Consumers are increasingly demanding proof of sustainability, but many producers are struggling to meet these expectations. Failure to demonstrate efforts could lead to a loss of consumer trust and, ultimately, reduced revenue. Erica Lain, sustainability manager at Iowa Select Farms, joins the Ag Future podcast to share insights on the measures producers need to take to meet the growing demand for sustainability.

The following is an edited transcript of the Ag Future podcast episode with Erica Lain hosted by Tom Martin. Click below to hear the full audio or listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.

Tom:            Welcome to Ag Future, presented by Alltech. Join us from the 2022 Alltech ONE Conference as we explore opportunities within agri-food, business and beyond.

                     Sustainability is now the standard for the animal protein industry, not the exception. How has the global demand for sustainability affected the pork industry?

                     I'm Tom Martin for the Alltech Ag Future podcast series. Erica Lain is here with me to address that question and more. Erica is the sustainability manager at Iowa Select Farms, where she oversees all of Iowa's farm sustainability efforts and projects and also generates the company's select care commitment report. Welcome, Erica.

Erica:            Thank you. Thank you for having me on today. It's a pleasure to be here with you.

Tom:            We're glad you're here. Let's start with that question. Everybody's talking about sustainability. How about the pork industry?

Erica:            The pork industry, we have always been sustainable. We don't need to necessarily change anything that we're doing, because over many, many years, we have been adaptive to consumer demands and ever evolving with things that we do, looking at new technologies and how to be more efficient. That is ultimately what sustainability is. But consumers are wanting proof and wanting to be told that it's okay to eat our product and that it is sustainable. What pork producers need to do is to compile this information and provide that proof that they [the consumers] are ultimately wanting and [the consumers can] feel good about eating our product because it is a sustainable product. We need to be able to tell our story.

Tom:            In formulating a business plan, sustainability should be a primary influence all the way through, right?

Erica:            Yes, absolutely. That's exactly how Iowa Select Farms views sustainability. It is our business plan. You never want to separate efficiency and sustainability. They should both work together.

Tom:            I think many of us, when we hear the word sustainability, we automatically relate it to the environment.

Erica:            Yes.

Tom:            But does the concept of sustainability have to do with environmental considerations, or does it apply to all aspects of the operation?

Erica:            That's a great question and something that I'm very passionate about. At Iowa Select Farms, we view sustainability as a more holistic approach. Our four core values that we live by every single day are people care, animal care, environment care, and community care. That is how we have established our foundation of our sustainability report, understanding that we need to take care of our people, our animals, steward our natural resources, and give back to our communities. When we compiled our first SelectCare Commitment Report, we wanted to make sure that we were highlighting all four of those areas.

Tom:            Let's say Farm A wants to implement sustainable practices but they're not sure where to start with that. What should be a priority in establishing a sustainability program?

Erica:            When we first looked at wanting to start our sustainability program – which was actually just last summer, so it's very new to us as well around measuring this and talking about it – I think the number one thing that we all need to understand is the foundation of it and where do you think your business is going to go for the next 30 years, so understanding that and utilizing the resources that you have available to you. For us at the National Pork Board, they provide on-farm sustainability reports. It helps us provide third-party verification to tell our story to an external audience with factual information to back it up. I also think it's very important to take credit for what we're already doing. Understand that retention rate in your company, take credit for that. Or take credit for that big asset of hog manure that pig producers can provide to farmers throughout the states. I think understanding what we're already doing and taking credit for that is an initial step, and then identify areas where you can improve your business plan that aligns with sustainability, and outline that moving forward.

Tom:            Well, demand for sustainability is no longer the exception. It's the norm. I just wonder: from your perspective, what does this mean for the future of agriculture?

Erica:            A lot of opportunities. I think this is a way for pork producers to ultimately sell their product to consumers. Have them understand that we look at all these aspects within our company. We want to be efficient. We want to be sustainable. We want to steward our natural resources and give back to our communities; that's in our hearts. That's what we do every single day. This platform ultimately allows us to tell that story to an external audience. Also to be transparent and identify areas where we can improve our system and our production, and identify that, and say, We are going to be transparent: we need to improve on this, but we've got goals and we've got operations and systems in place to improve on those topics.

Tom:            Trust is really key. What do you consider essential to building that, or gaining that trust in the consumer?

Erica:            When I think about trust in regular relationships, it's building that relationship with the consumer, ultimately allowing them to feel good about what they're consuming. Building that trust is providing proof. When we think about trust, you want to give the principles and the SOPs and what we do every single day, but we also want to show them the proof. There's a lot of opportunities out there to show proof through third-party verification, through audit systems, through different third-party companies that can give you that proof to tell your story to an external audience.

Tom:            What are you seeing going on right now? This is kind of under the label of trends and innovations of interest, but what's going on that captures your attention?

Erica:            I think it's really interesting how consumers are really interested in what we do every single day. I mean, ultimately, this is what pork producers want, is for people to better understand what we're doing. Rather than just putting us aside and saying, Well, we don't care what they're doing, we don't want to know, we're going to go a different route, but giving us that opportunity to tell our story and to tell them that we are sustainable. Iowa Select Farms has been in production for 30 years this year. That's a great story to tell, of how we've evolved over time in the steps that we've implemented over the last three years to be the largest pork producer in Iowa today. For us, outlining what we're going to do in the next 30 years is critical for our business, but ultimately having the consumer allow us to tell that story and to give us that opportunity to sell our product to them.

Tom:            You are quoted in a company newsletter saying that you truly didn't understand how much of a positive impact being involved in agriculture had until recently, when you and your husband welcomed your son into the world. Tell us about that realization.

Erica:            I grew up on a row-crop and cow-calf operation. Now my husband and I farm in Southern Iowa on the same scenario: a row-crop, beef-cattle, cow-calf operation. I have grown up with agriculture my entire life. I went to school and studied animal science. But seeing agriculture impact my son – seeing him excited to sit in a tractor – it truly exemplifies the passion that will ultimately grow up with him throughout his lifetime on the farm. Looking back, I didn't realize all of the life skills that agriculture has taught me and the huge impact agriculture has on the economy and ultimately feeding the world. Last year, Iowa Select Farms produced over 1.5 billion pounds of pork. That's equivalent to feeding 16 million people. That's just in the state of Iowa. The impact that every pork producer, every row-crop farmer, has on that is massive. You may think that you're just a little small farmer in rural Iowa, but it has a massive impact throughout the entire world, providing a very high, rich protein source for consumers across the world. It's really incredible. Something that you see under a micro – you don't think about as much, but when you grow up and you view it as a more 30-foot view, you understand it and you appreciate it.

