According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year in the United States, Salmonella is estimated to cause 1 million foodborne illnesses, with 19,000 hospitalizations and over 300 deaths. The most common symptoms of a Salmonella infection are diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Although illness from Salmonella can be the result of multiple factors, including improper food preparation, poultry producers can help reduce the risk to consumers through good farm practices.

Potential sources of bacterial contamination:

• Wild birds/pests (e.g., beetles, flies, rodents)
• Water
• Visitors
• Human personnel’s hygiene

In poultry production, there are eight areas that require attention in order to reduce bad bacterial contamination on-farm and aid in the prevention of Salmonella.

1. Cleaning and hygiene

Residual contamination from previous flocks is a common reason for Salmonella-positive birds. Cleaning growing houses between flocks can significantly reduce the prevalence of Salmonella in live production. Effective biosecurity and pest control are also key to avoiding contamination.

2. Feed

Contaminated grains and feed ingredients can increase the risk of Salmonella in the final feed. Use heat-pelleted feed and source feed from mills operating with stringent quality standards.

3. Water management

Water management is a crucial part of any Salmonella control program in poultry, since water can serve as a medium for the organism to spread from bird to bird. Chlorinated water and the use of organic acids in the water have been shown to reduce Salmonella levels in the flock.

4. Dust

Dust can also be a medium for Salmonella to spread. A system that keeps dust levels below 3 milligrams per cubic meter is an important prevention tool.

5. Litter management

Poultry litter with high moisture and pH levels allows Salmonella to thrive. Managing the moisture and pH of the litter has been shown to be an effective way to control Salmonella in live poultry production.

6. Managing gut flora

Establishing and maintaining proper gut flora soon after hatching is very important to prevent Salmonella from colonizing birds. Programs that include the use of probiotics, organic acids, enzymes and yeast technologies have been shown to be effective at maintaining optimal gut health.

7. Coccidiosis

Intestinal challenges caused by poor gastrointestinal integrity can have a big impact on Salmonella levels in broilers. Strong cocci management needs to be part of every Salmonella control program.

8. Vaccination

The use of vaccines, especially at the breeder level, has the potential to reduce the prevalence of Salmonella among day-old chicks.

If you would like to learn more about how you can stop the spread of Salmonella in your poultry operation, please fill out the form below.

Visual appearance, palatability and consistency all factor into the consumer’s meat buying process. As producers, what can you do to ensure the meat that ends up at the store is nutritious, has the qualities consumers look for and won’t result in a loss to your profit?

In the recent webinar “Better-tasting meat starts with better nutrition,” Dr. Rebecca Delles, research scientist at Alltech, discussed key factors that affect meat quality and how feed plays an important role in providing a better product for consumers.

Key takeaways from the webinar include:

• Some factors that affect meat quality are genetics, feeding regimen, and pre- and post-slaughtering conditions.
• Meat needs antioxidants to improve stability and shelf life.
• Studies show the effects of Alltech’s Total Replacement Technology™ and the importance of organic trace minerals in the diet.

To view the webinar and get the full story behind the takeaways, click on the button below:

Watch Webinar

What does the future hold for farming and the entire food supply chain?

Everything from automated farm implements and nonstop reams of data to consumers’ ability to trace their food to its source and create supply chain reversal, according to a panel of agribusiness experts.

Looking ahead into that near (and already here) future was the basis of a live video panel discussion entitled “Farming the Future.”

What’s changed about what it means to be a food consumer?

“I think we’re in the middle of a food movement,” said Mary Shelman, former director of Harvard Business School’s Agribusiness Program.

She cited the rise of “engaged eating” — taking the consumption of food beyond simply eating to making food choices that are considered nutritious, safe, culturally appropriate and produced in environmentally sustainable ways.

“A big piece of that is the millennial consumer,” she explained. “Technology is all around them. They get information in different ways. They have different values. They’re the biggest demographic group in the U.S., and they’re just at the stage of having families and moving up in their income potential, so they’re very attractive to the food industry.”

Shelman noted that the millennial generation, born between the early 1980s and 1990s, has a much greater understanding of the relationship between health and food.

“What they eat is part of their identity,” she said. “Food actually reflects who they are as a person, as well as their values.”

This presents what, in her view, may be the food industry’s biggest challenge.

“Not only do they want products that meet certain price and safety points, but they also want products that have a purpose,” she said.

Shelman noted that these “prosumers” have a strong belief in their purchasing power’s ability to affect the change they wish to see in the world. They “vote” with their dollars.

What’s changed about what it means to be a farmer?

Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer at Alltech, recognized that the rate of change occurring in agriculture is outpacing comprehension of its scope and scale.

“I think that if anybody thinks that agriculture is going to be the same in 20 or 30 years, they’ve got their head in the sand,” he said.

Connolly, who has written about digital disruptions that are currently transforming agriculture, cited those technologies: “…robots and drones, blockchain, nutrigenomics, the internet of things, virtual reality and enhanced reality — these are technologies that can fundamentally change the ways in which we understand what happens when we grow plants or animals.”

Perhaps the most widely felt game-changer in agriculture has been the arrival of “big data.”

“You have a tool here that looks at millions and billions of observations, whether it’s productivity, food intake, the way we grow our crops, how much rain you get — all of this can be integrated into very precise models, and that’s going to be the big change in agriculture,” said Dr. Karl Dawson, chief scientific officer at Alltech. “We’re talking about moving to ‘armchair farming.’ We’re going to be making our decisions from a site, sitting in front of a computer, looking to see what we can predict in the future. That’s a tremendous tool that we’ve never had.”

What does this imply about the knowledge and skills required of the 21st-century farmer?

“I think we’re looking at a fundamental change in what that person is going to look like,” said Connolly. “They won’t necessarily grow up on a farm. They might grow up in a city. They won’t necessarily have the skills of understanding animals or plants. They will understand data, analytics, equipment and decision-making about all the various technologies and which investments should and should not be made. So, dramatically different skills from those used for the last thousands of years will determine who is and who is not a farmer.”

