In the Middle Ages, farmers would put a bell around the neck of the lead ram (a wether) in a flock of sheep. The movements of the flock could be tracked by hearing the bell, even if the flock was not in sight. More than 1000 years later, we still use the term ‘bellwether’ to refer to an indicator or a predictor of something.

Drawn on data from 130 countries, including visits to more than 30,000 feed mills, Alltech’s annual Global Feed Survey (GFS) report has become a bellwether of global economic trends, sometimes flagging changes before other indicators do. The market for animal feed has a direct impact on food prices, making the relative health of the global feed industry an interesting proxy for the health of the agricultural sector and by extension the overall global economy. Although the U.S. and China are the two biggest markets, and there are lots of interesting nuggets from around the world, this year the big stories from the GFS are found in the Southern Hemisphere.

Discover the eight wonders of the world, according to the Alltech Global Feed Survey, in Aidan Connolly's full Bellwether post on LinkedIn.

Winning teams took home $10,000 apiece, the same amount with which Dr. Pearse Lyons founded Alltech

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] — As seven universities demonstrated at the Alltech Innovation Competition 2017, university-level innovation is firing on all cylinders in Kentucky. A range of disruptive technologies were showcased, from eco-friendly and Kentucky-centric ventures to those featuring virtual reality and music.

Western Kentucky University’s undergraduate team and the University of Kentucky’s graduate team took home the top prizes of $10,000 apiece, the same amount with which Dr. Pearse Lyons founded Alltech, now a more than $2 billion company.

“Kentucky was a winner today,” said Dr. Karl Dawson, vice president and chief scientific officer at Alltech. “We really saw what the capabilities of our young people are.”

The Western Kentucky University undergraduate team, including students Taylor Wathen, Blake Knott and Zachary Wathen, and their advisors Dawn Langkamp Bolton and Whitney Oliver Peake, captured the undergraduate first place prize with their venture Tech Gnar. The program and database uses hundreds of complex measurements to suggest songs to users that are tailor-made to their musical interests. They are planning to launch their website and an app at the end of the year.

“This competition is great, because it shows that anyone can be an entrepreneur,” Taylor Wathen said, noting that neither she nor her team members are business majors. “We created this venture for the love of music.”

The University of Kentucky graduate team, including students Fletcher Young and Zach Yonts, and their advisors Mariam Gorjian and Warren O. Nash III, captured the graduate first place prize with their venture Stillage Solutions.

The University of Kentucky graduate team, including students Fletcher Young and Zach Yonts, and their advisors Mariam Gorjian and Warren O. Nash III, captured the graduate first place prize with their venture Stillage Solutions. By using leftover stillage from the brewing and distilling process to produce activated carbon, the team hopes to develop a low-cost, high-quality and more environmentally friendly activated carbon product than what is currently developed using coal, coconut shells and wood. This product could be used in everything from water and gas filtration systems to fuel cells and supercapacitator-driven devices, such as cell phones. With Kentucky’s booming brewing and distilling sector, they felt well-placed to enter this market.

“This is what it’s all about — disrupting the industry,” said Young. “With our venture, we can start small, because all of the products we need to begin can be found locally, and then we can expand.”

For the first time, Alltech also awarded the Disruptor Award — a reflection of this year’s theme at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, “Disrupt the Disruptors” — to the team with the most innovative venture. This year’s Disruptor Award of $2,000 was awarded to Bellarmine University’s undergraduate team for their EcoCups idea, a biodegradable version of the popular K-Cups used for coffee. The team members included Ariana Sherrard, Michaela Julian and Michael Ann Humphreys, and their advisor was Dr. Michael Mattei.

The Bellarmine University undergraduate team, including students Ariana Sherrard, Michaela Julian and Michael Ann Humphreys, and their advisor Dr. Michael Mattei, captured the Disruptor Award for their venture EcoCups.

The winning teams’ competition included Bellarmine University, Eastern Kentucky University, Morehead State University, the University of Louisville and the University of Pikeville, with concepts ranging from seasonal, family farm models to virtual laboratories.

“All of the unique ventures presented today reflect the high quality of education, teaching and entrepreneurial talent in Kentucky,” said Suniti Mujumdar, manager of educational engagement at Alltech. “These creative students have the spark to ignite meaningful change to economically benefit the Commonwealth.