Tom:            All right, that's Erica Lain, sustainability manager at Iowa Select Farms. Thank you, Erica.

Erica:            Thank you for having me today.

Tom:            For the Alltech Ag Future podcast series, I'm Tom Martin. Thank you for joining us. Be sure to subscribe to Ag Future wherever you listen to podcasts.

What insights can we gain about enzymes and their role in animal nutrition? Dr. Amy Petry, assistant professor in the department of animal and food sciences at Texas Tech University, discusses how these enzymes can enhance gut health and fiber fermentability in pigs and improve the energy contribution of fiber in pig diets. Additionally, Dr. Petry shares her experience as a graduate student and provides advice for those interested in pursuing research careers.

The following is an edited transcript of the Ag Future podcast episode with Dr. Amy Petry hosted by Tom Martin. Click below to hear the full audio or listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.

Tom:            Welcome to Ag Future, presented by Alltech. Join us from the 2022 Alltech ONE Conference as we explore opportunities within agri-food, business and beyond.

                     I'm Tom Martin for the Alltech Ag Future podcast. Joining us is Dr. Amy Petry, an assistant professor in the department of animal and food sciences at Texas Tech University and an expert in nutritional physiology. Over her career, she has received more than half a million dollars in federal or industry research grants and has published more than 30 referred journal articles, abstracts and book chapters. Dr. Petry leads a multidisciplinary research lab that works collaboratively with the swine industry to conduct basic science that supports, develops or evolves solutions for producers. She's with us today to talk about her work and observations around the use of carbohydrase enzymes in pig diets — particularly xylanase. Welcome, Amy.

Amy:             Thanks, Tom.

Tom:            I mentioned xylanase is a carbohydrase. Tell us about that and how it's beneficial in pig diets.

Amy:             Absolutely. Xylanase is an enzyme that targets dietary fiber. You, me and the pig, we don't produce enzymes that can break down dietary fiber, so we rely on microorganisms to do that. One way that we can help promote fiber degradation, which can be good for improving calorie uptake in the pig — and then, some of the research we've done to improve gut health — is through the use of these carbohydrase enzymes.

                     Xylanase is an enzyme that targets this fiber called arabinoxylan. Arabinoxylan is this really complex non-starch polysaccharide that's found in a lot of cereal grains. Here in the U.S., one of the more predominant sources of this fiber is corn and a lot of the industrial corn co-products that can be commonly seen in U.S. swine diets. Over the past 20 or so years, we've seen an increase in the amount of fiber in a pig's diet due to least-cost (diet) formulation and utilizing more of these industrial corn co-products.

                     What xylanase can do is help break down that dietary fiber. The original goal of supplementing that enzyme was to help improve feed efficiency (and) fiber digestibility and, overall, (to) increase the energetic contribution of fiber. But what has been more fascinating and more consistent of that is this effect — that xylanase likely improves pig viability or reduces finishing pig mortality.

Tom:            You earned your doctorate at Iowa State University. You did that by investigating the properties of xylanase. What were your findings? And how did the information influence your work going forward?

Amy:             Sure. In my Ph.D. work at Iowa State, we really wanted to find out why this enzyme was potentially improving finishing pig mortality, and then (we) tried to “de-dupe” some of the reasons why this enzyme can be ineffective in corn-based products. One of those things comes down to the mechanism of action of this enzyme, what it's actually doing in the pig's gut. We conducted two pretty large experiments that tested five different hypotheses as it relates to how this enzyme might particularly be working in the gut. We did this with seven other collaborators and did a whole slew of data collection. We looked at digestibility across the gastrointestinal tract. We looked at the microbiome, (the) influences of different biomarkers within the serum and within the gut of the pig, as well as taking microscopy pictures of the actual fiber structure.

                     What we found is that this enzyme appears to be doing more than just improving fiber fermentation. When we supplement it, we do get (improved) fiber digestibility. We get a breakdown of this really complex polysaccharide that's in the pig's diet. But in the process of doing that, we really establish more symbiosis with the microbiome.

                     It appears that this enzyme is eliciting two different mechanisms (through) a prebiotic-like effect. In this case, it's selectively upregulating microorganisms that confer health benefits within the pig. We observe this in the small intestine. When we fed pigs this enzyme in the presence of corn-based fiber, we saw an upregulation in three bacterial groups: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and fecal bacterium. The interesting thing about these microorganisms is, in the human sciences, (they) are largely associated with gut health, probiotic candidates and improving gut barrier integrity. The reason for that is they establish this cooperative microbial metabolism where they take these very complex arabinoxylans, the xylanase, (which) we supplement to the pig, (who) breaks it down into these oligosaccharides, and then these microorganisms beneficially digest those oligosaccharides into these things called short-chain fatty acids. Particularly, we see an increase in butyrate production, which is associated with improving gut health. In these studies, we also saw improvements and markers of gut health.

                     This (is the) first indication that there may be a health aspect to feeding a fiber-degrading enzyme that might partially be the causation for why we see a reduction in finishing pig mortality in commercial production. The other half of that is, when we look at the microbiome in the large intestine, where a lot of fiber fermentation actually occurs, xylanase appears to be eliciting what we call a stembiotic mechanism. The concept of stembiotics — particularly in swine nutrition — is pretty new, but it's this concept that an additive can increase fiber digestibility through stimulating the microbiome to further ferment fiber than what the enzyme or the additive is doing itself. We saw that in these pigs, in that, in their cecum, where most of the microbial organisms (reside in) this kind of little vat, that they have actually had more diversity, and they could ferment fiber (at a rate of) three to one compared to that of the control. It was another indication — along with the changes in the microorganisms — that we were indeed improving fiber fermentation. So, those were the two big findings we found.

Tom:            Well, the use of xylanase in pig diets is becoming more prevalent or popular. But does it live up to the promise, to the hype?