Key among those talents are analytical skills that are tied to data and information, according to Michael Boehlje, distinguished professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University.

“We are going to have to increasingly develop that skill and feel comfortable with looking at numbers, looking at information,” he said.

Boehlje emphasized that this doesn’t mean a farmer has to transform into a number cruncher but will need to understand the stories that the numbers tell.

“It’s not just the story they (data) tell in terms of average yields,” he explained. “It’s the distributions that count. It’s what happens when you are in parts of your field where you have low yields and where you’re getting high yields as well.

“The same is true with animals,” continued Boehlje. “We’re starting to see different animal performance even in the same pen. That’s a function of their genetics and a number of factors. We’re going to get more granular in the data. So, data assessment, data summarization, data visualization, strategic thinking, risk assessment — those increasingly are going to be the skills that we need to have.”

Attracting a new generation of talent to farming

Shelman agreed that new and emerging farm technologies will enable agriculture to be successful in meeting increasing demand, but attracting and retaining that new generation of farmers requires something more.

“Supply and demand economics don’t tend to move in lockstep,” she said. “For instance, in crop farming in the U.S. today, prices are relatively low compared to other times in the last five years. So, there’s a need to maintain an economic viability for farmers to survive — and, in particular, to attract new, younger farmers.”

Shelman pointed out that the average age of the American farmer today is reaching 60 years.

“We need new talent, and they will only come in if there are attractive returns in the sector,” she said.

This new generation is being attracted to farming for very different reasons than their predecessors.

“It’s about being able to understand the market,” said Shelman. “It’s, ‘How do I deliver this differentiated product that has extra value?’ So, it’s not just about producing at the lowest price, but producing what different segments of the market want and being able to sell into those channels.”

The result: supply chain reversal

The industry is seeing the rise of “demand-driven chains with consumers increasingly telling the entire chain ‘what we want, how we want it and how it ought to be done,’” according to Boehlje.

“So, a really important skill that is going to be much, much more important for farmers is going to be understanding and working in an interdependent system, rather than as an independent farmer, that is very focused on relationships, collaboration and interpersonal skills — things that many farmers have historically not liked to do,” he said. “But those are going to be skills that will be essential to being a successful farmer.”

So, how can farmers change the way they sell foods?

Consumers are moving beyond the traditional demand for cheap, accessible, safe food to shopping decisions that align with their values, according to Shelman.

“I think that provides some opportunities at the farm level,” she said. “First, to become much more market-oriented and know what the market is interested in buying rather than what you want to sell.”

Added Boehlje, “We’re increasingly seeing this entire food production and distribution industry move very dramatically from a commodity orientation and a supply chain mentality to a differentiated product orientation and a demand-driven system. And the technology to get that done is increasingly available.”

Shelman cited as examples the rise of brands such as Laura’s Lean Beef or Pete and Gerry’s eggs, items that come with specialty propositions.

“If you look at the Amazon Fresh website, you can buy hamburgers from a single cow,” she said.

She acknowledged that dealing with the market at such a level is not for everyone in farming, but it’s increasingly popular among consumers.

“There’s tremendous resistance in the system to making those kinds of changes because our system has been set up to move big quantities of relatively undifferentiated products,” said Shelman.

Dawson cautioned, however, that there remains a messaging gap in the commercialization chain that has failed to win the buy-in of the middleman.

“Alltech Angus was an example of a succulent meat product that received very good reviews, but, quite frankly, we never could make it go because there was a barrier between us and the consumer,” he explained.

Still, noted Connolly, technologies enabling transparency and traceability are ushering in a new era for the farm-consumer relationship.

“We are seeing very large changes in consumer behavior,” he said. “Apps on phones, websites, the ability to see through cameras what’s actually happening on the farm, to see through blockchain what has occurred in the way your food is processed — these are all tremendous opportunities for farmers to engage directly with consumers of their food, and I think, eventually, that makes for a more profitable farming system.”

Success in farming, said Boehlje, will depend on an ability to move away from the mentality “If I produce it, they will come.” That, increasingly, is not the industry of tomorrow.

Luther:                        Dr. Kayla Price is the poultry technical manager for Alltech Canada. In addition to sales and technical support, Price engages in research and is an avid follower of the constant changes taking place in the poultry industry. Thank you for joining us.

Kayla:                          Thank you very much. 

Luther:                        First question out of the gate: Why is gut and intestinal health in birds so important? 

Kayla:                          Whenever I think of the bird, I always think of it as a gut with lots of stuff attached to it. For the bird to do anything in terms of performance, the gut must be working to access all the feed ingredients — the nutrition — that you’re putting into the bird.  

                                    Nutrition must be absorbed so it translates into either kilos or pounds of meat, if you’re talking about meat birds such as broilers or turkeys. On the egg side, gut health must translate into egg production.

                                    For broilers, gut health must translate into egg production and, ultimately, hatchability. Really, the question for me is, why isn’t it important? Gut and intestinal health are extremely important.   

Luther:                        What issues do antibiotics pose to the gut and intestinal health of birds? 

Kayla:                          That’s a loaded question. With antibiotics, it’s not necessarily that they pose issues. They’re an incredible invention; an incredible innovation in the treatment of birds. When they’re very sick, they really need to be treated with antibiotics to become healthy.

                                    At the same time, when we’re using antibiotics at low-level preventative measures, they do the same thing as when they’re administered at high treatment levels: They’re looking to kill bacteria. The problem, or the conversation or debate, happens because antibiotics are killing any bacteria, good or bad. Antibiotics don’t decide whether bacteria are good or bad. They just kill them because that’s their job.

                                    Some bacteria are naturally resistant. They have those resistant genes no matter what. Other bacteria become resistant because they “learn” to become resistant. As antibiotics are injected, they kill bacteria that can be killed but leave the resistant bacteria. It’s those resistant bacteria that are really the problem, as they potentially move along the food chain. That’s what people are concerned about.

