltech’s products,” noted Nguyen. “There is competition, but we prefer Bio-Mos because of the positive results. Moreover, the Alltech team’s technical expertise is incredible.”

Have a question or comment?

Excess weight may cause or predispose horses to problems like joint pain, laminitis and insulin resistance, or it may indicate an existing metabolic disorder. Nutritional management of the overweight horse is key – and not quite as simple as some may think.

At what weight is a horse overweight?

Assigning a specific weight to define obesity in horses is impossible due to differing bone structure and muscling. Instead, evaluating fat deposition over the horse’s body is a better method to estimate body condition. Body condition scoring (BCS) systems have been developed to apply a numerical score to the horse’s condition based on fat coverage over target areas of the body. While BCS systems are subjective, they do provide a systematic method for evaluating body condition. One of the most widely accepted scoring systems is the 1 to 9 Henneke scale, where 1 is extremely emaciated and 9 is very obese. Horses scoring above a 7 on this scale are considered overweight. For more information specific to body condition scoring, you may visit McCauley's dedicated page.

Why is the horse overweight?

Determining why the horse is overweight can be helpful. Sometimes the answer is as simple as the horse receiving feed when little or no feed is required. Unfortunately, the answer is often much more complicated. Metabolic disorders such as Cushing’s disease, insulin resistance and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) may predispose the horse to obesity. Some horses carry extra weight simply because they are very efficient at converting dietary energy (calories) to fat.

Nutritional management of obese horses

Feed should be adjusted according to body condition and season. One of the primary keys to achieving desired body condition is to balance the number of calories consumed with the number of calories used. The number of calories used changes with age, climate and activity level. As a result, the calorie consumption will likely need to change throughout the year to maintain a healthy body condition. Warmer weather means less energy is used to maintain body temperature, and as pastures grow lush and calorie-rich, winter feeding quantities need to be decreased to maintain a healthy weight.  

If reducing or eliminating feed does not accomplish the desired weight loss, grazing on lush pastures should also be limited. This may be accomplished by splitting time between pasture and stall, using a grazing muzzle or placing the horse in a dry lot and feeding hay.

Pastures are often deficient in many trace minerals. A typical trace mineral salt block will not meet the horse’s mineral requirements. If the amount of feed provided is below the minimum requirement, then supplemental vitamins and minerals will be needed. In such cases, vitamin and mineral supplements should be fed daily rather than fed free-choice.

When feeding hay to overweight horses, choose mature grass hay. The more mature the hay at harvesting, the lower the digestible calories. Sugar and starch concentrations are usually lower as well. Many metabolic disorders require avoidance of sugars and starches, making mature grass hay the best choice for reducing calorie intake.

Horses on a hay-only diet should receive a minimum of approximately 1.5 to 2 percent of their body weight per day. Feeding hay at this rate is essential to maintain normal, healthy gut function and to avoid the development of vices like wood chewing. As always, the hay should be free of dust, mold and other contaminants.

Summary

• Use a body condition scoring system to evaluate the horse’s fat deposition.

• Reducing caloric intake and/or increasing caloric output is crucial to weight reduction.

• While calorie restriction is important, the other essential nutrients (e.g., protein, vitamins and minerals) cannot be ignored.

• For optimal health, the goal is to achieve and maintain the ideal body condition throughout the year. This may require fine-tuning the diet regularly to adjust for seasonality and other factors, such as changes in activity level.

Have a question or comment?

A good start for fish larvae is not only crucial to health and development — it also impacts producer profitability.

Weaning on dry feeds with an unbalanced diet can result in deformities and high mortality rates. High-quality starter diets are therefore essential. Providing nutritional solutions for the specific needs of larvae in their most critical life stage benefits the fish during their entire lifecycle. Supporting the healthy development of all organs, including the skeleton, for an ideal start begins with optimal nutrition.

Extensive studies at the Alltech Coppens Aqua Centre have revealed the essentials for a weaning diet, which will significantly minimize deformations in sensitive fish species. This allows us to wean fish larvae with confidence knowing that the vast majority will fully develop into healthy fry without any abnormalities.

