Pet brands that focus on sustainability have grown 7.1 times faster than their conventional counterparts in the last five years. This insight comes from our latest episode of the AgFuture podcast. This week, we are joined by Jim Lamancusa, Executive Director of the Pet Sustainability Coalition; Hannah Tirrell-Wysocki, Accreditation Manager at the PSC; and Kami Grandeen, Alltech’s North American Companion Animal Sales Manager. They discuss the mission and growth of the PSC, Alltech's recent reaccreditation with the PSC, and the platinum, gold, and silver sustainability medals from EcoVadis, an organization that provides business sustainability ratings. They also explore the shifting demand for sustainable pet foods by Millennials and Gen Z. Tune in to learn how these initiatives are transforming the pet industry.

The following blog is a summary of the Ag Future podcast episode with Jim Lamancusa, Hannah Tirrell-Wysocki and Kami Grandeen, hosted by Tom Martin. Click below to hear the full audio or listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Tom:                      For Ag Future, I’m Tom Martin. Today, we’re focusing on sustainability efforts in the pet industry. With me are Jim Lamancusa, executive director of the Pet Sustainability Coalition. Welcome, Jim.

Jim:                         Thanks for having me.

Tom:                      Hannah Tirrell-Wysocki, Pet Sustainability Coalition accreditation manager. Thanks for joining us, Hannah.

Hannah:                  Thanks. Great to be here.

Tom:                      And Alltech’s North American companion animal sales manager, Kami Grandeen. Hello, Kami.

Kami:                      Hi, Tom. Thanks for having us today.

Tom:                      Jim, let’s start with you. A broad question: If you would, just tell us about the Pet Sustainability Coalition. How did it come about, and what’s the mission?

Jim:                         Sure. We’ve been around for 11 years, and it was recognized 11 years ago that there are major sustainability challenges to the pet industry that can’t be solved by one individual company. And so, back 11 years ago, we had eight founding members that came together to form the Pet Sustainability Coalition. Now, fast forward 11 years later, we have over 200 members across 17 countries, and we are helping our members to become more sustainable brands and individual companies themselves. We’re also tackling these larger sustainability challenges that the pet industry faces.

Tom:                      And how is that working? How are your practices advancing the pet business?

Jim:                         There’s a couple what we call legs to the stool. One of them is around ingredients. We help our brands to focus on more sustainable ingredient sources like regenerative agriculture meat and proteins, or alternative proteins like insect proteins, that help reduce their carbon footprint. We also help brands on the packaging side, so moving packaging from virgin plastics to recycled content: recyclable, biodegradable, and paper-based packaging products that, again, reduce the environmental impact. Third is, we help our brands focus on social sustainability initiatives, so employee surveys, supply chain mapping. We help supply chain roadmapping, helping build a green team within your pet food company. Those are just a couple examples about what we do with our members.

Tom:                      Okay. Hannah, let’s bring you in. You’re an accreditation manager with the Pet Sustainability Coalition. Alltech’s been re-accredited by the coalition. Why is accreditation by the PSC important to Alltech?

Hannah:                  The PSC accreditation is a little bit different from our membership. We have an open membership model, which means that any company, regardless of where they are on their sustainability journey, is welcome to join as members. We think that that’s really important because we need everyone at the table when it comes to making change. But our accreditation is really reserved for companies who are further along on that sustainability journey. Companies like Alltech, who are really leading in the pet industry when it comes to their social and their environmental impact.

                               So, companies like Alltech, who are accredited, must measure, verify, and commit to continual improvement.

                               Measurement refers to an assessment that these companies take, which is based on the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. And then verifying refers to a third-party verification that happens where companies submit documentation to substantiate their assessment responses. And then the third part is my favorite part, really, is that companies who are accredited are committed to continually improving on their sustainability. And I think this is so important because sustainability is a moving target, right? Like, as technology advances and as business grows, there’s always room for improvement.

                               And again, Alltech has committed to all three of those and are one of our accredited companies.

Tom:                      All right, Kami, let’s get your perspective from the Alltech point of view. What is the value of this accreditation to customers like Alltech?

Kami:                      Overall, the PSC group is just a great guide on our sustainability journey. I really think for Alltech and our pet business, it does two different things. The verification and the accreditation really ensure that we are on the right path, that we’re doing the right things. It’s pushing us to do even more things. Like both Jim and Hannah said, continuous improvement. We’re not gonna be satisfied with where we are today or where we are tomorrow. We’re gonna keep moving.

                               So it firstly helps us and guides us. And I think the second piece of that is, it tells our customers the pet brands that we supply ingredients to. It tells the pet industry as a whole that we are truly committed to sustainability. We are trying to improve. We’re looking for ways that we can be more efficient, more environmentally and socially responsible. So I think it solidifies that commitment to the industry.

Tom:                      Let’s talk about that. Tell us about Alltech’s sustainability initiatives that you have underway.

Kami:                      Really, a lot of the continuous improvements. We’re dedicated. We’ve signed up for 9 of these 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, which is, I think, a really big wish list there, but continuously making improvements. We are committed to the 10 Principles of the U.N. Global Compact as well. We’ve made some really great strides so far. If you just look at some highlights from our last Sustainability Reports, we’ve had 4.5 million invested in efficiency projects. Through these projects, we’ve taken 7,600 metric tons of CO₂ out of the system, through these efficiency projects. And 100% of our production team members are trained on health and safety.

                               So, kind of across the board, I think we’ve made some good strides, and we’re gonna continue to get better.

Tom:                      Well, Kami, staying with you: Last year, Alltech was recognized with platinum, gold, and silver sustainability medals from EcoVadis, an organization that provides business sustainability ratings. And I understand that this recognition places Alltech among some industry heavy hitters globally. What does it mean to the company, to Alltech, to be recognized in this way?

Kami:                      Yeah, we’re extremely proud of this. This, as you can imagine, is an incredible amount of work. This doesn’t just happen because leadership says, We’re gonna get this accreditation, we’re gonna do these things. This happens because our team does a lot of hard work. They innovate. They look for ways to improve. They forge new paths. They look for new answers that maybe weren’t the answers that they were using yesterday and maybe won’t be the answers that they’re using tomorrow. We’re incredibly proud of this. I think we’re always learning new things. I think we can learn something from every accreditation, every verification that we go through. We continuously learn new things that we can do better and learn how to make things more efficient and more environmentally and socially sustainable.

Tom:                      Alltech ran a sustainability insights survey among leading agri-food businesses to get a sense of the issues that matter most to the agri-food value chain. What did you learn from that?

Kami:                      Yeah, the agri-food insights [survey] was really interesting. I think it was eye-opening to a lot of us because we did interview global leaders. And I think that the interesting part was, as a whole, the agri-food industry is really looking for ways to be more sustainable. And that’s probably going to come through innovation, through collaboration, through communication, to figure out how to solve this problem collectively as an industry.

                               But if you break it down by different regions, the top concerns really do vary. I mean, for example, in the EU, emissions were the thing that we found were the biggest priority. If you look at Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, it was sourcing raw materials. Latin America’s focus was more on water and soil health. And then if you look at the U.S., or North America, more on the economic sustainability. How do we keep family farms in business?

                               I think if you look collectively, everyone’s focused on these, but the priorities by country were very different, and I think it gives us all a chance to work together and communicate maybe how the EU is working on emissions today will be a priority for the U.S. tomorrow. So I think it was good insights.

Tom:                      Well, you mentioned collaboration, and I know the survey indicates a great deal of interest in the industry in partnership and collaboration, but are these competitive interests that we’re talking about? How does that work?

Kami:                      Yeah, that’s always a challenge. I think, as businesspeople, we’re naturally going to be competitive. And I think we can put away our competitiveness for this because we all are working toward the same goal. But I think that’s where groups like the Pet Sustainability Coalition really come in and help bring us together, get us all on the same page, and get us communicating and talking about what we’re doing. We’re not competing with each other on this. We are working together on this.

                               So it is a great way, a great organization, to guide us into working together. And all kudos to PSC for being open and willing, and starting these discussions, and figuring out ways to get people who may be competitors to share ideas and work together.

Tom:                      All right, Hannah, back to you. While there might be some debate over it still, climate change appears to be a given in the agri-food industry. How is climate change impacting the industry now, and what are some anticipated future impacts?

Hannah:                  One of the big ways that climate change is impacting the industry is really what the changing climate means for farming. So, you think about changes in precipitation patterns, changes in extreme weather events, reductions in water availability, negative impacts on biodiversity like pollinators, sea level rise rate. Think about drier areas getting drier, wetter areas getting wetter. All of this obviously has an impact on productivity and yield, so we will likely see more disruption of the supply chain because of this.

                               But one of the solutions, actually — Jim mentioned this earlier — that PSC is really focused on is looking at ways to transition our food system to a more regenerative agricultural system, meaning that farmers are working with the land in these age-old, proven ways to support the soil health, which ultimately makes the whole system more resilient to the changes that are ahead. And this type of farming can also create more of a carbon sink, sequestering more carbon in the soil, in the plants, which ultimately contributes to the solution.

Tom:                      Jim, does the industry have any data indicating that consumers are paying attention to companies that employ sustainable production methods? Is it having a market impact?

Jim:                         It sure is. It sure is. Some of these numbers that I’m gonna give you are from Packaged Facts, which is a great industry body that does surveys to all consumers. 87% of consumers are actively looking for products that reduce packaging waste, 82% of consumers are concerned with environmental footprint of pet products that they buy, 71% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products. And what’s really interesting is that Gen Z and millennials are the most concerned and most likely to make purchasing decisions around sustainable products, of any generation in history.

                               And this is turning into revenue for brands. So, brands that focus on sustainability have grown 7.1 times faster versus their conventional counterparts in the last five years. All of this combines to reduced costs for these brands, increased customer loyalty, and develops a more resilient supply chain.

                               And on top of all of that, not only is it better for the brands and their revenue, but we’re seeing these government regulations and laws that are coming out. In the EU, they’ve launched something called the CSRD, which requires brands to report on their carbon impact and have a plan to reducing their carbon footprint. In the U.S., the SEC just released rules in March of this year that any brand that’s over $75 million in revenue has to report on their carbon emissions. So, not only is it these bigger brands that have to report on it, but it also goes through the entire supply chain.

