South Dakota State University student selected for 2018 Forrest Bassford Student Award

Alltech Cultivating Young Ag Journalists Awards presented to industry professionals 

[SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.] – Agriculture communicators are the voice of the industry, sharing stories and educating the public on where their food comes from. Students and young professionals are the future and have the ability to amplify these messages through multiple new media channels.

During the 2018 Ag Media Summit (AMS), Alltech honored young agricultural communicators through the Livestock Publications Council Forrest Bassford Student Award and the American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA) Alltech Cultivating Young Ag Journalists Awards.

The 2018 Livestock Publications Council Forrest Bassford Student Award, sponsored by Alltech, was presented to Madison Hokanson, a South Dakota State University (SDSU) agricultural communications and leadership student and seventh-generation farmer from south-eastern Minnesota. Hokanson was presented a $2,000 scholarship and a plaque during AMS.

“My career goal is simple: to bring all sectors of agriculture together, working to educate the world as a united front,” Hokanson said. “We’re all different, but in the end, the future of ag communications is ensuring a thriving future in agriculture for generations to come.”

Hokanson is an advocate for the pork industry and served as one of the Pork Checkoff’s three inaugural Pig Farmers of Tomorrow in 2017. Additionally, she serves as a College of Agricultural and Biological Sciences Ambassador at SDSU and is the vice president of Sigma Alpha, a professional women’s agricultural sorority.

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

• Kiera Leddy, Oklahoma State University
• Alexa Nordwald, University of Missouri
• Sarah Moyer, Kansas State University

In support of young professionals, the American Agricultural Editors’ Association Alltech Cultivating Young Ag Journalists Award provides the opportunity for active AAEA agricultural journalists 35 years old or younger with a travel stipend to attend the Ag Media Summit, as well as an invitation to attend ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE19), held each May in Lexington, Kentucky.

The 2018 American Agricultural Editors’ Association Alltech Cultivating Young Ag Journalists Award recipients were:

• Tyler Harris, Nebraska Farmer/Farm Progress/Informa
• Katie Knapp, The Ag Photographer
• Kelsey Litchfield, freelancer
• Emma Wilson, Iowa Corn Growers Association
• Kellie Lasack, Roan Marketing Communications

“Alltech is proud to support the future of agricultural communicators as the ambassadors and voice of our industry as they share stories from the farm in a time where the vast majority of consumers are generations removed from the farm,” said Jenn Norrie, Alltech’s communications manager for North America.

The 20^th annual Ag Media Summit hosted more than 700 agricultural communicators, media professionals and students in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Aug. 4-8, 2018. The Ag Media Summit is a joint meeting of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA), the Livestock Publications Council (LPC), the Connectiv Agri-Media Committee and the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Life and Human Sciences, and it offers opportunities for professional development and industry networking.

Dietary trace minerals like copper, zinc and manganese are nutrients critical to animal health, performance and welfare. Immunity, reproduction, growth and even meat and milk quality hinge on optimal trace mineral nutrition.

Everything we know about trace mineral nutrition, from inclusion levels to effects on performance, has come from studies using inorganic trace mineral salts. Trace mineral salts are made from a trace mineral loosely bound to a charged ion and have been the basis of trace mineral supplementation and research since the 1930s. Recent studies, however, are using a different form of trace mineral, and the results of those studies are challenging ideas once considered fundamental to livestock nutrition.

In the early 1990s, organic trace minerals were first developed to reflect the way trace minerals naturally occur in plants. These supplements have a protein-like or carbohydrate ring structure that attaches to the trace mineral at multiple sites. The protein or carbohydrate component serves as a protective, stable delivery system, increasing the likelihood of mineral absorption.

The last 20 years of research confirm that the difference between a mineral salt and a trace mineral bound to a stable organic ring are substantial. The evidence points to organics as a superior source of trace minerals, but beyond that, we see unprecedented effects in the animal when they receive optimally formulated minerals. Organic trace minerals are changing the way we look at livestock nutrition overall.

Below are seven major changes to nutritional dogma instigated by studies looking at organic trace minerals. While many nutritionists still cling to the low-priced, traditional inorganics, organic trace minerals are fostering a revolution in animal feeding.   

1. Not all trace mineral forms are created equal

Historically, inorganic trace minerals have been the primary form of mineral supplementation. Their inexpensive synthesis, however, produces a supplement that quickly dissociates and reacts within the feed and digestive tract.

Dr. Richard Murphy is a biochemist and research director in Dunboyne, Ireland, who has focused much of his work on characterizing, comparing and optimizing trace mineral supplements.

"When comparing mineral products — both inorganic and organic — the key differentiation point is to understand their stability through the GI tract," said Murphy. "Stability at the acidic pH found in the gastric environment is critical to ensuring maximal delivery of mineral to sites of mineral absorption in the intestine."

Dr. Murphy's work has repeatedly shown that organic trace minerals are far superior to traditional inorganic trace minerals in both stability and overall bioavailability. They are, in fact, so much more efficient that countless animal trials have shown that organic trace minerals can be fed at significantly lower levels than their inorganic counterpart without disrupting health and performance. 

Surprisingly, Dr. Murphy's research has also found that not all organic trace minerals are created equal.

"Ultimately, the type and position of the amino acids used in organic trace minerals are critical for stability," said Dr. Murphy.

Different brands of organic trace minerals use different amino acid and peptide strands, some with far weaker associations and lower stability than others.

Dr. Murphy and his research associates have developed a peptide-trace mineral configuration for use in organic trace minerals that provides optimal stability. It is, in fact, his work in differentiating organic and inorganic trace minerals that has laid the foundation for the six other breakthroughs in mineral nutrition.

2. Inorganics: Not required

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) publishes livestock requirements for all essential nutrients, among which it lists inorganic trace minerals. New research, however, proves that, while trace minerals are essential, there is no absolute requirement for inorganic trace minerals. In fact, eliminating inorganics altogether and replacing them with organic trace minerals appears to enhance performance. 

In beef cattle, a total replacement of inorganic trace minerals with lower levels (60 percent) of organic trace minerals improved health and performance and generated a $50/head advantage (Holder et al., 2016). Total replacement with organic trace minerals in pigs improved average daily gain, increased slaughter weight by 2 kg and improved slaughter efficiency to generate a savings of $1.80 per pig.