Amy:             I think it does for improving finishing pig mortality. We certainly, here in the U.S., know of several field trials — 15-plus — that have shown an improvement in the number of pigs that make it to market. There's still a lot of research to be done in terms of proving feed efficiency. It appears, with this enzyme, when we supplement it with this corn co-product DDGs, that it doesn't really break down the DDGs as much as we had anticipated that it would.

                     I think, for further use of this enzyme, we really need to be able to improve its ability of breaking down DDGs so that we can improve feed efficiency. There's still a bit of a misalignment between those two things. I think, for continual use of this enzyme and improving feed efficiency, we need more research in that area. But certainly, as a tool to potentially improve mortality, it's appearing to live up to the hype.

Tom:            A lot of your enzyme work, as I understand it, has been in growing pigs. How does enzyme supplementation translate to use in cell diets?

Amy:             Yeah. For me, this is a really interesting area, and something that we're trying to do quite a bit of research on. I think that the mechanism that we showed in terms of improving gut health and improving fiber fermentation likely could translate to a cell. There (is) some evidence of that now within the literature. I know of several people, including our own lab, that are doing work in that area. But I think, in terms of improving fiber fermentability and microbiome symbiosis, I certainly think that xylanase could have that role in the cell as well, but it's an area of opportunity for both research and with the utilization of this enzyme in production.

Tom:            I think this began for you as an undergrad at Texas Tech. If you would, tell us about your interest in how diet influences energy.

Amy:             Early on in my research studies, I spent a lot of time reading about dietary energy. My master's work has dealt with, a little bit, in dietary energy. Energy is one of these really complex things that nutritionists have to deal with. It's not a nutrient; it's a part of what nutrients do within the body. We have four different components that provide energy. We have protein, fat, and then we have simple and complex carbohydrates. Particularly in the swine nutrition realm, I think there's a lot of interest in how we can improve dietary energy, because feed costs are high and calories are expensive. It's accounting for — more than 65% of the cost of nutrition in pig production is due to meeting the energy specification of a diet.

                     So, it’s something that I'm really passionate about and keeps me going, and it started early on in my graduate career and then all throughout my Ph.D.: (the question of) how can we improve the energetic contribution of fiber, which is where a lot of the enzyme work comes in. Because fiber is this interesting thing — particularly insoluble fiber from corn — that we don't actually get a lot of calories out (of). In diets that we feed pigs that have DDGs, if you go from 0% DDGs in the diet to about 30%, you increase the amount of fiber in that diet by about 60%. You go from a level (of) between seven and eight (percent) upwards to 15% fiber. Yet the contribution of that fiber to energy is quite small if it's coming from corn — (it accounts for) less than 5% of the total calories that are in the diet. I certainly think there's an opportunity there to improve the amount of energy we can supply the pig if we can understand fiber better and understand fiber fermentation.

Tom:            It's interesting how timing can influence which fork in the road we take in life. I know that you had it on your side after being told that professor John Patience, with whom you'd hoped to do your Ph.D. work, that he was going to be retiring and probably would not be available. But what happened?

Amy:             Yeah. When I was doing my master's work in the area of energy, I was reading a lot of papers around energy. A lot of those came from John and his lab — and particularly his work around energy and feed efficiency. During my master's work, I was looking at a place to go do a Ph.D. I really wanted to study with John because of his interest in energy. At the time, my master's adviser (said), “I don't know if he's taking any more students or if he's got any opening in his programs.” I was pretty early on in my master's (studies), but call it fate. John sent an email to swine nutrition faculty (members) and said, “I am looking for my last Ph.D. student.” I applied and then ended up being John's last Ph.D. student and got to do this really neat stuff with studying xylanase.

Tom:            It's highly unusual to hear of a graduate student who devotes the kind of time and the patience involved in writing a grant to fund their own dissertation research. It's hard work — a full-time job almost.

Amy:             Yes.

Tom:            But you did it. The effort certainly paid off. I think you received about $300,000 (in grants).

Amy:             Yep.

Tom:            I'm just wondering: What advice from that experience can you pass on to others who might be intimidated by that process?

Amy:             The grant writing that happened in my Ph.D. work was in collaboration with John, but John knew that I wanted to do research as, probably, as a future career — and potentially in academia, like I'm doing now. Being involved in the scientific process of putting together hypotheses and an idea and then eliciting funds through it with the industry was a really rewarding experience. I think anybody who's looking to do that kind of work — or in graduate school, in general — you have to have perseverance and a lot of what I like to call grit, the mental fortitude to overcome any kind of obstacles.

                     I think of a lot of times back in my Ph.D. (studies) — you always hit roadblocks when you're doing research. It wouldn't be research if we didn't, and so the persistence of being able to do that (is important). I think, also, being in an environment where you have high collaboration, like we did in that lab, and the ability to learn from others and be supported in those areas was hugely valuable.

Tom:            I did a little bit of reading about your background, Amy. I see that you were a horse girl. Of course, we're here in the horse capital of the world (Lexington, Kentucky), so that leaps off the page to us. But you were a horse girl by upbringing — riding, judging. I just wonder: Could you have imagined then that you would someday become a rising star in the swine world? What attracted you?

Amy:             No, I didn't think that I would. My dad laughs a little bit. When I was graduating college, I said, "I'm going to go (get) a master's in swine nutrition." My dad said, "Of all of my children, I think you're the last person I ever thought would work with pigs." I didn't really know about pigs growing up. I didn't even really know about agriculture a ton. I grew up in an urban background.

                     I was involved in 4-H. That — my connection to horses — was largely through 4-H. But in college, I was able to be exposed to pigs. Working in collaboration with some professors at our pig farm, doing some undergraduate research, was hugely valuable. At the time, I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian, in undergraduate. I really liked chemistry and biology. I was one of those types of students that uncannily liked the hard sciences, but I also liked animals and agriculture. Nutrition really bridged the gap there for me. It combined my interest and learning of chemistry and biology in an application that seemed beneficial to the agriculture sector. Pigs was the model for me to do that, partially through that exposure of undergraduate research, but also because of the swine industry and how committed the swine industry is to making advancements.

Tom:            What sorts of exciting innovations are you seeing in your field, and how will those developments impact your research work?