                               So, imagine that you’re a farmer or an ingredient supplier that is supplying one of these larger companies. The larger company’s requiring to understand the carbon footprint of your particular ingredient so that they can calculate their entire footprint. So it’s having ripple effects through the entire industry where it has been a wonderful thing from — we call it the carrot. The carrot of sustainability is that it increases customer loyalty. It should help grow your brand, increase revenue, increase velocity at store, but now there is more of a stick approach that is coming quickly that you’ll be required to have these initiatives in place. And so, it is a little bit of a plug for PSC, but we really exist to help brands navigate these waters so that we can help them identify what is not only beneficial for the environment, but sustainability doesn’t have to cost more. You actually can do a lot of measures that will not only be sustainable but reduce your cost as a business. So we like to find win-wins for our brands and then provide a roadmap toward more difficult sustainability measures going forward.

Tom:                      That generational data is really interesting. It really says something about the future, doesn’t it?

Jim:                         It sure does.

Tom:                      All right, that’s Jim Lamancusa, executive director of the Pet Sustainability Coalition. Thank you, Jim.

Jim:                         Appreciate being here.

Tom:                      Hannah Tirrell-Wysocki, Pet Sustainability Coalition accreditation manager. Thank you, Hannah.

Hannah:                  Thank you.

Tom:                      And Alltech’s North American companion animal sales manager, Kami Grandeen. Thank you so much, Kami.

Kami:                      Thanks, Tom.

Tom:                      And for AgFuture, I’m Tom Martin.

The following blog is a summary of the Ag Future podcast episode with Mark Hulsebus hosted by Tom Martin. Click below to hear the full audio or listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.

The US pork industry is undergoing dynamic shifts in response to various challenges and opportunities. In a recent podcast episode of Ag Future, Mark Hulsebus, sales and portfolio director of Alltech’s US Pork team, shared valuable insights into the current trends shaping the industry in 2024. Let's dive into the key takeaways from the discussion:

1. Production Outlook:

• Anticipated total commercial pork production in 2024 is approximately 28 billion pounds, reflecting a 2.4% increase from 2023.
• Despite challenges such as losses and economic instability, industry players are exploring opportunities for change and sustainable growth.

2. Domestic and Export Demand:

• Domestic consumption accounts for over 70% of pork production in the US, underscoring the importance of the domestic market.
• With inflationary pressures affecting consumers, there's potential for increased domestic demand, especially with high beef prices driving consumers towards alternative protein sources like pork.
• Additionally, declining pork production in Europe presents export opportunities for US producers to fill the gap in global demand.

3. Trade Dynamics and Policy Changes:

• Efforts to reduce trade barriers and tariffs remain crucial for expanding export markets and ensuring the competitiveness of US pork on the global stage.
• Continuous advocacy and collaboration among trade organizations, governments, and non-governmental entities are essential for navigating evolving trade dynamics.

4. Profitability and Efficiency:

• Prioritizing profitability over maximum production efficiency is key for sustainable success in the pork industry.
• Producers should focus on understanding their cost structures, locking in profits when opportunities arise, and embracing continuous improvement initiatives to drive long-term profitability.

5. Technological Innovations:

• Innovations such as Alltech's Triad™ technology offer promising solutions to enhance performance and productivity in the farrowing house.
• Feedback from users indicates positive outcomes in improving pigs weaned per sow, with careful planning and deployment.

6. Collaboration and Partnership Opportunities:

• Forging partnerships with industry players like Alltech can contribute to profitability through access to innovative technologies, expertise, and resources.
• Opportunities to connect with Alltech representatives are available through trade shows and industry events like World Pork Expo, and the Alltech website.

In conclusion, the US pork industry is navigating a complex landscape characterized by production challenges, shifting demand dynamics, and technological advancements. By embracing change, fostering collaboration, and prioritizing profitability, stakeholders can position themselves for success in 2024 and beyond.

I want to learn more about nutrition for my pig herd. 

In 2023, American pet owners are projected to invest a substantial $143.6 billion in the welfare of their beloved furry companions. Joining us in this episode of Ag Future are Kami Grandeen, companion animal sales manager for North America, and Dr. Richard Murphy, research director at the Alltech European Bioscience Center in Ireland. Together, they delve into the current trends in pet food, placing special emphasis on the growing focus on gut health. Discover how Alltech is at the forefront of addressing pets’ microbiomes with the recent launch of Microbuild™ in the U.S. market.

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

Tom:                      I’m Tom Martin. And today, we’re joined by Kami Grandeen, companion animal sales manager for North America. Welcome, Kami.

Kami:                      Thanks, Tom.

Tom:                      And Dr. Richard Murphy, research director at the Alltech European Bioscience Center in Dunboyne, Ireland. Thanks for joining us, Dr. Murphy. 

Richard:                  Hey, Tom, how are you?

Tom:                      And we’re here to delve into the dynamic world of the growing pet food market, and more specifically to explore Alltech’s latest offering, Microbuild. So, Kami, let me begin with you. With 66% of U.S. households embracing pet ownership and projected to spend a whopping $143.6 billion on their pets in 2023, there is clearly a lot of passion for our furry friends here. Can you shed some light on the trends that you are observing and what pet owners look for in their pet food? 

Kami:                      Yeah, you’re right. There is a lot of passion, a lot of opportunities, and just so many great options for pet food right now. Whether you’re looking at a fresh pet food, a freeze-dried pet food, or just a kibble that we’ve traditionally fed, there’s a lot of the opportunities out there to meet our pet’s needs nutritionally. So no matter what form pet owners are looking for, they’re reading the labels, and they want to understand why each ingredient is included in that particular formulation.

                               Each ingredient needs to serve a purpose, and it needs to have a function for the animal. So that function could be for skin and coat, for gut health, for joint health, for our senior pets to build immunity. And Microbuild really fits the trend of gut health. It’s a prebiotic, it’s backed by research, and it’s really proven to promote gut health in our pets and have an impact on their overall health.

Tom:                      You mentioned gut health. At what stage should a pet owner start considering a pet food or supplement that supports their digestive tract? 

Kami:                      A healthy gut is really the key to a healthy pet. So building a healthy gut ideally starts with our puppies and our kittens. Gut health and the microbiome really influences overall health and immunity. In fact, 70% of the pet’s immune system is in their gut. So that’s really the foundation needed for a healthy pet, is a healthy gut. So puppies and kittens grow pretty quickly. Their gut develops very quickly. So we want to really build that in and start them out right.

                               But, of course, we don’t always know our pet’s history. We may rescue a pet. We may adopt a pet. So feeding a food or a supplement that targets gut health for a newly adopted pet or a newly rescued pet can really make that transition into our home easier from a digestive health standpoint.

                               We can’t forget our adults or our senior pets, because as our pets age, the gut health kind of tends to change. And we really want to feed a food or a supplement that helps build and helps maintain that gut health to keep those pets happy and healthy into their golden years. But the key point, I think, about gut health is we don’t want to wait until our pets have a digestive upset or have a problem to start thinking about gut health. We really want to build that from the start, maintain that, and give them the best opportunity to thrive. 

Tom:                      Alltech recently announced Microbuild, an innovative prebiotic that nurtures the gut health and overall well-being of pets. Dr. Murphy, let’s start here. If you could describe for us the difference between a prebiotic and a postbiotic? 

Richard:                  When we think about prebiotics and we think about postbiotics, both are great for gut health, but they help in quite different ways, Tom. So when we think about prebiotics — and I like to think about prebiotics as a source of food for your gut’s healthy bacteria — at a basic level, these are carbohydrates or fiber that help good or beneficial bacteria grow in the gastrointestinal tract. And this makes our pet’s digestive system not only work better, but it also helps guard against bad bacteria becoming established and stops our pets getting sick.

                               And we’ve noted with Microbuild, for instance, that we can support the diversity of bacteria in the GI tract and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria. An added effect of prebiotics is their ability to stimulate the growth of bacteria that produce what are known as short-chain fatty acids. These are important metabolites or breakdown products in the GI tract that have good health-promoting benefits. Additionally, these short-chain fatty acids can help address gut inflammation and strengthen the gut’s defenses.

                               It’s important as well, I think, Tom, just to mention that there are many distinct different types of prebiotics. At Alltech, we work almost exclusively with a specific type, which we’ve isolated from baker’s yeast. This is known as mannan-enriched fraction. Mannan-enriched fraction actually has at its core mannose as a basic building block. So a simple sugar mannose is a basic building block, and that effectively is the “secret sauce,” if you like, in our product’s effectiveness. It helps create a very complex fiber that is really good at promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria.

                               When we look at probiotics, on the other hand, these are quite different. In fact, these are live microorganisms that are good for the digestive system. And again, there are different probiotics, including both live bacteria and yeast. These can have various health benefits. Most often, they’re sought to help restore the natural balance of bacteria in the gut when it has been disrupted by an illness or perhaps a medication or a treatment.

                               So really, there are quite distinct differences between prebiotics and probiotics, both helping in quite different ways. I prefer prebiotics, Tom, if I’m honest.

Tom:                      The science behind Microbuild is rooted in nutrigenomics. Dr. Murphy, if you could, for our listeners, explain nutrigenomics and how the science contributes to this product.

Richard:                  Nutrigenomics really is an extremely exciting area of science. It’s also quite broad in terms of what we actually study or what we can look at. At a basic level, what we’re really talking about is studying how dietary components and nutrients impact the expression of not just genes, but the proteins that are encoded by these genes and ultimately the metabolites that are produced or stimulated in the GI tract by the proteins. It really is a very large area of science that we’re talking about.

                               In terms of our gut health work in Alltech, for instance, we’ve looked at how our prebiotic mannan-enriched fraction interacts with the microbes in the gut and how that can minimize or that can help minimize the expression of genes and proteins that are associated with gut inflammation, for instance. By using Microbuild, we can perhaps aid in dampening down gut inflammation, help make the gut a healthier environment. So, really, it’s getting very, very exciting for us just in terms of the level of information we can generate and the areas that we can study in a very short and in a very quick period of time.

Tom:                      The promotion of better stool quality is highlighted as a benefit of Microbuild. Why is this crucial for overall pet health, and how can pet owners observe and assess improvements in their pets’ stool quality? 

