Norman neighs hello to Denmark as he was very excited to learn everything about its history! The more countries Norman visited the more of a history buff he has become, so after hearing that Denmark is famous for having an artistic heritage he was very excited to look around. Norman visited Copenhagen which had so many beautiful areas! Down by the Nyhavn harbor every house was a different color, mimicking a rainbow. Only a very short distance away was the Little Mermaid Statue, Norman thought that it was an exquisite piece of artwork, and he gave it his hoof of approval.

Norman then went to meet with the Alltech Denmark team, who brought him along to a tradeshow in Fredericia. Norman listened very hard all day and learnt a lot about the Alltech Weaner Advantage and the Mycotoxin Management Programme. Norman wanted to learn as much about Alltech’s solutions as he could, so that he would be able to share his knowledge with all the farmers and animals he met whilst on his travels to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy. Whilst at the event Norman noticed that Danish people are very inquisitive, everyone was eagerly asking him about the logos on his clothes. Norman was a brilliant mascot and told them about the Games and all of the exciting events that they could expect to see such as dressage, endurance and Norman’s favorite, show jumping.

While working hard at the tradeshow Norman got to sample some traditional Danish cuisine. He ate about 20 warm sausage rolls, followed by about four or five cinnamon buns. Feeling very full, Norman trotted back to Copenhagen to spend some time on Europe’s longest shopping street. Norman wanted to pick up a few gifts to post back to his parents; he bought them a small statue of the Little Mermaid, some traditional Danish hats and two nice pairs of Danish shoes. Happy that he had purchased everything he needed, Norman was ready to go to his next country.

October may be the month of candy, costumes, and trick-or-treating, but it is also the month of pork. October is National Pork Month in the US. Traditionally, this was the time of the year when pigs were to be marketed. Now we use this time of the year to thank producers for everything they do for the agriculture industry.

Pork is the most consumed meat globally, so pork producers play a major role in helping us feed the world. Each market hog represents about 371 servings of pork. That makes for hundreds of meals that feed families from the US all the way to China, and plenty of places in between.

As the global population continues to grow, pork producers will play an even more important role in the future. As this demand increases, pork producers continue to grow the industry and enhance their production methods. This is one of the many reasons why the ham sandwich continues to reign as king of the sandwiches served at home.

So this month, make sure to thank your pork-producing friends and family for all of their hard work!

When you think about Africa from a business perspective, do you think about its famine, political and social instability, or do you see a land of opportunity? Africa has seen incomes grow by three percent in just 10 years and The Economist magazine coined the phrase, ‘Africa rising,’ to reflect that eight out of the world's 10 fastest-growing economies are in Africa. In fact, both the World Bank and United Nations have recently issued reports pointing out that scaling up agriculture and agribusiness is the next frontier in Africa’s revitalization, and the fastest way to address rural poverty and hunger.

The 2014 Global Feed Tonnage Survey we released in January, which assesses the compound feed production of 130 countries each year, reported that Africa is the fastest-growing feed producing continent for the second time in a row, reaching 31 million tons of feed produced in 2013. Additionally, according to the findings, Africa’s chicken and broiler market is only a mere five years away from being the size and scope of that in Thailand or Brazil – two of the world’s top countries for poultry production.

Moreover, Africa has an abundance of three things that are critical to successful agriculture: sunshine, rain and land, at a time when these are in short supply elsewhere. Agribusinesses can invest in Africa to bring new technologies and techniques to the region while also profiting from the region’s rich aquaculture and land mass potential. It’s important to acknowledge the obstacles that Africa faces when it comes to logistics, storage and infrastructure (the “GLIMPSE” factors) but it’s more important to see the opportunity that exists if we can overcome these challenges.

In terms of landmass, Africa is capable of housing China, the United States, Russia, and Western Europe within its borders. As home to one of the world’s fastest-growing economies in terms of GDP, it should become a $1 trillion food market by 2030. Such a dramatic change would not only transform Africa from being largely dependent on food imports, to becoming a potential food exporter. More importantly, it will increase the availability of affordable food and significantly decrease widespread hunger.

I invite you to come and be a part of Alltech’s 30th Annual International Symposium as we embrace the future of agriculture together, and take a hard look inside the business opportunities that lie within Africa and the markets it impacts. My colleagues and I will outline the agricultural revolution occurring in Africa and the big issues it faces, where to invest and what to invest in, and present case studies on those businesses who have succeeded so far in the underutilized terrain.