Amy:             There's a lot of exciting things going on with dietary fiber. You know, our lab, we really focus in on a couple of different areas — looking at the non-nutritive functions of the diet, increasing the energetic contribution of fiber, and then looking at disruptors of the maintenance energy requirements of pigs. In the fiber realm, there's a lot of really interesting data coming out of Europe, where they use a lot more fibrous ingredients, a lot more soluble fiber. (There is some) really interesting work that's looking at the influence of fiber on farrowing efficiency and the rate of stillborns from PEER fields lab. Then there are some others coming out of the University of Queensland.

                     When we think about all these relationships to fiber, I always go back to (one question): What can we do here in the U.S.? There's not all of these things that we — (things that) can be done in other countries maybe are not applicable to the U.S. swine industry. Our group is trying to bridge the gap. How can we utilize fiber? How can we improve our utilization of fiber and really maximize its health potential and attenuate its antinutrient effects? I think enzymes play a role in that. I think there's certainly a place for that — this concept of using designer fibers.

                     So, specific fiber types that we can actually put in very small concentrations within the diet, to me, is really interesting, and (that is) something that's shaping our lab. And then, also, how is the pig actually using the fiber? We've got a really large project coming up that is taking it back to the basics. We're taking it back to, actually, how is the pig utilizing fiber without enzymes? Then we can try to understand what's happening from a host side but also (from) the microbiome that's there fermenting it, from a metabolism perspective, so we can hopefully develop better candidates or evolve current enzyme or other solutions to help improve that contribution of fiber to energy.

Tom:            We've been talking with Dr. Amy Petry, an assistant professor in the department of animal and food sciences at Texas Tech University and an expert in nutritional physiology. Thanks for joining us, Amy.

Amy:             Thank you for having me.

Tom:            For the Alltech Ag Future podcast, I'm Tom Martin. Thank you for joining us. Be sure to subscribe to Ag Future wherever you listen to podcasts.

Alltech is pleased to announce new leadership roles within the Alltech feed division. Scot Harold will assume commercial leadership as executive vice president, Feed & Premix, and Brian Gier joins the company as vice president of sales for Hubbard Feeds.

"As we position the business for future growth, we continue to evolve and work together across all parts of our business to best serve our customers,” said Mike Castle, chief operating officer at Alltech. “Scot and Brian will bring leadership and experience that will enable us to capitalize on opportunities within our feed business to continue to develop species alignment and leverage the strengths of our team.”

Harold joined Alltech in 2020 as the director of sales for Ridley Feed Ingredients, part of the Alltech feed division. He will work with the leadership team to develop and implement strategy for growth of the feed business while strengthening alignment across the feed, premix and specialty ingredients teams. Prior to joining Alltech, Harold served as Cargill Animal Nutrition’s national sales leader for both the Dealer & Multi-Store Ag Retailer segments.

Alltech welcomes Gier to the team from Purina Mills, where he served as vice president of sales. He was responsible for overseeing the company’s commercial livestock strategy, as well as the lifestyle portfolio, and was instrumental in the success of the coop segment, including several joint ventures. Gier’s wealth of experience in the feed industry will contribute to enhanced customer success. 

For more information about Alltech, visit alltech.com.

Dates and locations have been announced for the spring European leg of the Alltech ONE World Tour, a series of exciting international events that bring the ideas and inspiration of Alltech’s annual ONE Conference to the world. The first stops are in Budapest, Hungary, on May 22-23 and Dublin, Ireland, on June 19-20.

The Alltech ONE Conference has been held in Lexington, Kentucky, home of Alltech’s global headquarters, for the past 38 years. In 2023, the global leader in agriculture is bringing the conference to its partners, customers, suppliers and friends across the globe, providing the opportunity for more people than ever to experience the power of ONE.

The Alltech ONE World Tour will explore collaborative solutions to the greatest challenges facing the agri-food industry, uniting changemakers and thought leaders to examine regional and local market trends in agriculture, business, health and nutrition.

“As our customers and partners continue to face many challenges and uncertainties, we determined that 2023 would be dedicated to meeting them in their market,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO. “This special edition of the ONE will endeavor to deliver global expertise to locally relevant issues. In the midst of economic and political uncertainties that fuel regionalization, this ONE reflects the responsibility we have as a global company to be a connector of people and ideas, ever advancing our purpose of Working Together for a Planet of Plenty.”

The Alltech ONE World Tour will continue with stops in Canada, the U.S., Asia, South America and the Middle East.

For more information and to register for an Alltech ONE World Tour stop, visit one.alltech.com.

What happens when technology and the swine industry collide? Dr. David Rosero, a technical officer at the Hanor Company, joins the Ag Future podcast to discuss the latest game-changing technologies in the field, such as cameras for estimating pig weights and sensors for measuring feed consumption. Listen to learn how these technologies are creating opportunities for innovation and increasing efficiency in the industry.

The following is an edited transcript of the Ag Future podcast episode with Dr. David Rosero hosted by Tom Martin. Click below to hear the full audio or listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.

Tom:            Welcome to Ag Future, presented by Alltech. Join us from the 2022 Alltech ONE Conference as we explore our opportunities within agri-food, business and beyond.

                     One of the interesting benefits of having done the Alltech Ag Future podcast over the years has been the opportunity to observe an industry undergoing a full-blown evolution driven by a pretty relentless convergence of agriculture and technology. This is happening across the industry, but today, we’re focusing on a particular sector: swine, where technologies are revolutionizing pork production as we know it.

                     Joining me is Dr. David Rosero, a technical officer at the HANOR Company, where he oversees the diverse technical aspects of the company’s operations, including nutrition, research and development, business intelligence and innovations. Welcome, David.

David:           Thank you, Tom.

Tom:            What are some examples of important (and) maybe even game-changing agricultural technologies that have emerged in recent years?

David:           Well, I have a couple of examples that I can speak of. I think (the use of) cameras to estimate the weight of pigs, that's very, very exciting to see — the accuracy on how those cameras are predicting how well or not-as-well our pigs are growing. Another one, I think, to me, that's very impactful is the sensors on the bins (that are) estimating how much feed is going into the bins and how much consumption is occurring in our barns of the feed. (That’s) just to mention a few.

I've been working and connecting with other companies. I'm very excited to see that more and more people are coming into smart farming and the digital transformation, (much like) what I said — using software to improve productivity. Pig flow is an example, for instance. I think some analytics are coming along (as well), just to mention a few, Tom.

Tom:            The first item that you mentioned — cameras can give us the information on (pigs’) weight?