                                    We want to be able to prevent that resistance from going up and down the food chain. We want to reduce the potential for drug-resistant bacteria that show up in hospitals. It’s a complicated issue. There are a lot of sides of the debate, but it’s an issue that needs to be talked about. 

Luther:                        It sounds like it isn’t the antibiotic itself; it’s the application, the use or overuse, or the fact that it does leave antibiotic-resistant bacteria behind.

Kayla:                          Yes.

Luther:                        That said, what is the future of antibiotic use in the poultry industry?

Kayla:                          You have some people saying that poultry should only be raised without antibiotics in production. But at the end of the day, I think there’s still room for conventional production. Again, we’re not looking to completely get rid of it.

                                    It’s important to have a choice in the marketplace. Consumers should have the choice to get something that is raised without antibiotics if that is what they choose to purchase, and if that is what the retailer chooses to sell.

                                    On the other side, there’s also the importance of the ability to choose good-quality, antibiotic-residue-free, conventional meat or eggs that are still very good for you and are affordable.

                                    You’ll see in the marketplace that some options lean more toward poultry that is raised without antibiotics, but there are still more conventional options.

                                    Understanding where antibiotics fit within the system is important. Again, we still need to be able to treat our birds if they need to be treated, and we also need to be able to have that choice in the marketplace.

Luther:                        What are the key questions and items that should be considered before pursuing an antibiotic-free program?

Kayla:                          I talk about it from the producer level. But from an integrated perspective, we look at things from a grand integrator level. I think one of the first things to start thinking about is your plan moving forward, and the need to have a plan. Understand what you can do when things go wrong, because inevitably, as much as we’re trying to do everything perfectly and well, something will still go wrong.  

                                    You need to have a line for birds that can ultimately be treated with antibiotics — and they will still provide good meat — and to also have a line for birds that are antibiotic-free. Then, understand what needs to happen within your system as you integrate with antibiotic-free, or “never-ever” free production, as it’s called in the U.S.

                                    I always think of it as a holistic approach: moving from the breeder system into the hatching system and then ultimately moving down to those market birds. Think of that whole system and then, depending on where you fall in the system, consider the details. Go back to the basics of actual poultry production and rethink the details, whether you’re focusing on management in the barn, feed going into the birds or even water in the barn. 

Luther:                        What are mycotoxins, and how much of an issue are they for birds?

Kayla:                          Mycotoxins come from fungi. As grain is grown, there is the potential for fungi to form on it. As the fungi start growing, they release mycotoxins. As we grind grain for feed, mycotoxins get into the feed and ultimately get into the birds.

                                    When we’re talking about poultry production, I think one of the biggest misconceptions is the potential impact that mycotoxins can have on poultry, especially on short-lived poultry such as broilers, or even turkeys, to an extent. There’s a misconception that mycotoxins do not really have much of an impact. But mycotoxins are gut irritators. You have something at a very low level that’s irritating the gut and that you, as the producer or as the technical manager, may not recognize initially.

                                    Longer-living birds such as layers and broiler breeds are also affected because they’re potentially exposed to mycotoxins for much longer.

Luther:                        What are the effects on the broilers and turkeys, specifically? There are side effects from mycotoxins. What are those side effects?

Kayla:                          There’s a long range of side effects from mycotoxins. When people think about indicators of mycotoxins, the initial tendency is to only consider visible side effects. Those may include huge lesions on the mouth, the side of the mouth, on the tongue or inside of the mouth. Other visual indicators appear as scabs on the combs or the wattles or could show up as lesions, erosions or ulcers along the intestinal tract.

                                    People often overlook indicators of low-level irritation. Those indicators may be less visually obvious but may emerge as lower weights in broilers and turkeys, for example. Or, the gut irritation may create an environment for other problems. You may see another disease or another problem happening in the bird without necessarily relating it to a mycotoxin issue.

                                    Side effects can really be a whole range of things that you may or may not see visually in the bird.

Luther:                        It sounds very similar to human beings, where you’ll see symptoms but not the root cause. In this instance, the mycotoxins could be the root cause. They’re causing some of these downstream symptoms.

Kayla:                          Yes, exactly.  

Luther:                        What about layers and broiler breeders? What effects do mycotoxins have on them?

Kayla:                          Many people don’t think of layers, broiler breeders, broilers and turkeys as being similar. It would be an overgeneralization to say that they are similar, but they may show similar reactions to mycotoxins. The look of mycotoxins in layers and broiler breeders could be very similar in the sense that birds get mouth lesions, erosions, ulcers all the way down the gut and then impacting the liver.

                                    On the low-level side, again you’re seeing gut irritation. These birds can’t translate nutrients into eggs, so your peak production could come down. Your eggshell quality could also decline.  

                                    Layers and broiler breeders are vaccinated quite a bit, so perhaps their immune system is suppressed or decreased. Then they’re not able to respond to the vaccine as they should.

                                    In broiler breeds, you have an added factor of impacting the chicks. Then you’re dealing with a range of health issues for them.

                                    With low-level toxin challenges, those are some indicators you may not have considered initially, but they could potentially lead to other diseases as the immune system is weakened.  

Luther:                        Since we know that mycotoxins cause issues downstream — some of them obvious and some of them subtle — what can farmers do to take a holistic approach with a multilayered program to control the risks of mycotoxins?

Kayla:                          On a prevention level, whether you’re talking about low-level, moderate or even high challenges, it’s important to have a mycotoxin absorbent in the feed. Specifically, the mycotoxin absorbent you want is an inner yeast cell wall, which has a very strong static bond and a large surface area. This combination allows for relatively low levels of product — or technology —to be used to bind a very large amount of mycotoxin. You’re able to eliminate or at least greatly reduce mycotoxins in the feed. Using something like a mycotoxin absorbent is very important, as these birds run into low, medium, or high-level challenges.

Luther:                        So, that’s all part of what you’re calling a multilayered program.