“The Alltech Innovation Competition’s goal is to connect students with business professionals for inspiration as they pursue their passions toward building extraordinary careers,” she continued. “We are honored to be involved with fostering the next generation of entrepreneurship in Kentucky.”

The Alltech Innovation Competition started in 2013 in Kentucky and Ireland, and challenges undergraduate and graduate university teams to develop forward-thinking business plans on innovative ideas that will improve local economies and have the potential to change the world.

Alltech also holds sister competitions in Ireland, India and Brazil, reflecting Alltech’s commitment to lifelong education and the inspiration of innovation and entrepreneurship across the globe.

Alltech’s education and entrepreneurship commitment doesn’t stop at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but will continue at the company’s flagship international conference, now in its 33rd year, in Lexington, Kentucky. Registration for ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, to be held May 21–24, is now open. For more information, visit one.alltech.com. Join the conversation on Twitter with #ONE17.

Alltech's Dr. Aoife Lyons is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in children, brain development and ADHD. In this interview, she discussed with David Butler the importance of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, and its role in brain function and development. Dr. Lyons highlighted some of the exciting new research that is being done to examine the connection between DHA, sleep quality and attention span in children. We also discussed the pros and cons of fish oil versus algae as a source of DHA.

A transcript of the interview follows:

This is David Butler for Alltech, and I’m here with Dr. Aoife Lyons. Can you tell us a little bit about your background, please?

I’m a licensed clinical psychologist, and my specialty is in children and brain development. I ran a children’s clinic in Chicago for about 14 years where we saw all sorts of children. Many had Attention Deficit Disorder, which is more commonly known as ADHD, and we saw a lot of learning disabilities as well.

How long have you been with Alltech?

I have been with Alltech as a consultant for about 12 years, full-time now for about two years.

Very good. Tell us a little about omega-3 fatty acids and why they are important.

Well, DHA, or those fatty acids that you are talking about, are really, really important to support central nervous systems. Your central nervous system is in charge of your brain. It’s in charge of executive functioning, which is things like time management, being able to organize your time, being able to prioritize, having impulse control, things like this. It’s very, very important in children to have DHA to support that brain development, which is happening so rapidly. Also, it’s really important to have DHA through the lifetime, in particular in old age. There is a lot of literature out there that shows supplementation with DHA helps support memory function in patients with Alzheimer’s.

So, you talk about DHA and omega-3’s. I think it can be kind of confusing for people when they are looking for supplements and thinking about their diet. What is the difference?

Oftentimes when you go to Whole Foods or another health food store, you will see omega-3 fatty acids, and those are coming from fish oil, but when we think about where did the fish get their oil to begin with, it’s from algae. The more pure form of DHA would be from that algae. Alltech has several algae facilities that we’re developing at this point and lots of different uses that we are hoping for. My interest, of course, is in the cognitive development of children. I thought, wow, Alltech is doing this research with DHA and algae, how can we bridge the gap between what Alltech offers scientifically and what my personal interests are, which is in the health of children.

There is a lot of research into the importance of DHA, of course, and I’m sure that you have read several studies on it. What are the current focus areas, and what are some of the results?

Interestingly enough, most of the studies have been in 2012 and 2013, so this is really a cutting edge in terms of scientific research, into psychology and interbrain development. One study did supplementation through about 300 mg of DHA in children for 16 weeks, and then they asked the parents and the teachers, before and after, to rate the children on different behaviors, such as impulsivity, concentration, attention, these sorts of things. They did see improvement in children after the 16 weeks of supplementation.

What is more interesting is that for children with learning disabilities, it seems like the effects of DHA are greater than just more typically developing children. People say, why is this? Again, this is really cutting-edge research. It’s all very very new. There is one interesting study, I believe it was in 2013, that looked at children’s sleep cycles and children with ADHD in particular. They found for all children, supplementation with the DHA for this 16-week cycle, they hooked them up to sleep machines and the whole thing, and what they found is that children were getting on average 57-58 more minutes of sleep per night. Now, this does not mean that the children were in bed for almost an hour more per night. It just meant that they had less episodes of waking up during the night. And then they looked at the children’s attention after the supplementation, and they found that the attention and also their academic skills had improved.

Sometimes people will say to me, of course academic skills are going to improve after about four months, of course we’re going to expect reading to be better, and I think something that most people wouldn’t realize is that the tests that we give children, the psychological and academic tests, they are normed to the month so that children who are 7 years, 1 month old, would be compared to children who are 7 years, 1 month. So a child then who is 7 years, 5 months, is compared to other children of the exact same age. So, when we see improvement in reading, it is a true improvement.