Three things producers look for in starter feeds:

• High survival rate and minimal deformities

• Optimal skeleton development as a foundation for future growth

• High digestibility for optimal performance and water quality

Benefits for hatcheries and farms

By delivering nutrients in a way that can be handled easily by the maturing digestive tract of fresh water larvae, we can offer hatcheries more security when weaning freshwater larvae from Artemiaonto a dry diet. Deformities can be scaled back to a minimum with a more even growth rate, thereby resulting in less frequent grading. The end results are healthy larvae and fry, more revenue, more efficiency and less work.

A new generation of starter diets

Alltech and Coppens International are working closely together to bring a new generation of fish feed to the marketplace. Coppens’ Essence, designed with Alltech’s Total Replacement Technology™ and gut health technologies containing Bioplex® and Bio-Mos®, reflects this approach.

Through highly bioavailable, organically bound trace elements, we can ensure optimal skeleton development with a special larval diet that can largely replace live Artemia. Essence also promotes optimal tissue development which reduces factors associated with deformity and low fry survival rates, making this feed truly unique. Due to its high digestibility and excellent performance, this starter diet is ideal for recirculation aquaculture system farming conditions.

Essence is tailored to the specific needs of the early life stage of many freshwater fish, such as cyprinids, pikeperch, catfish, tilapia and koi, which are characterized by many as living jewels.

For more information, please contact aquasolutions@Alltech.com or info@coppens.com.  

Have a question or comment?

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, with any luck, the chill of winter is finally lifting, and grass is taking on a long-awaited healthy, green glow. You and your horses are likely chomping at the bit (pun intended) to head outside and take full advantage of the free buffet. But before you turn those ponies loose, ask yourself: Are you thinking strategically about pasture management?

Why utilize rotational grazing?

If horses are allowed to graze on one pasture continuously, they can quickly eat down the quality forage, leaving behind weeds and potentially bare ground. Given the choice, horses will selectively graze on their favorite plants and grasses and may completely neglect certain areas while overgrazing others. Whenever a plant is grazed on, it needs time to regenerate leaves and restore energy to its root system. If grazed on again before roots are re-energized, the plant grows weaker. If regularly overgrazed, the plant will ultimately die. Rotational grazing is meant to stop this cycle from taking place.

By utilizing rotational grazing, you could potentially double the amount of forage produced and salvage this precious resource, thereby saving a great deal on additional hay costs. This is because rotational grazing allows portions of pasture to rest and recover, particularly the most heavily grazed plants and grasses. A pasture can be divided into several segments to allow ample time for rested areas to grow back to a reasonable grazing height.

How do I begin a rotational grazing program?

The way you divide your pasture(s) will depend on several factors, including climate, soil fertility, rainfall/irrigation, drainage, types of plants and grasses, and number of horses grazing. Removing horses from an area when the grass has reached an approximate height of 3 to 4 inches (using a color-coded grazing stick can be very helpful) can prevent overgrazing from occurring and allow you to take advantage of the underutilized sections.

If you are transitioning a paddock to its rest period, you will need to remove manure, trim to an even height to encourage grasses to regrow uniformly and allow approximately three to four weeks’ rest. You’ll need at least four paddocks (1 to 2 acres per horse, per paddock) to maintain this schedule. Using more will allow for briefer grazing periods and increased rest, which is even better. A smart strategy is to keep a dry lot available and feed hay when longer rest periods are warranted.

You may also be wondering how long you should allow horses to graze on pasture sections. This will be dependent on the number of horses, length of daily turnout and size of the area, as well as the other factors mentioned previously. A good rule of thumb is to plan for one week’s use of each section but to monitor closely. Walking the pastures, preferably daily, will allow you to ensure that areas aren’t being overgrazed and to check that fencing is working properly. Temporary electric fencing is generally most effective for this strategy as it can be adjusted at any time. It is also worth noting that you should keep horses inside or in a dry lot during wet weather to prevent pasture damage from hooves.

What about water?

One challenge associated with rotational grazing is that we are often using automatic waterers and the question of accessibility comes into play. Obviously, you won’t be able to provide easy access to the waterer in all instances, so you may have to get creative when it comes to providing adequate water. Setting up temporary troughs, checking them often and moving them around the paddock(s) periodically can help to avoid creating particularly muddy areas or soft ground, which could lead to pasture damage.

Is rotational grazing worth the hassle?

I know what you’re thinking. This sounds like a lot of extra work, and that’s because it is. But the time, effort and commitment can truly pay off in the end, with the potential to increase forage quantity and quality, improve horse health, save money (less spent on hay) and decrease both you and your horses’ environmental footprint, making rotational grazing a very worthwhile endeavor.