Kayla:                          Absolutely. I’m talking specifically about mycotoxins, but we can’t forget that they are only a small snippet of the picture of poultry production in general. When I say multilayered, we’re not just considering potential mycotoxin challenges, whether they’re low, medium or high, but also taking into consideration all components. We’re considering management, biosecurity, feed, water and so on. You take all these factors into consideration to make sure you have the best production and most successful production.

Luther:                        You’ve talked about considerations for mycotoxin management and going all the way back to the source; making sure that you have high-quality ingredients, high-quality feed. It sounds like how you handle the feed is also vitally important.

Kayla:                          Absolutely.

Luther:                        Can you address that a little bit?

Kayla:                          Let’s say you have feed coming into your production system. If we’re talking about feed processed by a feed company, their manufacturing is highly controlled. This is a low-level challenge. However, toxins may still appear in the feed later. For example, if you place feed in a bin and there’s a humid spot for some reason, now there is a potential for fungi to grow. Suddenly, that little challenge becomes a big challenge.

                                    It’s important to understand how feed is handled early, either at a manufacturer or feed mill, and then how it’s handled throughout the barn or facility itself. All those components can really influence how well birds of any feather perform.

Luther:                        What consumer demands have influenced or made significant changes in the industry?

Kayla:                          Consumers want to understand more about production. Maybe not necessarily at the farm level, but about the production process overall. More and more companies are moving in the direction of responding to consumer inquiries. In Canada, for example, A&W has made “raised without antibiotics” part of their retail strategy. Chick-fil-A has done the same in the U.S. As more groups promote chicken without antibiotics, it brings up more questions and people are more curious about certain aspects of their food. It can be debated one way or the other, but it’s certainly something that’s happening and something we must address, regardless.

Luther:                        Last question. What’s the favorite part of your job?

Kayla:                          That’s a hard question to answer! I think my favorite part of my job is being able to work with producers. Understanding how proud they are of what they do and being able to learn about their process is so exciting.

                                    I also get to travel across Canada from the East Coast to the West Coast. A farm on the East Coast could have issues or successes similar to a farm all the way out in Alberta or even in my hometown of Ontario. The farms may not necessarily be able to converse, so I get to be this middle person saying, “I saw that somewhere else; maybe you should try this…” or “I’ve seen this problem somewhere else and this is what they tried.” Being that conversation starter is a wonderful thing. I get so much out of it, and I think the farmers get so much out of it. I enjoy being able to help them improve and be successful. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s about.

Luther:                        Kayla Price is poultry technical manager for Alltech Canada. Thank you very much.

Kayla:                          Thank you very much.

Dr. Kayla Price spoke at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE17). To hear more talks from the conference, sign up for the Alltech Idea Lab.

Water is essential for life, yet water intake usually gets less attention than feed intake. We focus on quality, density and processing of feed, but we tend to take water for granted because it costs “nothing” — or at least does not appear on the feed bill.

Feed and water are closely linked, however. Birds typically drink 1.6 to two times the equivalent weight of feed, and, if water intake is limited, then feed intake declines. Furthermore, all digestive activity is dependant on water. Poor water quality can mean getting less than expected results from even the best quality feed.

Let’s get back to the basics of this element. There are several ways we can use water intake to help newly-placed chicks get a good start.

Water quality profiles

Minerals, hard and soft water, pH and alkalinity

Mineral content, pH, microbial contamination and temperature affect water quality and intake. Water quality profiles include pH, alkalinity and hardness.

pH is a measure of acidity, with pure water having a pH of 7. Values of less than 7 are considered acidic, while those above 7 are basic, or “alkaline.” Alkalinity reflects the capacity of water sources to buffer added acids without changing pH (total acidity). Water hardness, pH and/or alkalinity are not always directly associated, but generally, hard water has a higher pH.

Hard water contains larger amounts of minerals in the form of calcium and magnesium ions, which are picked up as rainwater percolates down through rock layers. In contrast, soft water has more sodium ions. The challenge with hard water is that it causes scale buildup, which gradually constricts pipes. The scale slows water flow, which ultimately reduces water consumption and, consequently, feed intake.

Minerals, such as magnesium, iron, sulfur, sodium and copper, can cause water rejection at very high concentrations due to bitter taste, or they can have laxative effects, whether from hard or soft water. Elevated mineral levels can be due to natural reasons or pollution.

Bacterial counts and biofilms

Zero bacteria per milliliter of water is desirable, but contamination is common. Coliform bacteria are of special concern. Coliforms are found in animal and human digestive tracts, and their presence in ground or surface water indicates fecal contamination.

Biofilms result from bacterial colonies that adhere to the inner walls of water lines. They produce a film that attracts other microbes and debris. A biofilm might occur in patches and can, on occasion, completely cover pipe walls. Biofilms protect bacteria from antibiotics and disinfectants and can block water lines. Bacteria (including coliforms) in biofilms flourish in places where water moves slowest or temperature is elevated, like the end of drinker lines, and when water remains in the line before the next use.

Using water to promote gut health

Chick hydration after placing

Early and sufficient water intake is critical during the first week of life. It is not uncommon for chicks to arrive at the shed dehydrated, and quick resolution is needed. Chicks drink sooner when placed near drinkers that dispense clean water at the right temperature and flow rate. Attention-getting lights and reflective drinker surfaces help, too.

Water and gut health

The chick’s digestive tract develops rapidly over the first week of life, and anything we can do to promote gut health during this time pays off in lower early mortality and overall feed efficiency. A healthy gut has the right mix of microbes, enzymes and healthy intestinal villi to aid pathogen defense and feed digestion. The medium in which these entities exist is water.

Microbial growth and digestive enzyme activity are sensitive to pH. Coliforms, including E. coli and Salmonella, grow best at pH levels above 7. In contrast, beneficial bacteria such as lactobacilli thrive at more acidic conditions (below 7). pH varies throughout the digestive tract, with values lowest (~2) in the stomach for the digestion of protein, then higher in the intestine and colon for the digestion of fats and carbohydrates. The bird needs the ability to maintain correct gut pH from the beginning, but gut cells are still developing. A simple way we can help the bird is by lowering drinking water pH.