Inorganics may prevent deficiency, but there are far more effective supplement options. Even operations feeding a combination of inorganic and organic trace minerals stand to benefit from converting to 100 percent organic trace minerals. The total replacement of inorganics offers the best results in achieving animal genetic potential.

3. Organic trace mineral bioavailability: using less to do more

Studies routinely feed organic trace minerals at levels 30-50 percent lower than inorganics because the superior delivery system of organics allows them to be more efficiently absorbed. Poultry scientists at the University of Kentucky asked, "Just how much more efficiently?"

In their study, broilers were fed organic trace minerals at levels 75 percent lower than commercial levels for inorganics. These birds reached a desirable market weight in the standard six-week period and showed no signs of deficiency or disease, even though they were fed only one-quarter the mineral ration of their inorganic-fed counterparts (Ao et al., 2009). These relative concentrations are below those traditionally recognized as needed for meeting the birds’ requirements.

Organic trace minerals are more effectively absorbed and deposited in the intended tissues, so small amounts can have a greater impact. The inefficiency of inorganics requires producers to significantly overfeed them. Organic trace minerals offer a way for producers to maximize resources. This research also gives us a clearer picture of what an animal's true trace mineral requirements might be.

4. Organic trace minerals contribute to significant improvements in animal health

Trace minerals have a lock-and-key effect on certain antioxidant enzymes that are critical to immune function. A sufficient supply of trace minerals can be described as the sustaining fuel of the immune system. Recent feeding trials and nutrigenomic studies showcase organic minerals taking on some of agriculture’s most costly diseases.

In feedlot cattle, a total replacement of inorganic trace minerals with lower levels of organic trace minerals (60 percent of commercial levels for inorganics) was able to reduce mortality by 57 percent and mortality due to bovine respiratory disease (BRD) by 69 percent. Even in the cattle contracting BRD, the number of retreats was significantly reduced with organic trace minerals (Holder et al., 2016). Too good to be true? A separate study conducted on a different continent confirmed the effects: organic trace mineral groups showed a 7.7 percent decrease in even the incidence of BRD (Sgoifo Rossi et al., 2018).

"BRD costs the U.S. beef industry upwards of $800 million and is the greatest concern and cause of loss at the feed yard,” said Dr. Vaughn Holder, lead beef researcher at Alltech. “Organic trace minerals provide a new reinforcement to the animals’ first line of defense and add tremendously to the producer’s peace of mind."

In poultry, necrotic enteritis (NE) brings devastating costs, approaching $6 billion annually with mortality rates of 1 percent per day. Organic trace minerals eliminated bird death due to NE, reducing mortality by 12 percent compared to inorganics (He et al., 2017; Bortoluzzi et al., 2017). Birds on organic trace minerals also showed significant positive changes to the expression of genes related to improved disease resistance.

From gene expression to disease markers and mortality, there is mounting evidence that the bioavailability of organic minerals better equips animals to take on and survive disease challenges.

5. Organic trace minerals lead to extended shelf life and improved meat quality

The impact of organic trace minerals spans the entire food chain, all the way to our own refrigerators. Animal nutrition directly affects meat quality, as feeding organic trace minerals results in meat that lasts longer and tastes juicier.

"Trace minerals are essential to antioxidant enzymes in the meat," said Dr. Rebecca Delles, an Alltech meat scientist. "By providing a trace mineral source that is more bioavailable, those antioxidants have a better mineral supply to sustain their activity."

Proving her point, beef from steers that were fed organic trace minerals showed increased antioxidant activity, which led to extended shelf life (Sgoifo Rossi et al., 2018). That same meat also showed increased water retention, which improves profitability and texture. Dr. Delles found that organic trace minerals had the same effect in pork loin and chicken breast, beneficially improving both sensory experience and the producer’s bottom line (Delles et al., 2014; Delles et al., 2016).

"The average amount of time it takes a consumer to recover from a bad meat purchase is three months,” said Dr. Delles. “If the appearance, flavor or texture is perceived as being low quality, it will be another three months before the customer reconsiders purchasing that meat product. In fresh pork, if only 5 percent of U.S. consumers have a bad meat experience, that could still bring a projected loss of 3 percent — or $181,938,556.80 — over the course of 12 weeks due to what might seem like 'just color or texture.'"

6. More efficient organic trace minerals decrease the environmental impact of livestock

Bioavailable organic trace minerals are the exclusive method of sustaining animal performance while simultaneously lowering environmental impact.

The instability of inorganic minerals makes them difficult for the animal to absorb. This often leads to overfeeding of trace minerals and, therefore, excretion of large quantities of minerals back into the environment. These excreted minerals alter what is known as a “mineral footprint” and contribute to soil and water contamination.

The improved bioavailability allowing lower inclusion rates of organic trace minerals has been found to directly reduce the mineral footprint of livestock.

A series of trials conducted by agriculture institutions across China in 2017 found that in swine, poultry and ruminants, organic trace minerals could be fed at substantially lower quantities than inorganics and yield the same performance — but return much lower mineral excretion. The same was not true for inorganics: while low levels of inorganics also reduced mineral excretion, they were detrimental to animal health and reduced performance (Guo et al., 2017; Ma et al., 2018; Qui et al., 2018).

"This type of research changes the way we study animal nutrition,” said Dr. Karl Dawson, ruminant microbiologist and chief scientific officer at Alltech. “These are the solutions we need to sustainably feed our growing populations — benefitting all stakeholders while decreasing the environmental impact of intensive animal production systems."

7. Optimal organic trace mineral nutrition improves herd health, reproduction and performance for multiple generations

Trace minerals have a multigenerational effect. Like other nutrients, trace minerals change gene expression, effectively turning genes on or off, up or down. Those changes in gene expression are heritable — meaning the effects of a mother's nutrition, good or bad, are passed on to her offspring before they even take their first bite of feed. This phenomenon, known as epigenetics, gives producers and nutritionists the power to use nutrition to build their future herd. 

Dairy scientists at Pennsylvania State University studied a herd over three generations and found that heifer calves experienced 10 fewer days of sickness and came into estrus 26 days sooner when their dams were fed organic trace minerals (Gelsinger et al., 2016; Pino et al., 2018). This was true even for heifer calves who didn't consume organic trace minerals themselves, confirming that the effect was solely due to maternal nutrition. Fewer days of sickness are correlated to increased milk production later in life and reaching reproductive maturity almost one month sooner, which is worth approximately $100/head in management costs and a 2-3 percent decrease in carbon footprint.