David:           Correct.

Tom:            How do they do that?

David:           It's a process — and I'm not an expert in that. I'm a nutritionist by training. But as I understand it, the computer will analyze the image — but you'll need thousands of pictures of pigs, and you'll need the weight of the pig along with that image. That's an example of artificial intelligence the computer will create, I think, to guide the algorithm. The computer will analyze the variables in the image. It will allow for a better prediction of the weights. In the process, we had to weigh, as you can imagine, thousands and thousands of pigs to improve that accuracy (of the computer program).

                     Something else to be speaking on as something we'd like to see in any technology that's measuring something (is that) it has to be accurate. For that specific example, on the camera, we have gotten to 97% to 98% accuracy in predicting the weights of pigs in any given phase of growth.

Tom:            How do these technologies create opportunities for innovation in the swine industry?

David:           That's a good question. Maybe I'll follow up with the same example of the camera. Imagine (that) you can measure how your pigs are growing in the multiple barns you have in the (different) regions (of the world). In Iowa, for instance, where we have the majority of our pigs, we can understand how pigs will grow in the different environments and the different flows of pigs that we're having. It will be so much (more) powerful for us. It's where we can find opportunities to make improvements. I can think (a lot) about that example.

Tom:            It seems like a time-saving efficiency, too, in terms of the time it would take to weigh living pigs versus being able to shoot a photo or at least observe them through a camera.

David:           That's correct, Tom. It's almost impossible to think that you can take the scales to the different sites of pigs to try to collect that information. Maybe some of the other ways we're using (this technology), where you weigh a truck of pigs, it might be not as accurate. So yeah, I think it's labor-saving. I think it's also the increase of data that's coming to you to understand your business (at a) deeper (level).

Tom:            You mentioned artificial intelligence. What's the latest on ways that AI — and the Internet of Things, for that matter — are making impacts on commercial pig farms?

David:           I think we're starting to see the beginning of something (that's) going to go big. I think, to get to that point, we need to have sensors. We have to have camera devices that collect this data, but these will have to be very robust, and they will have to be reliable. We have hundreds of sites in any given region and thousands of pigs growing at the same time. To expand these (technologies), they have to comply with the requirements of the environment.

                     I think we're passing that point now. I think we can install sensors in barns and they are going to last for a long time. They are going to provide you reliable data. I think that's the (next) phase and what I see in the commercial side that we are into. The next phase is where you can use that data to move it through the computer’s artificial intelligence algorithm and drive the business. I haven't seen clear examples on that yet.

                     Something that I can think of now, from the top of my head, is the health (aspect). I know the softwares we have explored and we have seen being watched are (analyzing) pictures of pigs that are sick. Veterinarians will send a picture, and the computer will analyze the picture and suggest some diagnostics of the pig or the disease. If you can tie that to how pigs grow, maybe diagnostics of samples that are coming back from the lab — that's also very powerful. That'll be a good example of what I can think of quickly on artificial intelligence.

Tom:            Sure. It's a weighty subject, for sure. What about robotics? How is robotics being used in pig farming, and what are the benefits?

David:           I can see many benefits, but we probably are still in the first phase. A good example would be washing the barns. I think there are automatic washing machines now that you can put into barns. I have seen it. We haven't tested it. Probably, it's going to come to another generation, where they're going to be more affordable and more precise in what they're able to do, but that will be impactful for the labor, especially thinking about the activities in the barn, in commercial operations, where you can make it more efficient. I can think about robotics taking some of those tasks that are very repetitive and doing it in a better way.

Tom:            How are technologies like augmented reality or 3D printing being applied to farm operations, and how do they impact efficiencies?

David:           I haven't seen much on the 3D (printing aspect), Tom, to be honest, that are (being used) in the commercial level (or) being applied, but I can see where augmented reality is starting to come into our hands. I have seen examples (of the use of augmented reality) on the dairy operations. If you have the information for every animal, if you know the age of — think about, in a sow farm, where you have 2,000 to 6,000 sows in operation. If you can have the information of every sow, their history and their health status, and if you can manage it, I think it's going to be more powerful to manage individual sows.

Tom:            A key goal for you has been to advance sow nutrition and to create feeding programs that maximize the lifetime productivity and the profitability of sows. How have technologies moved us toward that goal?

David:           I think those are helping us to apply these technologies and nutrition programs in a better way. It doesn’t relate much to smart pig farming, but I can think about a great tool in the last years that we've been having, which is a sow caliper. It's a very simple tool, but yet, (it’s) very powerful. I've been thinking about applying (that tool to) my nutrition programs. It allows me to be more precise in how I measure the body condition to feed the herd better. I think these will be a good example for what we can do with more advanced technologies (and) implementing those (within) feeding programs in a better way.

Tom:            Swine industry productivity has been trending upwards over the past 15 years or so, and much of that increased productivity is due to increased pigs per litter and increased market weights. What's driven those improvements?

David:           Well, you can go back into the years of genetic selection. I think that's key on getting the number of pigs born (to be) higher. I think we are also getting to understand better some stress situations and disease situations where we can manage our sow herds better. Feeding programs, too — I think they have made an impact.

                     I think we will be talking a little bit about my work and my doctorate on essential fatty acids. That addressed one of the situations we had in the sows with heat stress and where we had seen seasonality and seasonal infertility. I think it's a combination of multiple things, mainly driven by the genetic selection on the number of pigs that a sow will have. I think, in the marketplace, I think that's what the market is demanding today. That's what the plan is paying you for. I think we have, as nutritionists, learned how to feed those heavier pigs better.

Tom:            What challenges have producers faced as a result of COVID-19, and how have they overcome those challenges?

David:           Well, it was a very challenging situation, all things considered. Everything came quickly to us. One of the challenges, I suppose, is to manage the number of pigs we had to process to plants. I think labor came later and is still an issue, not just to farms but to the plants and their capacity to process the pigs. I think we've gotten better in predicting our flaws. A number of pigs are going to go through the system, and managing the weights of the pigs to get to a target weight. I think we have become more precise. With labor, I think we have optimized tasks that needed to be done. I think we had to reanalyze ourselves on what are the basics, and we had to do the correct basics.