That sounds like a pretty dramatic difference. Almost an hour of extra quality sleep, and I’m sure anybody that has kids knows that they're easier to get along with if they have better sleep. So what is the next step?

Well, again, this is very new research, and a lot of the studies that have been done were done in England. There hasn’t been a lot of literature coming out of the US yet. Small-scale studies, specific to schools or to clinical groups, maybe in a pediatrician’s clinic. What we need are larger-scale studies so we can piece out what exactly is going on with the DHA supplementation and the improved academics and the improved attention. I think that increased knowledge in the public about the benefits of DHA, exactly what it does in the brain to support the central nervous system development, is really important.

You know, when you think about it, we’re saying fish oil, and it could have easily been called snake oil many years ago. So I think educating the public is important, so that they are more on board in terms of having their children take part in these sorts of studies. I know for myself, I am taking the fish oil. I know whenever I had researchers Becky Timmons, she takes a lot of fish oil. Her daughter also took fish oil when she was studying for her law school exams.

So I think the larger-scale studies will be important, and I would love to see cross-cultural studies. I would love to see if children, say, in Japan, where the diet is more heavily based on fish, see if those children have better attention and concentration than the U.S. children, and is that due to their diet, or is that due to the cultural reasons and expectations that parents have for their child’s behavior?

Do you have any plans for your own research coming up?

Well, I do, actually. I would love to do another study. A lot of those studies that have been done have been using omega-3 fish oil. I would love to do a study that is just looking at the DHA, just at the algae. We have plans that are underway. We are just in the very early stages at this point. I would love to do a larger scale study with DHA from algae supplementation in a bigger group of school children with the same model as some of the other studies that have been done, but a bigger group of children so we can piece out, does this work for all children? Does this work with kids with ADHD? Does it work better with kids with learning disabilities? So there is a lot of research that can be done. I’m to the point where I have found a couple of schools that are interested in this project, but it wouldn’t get underway until probably a year from now.

Let’s suppose that you have two routes for supplementing the DHA and you could either take fish oil or you could take algae. If you had an equal quantity of DHA either way, would there still be advantages to algae? Why would that be preferable over fish oil?

Well, in terms of doing research with children, there are all sorts of methodological things that you have to think about. Taking the fish oil capsules is not exactly a pleasant thing, sometimes if you haven’t had breakfast it can make you feel a little sick to your stomach, but we do know that there are some gummy bear algae based DHA products available out there, so that would be one way to go. Try to make it a treat for the kid.

If we’re trying to increase the number of people that are improving their diet with DHA, would algae or fish oil be more sustainable method for that?

It’s a lot more sustainable to grow a lot of algae than it is to grow the algae to feed the fish to farm the fish. It’s kind of just going to the source instead of taking it one more step.

And it also doesn’t taste like fish.

Correct.

Thank you very much, and good luck with your research. I hope we have the chance to talk to you about that soon.

• Strong biosecurity protocols on-farm
• Deworm poultry litter
• Increase litter depth
• Vectors control, such as pests and beetles
• Cleaning and disinfecting equipment and facilities

• Phytogenic compounds
  • Essential oil blends and saponins
• Organic acids
• Yeast cell wall nutritional technologies
• Combinations (plant extracts, essential oils, yeast carbohydrates and organic minerals)

The new Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) has caused many changes for farmers, ranchers and their dealers this year, both in how they feed their animals and in how they keep track of their records. But the big picture also affects other groups like veterinarians and how they manage antibiotics for their clients.

With many affected by these changes, it is important that the industry as a whole maps out the issues and works together more closely to reduce any risk of errors or additional challenges in this process. To help address some of these issues, we asked our team in the field:

What are the most frequently asked questions across the U.S. following the new VFD?

1. How does my VFD look?

This one is a big worry for a lot of people, and for good reason. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will eventually start auditing to ensure the VFD is working and that people are in compliance. This means it is important for dealers and their customers to have a proper recordkeeping system and accurate information in their VFDs. The FDA has provided examples of properly filled out VFDs that you can reference on pages 12–16 of the Common Format Q&A. 

It is also very important to make sure your figures are accurate. With no feed amount specified in the VFD, number of head and days are the two most important figures. It is important that the vet knows the approximate number of animals for the VFD, which should include any animal that has the potential to be fed a VFD feed, and it is also good for your vet to have an understanding of the capacity and normal animal turnover in your facility. This enables them to make sure the amount of feed sold under the VFD is consistent with the number of head covered. During inspections, VFD orders may be compared to manufacturing records, so these need to match up.