In beef cattle, calves born to cows fed organic trace minerals showed improved body weight through weaning and again at 205 days, regardless of their own diet (Price et al., 2017). Weaning is one of the most critical stress points in the beef life cycle — but organic trace minerals in utero allowed weaning and young calves to thrive despite their circumstances. While trace minerals can have an incredible impact on a single animal, results like these show potential for strategized feeding for the future herd.

The advent of precision feeding

From feed to fork, trace mineral source makes all the difference. Organic trace minerals provide livestock with an essential nutrient in an optimized form, and the effects of such precision reverberate throughout the entire food chain. With effects on animal health and welfare, producer livelihood, consumer preference and environmental protection, no stakeholder is overlooked. This is the advent of a revolution in precision feeding. Well-timed, optimally designed nutrients can reveal to us an animal's real requirements and allow them to achieve their true genetic potential, so that we can build better herds and feed a growing population.

Click here to learn more about solutions through the Alltech Mineral Management program. 

Citations

Holder, V. B., Jennings, J. S., Covey, T. L. (2016). Effect of total replacement of trace minerals with Bioplex® proteinated minerals on the health and performance of lightweight, high-risk feedlot cattle, Journal of Animal Science, 94 (5), 120

Taylor-Pickard, J., Nollet, L., and Geers, R. (2013). Performance, carcass characteristics and economic benefits of total replacement of inorganic minerals by organic forms in growing pig diets, J. Appl. Anim. Nutr. 2 (e3): 1-3

T Ao, JL Pierce, AJ Pescatore, AC Cantor, KA Dawson & MJ Ford. (2009). Effects of feeding reduced levels of organic minerals (Bioplex) on the development of white layer pullets, Poult. Sci. 88 (Suppl. 1), 197

Sgoifo Rossi, C.A., Ripamonti, G., and Compiani, R. (2018, May). Not all mineral supplements for beef cattle bring same results. Feedstuffs, 90 (5).

He, B., King, W., Graugnard, D., Dawson, K.A., Bortoluzzi, C., Applegate, T. (2017). Zinc source influences the gene expression of zinc transporters in the jejunum and cecal tonsils of broilers challenged with coccidia and Clostridium perfringens., Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL, USA, 17-23 July, 2017

Bortoluzzi, C., Lumpkins, B., Mathis, G., King, W.D., Graugnard, D., Dawson, K.A., Applegate, T. Comparative efficacy of dietary zinc sources for the mitigation of the impact of necrotic enteritis in coccidial challenged broiler chickens, Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL, USA, 17-23 July, 2017

Delles, R.M., Xiong, Y.L., True, A.D., Ao, T., Dawson, K.A. (2014) Dietary antioxidant supplementation enhances lipid and protein oxidative stability of chicken broiler meat through promotion of antioxidant enzyme activity, Poult. Sci. 93:1561-1570

Delles, R.M.,  Naylor, A., Kocher, A., Dawson, K.A., Samuel, R.S. (2016). Diets with organic trace minerals (Bioplex®) and yeast protein (NuPro®) improved the water-holding capacity of pork loin meat, Midwest Animal Science Meetings, March; J. Animal Sci. 94 (Supple. 2): 65

Guo, Y., Liu, B., Xiong, P., He, J., Gang, L., Xue, Y.,Koontz, A.F., Yu, D. (2017). Effect of Cu Provided As Bioplex® Cu or TBCC for Weaned Pigs, Growth Performance, Tissue Mineral Retention, and Fecal Mineral Excretion, ASAS-CSAS Annual Meeting, 17-20 July, Baltimore, MD, USA, 2017

LX Ma, JN He, CC Hou, JL Qiu, XT Lu, B Liu, G Lin, Y Xue, AF Koontz, DY Yu. (2018). Effect of compound organic trace minerals on growth performance, serum indices and micromineral excretion in fattening pigs, ASAS-CSAS Annual Meeting, 5-8 July, Vancouver, Canada

JL Qui, XT Lu, LX Ma, CC Hou, JN He, B Liu, G Lin, T Ao, DY Yu (2018). Effect of low dose complex organic trace minerals on productive performance, egg quality and fecal mineral excretion of laying hens, Poult. Sci. 97 (e-Suppl. 1): 202

Price, D.M., Arellano, K.K., Irsik, M., Rae, D.O., Yelich, J.V., Mjoun, K., Hersom, M.J., (2017) Professional Animal Scientist 33: 194–204

Gelsinger et al., 2016 Maternal and early life nutrition and calf health

Pino et al., 2017 Maternal and early life nutrition and offspring first lactation

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.

By 2067, the per capita consumption of dairy is expected to increase from 87 kilograms (kg)/person to 119 kg (projections). Compounded by a growing population, the dairy industry will need to produce 600 billion kilograms more milk. This means today’s dairy cow will either need to double her production, or we will need to dramatically increase cow numbers! Over the last 25 years, we have increased milk production by 61 percent (about 2 percent per annum) — but can we continue to grow sustainably?

The difference between a high and low performing cow can be considerable. Milk production —  judged by weight — is influenced by genetics and nutrition, but also by inconsistency in mixing of feed, eating behaviors (such as sifting), other cows’ bullying, water quality (or lack thereof!) and environmental factors, such as heat. In ever larger and more intensive production environments, with fewer people wanting to work on farms, management is emerging as an even more significant challenge. In such a setting, dairy farming has focused on managing the average cow, not the individual.

A glaring gap for dairy farmers is data. Farms, especially large ones, don’t know how much an individual cow eats, how much she drinks, how much she moves, her body temperature, stress levels, sickness, etc. Even individual milk production isn’t always recorded in a consistent manner.

How can farmers manage cow comfort, select the best animals for breeding and retaining, judge true profitability, meet prosumer demands for animal welfare and sustainability and raise the bar in terms of milk production? Without precise, real-time, smart data, the task of managing individual cows is nearly impossible. But emerging digital technologies could fill that data gap.

Sensors

More than any other technological advancement, sensors can fill the data gap in dairy farming, particularly when animals are outside in a field. Before the use of technology, monitoring an individual cow’s health was difficult, time consuming and cost-intensive. However, the use of sensors and wearable technologies allows farmers to monitor individual cows. No longer do producers have to work from herd averages; they are now able to determine individual illness or lameness more effectively and react accordingly, quite possibly before milk production or the rest of the herd is affected.