I think biosecurity is another positive thing I can get out of COVID. I think it taught everybody how a virus can move so quickly into the environment. For the pig business, it's no different. In our daily challenges, we have different viruses coming along. Just think about how conscientious the people will become after knowing (about the reality of dealing with) a virus — and (how that relates) to herds (and) how to care better for our sows.

Tom:            I'm just wondering if you have a finger on the pulse of what's going on in the industry's research and development labs. Anything exciting going on there?

David:           I think so. Thinking about COVID again, another positive thing I can get out (of the pandemic) is the development of vaccines and the new technologies that it has brought to us. One of our biggest challenges, Tom, is health challenges we have in sow herds and pig herds. I think, (in terms) of how to deal with those viruses, we have gained a large amount of knowledge into that. I think, coming up, the smart pig farming, it will allow us to manage our barns with less labor, and that's going to address the current issue we have.

Tom:            You touched a few minutes ago on your own research focusing on understanding the nutritional value of essential fatty acids and their effects on long-term sow productivity. Tell us more about that.

David:           We started focusing about (the question of) what can we do with sows during summer? That was the original question: Can we increase the energy by providing more fat into the diet? That's something common to do, especially in the sow. Something that triggered the next question on the essential fatty acids is that we tried different fats, and the outcome was different. When we analyzed the fats, the biggest difference was the level of essential fatty acids in one of the sources.

                     Investigating about the (role of) essential fatty acids, you'll learn about these being a precursor of hormones that are important for reproduction. Then (we) started thinking about the seasonality, the infertility during the summer that occurs in the sow herds. So we tested it out, and I think we had a really good outcome and an understanding that if you provide the right level of linoleic acid, the sow will maintain pregnancy longer. They won't lose (that) pregnancy over time. I think that explained, in a portion, what happens during your seasonal infertility.

                     By doing that, I think we have eliminated it. Obviously, heat stress is going to affect sows. Unless you provide the right environment and can afford (to completely avoid) it, sows are going to have heat stress. But the portion that is nutrition-related, I think, to me, it comes (down) to the linoleic acid or the essential fatty acids. If you provide the right level (of those ingredients), you won't see much of that problem.

Tom:            All right. That's Dr. David Rosero, technical officer at the HANOR Company. Thank you for joining us, Dr. Rosero.

David:           Thank you, Tom. My pleasure.

Tom:            For the Alltech Ag Future podcast, I'm Tom Martin. Thank you for joining us. Be sure to subscribe to Ag Future wherever you listen to podcasts.

The presence of mycotoxins in your pig herd’s feed regimen may result in unintended consequences. These toxic substances, produced by the fungi in feedstuffs, not only have the power to negatively influence growth and performance but can also suppress long-term reproductive performance. These symptoms are not the only issues that producers may see manifest in their animals as a result of a mycotoxin problem; feed refusals, swollen vulvas in gilts and sows, and the reduced effectiveness of treatments and vaccines can also become a threat to any operation.

The Alltech 2022 U.S. Harvest Analysis is an extensive analysis of the mycotoxin risk across the country, as assessed by Alltech’s in-house mycotoxin expert, Dr. Max Hawkins. This report utilizes samples collected from throughout the country that have been analyzed through Alltech’s trusted 37+® mycotoxin analysis.

Outlined below are the key takeaways from the 2022 U.S. Harvest Analysis, as well as several proactive tips that can help pig producers mitigate their mycotoxin risk.

Here are five insights into the mycotoxin risk for the 2022 corn crop:

1. Responses to changing weather conditions

The 2022 growing season brought with it a 180-degree difference in the challenges producers faced in various regions. Drought conditions in the midwestern United States had a significant impact on corn health and yield across the western corn belt. More severe drought conditions were detected by the drought monitor in the West, and these conditions extended eastward into Illinois, Indiana and part of Ohio. Rains in late July and August eased the drought conditions east of the Mississippi River, but this rainfall — on top of already-drought-stressed corn — spurred the growth of Fusarium molds, producing a variety of type-B trichothecenes, fumonisin and zearalenone.

2. Average mycotoxin samples found

• 119 samples had an average of 6.7 mycotoxins per sample
• 98% of the samples contained two or more mycotoxins
• All samples contained between one and 12 mycotoxins each

Fusarium-produced mycotoxins were the most frequently occurring due to their preference for moist environments and moderate temperatures. The mycotoxins found most commonly in the samples included:

• Emerging mycotoxins (97.48%)
• Fusaric acid (83%)
• Type-B trichothecenes (68%)
• Fumonisin (65%)
• Zearalenone (35%)

3. Areas of greatest risk

The mycotoxins produced by molds that represented the greatest risk were type-B trichothecenes, also known as the DON family, and zearalenone. Type-B trichothecenes can negatively impact feed intake, digestion, average daily gains, feed efficiency, gut wall integrity, liver function and immune system responses. Zearalenone can act synergistically with DON to magnify the risks for reproduction, the number of pigs born, the return to estrus and conception rates. Even when the presence of these mycotoxins is lowered by the corn inclusion rate, they still represent a high risk in the finished feed.

4. Geographical location and storage differences

When it comes to Fusarium mycotoxins, the risk level tends to increase as we move from West to East. However, one factor that could increase the risk in the West is storage. Corn needs to be dried to a moisture level of 14% or less to be safely stored for extended periods of time. Across the Midwest, winter weather led to periods of cold temperatures, but in general, temperatures were above what is generally considered normal. These warmer temperatures — along with grain that was inadequately dried or left exposed to moisture — increase the likelihood of mold production and, as a result, mycotoxin growth.

5. Impact on the swine industry

The 2022 corn crop does have ranging levels of risk depending on the location of the pigs and production settings nationwide. Differing storage types could provide an environment in which the risk at harvest could increase over time. This necessitates the need for the corn to be analyzed to determine its mycotoxin levels and risk as we move through the winter and spring of 2023.

Proactive tips to help pig producers mitigate their mycotoxin risk

Make sure your feed mill is checked often.

When it comes to mycotoxins in pig feed, conducting proper testing allows for any potential risks to be managed. Dr. Hawkins shared that utilizing a mycotoxin testing program that is based on an instrument — such as HPLC MS/MS — will provide you with the most accurate and comprehensive analysis available.