Furthermore, we will open by honoring the father of the Green Revolution, and one of agriculture’s greatest advocates, Dr. Norman Borlaug, with Alltech’s 2014 Medal of Excellence. We will present the posthumous award to Borlaugh’s granddaughter, Julie Borlaugh Larson, in honor of his agricultural innovations that saved more than a billion people worldwide from starvation.  She will open our Africa session, which promises to be a tremendous event -- meant to inspire, inform and spur ambition and motivation into the future of agriculture.

Today Africa is home to five of the ten fastest growing economies in the world. By 2050, it will be home to a quarter of the world’s population. With a land mass more than 3 times larger than that of China, it contains roughly 60 percent of the world’s uncultivated arable land! Rich resource potential coupled with an emerging consumer class.

Dr. Damien McLoughlin, Dean of the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, University College Dublin, encouraged participants at Alltech’s 30th Annual International Symposium to seriously consider business development opportunities in Africa, and he shared important lessons for success:

1. Pathfinder firms are already conducting business in Africa. Dr. McLouglin shared the success stories of the VP Group in Kenya, Zambeef in Zambia, the agricultural giant Olam, and the world’s largest premium spirits company, Diageo.
2. He emphasized the importance of building your knowledgebase before investing, managing the problem of too much opportunity, and of thinking first about routes to markets in a land with little or no retail infrastructure.
3. He underscored the importance of tailoring innovation to meet the needs and desires of the African consumer, who are known to already like many western brands.
4. Lastly he described what he called a “war for talent” and discussed the importance of developing local talent to build management teams and the necessity for stakeholder engagement.

Consider Zambeef Products PLC. Incorporated in 1994, Zambeef and its subsidiaries now represent one of the largest, integrated agribusinesses in Zambia and as such are involved in the production, processing, distribution, and retailing of beef, chicken, pork, milk, dairy products, eggs, edible oils, stock feed, flour and bread. Zambeef’s core strategy has been to offer consumers the most accessible and affordable quality protein by expanding retail and wholesale distribution to increase regional market penetration. Zambeef has achieved its success by pursuing a vertically integrated business model that provides a strong foundation of growth through margin capture, securing supply chains, and reducing risk and earning volatility.

According to Dr. McLoughlin, “It is not too late for new investors to get involved in Africa.” He contends that the private sector has the power, in cooperation with nongovernmental organization, government agencies, and universities, to tackle tough developmental challenges now.

Thirty brilliant young minds from eight Kentucky universities came together today at the second annual Alltech Innovation Competition at Bluegrass Community & Technical College in Lexington, Kentucky to present their business ideas for creating jobs in the Commonwealth and improving the food and agribusiness industries.

If you’ve ever watched ABC’s “Shark Tank,” you know the stakes are high for the competitors – impress the judges, and earn the chance to make your business dream come true. With $20,000 from Alltech in total cash prizes at stake, students prepared intently for months leading up to the competition to develop innovative ideas and deliver comprehensive, awe-inspiring business plans in their presentations to wow judges and potential Kentucky investors who could ultimately fund their projects.

Last year, the grand prize of $10,000 – the same amount of money that Dr. Pearse Lyons initially invested to found Alltech in 1980 -- went to the University of Kentucky team for their idea for reclaiming mountaintops with switchgrass for fuel.

But were they able to maintain their dominion at the top?

This year’s results may evoke comments on the long-established state-wide basketball rivalry, as the school’s fierce rival, U of L, took home the top title with Trifecta Cooking Equipment’s patented FuturFry deep fryer. The patented technology will help restaurant operators save 40 percent on annual cooking oil costs by extending the life of cooking oil, and increasing energy efficiency. 

When presenting the $10,000 check to the team, Dr. Pearse Lyons said, “It wasn’t oil or using less energy that caught mine and the judges’ attention. It was the possibility that this innovation has to improve food production all around the world.”  

Congratulations to the winning team. We look forward to seeing the results of your implementation and wish you continued success. Kudos also to the runner-up for the grand prize, Morehead State University, who presented Omega-3 enriched pork from The Better Pork Company.  

And don’t fret UK fans, the University of Kentucky still took home the “Alltech Choice Award,” recognizing their excellence in innovation for their business, Arymza Technologies, which produces enzymes that assist in the processing of starch.