Acidification: Prevents biofilms, lowers scale accumulation and reduces drinking water pH for better bird health

Acid-Pak 4-Way® contains a citric acid buffer, electrolytes and probiotics. When added to water, it reduces pH (i.e., increases acidity), which benefits both birds and pipes. Water pH is reduced to 4.5–5.5, which promotes the growth of normal and healthy bacteria in the gut, such as lactobacilli. At the same time, the lower pH discourages the growth of coliforms. The lower water pH also helps chicks adapt to dry feeds because it controls pH, promotes beneficial microbial growth and aids enzyme production.

Adding Acid-Pak 4-Way aids water line maintenance, too. It helps keep water flow steady, in addition to other benefits. Scale does not accumulate from hard water when acidified. Importantly, reducing pH by adding Acid-Pak 4-Way unseats biofilms in the water lines and keeps them from re-forming.

BEFORE placing your chicks, open the drinking lines, put Acid-Pak 4-Way in the water, flush the lines and THEN place the chicks.

Have a question or comment?

Tom:                            Steve Elliott is the global director of the mineral management team at Alltech. He has 25 years of experience in the feed industry, 20 of them with Alltech. He joins us to talk about advances in the nutrition of farm animals that figure into our food chain. Thank you for being with us.

Steve:                          Absolutely.

Tom:                            Your present focus is on how organic trace minerals can improve the health and performance of livestock. What have you found?

Steve:                          Trace minerals are essential nutrients. In other words, animals must receive them every day in their diet. We found that by providing them in an organic form, we can meet the requirements and do so with much lower fortification levels in the diet. We can have a lower mineral concentration, less mineral excretion into the environment and less interaction with other components in the diet. There are a lot of advantages to looking at the natural way of providing trace elements.

Tom:                            Which trace minerals are key to improve livestock performance?

Steve:                          Most people will be familiar with zinc, copper and manganese, but there has been a lot of work on selenium over the last 15 years. Many parts of the United States are selenium deficient. By utilizing an organic form of selenium, we can raise the selenium status in the animals, thus improving their immunity, reproductive efficiency, etc.

                                    We can also fortify consumer diets with selenium by fortifying meat, milk and eggs, transferring selenium from the animal’s diet into the protein.

Tom:                            And just out of curiosity, where do you find selenium?

Steve:                          Selenium is one of those essential trace elements. It’s mined out of the earth. But at Alltech, we found a natural way of producing selenium: We take yeast and add selenium to the fermentation, and we can get the yeast to take it up and store it in an organic form. It’s much safer for the animal, safer for the people mixing the feeds and safer for the environment.

Tom:                            And which, in your opinion, is best: inorganic or organic minerals? Does it matter?

Steve:                          Yes, I believe it does matter. In nature, animals get all their minerals organically. We’ve supplemented with inorganic trace minerals for 50 or 60 years because they were an inexpensive alternative. Obviously, organic is a safer way of improving trace mineral status in the animals. We can do it in a form with fewer contaminants such as heavy metals, dioxins and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) — things we’re concerned about passing into the food chain. We can avoid that by using organic trace minerals.

Tom:                            You’ve noted that research from around the world is influencing regional regulatory decision-making with the goal of improving the agrifood sector. Can you elaborate on that, and is this goal being achieved?

Steve:                          Yes, particularly on the mineral side. For example, the European Union reduced the acceptable amount of minerals fed to animals because of water pollution concerns. Japan has recently moved legislation on lowered levels of zinc and copper to address pollution concerns as well. Korea has done the same. One of the main initiatives in China is lowering levels of trace minerals in the feed. There is almost no potable water left in China due to pollution, particularly from pig farms.

                                    I think there are a lot of initiatives driving producers to look at alternatives to trace mineral fortification. That’s where Alltech is ahead of the game. We’ve been looking at organic alternatives for over 20 years. I think we have a very good understanding of the mineral requirements of animals and the optimum levels at which we can meet them. 

Tom:                            Let’s talk about the Brazilian Food Guide, which appears to be quite disruptive. What is it, and why is it noteworthy?

Steve:                         Brazil reestablished levels in what they call their Table 4. Table 4 was a system set up by the government to ensure that farmers put adequate fortification in their livestock’s diets. The government does not want feed companies to cheat producers by not providing enough nutrition in the diet. The initial acceptable mineral levels put into that guideline were exceedingly high. We can achieve lower levels by feeding organic trace minerals.

                                    So Alltech, in coordination with major universities in Brazil and professors on the regulatory board, conducted research over the last several years showing that, when you feed the organic form of trace minerals, you can feed or fortify the diets at a much lower mineral level.

                                    The Brazilian government has incorporated these levels in the new guidelines, which now say that if you’re going to use organic forms, you can go well below the old Table 4 levels, thus allowing producers to improve the performance of their animals while lessening environmental contamination.

Tom:                            The guide blatantly warns people about food advertisements, noting that the purpose of these ads is to increase sales, not to improve public health. How is that advice being received in the industry?

Steve:                          There’s a lot of misinformation that goes out in some of these ads. From a food quality standpoint or fortification standpoint, we’ve done a lot of work with the Brazilian government on fortification or enrichment of milk, for example, particularly with selenium. You feed selenium to the animal, it passes into the milk, and you then raise the selenium status of the people consuming that milk. We’ve done that with Brazilian school children, and we found that as we improve their selenium status, their cognitive ability, or their ability to pay attention in school, was improved as well as their immune status.

                                    There are a lot of good things we can do with fortifying foods, but there’s a lot of misinformation out there as well. I think the public should be careful and really look at the science behind some of these claims.

Tom:                            And how can the Brazilian guide serve as a model in the agrifood industry?

Steve:                          I think in the United States and globally, many people rely on the NRC, which is the National Research Council. The NRC reviews research every five or six years and then establishes guidelines on nutrient fortification levels for production species. Most guidelines were established using old ingredients. For example, inorganic trace minerals.