Furthermore, starting the analysis of your raw materials as close to harvest as possible will ensure that you have enough time to develop an all-encompassing risk management and mitigation plan. If this analysis is properly scheduled, then your operation will have a good understanding of the risk posed by the feedstuffs being provided to your pigs prior to the animals actually receiving it.

“After utilizing comprehensive testing at harvest, you may then set up a quick analysis that can be used at your farm or mill,” said Dr. Hawkins in the U.S. Harvest Analysis webinar. “We would also suggest that you do more testing at various times throughout the year to ensure that your quick-test protocol for your grain or pig feed is still a solid plan for the production system.”

Keep feed bins dry.

Make sure your feed bins are closed and that there are no potential points of entry where moisture could get into the feedstuffs at the top of the silos.

In the summer months, feed tanks or feed bins can get very hot and are prone to sweating. Ensure that feed gets moving through the tanks or bins quickly. If there is feed leftover, transfer it to another barn.

Pay attention to feed intake.

Pigs are especially sensitive to DON; it’s like they can sense or smell it. Therefore, they tend not to eat contaminated feed. Abstaining from eating can be a classic sign that mycotoxins are present.

Instituting a proper mycotoxin management strategy will help reduce the risk of low performance in your herd. With a plan in place for mitigating mycotoxins on your operation, the chances that your pig herd will perform well in 2023 increase exponentially. 

Alltech released its 2023 Alltech Agri-Food Outlook today, highlighting global feed production survey data. Despite significant macroeconomic challenges that affected the entire supply chain, global feed production remained steady in 2022 at 1.266 billion metric tons (BMT) in 2022, a decrease of less than one-half of one percent (0.42%) from 2021’s estimates. The annual survey, now in its 12^th year, includes data from 142 countries and more than 28,000 feed mills.

Europe bore the brunt of the impact, including significant disease challenges, severe weather and the impacts of the invasion of Ukraine. The global COVID-19 pandemic has had major impacts on the agri-food sector, contributing to supply chain challenges and accelerating the adoption of new technology and environmental sustainability practices.

The top 10 feed-producing countries over the past year were China (260.739 million metric tons [MMT]), the U.S. (240.403 MMT), Brazil (81.948 MMT), India (43.360 MMT), Mexico (40.138 MMT), Russia (34.147 MMT), Spain (31.234 MMT), Vietnam (26.720 MMT), Argentina (25.736 MMT) and Germany (24.396 MMT). Together, the top 10 countries produced 64% of the world’s feed production, and half of the world’s global feed consumption is concentrated in four countries: China, the U.S., Brazil and India. Vietnam experienced a great recovery in terms of its feed tonnage in 2022, entering the top 10 ahead of Argentina and Germany and crowding out Turkey, which reported reduced feed tonnage. Russia overtook Spain, where there was a significant reduction in feed production.

Key observations from the survey:

• Feed production increased in several regions, including Latin America (1.6%), North America (0.88%) and Oceania (0.32%), while Europe decreased by 4.67%, Africa by 3.86% and the Asia-Pacific region also dropped 0.51%.
   
• Globally, increases in feed tonnage were reported in the aquaculture, broiler, layer and pet food sectors, while decreases were reported in the beef, dairy and pig sectors.
   
• Although it experienced a narrow reduction in feed production, China remains the largest feed-producing country in the world, followed by the United States and Brazil.

Notable species results:

• The poultry sector experienced increases in both layer and broiler feed production.
  • Avian influenza, other diseases and the high costs of raw materials affected the layer sector in many markets, especially in Asia, Europe and Africa. On the other hand, growth in the sector was boosted due to bigger challenges in other sectors that led to increased demand for eggs. Overall, layer-sector feed production increased by 0.31%.
     
• • While the overall tonnage in the broiler sector increased by 1.27%, there were significant differences from country to country. Overall, feed production growth in the broiler sector was reported mainly from the Middle East, North America and Latin America.
     
• Pig feed production was down globally in 2022 by almost 3%. ASF and high feed prices depressed pig production in many countries. However, in Vietnam, China, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico, better pork prices and other market conditions led to growth in the sector.
   
• Dairy feed tonnage decreased by 1.32%, mainly due to the high cost of feed combined with low milk prices, which caused farmers to reduce their numbers of cows and/or rely more on non-commercial feed sources. Some exceptions included Ireland, where drought caused farmers to rely more on commercial feeds, and New Zealand, where milk prices were higher.
   
• Beef feed production decreased slightly by 0.34% globally. The downward trend continued in Europe, but increases were seen in almost all other regions. In Australia, the reduction in feed tonnage was a result of plentiful grass and not a reflection of any changes in the demand for beef.
   
• The aquaculture sector experienced a total global feed production growth of 2.7%. The Top 5 aquaculture feed countries are China, Vietnam, India, Norway and Indonesia. Significant increases were reported in China, Brazil, Ecuador, the Philippines and the U.S. Aquaculture feed production was one of a few sectors that saw growth in Europe.
   
• Pet feed production had the highest increase among the sectors, with a global average 7.25% rise in production. This significant increase is largely due to the rise in pet ownership amid the COVID-19 pandemic. North America and Europe continue to be the top pet feed-producing regions.

Notable regional results:

• North America reported an increase of 0.88% (2.272 MMT) and the U.S. remained the second-largest feed-producing country globally, behind China. Growth was reported in the broiler, beef and pet food sectors.
   
• Latin America experienced growth of 1.6% (3.006 MMT), and Brazil remained the leader in feed production for the region and ranked third overall globally. Most of the growth was reported by Mexico, Brazil and Chile.
   
• Europe saw the largest decrease in feed production of 4.67% (-12.882 MMT) in its feed production due to issues that include the invasion in Ukraine and the spread of animal diseases, such as African swine fever (ASF) and avian Influenza (AI).
   
• Asia-Pacific remained flat as decreases reported in China, Pakistan, Thailand and Malaysia were offset by increases in Vietnam, the Philippines, Mongolia and South Korea. The region is home to several of the top 10 feed-producing countries, including China, India and Vietnam.
   
• Africa experienced a decrease of 3.86% in feed tonnage (-1.718 MMT), mainly because of reductions reported in Egypt, Morocco, Kenya and Nigeria. South Africa, on the other hand, saw an increase of more than 2%, and Namibia also reported higher feed tonnage in 2022
   
• The Middle East region is up significantly at 24.7% (6.301 MMT), as a result of more accurate reporting and efforts by the Saudi Arabian government to increase broiler production as part of its Vision 2030 plan.
   