Richard:                  When we think about it from our own health perspective, being regular, shall we say, it really is a good way of describing bowel habits or normal bowel function. And the type of stool or feces that’s produced will depend on the amount of time that it spends in the colon. From a health perspective, there are a number of types of stools, some of which can visually indicate problems such as constipation or diarrhea. And diet and gut health will obviously impact the type of stool that has passed.

                               We have found that with prebiotics such as Microbuild, we can aid in promoting stool quality. We’ve observed, for instance, that when the gut microflora is more diverse, that’s a property that Microbuild is noted for enhancing. That stool formation tends to become more optimal. Visually, we note better stool quality and much less or much reduced issues with diarrhea and constipation, for instance, Tom.

Tom:                      With the current emphasis on natural and functional ingredients in pet products, how does Microbuild align with the broader trends in the pet food industry?

Kami:                      Microbuild really fits into some of those trends, whether it’s natural, whether it’s sustainable, whether it’s functional. I just want to highlight the sustainability aspect of the pet industry. Really, sustainability is not a trend. It’s becoming a requirement. Pet owners are really seeking out sustainable ingredients. Alltech is on the forefront of sustainability in the pet industry and beyond through our Planet of Plenty™ initiative. We’ve also been accredited by the Pet Sustainability Coalition, and we’re making progress towards our sustainable development goals. So Microbuild may be a small part of the pet’s diet, but it really does fit in some of those trends — the sustainable, the natural, the functional trends. 

Tom:                      Kami, in terms of practicality, how versatile is Microbuild as a functional ingredient? Can it be easily integrated into various forms such as pet food, treats, supplements? 

Kami:                      Yeah. It’s a very versatile product that can be included in really any application, whether it’s a food, treat, supplement. It’s heat stable, shelf stable. It can be used across any application or any processing: kibble, raw, fresh, freeze-dried, any sort of supplement application, whether it’s a soft chew or a powder. Any treat that’s baked or extruded. It’s extremely easy to work with. It doesn’t lose any of its functional capabilities. It’s processed, and it doesn’t require any special equipment for application or refrigeration for storage. So it’s a really easy product to work with, and great results. 

Tom:                      If somebody listening to us wants to know more about Microbuild, maybe even purchase it, where can they go?

Kami:                      If you’d like to learn more about Microbuild, alltech.com/microbuild has a great wealth of information. You can also find any information about other Alltech pet ingredients at alltech.com under the pet nutrition tab, and you can sign up for our Pet Chat newsletter. If you have a specific question, you can always email pets@alltech.com with your question.

Tom:                      All right, that’s Kami Grandeen, companion animal sales manager for North America. Thank you so much, Kami.

Kami:                      Thank you.

Tom:                      And Dr. Richard Murphy, research director of the Alltech European Bioscience Center in Dunboyne, Ireland. Thank you for joining us, Dr. Murphy.

Richard:                  Thanks, Tom.

How are climate challenges shaping the future of Saudi Arabia’s dairy industry? Join Andrew Oddy, herds director at Al Safi Danone, as he shares insights on the Ag Future podcast from #AlltechONE Dubai. With over four decades of expertise, Andrew delves into the region’s progress and how feed efficiency, renewable energy and artificial intelligence are playing a major role in the future of dairy sustainability and profitability.

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

Tom:                       I’m Tom Martin, and joining me from the United Arab Emirates at the Alltech ONE World Tour stop in Dubai is Andrew Oddy, whose impressive career spans nearly four decades working with some of the world’s largest dairy farms in the Middle East and Africa, co-authoring published papers on heat stress, cow comfort, and milking in collaboration with Kansas State University and Arizona State University in the U.S. Today, Andrew serves as the herds director for the farming operations of Al Safi Danone, a leading dairy brand that has become a household name in Saudi Arabia. Welcome to the podcast, Andrew. 

Andrew:                  Thank you very much.

Tom:                       Your extensive career in the dairy industry is truly remarkable. And considering that wealth of experience, could you give us an overview of the major changes that you’ve witnessed in herd management throughout your nearly four-decade career? 

Andrew:                  Well, it’s not just the herd management, it’s the whole aspect of Saudi Arabia, because when I came to Saudi Arabia first, it was 1982. And there were very little structures in Riyadh and especially Al Kharj. So the dairy industry in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia at that time, nobody really knew what the aspects were, what the challenges were, and it was a very steep learning curve that we went through to develop cow comfort to the extent that we have developed it now. And even now, we’re still learning new techniques, new ways of doing things. So it is a challenge all the time, and it’s a learning curve for everybody in the industry in the Gulf region at the present time.

Tom:                       As the dairy industry in the UAE experiences significant growth, what are some key differences in running a dairy operation in the UAE compared to more established dairy regions like the United States or Ireland? 

Andrew:                  The dairy industry only really started in the Middle East around the 1975 era. So dairy farming in the West, in the United States and Europe, has been developed for many hundred years. So we were learning really from Stage 1, the heat is a big factor for us in Saudi Arabia. And over the last three years, we have been experiencing high humidity due to the changing climate as well. And humidity is really a killer compared to the heat. The dry heat everybody can handle. But when you get dry heat and humidity with temperature THI of around about 90 to 100, then it is really hot. 

Tom:                       Well, with COP28, the 28th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, now underway in Dubai, and the global push for emissions reduction outlined in the Paris Agreement, how has the dairy industry evolved to contribute to the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees?

Andrew:                  This year, we’ve experienced a 2°C increase in temperature over the June, July, August, September period. As I said, the dry heat is something we can cope with, but the dairy industry itself in the Middle East is moving to give a good carbon footprint reduction in the area. Like with Al Safi, we’re looking at biogas solutions. We’re looking at solar panels to reduce the use of fossil fuels. There are also ways that we’re looking at controlling the cows to reduce their emittance as well. So everybody is working really hard now in the dairy industry in the Middle East to achieve the goals that have been set upon us. I mean, I work for Al Safi Danone. Danone made a statement that in six years’ time, they want to reduce the carbon emissions by at least 30% in all their enterprises. 

Tom:                       These sustainability efforts vary across regions. What specific challenges do you encounter in your role at Al Safi Danone, and what technologies are being implemented to address these challenges in the pursuit of sustainability and efficiency as well? 

Andrew:                  All our cattle is genomically tested to find out exactly what the potentials are. There’s also a new test that is coming through on the genomics now where we can test through the tissues how much methane is going to be emitted from the cows and which are the superior cows which will emit waste methane, to come into the dairy herd and try and reduce this.

                               We’re using different technologies. There’s some feed now that is on the market which can give up to a 30% reduction in remittance as well. 

Tom:                       While sustainability is a crucial focus, profitability remains essential. Can you shed light on the role that feed efficiency plays in ensuring the profitability of dairy operations, considering the various sustainability practices in place?

Andrew:                  Over the last four years, we’ve reduced our feed wastage by nearly 4%. If you take the American average of 10%, we’re between 5% and 6% at the present time. And we still have a ways to go where we can reduce it more if the conditions are right.

Tom:                       Artificial intelligence is permeating various industries. How has AI found its way onto the dairy farm, and in what ways is it impacting or optimizing operations within Al Safi Danone?

Andrew:                  We have some new technology, which is, we’re the only dairy farm in the world outside the U.S. which is using this technology at the moment, which is a camera ID system. It used to be called Compass. Now it’s got a new name, Evergreen. And we have it set up in one unit, and it’s doing facial ID and number ID of the cattle that it’s monitoring. And this is a new way of looking at how management can improve and come and get the best out of this system. So this system at the moment is very new. It’s still in development, but it tells us the feeding times of the cows, when the operator will feed, when he pushes up the feed, if there is any empty space on the bunk that needs to have additional feed. This is all done through the camera system.

                               In the future, it will give us a lot more help on animal welfare and health. It will be able to monitor or inform us of cows, sick cows, cows that are going to calve. And the latest piece of technology coming out of this is that within 24 hours of the cow coming to estrus, we’ll have information, and we can nail that cow and get her in calf hopefully very quickly and improve our conception and fertility.

Tom:                       This sounds very interesting. Perhaps we can circle back around later in the year and find out how things have gone with this technology. 

Andrew:                  Yes, we can. No problem. 

Tom:                       Andrew Oddy, herds director at Al Safi Danone in Saudi Arabia. Thank you so much, Andrew. 

Andrew:                  You are welcome. Thank you. Take care. 

How do you cook the perfect Thanksgiving turkey? Dr. Roy Brister, strategic poultry advisor at Alltech, joins the Ag Future podcast to discuss his journey in the poultry industry, upcoming trends for 2024 and his top tip for achieving turkey perfection.

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

Tom:                      I’m Tom Martin, and joining us today is Dr. Roy Brister, a strategic poultry advisor for Alltech. Dr. Brister joined Alltech at the start of 2023 following an extensive career at Tyson Foods. Dr. Brister, thank you for joining us.

Roy:                        Thank you for the invitation.

Tom:                      Your background in the poultry industry is truly impressive. I wonder if you could provide our listeners with some insights into your journey and what initially sparked your interest in this industry.

Roy:                        It’s been a good ride. I grew up in a family that was always involved in agriculture. We didn’t have any land ourselves, but we always worked for people that had land and animals. And at a young age, I thought I wanted to become a veterinarian. And so, I always loved agriculture and wanted to be a part of agriculture and help feed the world. I went to school to become a veterinarian, got an ag ed degree, and wasn’t able to get into vet school. And I had a younger brother that happened to be on a 4H poultry judging team and got a scholarship to Texas A&M in poultry science. And after watching him, he had a lot of opportunities being offered to him as an undergraduate student.

                               So when I finished my ag ed degree, I thought, I’m gonna try this poultry thing. And I always loved nutrition and was able to get into the poultry science department, work on a master’s and Ph.D. in poultry nutrition, and with that got out of school and worked for a company called Diamond Shamrock for four years before getting into the poultry industry. It’s been a good trip, and I’m thankful for a little brother that sort of showed me the light of the poultry industry.

Tom:                      Well, it’s very clear that you had a front row seat to the substantial growth of the poultry industry, especially in the broiler segment, throughout your career. From your unique perspective, what key factors do you think have been the driving forces behind this success?