I would like to learn more about horse health.

When you hear the word “nutrigenomics,” your first reaction may be “What in the world is that?” Nutrigenomics is an up-and-coming research field that aims to understand how nutrition can influence an animal’s genome and what that means for animal health and production. It isn’t genetic engineering or modification, but rather a way of measuring changes in the activity of genes that result from changes in an animal’s diet. This field of research opens many doors that were previously closed in classic animal nutrition and allows us to better understand how “you are what you eat,” or rather, your chickens are what you feed them.

What is nutrigenomics?

Before we can talk about nutrigenomics, let’s do a quick review of molecular biology. Each animal has what’s called a genome that contains all of the genetic material, or DNA, of an animal and provides the basic blueprint for life. These carefully drawn out plans provide the blueprint for that animal’s life. However, outside influences, such as nutrition, can have a strong impact on the expression of this genetic information, or essentially how that blueprint is read.

Over the last decade, genomes have begun to be sequenced. This means that we know the approximate makeup of an animal’s entire genome. Identifying the genome sequences opened the door for cutting-edge research approaches to understand the molecular mechanisms behind everyday life. Even more importantly, we can now use genomic technologies to understand how each of the genes in that genomic sequence responds to outside influences and how this relates to the health and disease of an animal. The genomic sequence is very stable, so changes in function and activity come from up-regulating (“turning on”) or down-regulating (“turning off”) individual genes to produce (or decrease) products called transcripts in response to a stimulus like nutrition.  These transcripts code for the proteins that make up structures and functions in the cells, so the result is that changes occur in physiological processes like energy production or immune response.

Nutrigenomics is the field of research we use to study these changes in gene activities that occur because of changes in the animal’s diet. This information can help us better understand how nutrition influences animal health and production by giving us insights into what is going on within the cell in response to changes in the diet. We can measure the response in animal tissue using a technology called DNA microarrays. These tools are the basis of nutrigenomics studies and allow researchers to profile the activity of all the genes on a genome at once. The information gathered from nutrigenomics studies can provide us with a better understanding of nutrition by giving us clues to how nutrients work, why different forms of nutrients have different effects and how such nutrients can be optimized for health and production.

How can we use nutrigenomics to further poultry nutrition?

Current research can paint us a picture of how nutrigenomics is being applied to poultry nutrition. For example, recent work at Alltech has helped decipher why different forms of nutrients in the diet, such as Bioplex® organic minerals versus inorganic forms of minerals, can have very different effects on animal health. Before nutrigenomics, analyses like animal growth and tissue nutrient content gave us only part of the picture. But now, we can understand why changes occur.

Mineral matters

We know that Bioplex minerals support increased tissue levels. Through nutrigenomics, we identified changes in important transport proteins in the intestine that lead to increased mineral uptake into tissues when Bioplex zinc is used in poultry diets. In a similar fashion, we used nutrigenomics to understand why Sel-Plex® has a greater effect on reproduction than inorganic selenium. Traditional poultry nutrition studies were only able to reach the conclusion that it was due to selenium’s role in antioxidant defenses. However, nutrigenomics data confirmed this and, more importantly, indicated that selenium in the form of Sel-Plex could alter genes involved in energy production and reproductive signaling in the oviduct. In males, it made a clear impact on genes involved in tissue structure and function.

Early birds

Another area in which nutrigenomics is leading to a new understanding of the importance of nutrition is nutritional programming. This concept is the idea that nutrition, especially early in life, can have lasting imprints on an animal’s entire life. By understanding the gene expression patterns that are targeted by early life nutrition, we can begin to determine how this programming occurs and use it to our advantage in poultry production. For example, nutrigenomics studies have shown that changing the trace mineral content in the post-hatch diet can have long-term effects on genes in the gastrointestinal tract that are important for nutrient transport and for intestinal tissue structure. These genes remain changed in the adult bird weeks after the post-hatch period.

In the future, the information that nutrigenomics provides us could change the way we feed birds and make poultry nutrition a more precise field. Molecular findings can add to our understanding of how nutrition influences animal production and health and how we can use nutrition to get the best out of our animals. Nutrigenomics provides a way to know preciously what nutrients, timing of nutrients or combinations of nutrients are optimal. Through this information, we can not only streamline nutrition, but improve performance, efficiency and health.

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