Wearable sensors have proven valuable in managing a cow’s health, and there is no shortage of companies producing this type of technology. Leaders — such as SCR Dairy, which is assessed to have about 80 percent of the market share — produce all manner of wearables worn on a cow’s ears, neck, legs or tail. They can even be implanted subcutaneously or inside the rumen.

Sensors help monitor cow comfort and welfare. Cows need to rest for an average of 11 hours per day; any less than that affects blood flow to the udder and can negatively impact milk yield. Sensors can detect a lack of locomotion and alert producers when to circumvent these negative effects.

Sensors can be used to detect disease signals that are otherwise hard for farmers to notice, such as mastitis. AfiMilk, Agricam, Fullwood, DeLaval, Lely, LIC Automation, MastiLine and Wakaito all claim to detect mastitis in cows and provide producers with early opportunities to combat the issue.

Rumination is also vital to a cow’s production, and sensors designed to be located inside the rumen can monitor acidity levels through a digitally connected bolus. Companies that offer acid monitors — like Smartbow, which was a participant in the Pearse Lyons Accelerator — allow farmers to detect digestive problems, such as ruminal acidosis. 

Livestock Labs has created a tracking technology called EmbediVet, which is implanted underneath the cow’s skin using a local anesthetic. This tracker claims to be less bothersome than wearable sensors and more accurate in gathering data and monitoring behavior.Ingenera offers a line of various sensor products designed to measure cow conformation, weight, udder health and other body metrics.

Moocall, also a participant in the Pearse Lyons Accelerator, produces sensors that detect the heat cycle of the cow by evaluating her responsiveness to a teaser bull. His proximity and behavior can determine her receptivity and alert the farmer's smart device if she is in heat. Afimilk makes a pedometer for cows, alerting farmers of the best time for insemination on the basis that cows walk and move more as they come into estrus.

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Image courtesy of MooCall

Moocall also makes the Moocall Calving sensor, a wearable that attaches to the cow’s tail and monitors her contractions. Connected to the producer’s mobile phone, it sends an alert one hour before active calving, allowing farmers to minimize time spent checking pregnant cows and increase efficiency in time management.

Outside of wearables on cows, there are other examples of sensors in the dairy industry. The startup SomaDetect has developed a sensor that enables farmers to know what is in the milk they produce. Specifically, there is an in-line sensor that measures milk fat, protein, somatic cell counts, progesterone and antibiotic residues (not allowed for human consumption) at every milking. Danish company Foss Analytics has a similar business model, using sensors and NIR.

ENGS systems is implementing their free-flow technology through the Advanced Milk Meter. It collects data on the cow’s individual milk flow rate, quantity, temperature and electrical conductivity and transfers the data to a milk management program for farmers to use.

Artificial intelligence

Big data promises precision agriculture; however, if farmers can’t interpret the data and use it to take action, the data is useless. Artificial intelligence allows producers to analyze the data collected by sensors and other hardware technologies and can provide interpretations and solutions by mimicking human decision-making — potentially transforming how a dairy farm operates.

SCR Dairy is implementing cow, milk and herd intelligence through their sensors and artificial intelligence technologies. They offer sensors ranging from heat detection and calving to health monitoring sensors — including the SenseTime Solution sensor, which detects and charts a cow’s daily activities, such as ruminating, eating and walking patterns. When paired with artificial intelligence software, this sensor provides users with early, proactive solutions to problems. Along with the capability to record information about reproduction, health and nutrition, the sensor also provides farmers with solutions for each individual cow. 

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Image courtesy of Cainthus

Cainthus has developed algorithms for facial recognition software that can monitor a cow’s activity. There is no need for the cows to wear any sort of tracking device, and this software may eliminate the need for wearables all together, particularly for animals raised indoors. Using cameras stationed throughout the barn, the software alerts farmers when their cows show early signs of lameness. Cargill has a significant minority investment in Cainthus, capitalizing on the notion that this “machine vision” approach will allow AI to supplant many of the sensor systems. 

Developed by Connecterra, Ida, “The Intelligent Dairy Farmer’s Assistant,” is a cow neck tag that gathers activity data on cows, such as time spent eating, ruminating, idling, walking and lying down. Connecterra says it uses AI to interpret individual deviations in the cow’s behavior and provide alerts or recommendations to the farmer.

Drones

There are opportunities for drones in the dairy industry, but they often require additional technologies. Drones can be used to generally inspect the herd or fences or to aid in herding cows from fields to barns.

The inclusion of other technologies presents greater opportunities. Visual sensors have proven to be instrumental in surveying land and measuring pasture growth. PrecisionHawk is using drones to map, inspect and photograph pastures in order to detect growth. 

Algorithms enable drones to identify cows specifically and avoid confusing them with deer or similar animals. When combined with thermal imaging, the opportunities to locate and track cows increases dramatically, particularly in fields spotted with trees or dense foliage. Temperature detection would allow farmers to identify abnormal behavior in the cow, such as lameness, illness or calving. Drones may become more useful in these areas, particularly if battery life is prolonged and autonomous flying ability is improved.

Robots

Robotic milking machines are probably the most well-known application for robots in the dairy industry, increasing efficiencies and replacing expensive or unavailable labor. Lely’s Astronaut A5 and DeLaval’s Voluntary Milking System not only cut labor costs, they also allow cows to decide when they want to be milked. Robotic milkers (milkbots) clean the udders, identify the cow’s teats and milk automatically.

DeLaval offers other robotic milking technologies, such as the rotary platform, which allows farmers to maximize a herd’s milking performance while providing a comfortable and safe environment for both cows and operators. miRobot provides a milking system also designed for larger operations. Both companies offer multi-stall, automated milking operations to milk cows simultaneously, completing full parlors with only one operator. This new technology has allowed farmers to cut back on labor costs and achieve more milkings per day.

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Image courtesy of Lely

The Lely Grazeway system acts as a gateway to the pasture that only allows cows to graze after they have been milked. The cows step into the selection box, and the Lely Qwes cow-recognition system determines whether or not the cow can be let out to graze.

Before robots, cows were typically milked twice a day because of labor and time constraints. Now, cows can be milked three times a day or more, greatly increasing production and profits. In addition, while the cows are stationary for several minutes during milking, there is also an opportunity for medical and health assessments using transponders or sensors — which can not only analyze the speed, amount and quality of milk produced but also how much the cow has eaten, its heat cycle and more.