Roy:                        I think there’s many reasons. If you look just at the genetic progress that the industry has made, improvements in housing, biosecurity, nutrition, and of course chicken being a great product, people love to eat chicken, it’s eaten all over the world, it’s economical, it’s nutritious, and I think all those things together have continued to see the growth.

                               And I was just reading some articles. It appears that it will continue to see growth on into the next decade. It will be the fastest-growing meat consumed. And with that, it will bring a lot of opportunities for the industry itself, but an opportunity to help feed the world a sustainable, nutritious source of protein.

Tom:                      Well, having spent a large amount of your career making impactful nutrition and business decisions for a big poultry producer, how does it feel to now work within the allied industry sector? Are there any differences you’d like to touch on and talk about?

Roy:                        Well, I think it’s been great to see both sides, to have sat on both sides of the desk a little bit. There’s a lot of opportunity in the allied side to bring new technologies. When I was sitting in the production side of it, we were working every day to try to improve what we were doing, but the allied industry has some opportunities to actually do the research and bring those things forward to production companies. So, I think it’s exciting what we can do and what we will probably doing in the future. I think we sort of help lead and guide and direct some of the production companies and help solve the problems they run into each and every day. 

Tom:                      Having taken the role of a strategic poultry advisor at Alltech earlier this year, as we look ahead to 2024, what advice would you offer to poultry producers as they get ready for the upcoming year? 

Roy:                        Well, I think 2024 is going to be a tough year for agriculture in general. Tough times do not last, but tough people do. So, just try to partner with companies such as an Alltech. They can help you make it through these difficult times. Use them as part of your technical team. That’s what I did at Tyson Foods: tried to find companies that could be a part of my technical team, that I could call on in difficult times to help provide answers to things I didn’t have time to work towards. And I think we have so many good companies out there, Alltech being one of them, that I would partner with those companies to help make it through the difficult times and look forward to the next times of growth and prosperity in the industry. 

Tom:                      Well, Dr. Brister, feeling lucky here because of the time of year, we can’t pass up the opportunity to ask you, of all people: What would be your top advice for cooking the perfect Thanksgiving turkey? 

Roy:                        My top advice would be to pull out the smoker, get the Traeger cranked up, put your turkey on there. There’s nothing better than a great smoked turkey. Turkey is such a versatile product. You can stick it in the oven, you can deep-fry it, but I think you can’t go wrong with smoking it. Invite your family and friends and just celebrate the time of thankfulness that we’ve been blessed with in this industry.

Tom:                      All right. That sounds wonderful. Roy Brister, strategic poultry advisor for Alltech. Thanks for the conversation. 

Roy:                        Thank you very much yourself. 

Tom:                      I’m Tom Martin, and thanks for listening.

If left unchecked, the potential global impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could result in a tenfold increase in AMR-associated human deaths by 2050. On this episode of the Ag Future podcast, Dr. Jules Taylor-Pickard, director of gut health at Alltech, discusses the primary contributors to AMR — including factors such as antimicrobial misuse in humans and animals, as well as the influence of climate change on animal health. Dr. Taylor-Pickard also explores optimal gut-health strategies that producers can adopt to enhance the resilience of animals to infectious and non-infectious stresses, ultimately reducing their reliance on antibiotics.

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

Tom Martin:           I’m Tom Martin.

And for this episode of Ag Future, we’re joined by Dr. Jules Taylor-Pickard, director of (the) Alltech gut health management (platform).

                               Welcome, Jules.

Jules Taylor-Pickard:         Thank you. I’m delighted to be here.

Tom Martin:           So, let’s — let’s just dig right into AMR. What are the main drivers of antimicrobial resistance in animals?

Jules Taylor-Pickard:         The main driver is — there’s a lot of different drivers, actually. But some of the main ones include the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials, both in animals and humans, but also poor husbandry and management, inadequate nutrition, poor biosecurity practices, but also poor infection (mitigation), together with disease prevention and control, in both human health care facilities and farms.

But there’s also a lot to do around awareness and knowledge and enforcement of legislation. So, there’s lots of steps that can be taken, at all levels of society, to reduce the impact and limit the spread of resistance.

Tom Martin:           We’re looking at all of the effects of climate change in so many walks of life, and I’m wondering if it affects this one. Is climate change affecting antimicrobial resistance in animals?

Jules Taylor-Pickard:         Climate change has an impact by creating more environmental stress for animals, such as heat stress, drought, floods and wildfires — which, of course, we’re seeing an awful lot (of) in the present. And this can result in a weakened immune system (for) both animals and humans and can make them most susceptible to infections and less responsive to antibiotics.

                               But what’s also interesting (is that) there’s research that showed that increase in temperatures can increase both the rate of bacterial growth and the rate of spread of antibiotic-resistant genes between microorganisms.

                               And the increased use — and, sometimes, the misuse — of antimicrobials and other microbial stresses, such as pollution, could also create favorable conditions for microorganisms to develop resistance in animals and humans, but also in the surrounding environment.

                               So, for example, bacteria in water, soil and air can acquire resistance following contact with resistant microorganisms.

Tom Martin:           We’ve been seeing a lot of heat extremes this summer. Have you heard of any effects from that?

Jules Taylor-Pickard:         Not directly yet, but I don’t think people are specifically looking at it.

But one good example is if we look at colistin, which has been bound as an antibiotic. When they first discovered resistance (to it) — which was in a pig farm in China that was using it quite extensively — it wasn’t really found anywhere else, but within a year, it was found globally. And they put that down to the wild birds and the migration, which, I think, we can resonate with avian influenza at the minute — you know, (with) the migratory birds, of course, avian influenza (is able) to move around the world at much faster rate than we’ve ever experienced before.

Tom Martin:           You mentioned that AMR reduction efforts prioritize strengthening the intestinal barrier and gut health strategies. And first, if you would, tell us about the challenges to improving animal gut health.

Jules Taylor-Pickard:         Gut health is really fundamental — optimal gut health is really fundamental — to the whole functionality of the animal. So, it’s the gateway to optimal nutritional health, if you like.

                               So, good or optimal gut health increases the resilience of animals to infectious and non-infectious stresses, and that in itself reduces the requirement to use antibiotics. If you can reduce the requirement, then that will have an impact on antimicrobial resistance.

                               But, as well, some of the work we’ve been doing (shows that) optimal gut health is also critical for optimal and cost-effective productivity. So, we know, for example, that 70% of the immune system is associated with the gut, so it’s logical that, if we can keep gut health in check, then we can reduce antibiotic use.

                               And it’s also important to ensure that our animals have the immune competence to handle any insults or disease that may come along, and that’s all related to gut health.

Tom Martin:           What are some important opportunities for improving animal gut health?

Jules Taylor-Pickard:         Actually, there’s lots of opportunities — it’s a really exciting area to work in.

So, here at Alltech, we’ve researched nutritional strategies to improve gut health extensively. So, for example, we know that one of our technologies, Actigen, can improve the integrity of tight junctions in the gut, which give us better intestinal barrier function. So, if we have better intestinal barrier function, we can help to prevent pathogenic bacteria from actually entering the animal’s system and also making them sick.

                               And we also know that the main multiplication of resistant bacteria are in the gut, which acts as a reservoir for these resistant bacteria and resistant genes. Again, this highlights the importance of good gut health.

                               But I think it’s also important to remember that antibiotics only affect the microbiota. So, if an animal experiences a combination of heat stress, for example, together with an impairment to barrier function, classical antibiotics aren’t effective, as they don’t have any anti-inflammatory effects; they just deal with the bugs and don’t have any impacts on the gut level.

                               So, if we’re trying to approach antimicrobial resistance (and) antibiotic use via gut health, this strategy deals with the intestinal barrier as well as the pathogens.

Tom Martin:           Are there economic and social consequences — and I realize that the two often intersect — but are there economic and social consequences from failing to take action against AMR?

Jules Taylor-Pickard:         Absolutely. So, The Lancet put this to report in 2019. And in that report, they quoted that 5 million human deaths were associated with bacterial antimicrobial resistance. And 1.3 million deaths are directly attributed to bacterial antimicrobial resistance.

                               And they also, in that report, stated that if we don’t do anything, if it’s left unchecked, these numbers are projected to amplify ten times by 2050. That’s ten times by 2050.

                               And they also went on to say that we should expect AMR, which is quite logical, to impact lower-income or less-developed countries to an even greater extent — especially those with poor infection control and prevention measures and inadequate nutrition, for example.

Tom Martin:           Well, how would you suggest we raise awareness and, maybe more importantly, change behavior amongst stakeholders in animal health — and would that call for different approaches in different regions?

Jules Taylor-Pickard:         Yeah, I think so. I think it’s not a one-size-fits-all. So, in terms of raising awareness, I think it’s about education — and education of everyone. And we need to try and bring people with us on this journey.

                               So, for me, first of all, you need to create awareness of the issue, and then, once you’ve got that awareness, then we need to build the desire to do something about it. And then, finally, (we need to create) the call to action and make people realize that we can all do our piece. It’s not just an agricultural issue; we can do a lot from our side, from the human side.

                               You mentioned regional differences. (There can be) massive differences, because if you think about some parts of the world, they have limited access to clean water; they don’t have enough food to feed their families. So, our strategies have to be adapted for what’s realistic and what they can achieve.

So, in those circumstances, we can work with producers to help them to understand how they can raise their animals in the best possible way to keep them healthy — whereas, obviously, in the more developed regions of the world, the fundamentals are the same, but we have more access to alternative feeding strategies, for example, using different genetics that may be more resilient, precision nutrition, better hygiene and biosecurity, health plans, etc., to help us.

And that’s something that we’ve been doing, is making sure that we do have a different approach that is appropriate to the conditions in different parts of the world.

Tom Martin:           Who would you say are the key actors or influencers in promoting alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in reducing antibiotic use in animal health? Who should be driving this conversation?

Jules Taylor-Pickard:         Again, I think everybody has a role to play. It’s not just an agricultural issue; society in general can have a really active role.

                               So, for example, if we consider some of those main drivers of antimicrobial resistance, which we discussed earlier — including the use and misuse of antimicrobials for infection and disease prevention and control on farms — all stakeholders can help. And that’s something that we’ve been doing: trying to work with everybody across the chain.