You also want to make sure to include everything that is required when filling out the form. For example, there is a cautionary statement that should be included on all invoices for customers. The FDA wants feed distributors to ensure all labeling and advertising prominently and conspicuously displays the following cautionary statement: “Caution: Federal law restricts medicated feed containing this veterinary feed directive (VFD) drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.”

2. Can we store VFDs digitally?

Dealers and farmers can store their VFDs in any format, including digital or paper. However, errors seem to be more common with handwritten VFDs. To help reduce the risk of an error, it may be beneficial for veterinarians to use an electronic VFD. This can make storing your VFDs digitally even easier. Additionally, since you have to retain a copy of the VFD for two years, this will help reduce the amount of paper you have to have on file.

3. Can I use a VFD for multiple groups?

You can use a VFD for multiple groups, provided the veterinarian has a VCPR  and is comfortable with the health and management of each of the sites covered by the VFD.

This is why making sure you have a good relationship with your vet is so important. They need to have a strong understanding of your animals and their conditions to make the best decisions for you and your operation.

Many other challenges are going to come up as the VFD continues, so it is vital that you are able to discuss these matters with your vet. For example, you may need a second VFD for different feeding periods, or a VFD may expire and the vet will need to write a new one. This is a process that requires constant communication with your veterinarian to ensure accuracy and that your animals are kept as safe and healthy as possible.

As our industry comes together to deal with the VFD, we are learning more about what works and what we need to change.

“Though it comes with its challenges, the VFD has created a great opportunity for the industry to review what they are doing in terms of feeding their animals,” says Lori Stevermer, marketing specialist for Hubbard Feeds. “Often, antibiotics were fed because that’s what was done in the past. Now, we need to work more closely with our veterinarians to determine what is best for our animals, and our future.”

By requiring us to take a closer look at our feeding processes and our relationships, the VFD presents an opportunity to strengthen our industry. This will help us determine what is best not only for our animals, but what is best for our families and the consumer.

For more information on or questions about the VFD, the frequently asked questions at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) is a great resource. Also, feel free to reach out to your local Alltech or Hubbard Feeds representative for assistance with your nutrition.

[DUBLIN, Ireland] – A total of 183 startups from 38 countries applied to be a part of The Pearse Lyons Accelerator, a late-stage, agri-tech accelerator run by Alltech and Dogpatch Labs. The accelerator will commence with 10 startups that have been chosen to take part in a mentorship program for agri-business innovators with a proven technology that is ready for market. The 10 successful applicants will work with Alltech and Dogpatch Labs to accelerate their business development through Alltech and its global network. The startups hail from Australia, Canada, China, Ireland and the U.S. and have already collectively raised more than $30 million in funding. Participants include MagGrow from Ireland, AgriWebb from Australia and Tevatronic. Full details on the selected startups are below.

The accelerator is a 15-week, mentorship-driven program aimed at collaborative learning and seeking new business and/or partnership opportunities. The program will culminate with the startups presenting on the main stage at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, May 21–24, 2017, where more than 3,000 attendees from nearly 80 countries around the world will converge. This high-profile showcase will afford the startups the opportunity to present to future customers as well as investors and potential collaborators.

Startup participants will receive access to Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech, and the senior management of Alltech, a global animal health and nutrition company with a presence in more than 120 countries. In addition, participants will receive free space for three months in Ireland’s leading startup hub, Dogpatch Labs, located in the heart of the Dublin Docklands, a €15,000 cash fund and mentoring covering a range of areas, from product development to strategy and international expansion. At the end of the program, the startups will pitch to the accelerator for business partners and investors. Additional benefits include software perks worth more than €300,000 from companies such as Google, Facebook, Softlayer and Amazon.

“We had a great selection week in Dublin, and I’m really impressed with the startups’ ideas, their engagement and the talent,” said Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer at Alltech. “We were especially looking for emerging technologies in agri-tech, such as drones, sensors, the internet of things and artificial intelligence, and I’m excited to see those are all represented within the 10 companies that were chosen.”

The majority of the startup applicants are late-stage startups that have raised initial investment (known as the “seed round”) and would now benefit from advice and support from Alltech to expand internationally. Startups were especially attracted to this accelerator due to the fact that Alltech is one of the few truly global agricultural companies positioned to assist in opening doors and advising on routes to market and global market access in the more than 120 countries where it is present.