As Dr. Lyons stated in his closing remarks, because of the winning team’s success, and the success of the teams from all eight universities that presented today, the state of Kentucky is the true winner. Today, our great state came away with eight incredible innovative ideas from eight universities from across the Commonwealth, and now it’s integral that we keep these bright young students in our state to ensure innovation in Kentucky will continue to race forward. For more information on the Alltech Innovation Competition, visit http://www.alltech.com/education/university/alltech-innovation-competition.

To see more photos from the event see the album on Alltech's Facebook page.

[Dunboyne, Ireland.] – Global animal health and nutrition company Alltech is delighted to announce the 2014 winner of the Alltech Innovation Competition hosted at its European headquarters, Dunboyne, Co. Meath. Waterford Institute of Technology student John Kennedy was awarded the overall prize for his outstanding competition entry - Field Buddy. The concept android app, Field Buddy, will allow farmers to avail of GPS technology when fertilising their fields. A total of six universities battled for the prize fund of €4,000 while runners-up each received a cheque for €1,000. Waterford Institute of Technology’s winning entry showcased a concept that has the potential to improve costs and efficiencies on farm while encouraging sustainable environmental practices.

Facilitated by Professor Damien McLoughlin, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, the competition celebrates business and entrepreneurship, and challenges the creative minds of university students. Teams from University College Dublin, Dublin City University, Dublin Institute of Technology, Trinity College Dublin, Waterford Institute of Technology and University of Limerick each presented forward thinking business plans on their innovative ideas in the areas of agriculture, distilling, human health and long term environmental sustainability.

The competition was opened by Dr. Aofe Lyons, director of education initiatives at Alltech and judged by Frank Mulrennan, CEO of Celtic Media Group, Constantin Gurdgiev, economist and lecturer at Trinity College Dublin and Declan Coyle, one of Ireland’s most internationally experienced leadership and development consultants.

“These young people are a reflection of the talent and potential that Ireland has to offer” said Dr. Aoife Lyons. “Alltech are known for working with our customers to identify problems and providing natural solutions. This year’s competition entrants displayed real insight, talent and knowledge. By combining academic expertise with innovation each group had a potentially viable product to bring to market”.

The concepts presented by the university finalists were as follows:

University College Dublin – Crateless – a revolutionary pig farrow

Dublin City University – Twist & Go – an innovative new baby bottle concept

Dublin Institute of Technology – Canu Cover – a waterproof & biodegradable cover for cannulas

Trinity College Dublin – Down to Earth - environmental sustainability lectures for children

University of Limerick – Yeats Vodka - an Irish super premium vodka

Waterford Institute of Technology – Field Buddy – an android app for GPS spraying of fertiliser

Alltech continues to work with Irish universities to ensure the development of talented and educated Irish agri-business graduates. Last year’s winners, AgTeCH4 from the University of Limerick, won the overall prize with their personal gas detector, a device designed to detect poisonous gasses released from slurry on farms. AgTeCH4 are currently developing their company through University College Cork's Graduate Business Innovation Programme 2014, IGNITE. AgTeCH4 is hoping to launch their product on the market later this year and is currently undertaking research for the development of future devices.

[DUNBOYNE, Ireland] – The first Irish Alltech Innovation Competition 2013 saw six teams from five universities present business plans to a panel of judges, with the top prize awarded to the most viable venture. AgTech4, from the University of Limerick, won the overall prize of €4,000 with their personal gas detector, a device designed to detect poisonous gasses released from slurry on farms. This device has the potential to create jobs, bring business to Ireland and also to save lives across the globe.

Teams from the University of Limerick, Dublin Institute of Technology, University College Dublin, Dublin City University and Waterford Institute of Technology each presented a business plan for product or service of their own creation. Judges Frank Mulrennan, CEO of Celtic Media Group; Constantin Gurgiev, lecturer in finance from Trinity College Dublin and Declan Coyle, leadership consultant and director of Andec, were consistently impressed with the overall standard of the ventures.

Other business concepts included a custom car sticker company called Vinyl Styling; a compostable container for household waste called Tierrabox; an onsite test for pyrite in building materials called Silex; a BYO bottle filling station called Ishca, and a foot reviver from Synergy Foot Solutions.

The winning personal gas detector from AgTech4 is a portable device that can be strapped to the arm of a person going on-farm and will sound an alarm at in the presence of hydrogen sulphide and methane gas. These gasses are invisible and highly toxic, resulting in 23 deaths since 1996 and this device is sensitive enough to sound an alarm before any physical symptoms manifest.