                               But it’s interesting. The EU Public Health Alliance, in 2022, published four overarching policies and targets to combat AMR. And they were to reduce the levels of antibiotic use on-farm, (which) makes sense; trying to only use antibiotics for individual treatments — so, rather than treating the whole group of animals, just try to treat those that are specifically sick. Because obviously, if our animals are sick, we do need to treat them, because that’s a welfare issue.

                               But also, making better use of data — making sure that we’re recording, quite accurately, antibiotic-use data collected by species and farming system — so that we can really understand what’s happening in terms of, “Is it the antibiotic use on a specific farm or is it some of this environmental resistance that we’re picking up?”

                               And then, really looking at having restrictions on some of those highest-priority, critically important antibiotics for both humans and animals to make sure that we’re using the most appropriate antibiotics in the most appropriate circumstances.

Tom Martin:           Are there some general practices and recommendations that you would offer for improving animal health, welfare and environmental sustainability, for that matter?

Jules Taylor-Pickard:         Yeah. So, as I’ve said, we need to take a holistic approach to animal production. There are lots of alternatives that can promote health and prevent disease.

                               So, in terms of the general practices, we’re talking about precision feeding — so altering the nutrition and the diets to match the critical phases of life. So, for example, the neonatal period or the transition period or, for example, when birds stress at peak lay.

Quite often, water is overlooked, and we don’t think about the sanitation of the water. (Other factors include) farming management, biosecurity, hygiene. I mentioned genetics earlier in terms of having more resilient breeds. Vaccination programs have a huge part to play, together with working with the veterinarians and the nutritionists.

And, of course, nutritional alternatives; I touched on Actigen earlier. That’s been demonstrated to positively impact gut health, reduce antibiotic use, improve food safety — because you’re reducing some of those pathogens — and reduce the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance.

Tom Martin:           All right. That’s Dr. Jules Taylor-Pickard, director of Alltech gut health management.

                               Thank you so much for joining us, Dr. Taylor-Pickard.

Jules Taylor-Pickard:         That’s great. And thank you very much for having me.

Tom Martin:           And for Ag Future, I’m Tom Martin.

Gain insights into the crucial role of transparency, compliance, and sustainability in the food supply chain — as Ruud Overbeek, senior vice president for corporate development and strategic relationships at FoodChain ID, shares strategies for fostering sustainable growth in the Ag Future podcast.

The following blog is a summary of the Ag Future podcast episode with Ruud Overbeek hosted by Tom Martin. Click below to hear the full audio or listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.

Tom Martin:           I’m Tom Martin. And joining us from Houston, Texas, is Dr. Ruud Overbeek, senior vice president of corporate development and strategic relationships at FoodChain ID.

                               Dr. Overbeek is responsible for FoodChain ID’s strategic growth through mergers and acquisitions as well as maintaining the foundational relationships with FoodChain ID’s key customers and partners.

                               Welcome to AgFuture, Dr. Overbeek.

Dr. Ruud Overbeek: Thank you and good morning.

Tom Martin:           First, would you tell us a little bit about FoodChain ID?

Dr. Ruud Overbeek: Our mission statement at FoodChain ID is that we make it easier for companies to make their products in the food chain transparent, compliant and safe.

                               Transparency obviously means many things, and that includes topics like sustainability, but also what is in it and how it actually gets to the consumer ultimately in a safe and transparent manner.

Tom Martin:           So, am I right that basically you help a company move its product or the manufacturing process through the regulatory structure?

Dr. Ruud Overbeek: That’s just one of the many things. We actually help companies from many different things — really, I would almost say, from the farm to the fork. That’s probably the best description that you can have.

Tom Martin:           Okay.

Dr. Ruud Overbeek: Or from the seeds to the supper.

                               Along the supply chain, we help companies to make their products safe, compliant and transparent, so that they can bring it to the next tier in the supply chain, ensuring that they can actually then market their respective products.

                               And we support multiple activities. For example, we support product developments, we support food safety. Regulatory compliance is just one of those, but also product certifications and testing.

Tom Martin:           I see. Okay.

                               The theme of Alltech’s ONE Dublin event covers current challenges for the agricultural industry, and those include the need to address climate change.

                               How is FoodChain ID offering your food and feed customers ways to respond to the need to measure CO₂ emissions?

Dr. Ruud Overbeek: Actually, that’s in the foundation of our company. We have been involved with many aspects of sustainability from the beginning of the company. We were the inventor of the first PCR-based test to identify the difference between GMO and non-GMO crops. So it is in the foundation of our company, and it’s something that we have done since 1996, from the start.

                               We actually are involved in many different initiatives to ensure the sustainable production and sustainable growth of everything that is in the food supply chain, from farm to fork, as I’ve said before.

Tom Martin:           We all see the promises that companies are making on CO₂ reduction in their supply chains. We also see the brand damage that occurs when practices fail to live up to those promises.

                               What’s your perspective on how the industry can document progress and not overpromise?

Dr. Ruud Overbeek: That’s very interesting. I mean, you see already the first challenges of brands and companies that actually have made promises on the way of improving the sustainable footprint.

                               What we as a company do is, we help independently as a third party or as a second party to verify that the claims that are made are in effect correct, meet the requirements, meet the standards.

                               So we actually support companies. We go into the fields, support the verification — whether it’s on-farm or within the company — of any of the claims that they want to make to further their interests.

Tom Martin:           Sustainability is of course important to farmers in their role as stewards of their land. How can a farmer who is already practicing certain sustainable practices benefit from working with a company like FoodChain ID?

Dr. Ruud Overbeek: As a company, we officially work from the farm to fork, I’ve said that before. But a lot of companies — I would say sustainability has three aspects.

The first one is people, making sure that there are proper social aspects of sustainability, that the farmer has a way to make money.

                               The second one is planet, which is what we’re all about. I have kids, and that is why I am so interested in sustainability. I want to make sure that my kids actually have a sustainable future themselves and their kids will have a sustainable future.

                               And then, finally, there is the P for profit. Good business will make good practice. And what we can do is, if a farmer has a sustainable practice already but they’re not benefiting from that, we can help them to find a way to benefit from that. For example, making claims in the products that increase the value of their products, or ensuring that the claims that they can make will carry forward in the supply chain, so that, for example, a retailer can make a claim that they’re working with a sustainable farmer, so that they can obtain more money from the products, so that ultimately the farmer gets more benefits from it.

                               At the end, you know, a sustainable future involves all parties in the supply chain, and it involves, ultimately, that we do the right thing.

Tom Martin:           How is FoodChain ID working to keep the feed and food supply chain safe and transparent?

Dr. Ruud Overbeek: We are working already with a lot of industry private partnership, where we are involved as an independent verifier, and I can give you a couple of examples.

                               We work, for example, with the ProTerra Foundation, which is a not-for-profit organization that advances and promotes sustainability at all levels of the feed and food production system. They are committed to food transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain. And they are concerned for corporate and social responsibility and potential detrimental impact on ecosystems and biodiversity.

                               We are in that initiative, we are the independent third-party certifier, which is obviously central to the ProTerra Foundation’s mission that helps to bring together stakeholders from all parts of the supply chain.

ProTerra certification ensures that high-quality supplies of crops, food and feed that are independently certified as non-GMO and produced with improved sustainability are available in the market. That’s just one example.

                               We’re also active in other activities. For example, we’re currently working on ESG initiatives within the Brazilian soy industry, where there’s a multi-stakeholder consortium created to develop a program assessing compliance to the EU regulations on deforestation-free supply chains.

And there, the benefit for the farmers is making sure that there is a carbon credit system, that there is a proper carbon measurement technology and traceability, and that we can provide the assessments, combined with other sustainability standards like the ProTerra Foundation, for example, or the non-GMO product verification that the farmers and all of the stakeholders in that multi-stakeholder involvement can benefit.

Tom Martin:           We know that FoodChain ID is a big advocate of partnerships. I wonder if you could give us some examples of how your partnerships have advanced sustainable food production.

Dr. Ruud Overbeek: Yeah. So, the two ones that I already mentioned, the ProTerra Foundation is in food and feed, obviously, and then, soy is used in all kinds of products in the food and feed supply chain.

                               The one that is probably the most prevalent in our company is because we were at the technological birth of the ability to verify non-GMO versus GMO crops, which is actually the Non-GMO Project. And we partnered from the beginning with the Non-GMO Project, which is — you’re in the U.S., so you understand the butterfly is the representation of the Non-GMO Project on the foods that we buy.

                               As we said, we actually invented the testing methodology to identify between GMO and non-GMO products. And the Non-GMO Project, which we have collaborated with from the beginning, is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization offering product education and trustworthy education empowering people to take care of themselves, the planet and future generations.

                               And the intent there was that everyone has the right to know what is in their food and the surest access to non-GMO choices. We have been involved from the beginning in partnering with them in helping them to set the standards, and we continue to do so, ensuring that the consumers have access to these non-GMO choices.

                               And we verify many products that are in the market for Non-GMO Project verification. And that leads to the seal, the butterfly seal, that people see on their brands or on any food that they eat.

Tom Martin:           I’m wondering about the lessons that emerged from these arrangements. In other words, what have you learned about successful partnerships that might help Alltech and our clients?

Dr. Ruud Overbeek: What we’ve learned is that ultimately it has to be multi-stakeholder interest. At the end, it has to make sense for the farmer to do the right thing to improve their way of existence, you know, the profitability on the farm, the making sure that they make the right products that are the right choices for the planet. That is something that all of the stakeholders have to keep in mind. It has to make sense for everyone, and it has to make sense for the planet.

                               And so what is important is that it is not just an initiative, but the results or verification of what is going on is actually meeting the intents of the initiatives. For example, in the case of Alltech, the Planet of Plenty™ is a clear initiative, it is a great initiative, but what is very important is that independent verification ensures that every stakeholder is doing what is right and in accordance with the requirements that have been set by all.

                               That actually provides security, certainty for all of the stakeholders involved, but also ultimately for the consumer that consumes the final products.

Tom Martin:           What key current trends in food supply and logistics are you keeping an eye on right now?