“We’re excited about working with these world-class accelerator applicants from across the world and assisting them on their internationalisation strategy,” said Patrick Walsh, managing director of Dogpatch Labs. “This program will provide a unique environment for the accelerator applicants to drive sales and secure investment, and it underlines Dogpatch Lab’s ability to provide mentoring and resources for founders due to our unique connection to the startup ecosystem.”

The agriculture industry is beginning to be disrupted by new technologies. Agri-tech investment is growing at an exponential rate, with $9.65 billion invested in agri-tech startups since 2013 and $2 billion invested in the first half of 2016 alone. A clear route to market remains a challenge in the industry, and this program seeks to accelerate startups’ access to this global market, with a comprehensive package of supports that helps them navigate the challenge of scaling their operations to service large corporate customers.

The accelerator applicants will arrive for their first core phase in Dublin on Feb. 20, 2017, and will fly in for various core phases throughout the program. They will wrap up the program with a European demo day at Dogpatch Labs in Dublin and later will fly out to Kentucky to pitch their ideas at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference.

For more information on The Pearse Lyons Accelerator, please visit Alltech.com/Accelerator or dogpatchlabs.com/alltech-accelerator, and stay connected through Twitter and Facebook.

Please find a full list of the successful 2017 applicants below:

MagGrow (Ireland)

Using a magnetic spraying system reduces drift by more than 80 percent and delivers superior coverage by enabling a spray of finer droplets, a key challenge for conventional spraying systems.

Moocall (Ireland)

A wearable technology that accurately predicts when a cow will give birth and communicates to the farmer via text message.

eFishery (Indonesia)

A fish feeder that automatically senses the appetite of fish and adjusts the amount of feed accordingly.

SkySquirrel (Canada)

A crop-analytics company that develops drone-based technology for monitoring crop health, with a primary focus on improving crop yields and reducing costs at commercial vineyards.

Agriwebb (Australia)

A mobile herd and farm management application developed for cattle, sheep and wool producers, with an online trading platform.

Greengage (UK)

Greengage provides market leading LED lamps to serve the farming industry with a simple and highly effective solution you can rely on.

Hargol FoodTech

An optimized method and technology that enables producers to grow large quantities of grasshoppers quickly in captivity.

Tevatronic

A technological solution enabling crops to be grown autonomously from an irrigation and a fertilisation aspect. The system is capable of deciding when and how much to irrigate, and it executes the irrigation decisions autonomously.

Agrilyst (USA)

Helping greenhouse operators run their operations more efficiently by pulling in data from sensors in the greenhouse and information about crop yields and other metrics.

Alesca Life (China)

A concept called farming-as-a-service was developed that allows scalable, localised food production for commercial and retail customers.

An Interview with Becky Timmons

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Does it matter how the algae are produced?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Absolutely.

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

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

The animals enjoy it?

Yes, the animals enjoy it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Digital disruption drives the next agricultural revolution

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EuroTier, the world’s leading trade fair for animal production, is expected to attract more than 2,500 trade exhibitors from 54 countries around the globe and will be held Nov. 15–18, 2016, in Hanover, Germany. Alltech (stand G29 in hall 21) will showcase its primacy in science in three key areas: feed efficiency, protein management and mycotoxin management.    

“As feed costs often account for up to 70 percent of production costs on-farm, it is essential to ensure farmers are getting the most from their feed,” said Michael Rjasanowski, country manager for Alltech Germany.

Alltech wishes to work with farmers to help them become more efficient, profitable and sustainable.

"Through Alltech’s latest innovative programs, which are scientifically proven, we believe we can help farmers achieve consistent performance, profitability and efficiency,” said Rjasanowski.   

KEENAN, global Irish agri-manufacturer, which is now part of the Alltech family, will also have representatives at the Alltech stand during EuroTier.

“Through KEENAN’s manufacturing strengths and technological know-how and Alltech’s primacy in science, farmers all over the world are improving their farm profitability,” said Rjasanowski. “We want to ensure German farmers are reaching their full potential.”

To find out more about Alltech’s nutritional programs and KEENAN’s manufacturing know-how, visit stand G29 in hall 21 at EuroTier or read the full press release. To stay up-to-date with the latest Alltech EuroTier information follow us on Facebook and Twitter.