                                    Brazil and other countries are starting to accept that there is a better way of doing things by using organic minerals. By doing so, it’s going to help the environment and we can fortify diets at a significantly lower mineral level. I think because of the revised Brazilian tables that were recently published, Canada is now talking about revising their tables as well.  

                                    We’re hopeful that the next time the NRC reviews production species in the United States, they will take a closer look at organic forms of nutrients, particularly those that Alltech makes.

Tom:                            So, to bring this all the way down to the food chain, how does the adoption of the Brazilian guide affect the average consumer’s dinner table?

Steve:                          I don’t know that there is much effect on a consumer’s dinner table. Consumers should rest assured that the Brazilian government is taking a step forward by looking at natural alternatives — not just using the old standards that were used for many years — and not be concerned because the mineral levels have decreased. There’s good science for decreasing those levels: We can clean up the environment, and animals perform better at lower mineral levels in the right form. The consumer can rest assured that Brazil is taking a leading-edge approach by looking at natural feed additives.

Tom:                            Steve, what do you enjoy most about your work?

Steve:                          I’ve had the opportunity to travel the world; I’ve been to over 100 countries. I get to deal with the best food producers, the best producers of animal protein in the world. And I get to learn something new every day.

Tom:                            Steve Elliott, the global director of the mineral management team at Alltech. We thank you for your time.

Steve:                          Thank you.

I would like more information on organic trace minerals. 

To improve the overall health of birds, attention needs to be placed on the whole production system. Healthy animals are much more likely to perform at their potential and produce more efficiently.

The gastrointestinal tract of layers is an ecosystem in which water, pH and bacteria need to be in balance. Setting the stage for this balance soon after hatch and maintaining it throughout the life of the animal is the key to maximizing performance and farm profitability.

Digestion in an increasingly plant-based diet

The diet for the bird must be made so that it is quickly digested and, in the case of layers, eventually turned into the building blocks of eggs. Yet, today, consumer demands for all-veggie diets complicate efforts to design an easily digestible diet. The grains used to make up the energy and protein in the diet will only release a portion of nutrients after digestion. The rest of the nutrients are bound in the plant cells and can only be released if these plant cells are broken down.

Enzymes added to the diet can help to break down these plant cells and allow the grains to release more nutrients to the bird. Generally, enzymes work in a “lock and key” model, in which a specific enzyme can only help to break down a specific compound. Because a poultry diet is complex, more than one enzyme may be needed to help with this breakdown.

Preventing bacterial overgrowth

How efficiently the feed is digested and absorbed by the bird can affect the bacterial balance in the gastrointestinal tract. Efficient breakdown and absorption of the feed by the bird can reduce the amount of undigested nutrients that reach the lower gut, where a diverse microbial population is concentrated.

This is important because, by reducing the undigested nutrients entering the lower gut, we reduce the potential of an environment to be created that supports opportunistic (potentially bad) bacterial overgrowth. Consequently, reducing the undigested nutrients reaching the lower gut helps to improve overall poultry health and performance.

Ancient process meets advanced technology

Nutritional technologies are available that can support this breakdown of nutrients. Through an ancient process called solid state fermentation (SSF), a selected strain of non-GMO Aspergillus niger works in synergy with the animal’s digestive system to break down layers of the feed that were previously inaccessible through digestion. This exposes more nutrient-rich layers for the animal to digest, such as amino acids, energy, protein and vitamins.

Advances in genetics have made today’s poultry more productive than ever. Any bird under environmental stress due to heat, cold, very dry or very humid air could have their feed intake patterns and intestinal tract affected, causing reduced digestibility. However, by paying close attention to the entire management system and to nutrition, poultry growers can respond quickly to challenges and achieve optimal potential.

To learn more about how Allzyme® SSF can help maintain performance in your flock and reduce feed costs while adding flexibility to the diet, click here or contact us at AllzymeSSF@alltech.com.

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) helps ensure food safety by focusing on preventing contamination rather than simply responding to it. All feed manufacturers who manufacture, process, pack or hold animal food for consumption in the United States must comply with the FSMA.

In general, this includes those who register under Section 415 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (also known as the Bioterrorism Act). It’s important to note that not complying is considered a prohibited act.

Recently, Hubbard Feeds hosted a series of meetings for its customers to help them prepare for the FSMA. Keith Epperson of Epperson Consulting & Associates, LLC, led the discussion by giving attendees an overview of the FSMA and how it affects their businesses. Below are the key takeaways from Keith’s presentation.

Deadlines for larger businesses to comply with the FSMA went into effect in 2016. The current compliance date for many feed dealers is September 2017 for Current Good Manufacturing Practices. A more detailed outline of compliance dates is shown in the chart below, provided by the American Feed Industry Association.

Compliance dates for FSMA

Business Size

Subpart B

Current Good Manufacturing Practice

Subpart C

Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls

All Others

Sept. 19, 2016

Sept. 18, 2017

Small Businesses

(< 500 FTE) *

*full time employees

Sept. 18, 2017

Sept. 17, 2018

Very Small Businesses

(< $2.5 million/year)

Sept. 17, 2018

Sept. 17, 2019

Critical prevention efforts

The first of several topics discussed at the meetings was the importance of training employees on their job responsibilities. Having qualified individuals who understand what they do and the consequences of not performing those tasks correctly is a key aspect of food safety. Documenting when training sessions occur is an important part of FSMA compliance, because if it’s not written down, it’s assumed it didn’t happen.

Housekeeping and maintenance of equipment and facilities was also discussed frequently. When inspectors walk through a facility, it’s easy to see what type of housekeeping is being done. A regular maintenance schedule can prevent breakdowns or improper manufacturing and processing of feeds.

Biosecurity was another topic heavily emphasized throughout the meetings. Examples of this include documenting and visually inspecting incoming ingredient trailers to record what was on a previous load, trucking of finished feed, and even keeping brooms and equipment separate depending on where they are used.