Dr. Ruud Overbeek: For us, one of the things that is more important is actually the topic of transparency. Consumers really care more about what they eat, whether it’s healthy for them, whether it makes sense for the planet, so whether it’s the right choice to be made in addition to price. But consumers are willing to pay for things that make sense, you know.

That means that in the supply chain, there has to be more and more transparency. So: more verification, information, data, etc., that exchange between the different actors in the supply chain.

And we continue to transform the industry with products that make it more efficient to connect and use external and internal data. And these data-driven solutions, which will help our customers manage their portfolio of products throughout the life cycles to ensure that they remain compliant, transparent and safe.

Tom Martin:           All right. That’s Dr. Ruud Overbeek, senior vice president of corporate development and strategic relationships at FoodChain ID.

                               Thank you so much.

Dr. Ruud Overbeek: Thank you very much.

Tom Martin:           And for AgFuture, I’m Tom Martin.

The following blog is a summary of the Ag Future podcast episode with Muzaffar Yunusov hosted by Tom Martin. Click below to hear the full audio or listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.

To explore strategies for success in 2023 for the dairy industry, we invited Muzaffar Yunusov, lead of key account management at the IFCN Dairy Research Network, to speak at Alltech ONE Budapest.

Globally, almost 970 million tons of milk was produced in 2022, 55% of it processed for further dairy commodity production. The other 45% is “informal market,” which means consumed by households or sold to traders. During the past 10 years, milk production has grown 2% annually, Yunusov said.

Milk consumption is also on the rise. The average person consumes 123 kilograms of milk per year. In richer economies, the average is 300 kilograms, he said.

From the economics of dairy farming to the labeling dilemma of alternatives to cow milk, here are six trends dairy producers should keep an eye on right now:

1. The impact of macroeconomic developments on the industry

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries with slowed GDP growth experienced high inflation rates, leading to a decline in global purchasing power that also affected the dairy sector. 

These fluctuating macroeconomic trends have had implications for farmgate milk prices, which are weighted averages of cheese and butter, skim milk powder, whole milk powder, and whey. A price increase of 30% to 60% was observed during 2021 and 2022, creating a mixed outlook for the industry.

Additionally, the Russian invasion of Ukraine emphasized the necessity for strategic adjustments in macroeconomic policies, especially in a globally integrated industry like dairy. 

2. The influence of inflation on milk pricing

From 2017 to 2020, the average farmgate milk price stood at around US$40 for 100 kg of milk. However, as demand surged in 2020, the milk price underwent a significant surge as well, reaching an all-time high in mid-2022. Consumers found it challenging to sustain their purchasing power, and this ultimately led to a decline in milk prices.

“If you are trading a lot in the global market, it means that your national farmgate milk prices are also declining quicker if you are not in this global trade,” Yunusov commented on the role of global trade in shaping national farmgate milk prices. “You may have this downgrading effect after eight to nine months.” 

These intricate dynamics highlight the complex relationship between inflation, demand and affordability, all of which hold substantial implications for the dairy industry and its stakeholders.

3. High input costs and their effect on investments

Yunusov highlighted the shock situation triggered by factors such as increased energy and fertilizer costs, along with supply chain disruptions, which have led to higher farm input expenses. This escalation in costs, coupled with a temporary reduction in milk production in several net exporting countries, has imposed significant pressure on farmers. 

It is important to reassess margin calculations, considering not only feed costs but also energy and fertilizer expenses. Results of such assessments have revealed that farmers' margins have been strained due to these elevated input costs. While many farms were able to generate satisfactory profits through efficiency and good management, smaller-scale farms with lower efficiency faced the risk of profit losses. 

4. Food insecurity and unmet demand

According to Yunusov:

• One billion people are living in net exporting countries of dairy.
• Three billion people are living in net importing areas of dairy.
• Four billion people cannot afford to buy dairy.

For example, in Western Europe, people consume one liter of milk per day on average, whereas in China that number is less than one glass of milk per day.

When considering the future of net exporting countries, we must consider the unintended consequences faced by those unable to afford dairy products. Addressing the decline in affordability, and effectively tackling food insecurity, are emerging as critical tasks within the dairy industry.

IFCN predicts that by 2030, over 14% more milk will be produced and consumed, Yunusov said — reaching about 1.1 billion tons. Milk production will grow mainly outside the current top exporting countries, he said, and unsatisfied demand is expected to increase.

5. Enhancing efficiency through strategic actions

A key efficiency indicator highlighted by Yunusov was milk yield per cow, and he emphasized the need to adapt farming systems to suit the specific requirements of different countries and regions. 

In low-income countries with small-scale farming operations and a limited number of cows, improving efficiency in feeding becomes crucial not only for providing nutrition to families but also for generating an income source.

Conversely, high-income countries with larger economies of scale need larger herd sizes and advanced farming systems to optimize efficiency.

“Optimization and robotization are extremely important, because at the end, once you have this high-income situation in the neighborhood, you definitely automatically will have an issue of this labor shortage,” Yunusov said.

6. Labeling dilemma: Nut- and plant-based milks in the dairy industry

Yunusov contended that non-dairy liquids, like soy milk, should not be bestowed with the term “milk,” as they do not originate from mammals. Notably, legislation in Europe has already implemented restrictions on the usage of terms such as “soya milk,” mandating designations such as “soya drink” instead. 

Yunusov noted the significance of offering consumers, particularly the younger generation, an accurate perspective by educating them about the nutritional merits of dairy products.

“Dairy alternatives are there, but we should not forget that the dairy business has a tremendous opportunity to grow,” he said. “It's important to review all of your strategies until 2030, because we are in a fast-changing world. You need to learn fast; you need to adapt fast.”

Related ONE content

Alltech ONE Budapest explored the strategies for remaining resilient amid the significant challenges facing our industry. It offered captivating insights from industry experts on topics of production efficiency, risk management, the power of data, and partnerships — all through the lens of sustainability.

Explore our other content, including photos and videos, from Alltech ONE Budapest at one.alltech.com/Budapest and the links below.

Opening keynote: Turning agricultural challenges into global opportunities

Blog: Harnessing data for sustainable profitability in agriculture

Podcast: Sustainability in the poultry business

Can egg production be both sustainable and profitable? Graham Atkinson, agricultural sustainability manager at Noble Foods, joins the Ag Future podcast to explore this fascinating question. Discover how Noble Foods is leading the way in sustainable practices by reducing food loss, transitioning to cage-free production and enhancing water quality — all while maintaining profitability. Explore the pivotal role of Noble Foods' partnership with Alltech's Planet of Plenty™ program in driving these innovative practices and the transformative power of collaboration.

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

Tom:                      I'm Tom Martin, and joining us is Graham Atkinson, agriculture director for Noble Foods, a Planet of Plenty^TM partner producing about 60 million eggs annually. Graham, we want to talk with you about the word "sustainability" and actually putting sustainability into practice. And we would also like to get your insights about British poultry business strategies. But first, though, some background for our listeners who might not be aware of Noble Foods' history in the egg business. What can you tell us about that?

Graham:                  Well, hi, Tom. Firstly, thanks for inviting me along. Noble Foods has a fair heritage across here in the U.K., in the egg industry. It started back in the 1920s, so (we have) over 100 years of pedigree. (It’s) a family-owned business (and is) still owned by the same family who started that all that time ago.

                               We are focused on eggs. We are a vertically integrated business. So, we go right from the day-old chick on our company-owned rearing farms through to company-owned or contracted producer farms — some 240 contractor producer farms across the U.K. We have a milling business unit supplying feed into both of those facets. And then we have two egg-packing centers across here in the U.K. as well.

                               We have a dedicated logistics business from the perspective of both the collection and delivery of eggs to our retail partners. And we also have a hen processing facility. And equally, we deal with both shell egg — so, in part, on the retail shelf — but also, we deal with egg from a liquid and boiled perspective as well.

Tom:                      Okay. The term "sustainability" — we hear it so much these days, but take us back to basics, if you would, Graham. How do you define it? 

Graham:                  Oh, where to begin on that one? That's a great question, Tom. I think, for me, personally, there are three pillars to it. And I think, also, I would reiterate (that) you're quite correct. We hear the word "sustainability" so often nowadays, and rightly so, but I do worry sometimes whether that's a little bit misinterpreted or treated quite lightly.

                               For me, (there are) three pillars to that one. One is the planet, because clearly, sustainability means everything towards the welfare, the future and the prosperity of our planet. But to enable us to get anywhere with this sustainability journey that we must collectively go on, I feel that the people are (also) a huge part of this. If we just look at our business here at Noble Foods through that supply chain — this is about engaging people into this sustainability project, if you like, right the way through that supply chain. So, getting everybody energized around the good that we can do.

                               But equally, we can't walk away from the fact that we have to think about this being profitable as well. So, again, within our supply chain, we must consider that when we're working with what is predominantly a contracted producer base — so, independent, predominantly family-owned farms and businesses — we do need to consider that any of the practices that we're trying to explore or put in place must retain profitability for their business.

                               So, they would be the three main facets of it for me: planet, people, and profit. 

Tom:                      You've set some pretty ambitious sustainability goals there at Noble Foods. I think making efforts to meet those challenges is the main company driver. And you've been tasked, Graham, with making that happen. Tell us about those goals.

Graham:                  We're certainly trying to do the right things within the agricultural facet. And look, it's much wider than that. It's at a group level, but at a group level for our business. If we look at carbon reduction, it has been one of those areas that we're focused on. But two of the things that really touch, from an agricultural perspective, (at the core of our business are) sustainable agriculture and operations and raw material sustainability.

                               So, we've embarked on a number of projects, really, to look at that.  And I suppose, to highlight a couple, if we look at encompassing two of those areas — so, agriculturally and raw material supply — soya is obviously a rather large and somewhat contentious issue. So, we've embarked down the route of development of soya-free rations, and we've trialed that. So, we've done that firsthand with our contract producer base.

                               We took that on as a full flock trial, so (we were) taking those birds right through to end of life at 76 weeks. And we had a trial and control flock running. Our thrust of that, really, was replacement protein through sunflower and, then, extruded field beans. (It was) quite a successful trial. That was version one of the ration, if you like. And we wanted to look at that from all aspects and, obviously, get to, at the end, what that meant from a sustainability perspective.