Another possible use for robots includes cleaning and sanitizing the barn, allowing for better biosecurity measures that will lead to healthier conditions for the cows. There might also be a place for robots in the calving process. While this might not be as useful for an outdoor herd, there is the potential for robotic assistance for cows kept indoors.

3D printing

There are multitudinous applications for 3D printing in the dairy industry. A primary application of 3D printing is for machine parts, which may be of particular interest to rural farmers, saving valuable time and even possibly money, depending on the part needed.

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Image courtesy of Perfect Day

In some ways, 3D printing is already challenging the dairy industry, through 3D-printed foods. Cheese is one of the easier foods to duplicate through 3D printing, due to its easily changeable state from solid to liquid. Studies suggest that printed cheese is less sticky, softer and has better meltability than non-printed cheese. The concept of printed food may not appeal to all consumers, though, so the challenge is to produce food that offers an advantage, such as lower cost, improved taste or better nutritional content.

Such is the case with “Perfect Day,” a startup company from San Francisco using 3D printing combined with gene sequencing to create a yeast fermentation product that looks and tastes like milk. The product is portrayed as a non-dairy alternative for vegans or dairy-intolerant individuals. 

Augmented reality

Augmented reality (AR) can be defined as the integration of digital information with the user’s environment in real time. A recent report stated that sales for augmented reality are expected to rise from $2.4 billion in 2018 to $48.2 billion in 2025.

Studies have found that AR can be used to make food more visually appealing or to effectively estimate proper serving sizes. Apple’s ARKit can also be used to provide consumers with nutritional knowledge, as this video demonstrates. Should this technology become more common, these applications could affect the dairy industry, as certain aspects of food products — both good and bad — would be more readily available to the consumer. 

Outside of the consumer focus, augmented reality can be used to allow producers an alternative way to monitor and evaluate cows. This video (skip to the 2:22 mark) demonstrates how AR can allow a farmer to immediately see stats relating to the farm through the use of goggles. Information relating to each individual cow is overlaid through the glasses into the farmer’s field of vision. He can see information on everything in the facility and even evaluate the quality of the milk.

Could this technology not also be used in the veterinary field for inspection and observation? Perhaps if combined with reliable sensor data, the vet could be able to deliver appropriate recommendations for disease management and reduce the need for direct farm call visits, thus lowering costs.

Virtual reality

Virtual reality (VR) is defined as a digital environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real way through electronic equipment. Applications in the dairy industry vary from farm tours to veterinary training, with positive impacts on safety and efficiency. 

New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra and solutions company Beca have partnered to develop a virtual reality health and safety training technology that allows employees to navigate the manufacturing and distribution sites without actually setting foot on the physical site, thus reducing onboarding times. Fonterra employees learn to identify potential hazards and experience hazardous situations in a realistic simulated environment, enhancing learning experiences without the risk of being in harm’s way. This technology also reduces labor costs by replacing a number of hands-on health and safety training positions.

Virtual reality is being used to teach veterinary students about the reproductive and rectal tracts of the cow. Created by former vet Sarah Baillie, the Haptic Cow is a fiberglass model of the rear of a cow that combines virtual reality with robotics. The VR aspect is provided by a computer that allows students to visualize an object within the cow — virtually enabling them to practice fertility examinations, such as pregnancy detection, or determine reproductive concerns without putting them in a situation that could be dangerous for both the cow and the student.

DeLaval is creating virtual reality films of farms available in 360 degrees, allowing viewers to scroll from side to side to view the entirety of the dairy barn. The Hamra Farm in Sweden, for instance, showcases the innovative techniques they implement on their farm, such as robotic milking machines, robotic brushes, robotic cleaners and more, in their VR film. These "farm tours" will allow consumers to better understand where their dairy comes from. There is much discussion about animal welfare, and giving consumers an opportunity to experience firsthand how a dairy farm operates is an important component of influencing perception the industry.

Blockchain

It is well known that consumers are increasingly becoming interested in where their food comes from and how it is produced. Blockchain can connect all aspects of the supply chain from producer to consumer and allow for food traceability and safety. From an agriculture and food perspective, offering this type of information to consumers will become a competitive advantage and may not prove as challenging in dairy as in other areas of agriculture, such as beef, which exchanges ownership more frequently.

Internet of Things

Together these eight technologies are creating opportunities within the dairy industry for increased efficiencies, profitability and production. The connectivity of these technologies is made possible through the Internet of Things (IoT).

Agriwebb is a company using IoT for full farm recordkeeping, including field management, inventory, operations, grazing and even biosecurity. Stellapps in India leverages IoT to offer all manner of products, from general herd management to milk evaluation, payment processing and cold chain monitoring. Dell Technologies is also heavily involved in IoT applications and is working with dairy producer Chitale.

Cargill is working with SCiO (Consumer Physics) to create Reveal, an app designed to deliver content of feed within minutes. Previously, this type of technology was either time-intensive (waiting on lab results) or expensive (specialized equipment cost thousands of dollars). Using a micro spectrometer with NIR calibrations, Cargill and SCiO offer this simple service using producers' own devices, and results are available in a minute's time.

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IoT technology is how the KEENAN InTouch system is able to provide farmers with the nutritional information they need to ensure the best formulation possible. KEENAN’s feed mixers are designed to give uniformity to feed, allowing for improved digestion in the ruminant and creating rations that are both chemically and physically balanced. The cloud-based system enables producers to monitor feed waste and make necessary changes to improve efficiencies and decrease costs.

Using the data

In the past, farm management applications have allowed farmers to make strategic management decisions based on the collection of farm data. Inevitably once nutritional decisions are being made, sciences such as nutrigenomics and decisions about smart nutrition are critical to taking advantage of this enhanced data and management information systems. Nutrigenomics research has shown that specific nutrients and inclusion of enzymes can greatly impact milk yield.

Previously, collected data was generalized for an entire dairy farm. Through the use of sensors, AI and other technologies, farm management apps like FarmWizard can provide individual data for each cow, allowing farmers to improve precision and accuracy when making managerial decisions. 

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Dairying in 2067 won’t look anything like the dairy farming of the recent past, let alone the era when the first cow was domesticated. Changes are happening so fast that the connected farm is likely to be the norm within the next 10 years. By implementing the eight technologies described here, along with the interconnectivity of IoT, farmers will be able to capture and have direct access to individual cow data, both current and historical. This will enable farmers to bridge the data gap and improve dairy production through digitization. The winners will be those who embrace this disrupted digital dairy landscape.