Planning ahead

Another aspect of the FSMA that feed manufacturers will be required to complete is a food safety plan. Every feed manufacturer must conduct a hazard analysis to identify and evaluate — based on experience, illness data, scientific reports and other information — known or reasonably foreseeable hazards for each type of animal food manufactured, processed, packed or held at their facility to determine whether there are any hazards requiring a preventive control. The hazard analysis must be written regardless of its outcome.

Some examples of hazards in animal food are:

• Biological hazards:

  • Salmonella spp.
  • Listeria monocytogenes

• Chemical hazards:

  • Mycotoxins
  • Pesticides and process-related or industrial chemicals
  • Drug carryover
  • Nutrient deficiencies or toxicities

• Physical hazards:

  • Stones
  • Glass
  • Metal

Moving forward

The compliance date for small businesses with less than 500 full-time employees is September 17, 2018, which gives feed manufacturers time to do their hazard analysis. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced they will delay inspections for the hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls portion of the FSMA until Sept. 2018. However, while the inspections may have been delayed, feed manufacturers will still be required to meet compliance deadlines.

The FDA has launched a food safety plan builder to help owners create a food safety plan for their businesses. You can find more information on the FDA website.

Calf care is key to the profitability and longevity of a herd. When it comes to attention to detail and calf health management, there are few better than White Rock Farms in Peachland, North Carolina.

Owned and operated by Roddy Purser, White Rock Farms of Peachland, North Carolina, includes a 600-head Jersey dairy farm, hog houses and a layer operation. An innovative first-generation dairyman, Roddy saw opportunity in the dairy industry, and he knew that the secret to success was putting together a capable team equipped with both passion for the industry and the knowledge to build a successful herd.

Dakota Sparks is one of those team members. She is in charge when it comes to managing calves at White Rock Farms.

Drew Gibson and Dakota Sparks, herd managers at White Rock Farms

Dakota has helped White Rock Farms to maintain a less than 1 percent death loss on the farm since the beginning in 2014. She attributes this astounding success to four key elements: an employee dedicated to calves, cleanliness, a prevention approach and no cutting corners.

How White Rock Farms has kept their calf death loss to less than 1% since 2014

1. An employee dedicated to calves

Dedicating an employee to calves can be difficult for many farms, but as a farm grows, it becomes even more important.

Dakota is the manager of White Rock Farms’ calf area, a responsibility she takes very seriously. Feeding

calves twice a day starts with the White Rock Farms’ team removing water buckets and replacing them with milk buckets. This gives employees the opportunity to check calves while emptying, cleaning and refreshing water. These opportunities to observe calves are important for identifying any illnesses or abnormalities, so Dakota and her team devote their full attention to the task.

2. Cleanliness

Once utilized, every hutch is cleaned. All sand and gravel are removed, and the hutch is kept vacant for one to two weeks.

Once ready for a new resident, Dakota’s team utilizes a layer of black cloth at the bottom to keep the sand from falling through and then adds new gravel. This attention to detail reduces disease transmission from one calf to another, giving newborn calves the best possible opportunity for a healthy start. Not only are the hutches cleaned and sanitized after each calf, but calf buckets are sanitized after each feeding.

After the calves are fed milk, their buckets are cleaned in a three-stage process:

1. The first water bath includes 125°F water with soap.
2. The second bath contains 145°F water with soap.
3. The third and final bath holds cold, chlorinated water.

Buckets are then stacked to air dry before the next feeding.

3. Prevention approach

Antibiotics are used only in instances of severe illness, but are rarely needed, according to Dakota. By taking a preventative approach, the need for therapeutic treatment is minimized.

White Rock Farms pasteurizes all colostrum and milk that is fed to calves and frequently utilizes electrolytes in water to help give calves a little boost. Dakota remarks that, when used properly, there can be substantial cost savings to pasteurizing milk for calves, especially once the cost of the pasteurizer is recouped (which occurred in two years for White Rock Farms).

4. No cutting corners

All colostrum is tested. This test is to identify the quality of the colostrum based on IgG antibody levels in the milk. If it meets the requirements, it is then used, refrigerated or frozen if not utilized within 24 hours. The frozen containers are organized and marked with the necessary information to enable easy retrieval of bags.

Roddy is confident the extra investments are worthwhile, as evidenced by heifers that are outperforming their mothers. With a solid foundation of nutrition, their calves have a healthy jumpstart on reaching breeding age with minimal illness.

White Rock Farms is a customer of CPC Commodities, based in Cowpens, South Carolina and is currently feeding the following Alltech products: Select GH®, Yea-Sacc®, Integral® A+, Bioplex® Hi-Four, Optigen® and Sel-Plex®

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

Tom:                      Where is the world’s most exciting animal nutrition market? Matthew Smith is here to tell us about that. Hint: Matthew is Alltech vice president of Asia-Pacific. Thank you for being with us, Matthew.

Matthew:                It’s a great pleasure.

Tom:                      Let’s go to that question. What country is home to the most exciting nutrition market?

Matthew:                One word: Vietnam.

Tom:                      And why is that?  

Matthew:                I would describe Vietnam as the most dynamic marketplace for agribusiness and agri-food currently within the Southeast Asian region. It’s probably best to put Vietnam in context with the Asian countries: It has the second-highest population density of the Asian countries. Of course, number one is Singapore. Singapore is a completely different model. Food security is the main concern in Singapore. But in Vietnam, we have many hidden treasures that are yet to be discovered globally, which are making a big difference in the industry in Vietnam. They have the potential to change the way in which other countries produce protein by adopting the right technology and the right platforms to get to the consumer.

Tom:                      What are the dynamics in Vietnam? What’s driving this?

Matthew:                The consumer. It’s very much a move toward growth in the middle-income bracket and the desire to westernize. Food is very much about culture in Asia, and culture is about food. The two are inseparable.

                              We do see a significant shift toward well-being and wellness and a more informed choice about food, maybe food with a story.

                                Clearly, the dominant segment of the industry — the highest consumption — is pork. When we look at that as a metric in the feed industry, pork or swine feed would account for about 64 to 65 percent of the 19 million tons of feed consumed annually in Vietnam. The majority of the remainder is poultry feed, so it’s really very conventional.  