But obviously, if we go back to the people and the profit side of things, as well as the planet, then we needed to make sure that our change of ration — and that's a, you know, that's a huge step, to remove soya from poultry rations that have always included good volumes of soya. We wanted to check, both from a performance and a profitability perspective and, equally, from a bird welfare perspective, that there were no negative impacts.

I'm delighted to say that we, overall, were really, really pleased with how that flock came out at the end of the test. Certainly, from a productivity perspective, all was good. Egg weights, etc. Egg numbers. From a welfare perspective, the mortalities, etc., all came out really well. And what we saw there was a reduction in terms of the carbon footprint per kilograms of egg, which was absolutely fantastic. And we used E-CO₂ to develop all the (analyses) and crunch all the data in that as well. So, we are really encouraged by the fact that we got that one off the ground and running.

So that was one. And I think, from one of the other main headlines of where we're going and what we're looking at, as you might be aware, across (the pond) in the U.K., the brown bird and brown egg is the thing that resonates with our consumers over here.

                               So, we have been a predominantly brown layer flock in the U.K. for a good number of years now. Obviously, just across the water in Europe, in the Netherlands and in Germany, historically, they've used a much larger percentage of white birds. There are a great deal of benefits to that white bird — so, longer laying cycles, improved performance. From a manageability perspective, the birds are more docile. But overall, when you look at that longer laying cycle from the same kind of feed inputs, etc., you are looking at a much lower environmental impact. So, again, we've done those on trial, fairly substantial trials, and looked at the outputs from that, again, using E-CO₂ to run through the data with us. And once again, we've seen successes there in the footprint reduction per kilogram of eggs.

                               So that's just two of the projects, agriculturally, that we've been working on of late. And yeah, (I’m) delighted to say that we've had some positive outcomes from both.

Tom:                      Just as an aside here, I'm kind of curious: Has there been any research into why consumers prefer brown eggs over white? And is there any difference?

Graham:                  Materially, no, there's no difference. There has been some research done and some consumer reviews done on that. There are varying different reasons, Tom. One of the reasons is consumers perceive — in the U.K., specifically, I think — (that) because of the nature of the fact that they've been used to the brown egg, they have a perception of that wholesome, rural kind of feel around a brown egg. The sudden shock of a white egg on the shelf — (there are) all sorts of different reactions on there around the method of production that may be used, whether the eggs have been cleaned or washed, or (whether) they're a cheaper version of the quality egg that they've been buying.

                               So, there's a huge education piece to do here with the consumer around white eggs. What we have found — and it was actually through the COVID pandemic, where there was a huge spike in egg sales (as) an essential and popular protein, and that gave us an opportunity to put a little bit more white egg on the shelf in retail, and it got a positive reaction that that white egg sold. And that's led us on a little bit. So, it's growing in its momentum, but no doubt, there is an ongoing education from a consumer perspective around white eggs.

Tom:                      Okay. Well, back to what you're doing there. I know that you've tightened your focus to four main areas. And you touched on carbon footprint, but also food loss, land use and animal welfare. And I thought we would look at each of these, beginning with moves to reduce the industry's carbon emissions. How is this being accomplished, and what have been the results so far?

Graham:                  Oh, again, Tom, another really great question. From an industries carbon-emissions perspective, again, I would go back to (one question): Where is our industry putting its focus first? And I think that's definitely around soya use in diets. If you look at the sourcing of soya and the huge footprint that that leaves, it's essential that we try to tackle that problem first. So, I think that's definitely the first cab off the rank.

                               The rest, I suppose — well, not the rest; (that) is a strong statement — but what we've done from our perspective is to measure our emissions and look at where that sits and where the split is. And if we look at that from a Scope 1 and 2 emissions perspective, (it’s) no great shock that that's not the huge contributor, but certainly, the Scope 3 — so our bought-in goods, if you like — and again, you come back to that raw material portfolio and the highlight of that being soya. But anything that's a bought-in good is where we see our highest impact. So, our areas of focus are maintained around there, but then that's drilled down.

                               For us as a business, we have what we call the ESP, Environmental Sustainability Program, and that's involved across the whole of our group. It's on every site that we own within the U.K. Each of our sites has an ESP (or) Environmental Sustainability Program lead. And all the projects across the group are completed under that banner. The projects then are developed and reviewed on an annual basis, and then the deliveries (are) tracked again through an ESP committee. So, we do have a really strong focus on it.

                               As I say, you can't avoid or get away from the fact that our bought-in goods and raw-material sourcing is a strong area of focus. So that's huge. We've also done an awful lot of work, as I guess you would expect, around our sites on renewables. So, there's an awful lot of solar going in around the sites, and that's both from (us as) a company and, also, our aligned contract producer base. (We have) lots of renewable energy projects going on out there. Our own electricity within the company is 100% sourced from green electricity tariffs now.

                               And then, we're trying, as I say, the low-carbon alternatives within animal feed projects, such as the moves to LED lighting and submetering, efficient boilers, etc. So, it's a long, long list of different things we're doing and also working (on). If you look at our logistics business, we cover just shy, I think, of 13 million kilometers a year in moving eggs around the U.K. So, (we are) mapping the emissions that we're causing there, using the right technology to make the most efficient route, and also looking at our vehicles and ever increasing the efficiency of that fleet.

Tom:                      Another of your concentrations is on food loss. What is meant by “food loss,” and how are you addressing that? 

Graham:                  Well, that leads us in — specifically, the food loss part of that came from a really exciting partnership with Alltech and the development of what we call the EnviroPak.

                               So that's a project that’s spanned almost three years now, from conception through to practice. What we found through trialing that product — we did extensive trials over time with this product. But what we found there was that we were losing an awful lot of, if we focus on shell eggs and getting a class-A egg out of those birds — so the egg that we're going to put into packs and sell to the consumer — what we found through the use of EnviroPak was that we were retaining an awful lot of egg out of second-quality. So, (those are) the eggs that you couldn't put in packs, moving that quality into first class. So, therefore, we were retaining more usable egg in a shell-egg form from the same amount of inputs. Thereby, we saw a food-loss reduction, which was a fantastic result. 

Tom:                      And what exactly is the EnviroPak? 

Graham:                  So, the EnviroPak is a mix of Alltech's Gut Health platform products. And what we were looking for there was — we set some slightly ambitious targets or challenges to Alltech, the business, and that was to look at food loss. That was to look at a reduction in carbon footprint, to look at increased bird welfare (and a) reduction in land use. We also came out of that with a reduction in mineral leaching, as well, from the bird. So, there were some fairly punchy pillars for Alltech to aim at. But using their products from their Gut Health platform, that's specifically what we've added into the rations, and (we have) called that EnviroPak. So, that's where the focus was, and that's what led us to it.

Tom:                      And you mentioned animal welfare (as) another goal. And I know that Noble has committed to (achieving) 100% cage-free production very soon, by 2025. What are the business sustainability challenges of such a transition? 

Graham:                  Well, I think the difficulty there — and again, I mean, this is a huge, huge subject. So, we've got a lot of areas to focus on there. And I think that this is about partnerships. So this, again, is where we go back to that “people” thing. And the “people” thing here is around working with our producers, obviously, but also working with the breed companies, the global breed companies, in their advancements into providing the bird (that is) capable of working efficiently within these commercial production units non-trimmed. And that is a huge step.

                               However, I'd link that back into the work that we're doing with the white bird, where we know, from the performance data and the welfare data that we get out of those trials — what we see across in Europe, what we see from producers who have been using the white bird for a while now — is that (it) does seem to be a much more docile breed (and is), perhaps, more adept at being able to cope in a commercial environment non-trimmed. So that's another route of exploration as well.

                               But we've certainly got some fairly big steps to take. Now, the 2025 piece that you referenced, I think, is probably more akin to the cage-free 2025 (goal), which all of our retail partners in the U.K. signed up to as well. So, there's another challenge for us as we transition from the enriched-colony cage production and through and into barn production, predominantly, as a means for providing value eggs.

Tom:                      Noble also has committed to help protect and enhance water quality. You've signed on to comply with something called the Water Roadmap. Tell us more about that. 

Graham:                  Yeah, that's correct. Across in the U.K., certainly, the protection of our waterways is a huge national subject. And one specific area of the U.K., for ourselves, that is an intense area of focus involves the Rivers Usk and Wye catchment, which runs through Wales and down into Herefordshire on the west of the country. So, there's been a huge focus on the pollution of that river, (which is) multifactorial, without a shadow of a doubt. And it would be easy for me to sit here and say that agriculture — and specifically poultry, and drill that down even further to egg production — had a very small impact upon that, but that would be remiss.

                               So, we feel that everyone — whether it's ourselves, whether it's the wider agricultural sphere, whether it's industry, etc. — all has a responsibility to look after that waterway. So rather than sit and say, "Well, we're not in any way, shape or form the biggest contributor," we felt (that) being proactive and signing up with a Water Roadmap in that area — specifically, the Wye Agri-Food Partnership, which has a poultry subgroup, the roundtable for Wye Agri-Food Partnership, the wealth roundtable — we've joined up with all of these people, specifically, to focus on what we can do in that area. And again, you can reference that back to various different projects that we're working on there from a biodiversity perspective — so whether that be buffer zones, whether that be reed bed catchments. And indeed, what we found, through the use of EnviroPak through our trials, (is that) there was a reduction within, specifically, phosphates, which is a huge area of focus within the pollution of the waterway.

                               So, (that’s) something we're very much engaged with. And I think that what we will see is, whilst that's a very specific area of focus, currently, in the U.K., it's most definitely going to spread to a far, far wider audience in different areas. So, being proactive and trying to be — not ahead of the game, but be, absolutely, at the forefront, both in terms of what we're trying to do but also, most importantly, knowledge-sharing with other businesses and other industries to scope out what their solutions and their ideas may be, I think, will lead us, collectively, to be able to cope with these issues and rectify the problems going forward in a far, far speedier response, if you like.

Tom:                      I'm wondering what sorts of challenges or obstacles that you have identified or encountered that you're now striving to overcome to achieve that greater sustainability in the company's practices in production. Can you elaborate on that for us a little bit? 