I want to learn more about implementing new technologies on my dairy farm.

Mark Twain said, “The public is the only critic whose opinion means anything at all.” This holds true for many hotly debated topics, and genetically modified organisms — better known as GMOs — are certainly no exception. And, while there are many advocates who are clearly pro- or anti-GMO, both sides seem to be fighting for the same worthwhile goals — safe, abundant food for all, fewer toxic chemicals used on farms globally and a more sustainable food system.

On the closing night of ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference 2018 (ONE18), attendees were invited to gather at the historic Kentucky Theater for a private showing of the 2016 documentary “Food Evolution.” The Institute of Food Technologists funded the film in an effort to inspire discussion and debate about the food-related challenges that we face globally, the instrumental role that science will play in addressing these issues and public perception surrounding the science of food.

At the film’s conclusion, a panel discussion with two of our ONE18 speakers — Crystal Mackay, president of the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, and Jack Bobo, senior vice president and chief communications officer at Intrexon — was led by Irish broadcaster Damien O’Reilly from RTÉ Radio 1.

Focused on food and future

The panel and audience had many valuable insights on both sides of the debate.

Jack Bobo spent 13 years working in global food policy at the U.S. Department of State and spent three years working with the producers of the film.

“I actually told them not to do a film about GMOs because it’s too provocative,” he said.

Bobo strongly feels that values trump science when it comes to issues like this. In fact, he said, he “never once met someone that was anti-science. Stop telling people what you do and tell them why you do it. The science won’t matter to most people.”

MacKay said we need to change the conversation to instead discuss our common goals.

“This technology [in particular] has been thrown under the bus due to a myriad of other issues — anti-corporate, anti-greed, etc., so how do we communicate about a complicated truth over simple lies?” she asked.

Bobo then remarked, “Every regulatory industry in the world has concluded that GMOs aren’t harmful.”

He believes topics like this have more to do with tribalism than anything else.

“[Our friends] feel a certain way about something, and we want to be a part of their crowd more than we want to worry about [scientific fact],” he said.

In the same vein, when was the last time we changed our minds about something? Anything is possible. Bobo even admitted that he first felt production agriculture was the only solution until he learned more about organic farming and what it brings to the table in terms of addressing food system challenges. It would seem that a combination of both practices may be warranted.

As an audience member wisely pointed out, “Is the real issue here not so much whether the science is right or wrong, but instead communication?” Our panelists agreed that more transparency would be helpful but that the issue remains complex. One thing is certain: We were all given a great deal of food for thought as we consider how we might move forward in feeding a hungry world.

“If a customer is telling you they want something, guess who else they are telling?” professor Robert Wolcott asked the audience at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE18). “Your competition. So, how do you find out what the customer wants before they want it?”

The clinical professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University told the attendees of ONE18 the secret to surviving long-term in a disruptive industry.

“We must ask better questions,” he said.

A business survival guide

“We cannot predict the future in detail,” said Wolcott. “But we can provide foresight.”

Part of the foresight that accompanies great ideas entails reflecting on the history of what many considered to be the “best” companies over the past few decades. IBM, Xerox and Kodak were just a few of many other corporations that had two things in common:

1)     Near death experiences. Each company was on the verge of extinction before reinventing and adapting to its surroundings.

2)     They were all “the very best company on the planet for decades,” explained Wolcott. However, history shows that any company is vulnerable to possible extinction.

Luckily, Wolcott shared his two tips for how companies can evolve and thrive in ever-changing markets:

1)     Fortification: Extend and defend the core business.

2)     Exploration: Create growth through exploring future opportunities.

A business’ product will not remain the most revolutionary idea to consumers forever. There are other companies that are trying to do things bigger, better and faster. Competition is tough, and top businesses can quickly transition from predators in the industry to prey.

“We must rise to the occasion, whether we succeed or not,” encouraged Wolcott. “It is in the attempt that we grow as human beings and as organizations.”

Technological trend-setters

Wolcott continued his talk by referencing many new technologies and business practices that are shaking up the industry:

1)     Electric cars were considered a hassle by consumers for many years. An exaggerated fear of running out of battery in the middle of a busy highway plagued minds of worried potential buyers. However, Wolcott informed the audience that there are electric cars that can travel 1,000 miles before running out of battery. Millions of dollars are being invested in charging stations for easy, convenient plug-ins nationally.

Listening to customer needs — and anticipating that there would be resistance to a new technology — resulted in the foresight to create an automobile that doesn’t cause more questions, but instead provides answers.

“If we always look in the same places, we will only find the same answers,” said Wolcott.

However, is it too late for electric cars? Are self-driving cars the way of the future?

2)     For three years, said Wolcott, Amazon has been anticipating the orders of users and stocking them in a nearby warehouse, ready for shipping. Wolcott informed the audience that if a user clicks, or even hovers, over the same product in the online store more than once, Amazon will anticipate that the user is just a few more clicks away from making a purchase. When the customer finally decides to pull the trigger and buy the item they have been eyeing for weeks, Amazon will already have it nearby.

“Human beings want what they want, where they want it, when they want it,” said Wolcott.

Amazon’s method, called “anticipatory shipping,” is foresight personified.

3)     “Today, we have a global supply chain. The larger the plant, the lower your costs,” explained Wolcott. “Over the next 30 years, this model will be destroyed.”

He reassured the audience that global supply chain won’t disappear completely, as some will still be vital, but soon, 3D printing will take over. Why would extra tools, resources and employees be necessary to build something over the span of days, weeks or months, when 3D printing could provide it in minutes?

“In our lifetimes, we might be able to have a 3D printing machine on our counters,” said Wolcott.

So, what are the right questions?

According to Wolcott, we are on the right track. The question we are used to asking, Wolcott says, is, “How can this technology help us be better at what we already do?”

“This is a great question,” said Wolcott. “Keep asking it. But that’s not enough.”

Instead, he challenged everyone with new questions:

1)     “What can this technology help us do that we have never done before?”

Is it innovative like electric cars? Expedient like anticipatory shopping? Convenient like 3D printing?

Wolcott explains that often the right questions come from people investigating their own future.

2)     “In a world of increasing technology,” explains Wolcott, “we can do anything. What can we do and why?”

What purpose does this new technology serve? Is it making lives easier? Can it grow with time?

3)     “Where might the future go?”

Is the idea sustainable? Does it keep up with the trends that are found through foresight?