                               However, we’re seeing big growth now in the move toward packaged and processed food. And, ironically, the biggest segment of the packaged food market is milk. I would describe milk as probably the real disruptor at the moment within the Vietnamese industry.

Tom:                      Can you elaborate on that?

Matthew:                I say the biggest disruptor because, where is the largest centralized dairy in the world?

Tom:                      Vietnam?

Matthew:                Good answer. That wouldn’t be apparent to most people. When we say centralized dairy, there is a business in the central part of Northern Vietnam that was originally a joint venture with an Israeli conglomerate and the Vietnamese government. They decided that they were going to produce milk in what effectively is a desert. And they now milk 42,000 cows on one farm, with the majority of the feed being produced on the farm in terms of total mixed rations.

                              The business is called TH Milk. It’s a fully integrated operation, a runaway success story in terms of the utilization of technology, whether it be milking technology or feeding technology or technology that they use to purify the water for the cows to drink. Also, the way in which they process all of the effluent and waste from the dairy farm so that you will have an entirely sustainable unit.

                               But, when we talk about disruption, it’s the way in which that milk is sold. Milk is very much seen as a premium drink. Domestically, the dairy industry within Vietnam only produces about 28 percent of demand. So, that creates a huge opportunity. The business, TH Milk, and other businesses that operate in a similar fashion have really made the purchase of milk into a consumer experience. 

Tom:                      Is dairy a relative newcomer to the Vietnamese diet?

Matthew:                No. There would have been a lot of what we would describe, maybe, as backyard farming in terms of dairy production. So, it would have been sustenance. We would have two, three cows, and we would produce for the family and the neighbor. We would share the milk. However, given this huge increase in demand for the consumption of milk, that’s prompted much more cohesive dairy farming and has attracted a huge amount of investment. That sums up Vietnam’s move away in the 1990s from a centralized approach to agriculture and food production and much more toward primary production and integration.

Tom:                      What are the opportunities for emerging technologies, innovation in the Vietnamese market?

Matthew:                One of the biggest trends that we see within the Vietnamese market is the use of technology on the horticulture side. There is a lot of investment from engineering industries, from car manufacturers, from businesses that would not historically have been related to agriculture in terms of them utilizing distribution mechanics.

                               We’re talking about growing vegetables in an enclosed environment: hydroponics, etcetera. And those other industries see a lot of overlap with their technologies in terms of assisting in a huge increase in vegetables, which would be grown very close to the cities, which obviously are the primary markets.

Tom:                      I’ve read that Vietnam’s aquaculture market has nearly doubled in only a few years. If that’s true, what’s driving it?

Matthew:                One of the most recognized brands in the U.S. and Europe would be barramundi. Barramundi would be the Asian sea bass equivalent. The brand is actually called Australis. Most consumers would buy that to fillet. Very nicely packaged and very heavily branded, believing that it’s come from Australia. But it hasn’t. It’s from a very progressive operation, which grows the barramundi offshore in cages, in an extremely isolated environment that has incredible water quality, which is what’s needed for sustainability and to grow the fish and have a good feed conversion rate.

                              That’s just one example of people using a brand that doesn’t necessarily present itself as coming from Vietnam, but that is utilizing the environmental assets Vietnam has. You do have to contrast that with some of the challenges that Vietnam has in terms of the environment, the recycling of waste, areas the industry is attempting to tackle. That’s another opportunity for technology.

Tom:                      We’ve been focusing on Vietnam, but what about other countries in the region such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Mongolia?

Matthew:                All of those countries represent a huge opportunity for technology for a number of different reasons. Cambodia is wedged between Vietnam and Thailand, two countries that have much greater recognition in terms of the food chain and primary production. But Cambodia itself is a natural resource, a very clean environment where crops can be grown, particularly in the south. As you move up to the north, you start to see the opportunity for fruits and vegetables to be grown. Cambodia is the world’s largest exporter of mangoes, a fact that is not necessarily at the forefront of people’s minds when they consume a mango.

                               We have to embrace the local regulations, which, until recently, has been a challenge for businesses going into those countries to set up operations. But there is a growing industry in Cambodia on the aqua side, a growing industry on the poultry side.

                               Myanmar, for many, many years was a closed market, but now government policy is changing. Myanmar is dominated by the poultry industry. And that poultry industry has the potential to grow with technology, to scale up and be in a stronger position to supply the export markets.

Tom:                      What disruptors do you expect to see in this emerging market?

Matthew:                I guess the implementation of a more cohesive food chain, more cohesive supply chain and retail outlets.

                                Thailand and Vietnam are not well-known for having big supermarkets, but they have an increasing number of smaller retail outlets, which are generally owned as part of integrated operations. So, whilst we still have a big wet market where food is bought on a daily basis and consumed that day, there is a much greater move toward processed and packaged food, and that has big implications. It requires a supply chain. It requires refrigeration. It requires speed. But with growing affluence in that middle class, the opportunity for the consumer to purchase packaged food is a clear opportunity and will be a disruptor moving forward.

Tom:                      How is Alltech fitting into the Vietnamese market? What’s going on there?

Matthew:                We opened our Vietnamese office in 1993. So, we’ve been there for some time now. As with all of the Alltech businesses, we really look to localize our approach in terms of the makeup of the team from a production point of view, from sales, from a marketing perspective. People who really know and understand the industry.

                              Vietnam has been a very successful marketplace for us in the past 24 years, and we just see our business going from strength to strength as we are now in the position to offer more feed solutions to a growing feed industry.

                               Across the Asian countries, we’ve had a presence for a minimum of 20 years. Myanmar is new. Cambodia is new, and Mongolia will be very new for us. A very small market, but it represents the opportunity for us to localize our business and takes us into more of those countries. 

Tom:                      Matthew Smith is Alltech vice president of Asia-Pacific. Thank you so much for joining us.

Matthew Smith spoke at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE17). To hear more talks from the conference, sign up for the Alltech Idea Lab.