“The range of ideas presented here was fantastic. All of these projects started with a serious problem and were combined with academic expertise to result in a product that is in some cases ready to go to market,” said Constantin Gurgiev. “If I had the funds in place I would have taken those ideas straight to pitch.”

Dr. Pearse Lyons found the overall competition encouraging, stating that “if we want hope for the future of our country all we have to do is look to the youth. If these young people are a reflection of the talent and potential that Ireland has to offer then we have nothing to worry about. This is where we need to put our investment and this is where the solutions will come from. This has been a fantastic start to Alltech’s Gathering initiatives and I wish the best of luck to all contestants in their future careers.”

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – In May 2012, Alltech issued a challenge – create jobs in the Commonwealth, a state that ranks number one in its basketball prowess yet is the fifteenth worst for finding a job. On Saturday, three universities - University of Pikeville, University of Louisville and University of Kentucky – rose to that challenge at the Alltech Innovation Competition, proposing a diverse array of economic development solutions, ranging from switchgrass for fuel to aquaponics and modular housing.

The three student teams were asked to focus on the nine Eastern Kentucky counties of Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin and Pike. While Kentucky hovers just above the national unemployment rate of 7.9 percent at 8.1 percent in December 2012, some Eastern Kentucky counties have seen unemployment rates above 13 percent, nearly double that of the national base.

A panel of independent entrepreneurs and private investors selected the University of Kentucky as the $10,000 winner of the Alltech Innovation Competition. The UK team’s four MBA candidates – Lee Gage Goatley, Jarrod Willis, Jordan Denny and Jordan Laycock – proposed a plan for reclaiming mountaintop sites by growing switchgrass for fuel production. When the switchgrass is processed with a white rot fungus, butanol is produced as a by-product. While ethanol is the most popular fuel additive globally, it is corrosive, unable to be transported through pipelines, and it diverts corn from its use as an important food source. Butanol, on the other hand, is less corrosive, can be transported through pipelines and has a much higher concentration of BTUs.

With exclusive rights to technology developed by two University of Kentucky professors, the UK team’s TerraCast Technologies would target 104,925 acres of reclaimed mountaintop land in the nine Eastern Kentucky counties. Organic, sustainable, perennial and drought-tolerant, the switchgrass would provide additional income for Eastern Kentucky farmers, who would be contracted to seed and harvest.

The switchgrass would be processed with water, white rot fungi and soil microbes in an on-site fermentation bunker to produce acetate, butanol and ethanol. Acetate has marketability as a universal solvent used in cleaning supplies. The butanol, however, would be sold to specialty and petroleum companies for fuel production, a significant need given Kentucky’s 20 percent biofuel initiative and federal renewable fuel standards of 36 billion gallons by 2022.

“Ten thousand dollars, the top prize in today’s competition, is the exact amount with which we started Alltech, now almost a $1 billion company,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. “So I am eager to see what can be accomplished through the hard work and innovation of not only our winners from the University of Kentucky but all three teams. Kentucky, indeed the world, is ready for their ideas.”

The University of Louisville took home a second place prize of $6,000 for their EcoVision Development plan to construct multi-family, modular housing. The plan repurposes the master tradesmen from Kentucky’s now fledgling houseboat industry to construct the homes, which would be used to meet a significant need for affordable, energy-efficient housing in Eastern Kentucky. Inspired by prototypes from the University of Kentucky College of Design and Kentucky Highlands Investments, the homes would cost under $100,000 and require less than $1 per day of energy. The energy savings would increase the occupants’ disposable income funds by 5-9 percent.

The $4,000 third place award went to the University of Pikeville for their Appalachian Artisan Foods plan to utilize aquaponics for the local production of fresh, organic foods. The team devised a three-tier design to maximize use of greenhouse space for aquaponics. Shade vegetables including alfalfa would be grown on the first layer, beneath a second tier of ginseng and, ultimately, a top layer of hops and vines. Tilapia would also be raised within the greenhouse. The fresh produce and tilapia would be sold to wholesale food corporations in Kentucky, regional groceries and local restaurants. The ginseng, valued at $800 - $1500 per pound, would be sold internationally.

“The Innovation Competition was created because it is past time to balance the scales and cultivate a Kentucky that leads the nation not only in college sports but also employment,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. “Did the Innovation Competition live up to our expectations? Absolutely not. It dramatically exceeded our expectations, and I firmly believe this is only the beginning of something very special in our state.”