But, overall, the foresight needed to survive in an ever-changing industry and to create the next big idea is in search of a very noble cause.

“To make the world a better place,” explained Wolcott. “That is what motivates people more than anything else.”

CRISPR (pronounced “crisper”) stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, which are the hallmark of a bacterial defense system that forms the basis for CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing technology, according to the Broad Institute. This natural enzyme system has the capability to influence the genetic makeup of our cells and everything around us, which means it also has the potential to revolutionize many different aspects of our lives.

And when Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou, professor in the department of food, bioprocessing and nutrition services at North Carolina State University, took the stage at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference 2018 (ONE18), he explained just how impactful this complicated, yet seemingly simple, concept could be.

The CRISPR craze

According to Barrangou, the “CRISPR craze” sums it up; there’s no better way to define what we’re experiencing, particularly because CRISPR technology is influencing industries and even society as a whole.

“CRISPR has shaped my career, not just as a scientist or entrepreneur, but also as a patient, parent [and beyond],” said Barrangou.

CRISPR is present naturally in about half of all bacteria on the planet. It is an immune system that has evolved to recognize viral DNA and cut it. Think of CRISPR as molecular machines that can work as molecular scalpels. And though this innovative, mind-boggling technology may seem like a novel concept, it has actually existed for quite some time.

“CRISPR has been around in bacteria for millennia,” Barrangou said. “The history as a science dates back to 1987, so for over 30 years, scientists have been collecting, analyzing and repurposing CRISPR.”

Would you believe that this very powerful molecular scalpel actually enables scientists to cut any piece of DNA they'd like and perform genome editing for the truly bargain price of only $65? Almost any scientist can use this technology to alter DNA any way they want, very quickly, with unprecedented precision, ease and affordability. Another advantage is the speed at which results can be delivered: you could order a CRISPR report before 3 p.m., for example, and have it in hand by the next morning.

A work in progress

Still, this technology is not without flaws. It’s “imperfect,” said Barrangou, because it has only picked up speed in the last five years. And, like any 5-year-old, it’s “not fully mature yet.” He and his team, along with many other scientists around the world, are working to make CRISPR technology more programmable, affordable, scalable, efficient and precise.

Still, one can’t deny the impressive capabilities of CRISPR.

“We can edit any sequence we want in any organism we want, anywhere we want,” remarked Barrangou. “In the past five years, hundreds of thousands of scientists have used that technology to edit the genomes of every organism you could think of,” he said, in several different industries, including industrial biotechnology, research, therapeutics and agriculture. It’s proving particularly useful in the medical field as researchers examine the ability to alter viruses, genetics, human cells and bacteria. For example, scientists can use CRISPR-based technologies to naturally vaccinate against viruses and bacteria.

Changing agriculture through CRISPR

CRISPR is changing plant and animal breeding, microbial composition, design and engineering. The technology has been used in the dairy industry since 2011, specifically in making yogurt and cheese. Many of these products have been formulated using CRISPR technology, so it’s highly likely that no matter where you’re from in the world, you’ve already consumed a product that was manufactured using CRISPR-enhanced technology.

“Scientifically, the CRISPR craze is unprecedented. We went from nothing to a paper a month, to a paper a week, to a paper a day, to, on average, 10 new CRISPR studies published every day in 2018,” said Barrangou. “That’s crazy. The media cannot write up enough CRISPR stories — as of last night, there are 7.3 million mentions of CRISPR on the web; it makes the cover of magazines almost every week and is covered by media outlets on a regular basis now.”

However, Barrangou’s biggest concern is that we don’t make the same mistake with the public that we did with GMOs. In an effort to engage the public, he and his team are presently making a movie that documents the technology. He notes that, in order to build collective confidence in the science, we must “be very careful and mindful about CRISPR’s stewardship.”  

“This big idea is becoming a reality,” he added. “And this big idea is going to save the planet.”

USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey and nationally recognized neurologist Dr. Majid Fotuhi join ONE18’s all-star list of speakers

Register at one.alltech.com for the May 20–22 conference in Lexington, Kentucky, USA

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – Former vice chair of General Electric Beth Comstock, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary Bill Northey and groundbreaking neurologist Dr. Majid Fotuhi have been added to ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE18)’s high-impact mainstage lineup of speakers. Four thousand attendees from more than 70 countries are expected to attend this year’s 34th annual conference in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, from May 20–22.

Twice named one of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” by Forbes, Comstock was the first woman to serve as a vice chair at GE. Over nearly two decades, she led efforts to accelerate new growth and innovation, helping to transform a process-heavy, top-down culture to a faster, agile and inventive one.

Comstock initiated GE’s digital and clean energy transformations, developed new businesses, increased GE’s brand value and sales, and partnered to enhance its inventive culture. She led the creation of Current, an intelligent environments business, GE Ventures Licensing, FastWorks, ecomagination and healthymagination, and oversaw GE Lighting. She was responsible for the sales, marketing and communications functions and served as the company’s first chief marketing officer in 20 years.

As president of integrated media at NBCUniversal, Comstock oversaw ad revenue and the company’s digital efforts, including early development of hulu.com. She held a succession of marketing and communications roles at GE, NBC, CBS and Turner Broadcasting/CNN.

Having recently stepped down from her position as vice chair of General Electric (GE), she is now exploring a path as an author, instigator and connector.

Her first book, "Imagine It Forward," offering lessons from a life of continual transformation, will be published Sept. 2018. She is currently a director at Nike and a trustee of the National Geographic Society.

Comstock replaces Jack Welch, who has cancelled his engagements due to an injury.

As under secretary of the USDA, Northey leads the Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area, which includes oversight of the National Resources Conservation Service, the Risk Management Agency and the Farm Service Agency. Northey was formerly the Iowa secretary of agriculture from 2006 to 2018.

A fourth-generation farmer, Northey has also served as president and chairman of the National Corn Growers Association and president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

A Harvard- and Johns Hopkins-trained neurologist and neuroscientist, Fotuhi is widely regarded as an authority in the field of memory, Alzheimer’s disease, concussion, ADHD and increasing brain vitality in late life. He has had numerous publications in major peer-reviewed journals, which have been cited by thousands of scientists around the world. National media such as The Washington Post, CNN, ABC and the "Today" show have interviewed him about his research and innovative “Brain Fitness Program.” Fotuhi is also the author of three books, including the recently released "Boost Your Brain: The New Art and Science Behind Enhanced Brain Performance."