• Oceania was flat, with a small reduction reported by Australia that was offset by a slight increase reported by New Zealand.

Alltech works together with feed mills and industry and government entities around the world to compile data and insights to provide an assessment of feed production each year. Compound feed production and prices were collected by Alltech’s global sales team and in partnership with local feed associations in the last quarter of 2022. These figures are estimates and are intended to serve as an information resource for industry stakeholders.

To access more data and insights from the 2023 Alltech Agri-Food Outlook, including an interactive global map, visit alltech.com/agri-food-outlook.

To accelerate innovation and keep Alltech at the leading edge of smarter, more sustainable solutions for agriculture, the company has formed a new Innovation Department, appointing Dr. Kyle McKinney as vice president of innovation and Dr. Rebecca Delles as innovation & analytics manager.  The team will be responsible for horizon scanning to meet the needs of tomorrow’s customers, rigorously challenging ideas before investment and bringing new technologies to market.

“Our new Innovation Department will serve as an important hub of connection, collaborating with our global sales team and customers to identify opportunities, piloting new innovations with our operations and sales teams and successfully launching new innovations into the market with the support of teams throughout our organization,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “This is an exciting development in our effort to exploit more of Alltech’s capabilities and ultimately deliver on our ambitions for Working Together for a Planet of Plenty™.”

Since 2018, Dr. McKinney has served as the Global Director of Alltech’s Enzyme Management platform. Prior to that role, he spent three years in Costa Rica focused on leveraging Alltech Crop Science technologies to control disease and reduce chemical applications. While there, he helped establish a fermentation lab to evaluate microbial solutions for disease control. He also worked in Alltech’s applications research program for more than a decade, playing an instrumental role in the design of Alltech True Check™, an in vitro digestion system that evaluates diets and the impacts of feed technology in monogastric animals. Dr. McKinney received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural biotechnology from the University of Kentucky, his master’s degree in brewing and distilling fermentation technology from Heriot-Watt University and his Ph.D. in agricultural biotechnology from Harper Adams University.

Dr. Delles has supported Alltech as a research scientist since 2013. Her focus has been on the impact of nutritional strategies on the oxidative stability of fresh meat products and the role of nutrition on inflammaging (the impact of inflammation on the aging process) in companion animals. She received her bachelor’s degree in medical technology at the State University of New York at Fredonia and her master’s, Ph.D. and MBA from the University of Kentucky.

For more information, visit alltech.com.

Alltech is pleased to announce two additions to its U.S. pig business team. Andy Rash has been appointed general manager and Mark Hulsebus is now sales and portfolio director of Alltech’s pig business team.

“Andy and Mark are highly respected throughout the U.S. ag industry,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “Their extensive experience in modern pork production will enable us to support more producers with nutritional solutions and services that enhance their efficiency, profitability and sustainability.”

Rash will be leading Alltech’s pig team, strengthening alignment across the business from research and development to account management. Hulsebus will be working with the commercial pig team on strategic direction to advise commercial development and strengthen customer support.

Prior to joining Alltech, Rash served as Cargill’s commercial director of beef in North America and their pork sales leader. He also served as vice president of sales and marketing at River Valley Cooperative. He earned his master’s degree in ag education at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his Bachelor of Science in animal sciences at Western Illinois University.

Hulsebus spent more than 20 years in senior roles at Cargill, most recently as the commercial director of pork in North America. He also served for five years as the live production manager at Tri Oak Food’s 70,000 sow system. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in animal science and agronomy at Iowa State University.

For more information about Alltech, visit alltech.com.

Alltech is proud to continue to partner in the Women in Food & Agriculture (WFA) Mentorship Program. Applications are now open for new mentors of any gender and for female mentees from across the global food and agriculture sector. Now in its third year, the free-to-join program matches applicants based on their preferences, which can include gender of mentor, areas of expertise, language and industry sector, and offers opportunities for women in food and agriculture to develop meaningful industry connections.

“Over the past few years, all of us have come to more deeply value the power of human connection,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “A commitment to the growth and development of another person unleashes energy, inspires ideas and empowers both individuals to have a greater impact. We view our involvement in the Women in Food & Agriculture mentorship program as an investment not only in the lives of women but in the future of agriculture as the industry most integral to the nourishment and vitality of our planet.”

Findings from the annual WFA survey and ongoing feedback from all levels of the food and agriculture sector consistently suggest that a hurdle to greater success for women in the global agri-food industry is a lack of mentorship opportunities. To tackle this issue, WFA launched its Mentorship Program. In partnership with Alltech in 2022, the initiative grew with 320 industry representatives matched across two cohorts. Now in 2023, the program will be open for applicants year-round with two matching sessions taking place to help even more women in food and agriculture progress their careers. The initiative has supported a variety of people around the world from CEOs of agribusinesses to small-scale farmers, from academics to ag-tech professionals, with sector representatives paired with mentors that complement their professional objectives.

“We are very pleased to again have Alltech supporting the 2023 WFA Mentorship Program,” said Elisabeth Mork-Eidem, global chair of WFA. “Mentorship is vital in supporting women across food and agriculture in developing their careers, we’ve had very positive feedback from both mentors and mentees. Many of our mentors joined the initiative as a selfless act of support for equality in our sector, but realized they got as much out of the experience as the mentees. This is such an exciting opportunity to learn about yourself, develop your skills and support an important initiative that is working to improve diversity, equality and inclusion in the food and agriculture industry.”

For those interested in taking part in the 2023 Mentorship Program, WFA is looking for mentors of any gender who have at least one year of experience in the food and ag sector. During matching, WFA will ensure all mentors have more work experience than mentees, so this should not be a barrier to mentors applying. Potential mentees should be women working in the food and ag industry who would benefit from help, guidance and support from a senior sector representative.

Alltech believes that inclusion cultivates creativity, drives innovation and is essential to the company’s purpose of Working Together for a Planet of Plenty^TM. In 2019, Alltech selected Gender Equality as one of the nine United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to which the company committed to advancing.

Applications are open now for the Women in Food & Agriculture (WFA) Mentorship Program, supported by Alltech. For more information and to apply to be a mentor or mentee, visit https://wfa-initiative.com/mentorship-program/.