Fotuhi has 25 years of teaching, clinical work and neuroscience research experience at Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University. He is currently the medical director of NeuroGrow Brain Fitness Center, an affiliate staff member at Johns Hopkins Medicine and a lecturer at Harvard Medical School, where he is one of the most popular

instructors due in part to the two 5-foot-tall brain models he designed for his students in neuroanatomy classes.

Also featured on ONE18’s mainstage will be Dr. Robert Wolcott and Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou.

Wolcott is the author of "Grow from Within: Mastering Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation" and is a clinical professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He won Teacher of the Year from Kellogg’s EMBA program in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017. He is also a managing partner with Clareo, a foresight and growth strategy consultancy serving global corporations.

Wolcott is a regular contributor to Forbes on the impact of technology on business, society and humanity. His work appears in MIT Sloan Management Review, strategy+business, the Harvard Business Review (online), The Wall Street Journal, Advertising Age, Businessweek, the Financial Times (European Edition), The New York Times and numerous overseas publications. He is an angel investor, and he currently serves on advisory boards for ZF, a $40 billion German automotive supplier, and H-Farm, the leading technology ecosystem in Italy.

Barrangou is the T. R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Scholar in Probiotics Research in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at North Carolina State University, where his work focuses on the evolution and function of CRISPR-Cas systems and their applications in food manufacturing.

Recently, he received the 2016 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize, the 2016 Canada Gairdner International Award, the 2017 NAS Award in Molecular Biology and the 2018 NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences. He is also the former chairman of the board of directors of Caribou Biosciences, a co-founder and member of the scientific advisory board of Intellia Therapeutics, and a co-founder and chairman of the scientific advisory board of Locus Biosciences.

The transformative power of ideas is the underlying focus of over 100 topics slated for discussion at ONE18. Twelve sessions, covering all major agriculture sectors, as well as business, health and wellness, and brewing and distilling will set the stage for an epic exchange of ideas between thought leaders and knowledge seekers.

ONE18 extends beyond an all-star speaker lineup and thought-provoking content to an experience that engages all the senses; the entertainment, including the world’s largest harp, will leave attendees breathless. They will also tour the Bluegrass, enjoy first-class cuisine in the city that Zagat named one of the “30 Most Exciting Food Cities in America in 2017” and dance the night away at the Alltech Arena at the world-famous Kentucky Horse Park.

Learn more and register at one.alltech.com. Join the conversation with #ONE18 on Twitter, and follow the ONE18 Facebook event page for updates. ONE18 is approved for 16 CEUs by the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists, and ONE18 is registered with the Kentucky Department of Education as a program available for professional development credit hours.

WHAT:            The Alltech Idea Pub: News & Brews series continues with an exciting exploration of Kentucky’s potential to become the next Silicon Valley. Dr.  Mark Lyons, president of Alltech, will lead a discussion on recruiting top talent to the region, shining a global spotlight on Lexington and becoming a nexus for innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly within food and ag tech. How can we each be ambassadors for the state? Can Lexington lead the way into an exciting new era of prosperity? Join us for thought-provoking conversation, light bites and Kentucky Ale^® for guests ages 21 and older. The event is free and open to the public.

WHEN:            Wednesday, May 2, 2018

                        6:00 p.m. EDT

WHERE:         Shrewsbury Hall at Town Branch Distillery

                        401 Cross Street

                        Lexington, KY 40508

MORE:            The Alltech Idea Pub: News & Brews series is a monthly discussion exploring business, economics, education and health, with a Kentucky twist. To RSVP, visit https://go.alltech.com/newsandbrews or the Alltech News & Brews Facebook event page.

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – Ten Kentucky universities demonstrated the state’s robust culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Alltech Innovation Competition 2018. Teams presented a broad range of unique business concepts that explored complex technologies, consumer trends and eco-friendly solutions.

Murray State University’s undergraduate team and the University of Louisville’s graduate team took home the top prize of $10,000 apiece, the same amount with which the late Dr. Pearse Lyons founded Alltech, now a multi-billion-dollar company with business in more than 120 countries.

“We saw thirteen innovative ideas today,” said Dr. Karl Dawson, vice president and chief scientific officer at Alltech. “These talented teams demonstrate the opportunity to develop and retain entrepreneurs right here in Kentucky — an idea that Dr. Lyons sought to promote with this program.”   

The Murray State University undergraduate team, including students Aaron Stevens, Blakely Broder and Jordan Young, and their advisor Steve Dublin, secured the undergraduate first place prize with their venture Pip&Dip. With the use of 3D printing technology, the team developed a finger brace that optimizes efficiency and reduces discomfort for those with a sports or work-related injury or natural deformity.

“To me, innovation means benefiting all of mankind, not just yourself,” said Stevens.

The University of Louisville graduate team, including students JD Mitchell and Eric Wentworth, and their advisor Suzanne Bergmeister, secured the graduate first place prize with their venture Mindful Mix. The team developed all-natural cocktail mixers infused with superfoods and fortified with vitamins and electrolytes.

“This has been an amazing experience,” said Mitchell. “Winning validates our idea, but the feedback we received from judges and the conversations we’ve had with other teams today are invaluable.”

This year’s competition hosted the largest group of participants in its six-year history. The two winning teams faced competition from Bellarmine University, Berea College, Georgetown College, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Pikeville and Western Kentucky University.

“Today’s presentations showcase the high level of education and talent in Kentucky,” said Suniti Mujumdar, manager of educational engagement at Alltech. “These students represent the next generation of innovative entrepreneurship and have the capacity to be stewards of change for the Commonwealth.”  

First held in 2013, the competition has traditionally featured entries that focus on animal nutrition, food, crop science, or brewing and distilling — Alltech’s business sectors. This year’s competition welcomed a broad array of venture ideas, reflecting the spirit of the company’s flagship international conference ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, which features the theme “ideas change everything.”

-Ends-

The University of Louisville graduate team, including students JD Mitchell and Eric Wentworth, won the graduate first place prize at the Alltech Innovation Competition 2018 with their venture Mindful Mix. 

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The Murray State University undergraduate team, including students Aaron Stevens, Blakely Broder and Jordan Young, won the undergraduate first place prize at the Alltech Innovation Competition with their venture Pip&Dip.

Download image here.

To view and download additional images, click here.

Media contact: Lauren Dozier

press@alltech.com; 859-351-8892