Graham:                  For me, I think it starts with education. So, whilst you may have specific levels of expertise within your business or out there in the wider industry — which is always a great starting place, but we know full well that you've got to get everybody involved in this. And I'd say there's a distinct difference between being involved and being engaged. So, for me, education is a huge part. So, we take that very seriously within our own agricultural sphere.

                               To rewind back, I guess, from a group perspective, the Environmental Sustainability Program launched in 2018, (and) that's obviously filtered down and through the business from our own agricultural perspective. We've just recruited an agricultural sustainability manager. And again, from there, we've gone, really (to saying), “Let's start with a blank page. Let's go out there and look at what we are doing, what our contract producers are doing. Let's take those learnings, let's pull that together, and then we can start to look at (the question): What are the best ways to move that forward?”

                               So, we've got lots that is happening along the way through bits that I've been describing, with trials on soya-free diets, etc. And then we've taken that forward — specifically, if you look at one of our brands, which is an organic brand called Purely. We've got that one in partnership with the Carbon Trust now. So that's a project that we've moved on at pace. But again, throughout the whole of that process, (there have been) an awful lot of learnings there that we've taken and, then, we can apply to further things that we do.

                               So, I think that we've got good progress. There'll be many a hurdle. Those hurdles will be probably born out of the fact that we don't have the answers, collectively. And therefore, it's back to that education and everybody coming on this journey with us. 

Tom:                      I am imagining, Graham, that in the pursuit of long-term, consistent sustainability, you can't cut corners — and yet, Noble Foods has made the practice of sustainability profitable. How do you do that? 

Graham:                  Well, back to your first point, Tom: You don't cut corners. I think, if you go down the route of looking for speedy solutions with, perhaps, the ability of or the want for us to hit the headlines, that's probably the wrong path to go down. We've certainly taken the stance that we will do it once, but do it right. So, you have to look at the end goal of profitability. That sounds rather single-tracked or single-minded, but that has to be an outcome of whatever sustainability project that you're taking on.

                               From there, I think, you build backwards, and you build the blocks from there. So definitely, having the patience to realize that you will set out your store correctly, you'll gather all of the relevant information in, and then you'll throw that in the mixing pot to come out with your solutions — and if that takes time, yes, there will be people along the way, myself included, who may get frustrated by the length of time that it's taking, but when you get the results at the end of it and you know that you can stand behind it and it's substantiated, that's very rewarding.

Tom:                      In the introduction, I mentioned the Noble Foods partnership with the Alltech Planet of Plenty program. And I'm wondering: How does that partnership turn challenges into opportunities for you?

Graham:                  I think that comes through a few of the things that I've mentioned. One's the education piece, and the other is knowledge-sharing. And I think that to be able to sign up as a Planet of Plenty partner with Alltech has been a fantastic opportunity. And for myself, if I go back to October 2020, when the concept of what turned out to be our EnviroPak trial started — and along that journey, we signed as a Planet of Plenty partner — but if I go back then to my own knowledge, obviously, I had a knowledge of Alltech at that point, but it was only then, really, and opening that door that I got a sense of the global scale and the knowledge base that that business contains.

                               So, for me, it's a prime example of — that may sound like a bit of a one-sided affair, in some ways, but I guess, for Alltech, that's also been an ability to partner with a sizable egg business within the U.K. and also, hopefully, (gain) some learnings, from their perspective, as to how that business operates (and) some of the hurdles that we've encountered along the way. But at every turn, we've been able to sit down collectively as a group, pull in the right people to provide us with the knowledge that we may have been lacking within that group, and then overcome the problem.

                               So, it's been an incredibly enjoyable journey. It's certainly been a journey, if you look at what we've just discussed, right back to October 2020. So, this has been about patience and getting there and doing the right things and making sure that we've got everything behind it. But (it is) absolutely rewarding to be able to then substantiate all of that data, (which is) science-backed, and be able to stand up and say that this does what it says on the tin. (It) brings me — and us, I think — to the beginnings of a really exciting partnership.

Tom:                      Well, I also mentioned in the introduction that we hope to get your views on British poultry business strategies. What can you tell us about it?

Graham:                  I think, when we look at the poultry industry — and perhaps this resonates for many other industries as well — I would say that within the last three to four years (or), possibly, five years, the focus on sustainability (and) the regularity with which we discuss sustainability has come to the forefront, whereas prior to that, I would say that it was a subject that was touched upon and then, possibly, not dismissed, but parked.

                               Now, I think every poultry business within the U.K. has a focus on sustainability. They will all be at varying different levels of intensity as to where that focus is, but what we're starting to see now is different businesses coming out with their sustainability strategies. And again, I would go back to (the fact that) the poultry industry in the U.K. is, on the one side, a big industry and, on the other side, seems quite small in that lots of people know lots of people within that industry.

                               So, the ability to knowledge-share across species (and) across businesses is actually quite encouraging. So, I think everyone has their different roots, because there are different methodologies and different poultry productions, etc., but there's definitely a thrust within the British poultry industry to develop, grow and drive sustainability aims, for sure, which is encouraging.

Tom:                      What do you think it is that has managed to bring everybody aboard (and) onto the same page?

Graham:                  Oh, that really is a big question, Tom, isn't it? I think that, now, we, as an industry — I don't think there's just been a sudden epiphany where, collectively, everybody has seen the light. What I think is that this has gathered momentum over a period of time. It's certainly become a very hot topic at every turn. So, I suppose it's hitting every age group, whether that be through the news, whether that be through specific programs that they're watching, whether that be for a younger generation than myself. I hasten to add the use of social media, etc.

                               But I think that thrust has come through. And what I've seen — I mean, I've been with Noble Foods for 13 years. And if I look at that, the younger generation that are starting to come into this business, and if I look at my own section of it, my own function of it (in terms of) agriculture — there's a real drive, thrust and passion around sustainability there as well. And I think that propagates and that permeates up through the system and amongst everyone else. I think there's a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy within that piece.

                               But I think, overall, as an industry, it is the fact that, at every turn, at every headline, at every article you read, somewhere, there is a reminder that we need to take this subject seriously. And collectively, it's everyone's responsibility to work towards a better vision of sustainability going forward.

Tom:                      All right, that's Graham Atkinson. He's agriculture director for Noble Foods, talking to us from near York in the north of England. And we thank you so much, Graham.

Graham:                  Thank you, Tom. Thank you very much. 

Does diversity foster innovation? Tanya Torp, executive director of Step by Step, a nonprofit organization based in Lexington, Kentucky, joined Ag Future to discuss the benefits of diverse teams, the empowerment individuals gain from inclusion, the positive impact of inclusive policies on the bottom line, and the necessity for sustained commitment and clear plans to create lasting change in organizations.

The following is an edited transcript of the Ag Future podcast episode with Tanya Torp 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.

                        Tanya Torp is the executive director of Step by Step, a nonprofit based in Lexington, Kentucky, that equips, encourages and empowers young single mothers. Torp is an agent for social change and has spent her career engaging in community-based initiatives as a convener, speaker, trainer, facilitator, writer and consultant.

                        I’m Tom Martin for the Alltech Ag Future podcast series, and Tanya is here to talk with us about the qualities of diversity, equity and inclusion as drivers of business innovation. Welcome, Tanya.

Tanya:            Thank you. Glad to be here.

Tom:              First of all, just beginning with a little bit about you, how would you describe your consulting style?

Tanya:            I really enjoy working with organizations that are in it for the long haul. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as well are not anything that you can do a session like a one-day session and then your organization’s got it all together. There’s got to be a lot of strategy on how we’re going to get there, what you’re looking for, what your culture is. I love working with people who we can just take their idea or take them from this inception and to moving into a space of We’ve got this – we have a direction in which we’re going and we know a plan for sustainability.

Tom:              And they’re committed to it.

Tanya:            They’re committed to it. I don’t actually want to work with anyone who’s not committed.

Tom:              There you go. What are the benefits to a team that’s open to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility?

Tanya:            Well, you get this diversity of thought that is really important in not only the business world but in the nonprofit world where I work. Whenever I am able to encounter people who don’t think just like me, it is such a richer experience. The clients get more out of it because of that. Also, there is a lot of data that shows that the business need for diversity actually leads to you making more money. So your business or organization can actually excel because you have that diversity of thought and because people will stay. It creates a space of longevity when people feel like they belong where they’re working.

Tom:              How does being included on such a team give an individual a sense of empowerment and of place?

Tanya:            Well, one of the biggest issues, especially right now during the Great Resignation, is that people are wanting to stay at home because they have experienced microaggressions in the office. You hear from a lot of people of color, the Black indigenous people of color, saying, “I love my job. I love the job that I do. I don’t love the environment in which I work, and so I’m very happy to be staying at home.” You also hear from people from the disability community who have said, “We’ve been asking for these accommodations for years, and here we are.” Because of the global pandemic, we’re able to do this work from home, which means we’re not having to spend all the money and extra time just to be able to make it in to work.

                        So being parts of those teams that actually care about the inclusivity of your organization, actually care about those employees, not having to have those extra barriers just to be able to do their job well means that you are making your organization or company sustainable.

Tom:              It’s really interesting, isn’t it? This seems to be a silver lining of this awful pandemic, what you’re talking about now, this choice that’s been made for us – and for employers, more to the point.

Tanya:            Yes. I think for some, it’s actually reducing overhead. Now, there is still the issue of when you’re in person, when you’re face to face, there are natural things that happen when you’re at the water cooler or when you’re in the kitchen together or when you’re sitting down together breaking bread and having your lunch break. Some of that is missing, and I think that that is important in a lot of cases. But what we’re gaining is the ability to have deeper conversations longer. We’re gaining the ability to be able to just do our work. Right now, there’s a big push in businesses for belonging. There’s a big push with lots of trainings about being welcoming, but also about sharing your personal life and being more empathetic and being more emotionally intelligent.

                        Those are all really important things, especially working with your clients, but it is toxic for some people because they’re being told, Your work family is your family. What it’s leading to is, it’s not diversity. You’re feeling like, Okay, here I am in this work family, but people are not even noticing who I am in my humanity. What it does is actually pull people even more apart. I can see the need for having those water cooler discussions, but I think having these deeper discussions over Zoom or whatever people are using are going a little bit deeper, and they’re able to be sustainable. Everyone can be a part of this.

Tom:              Have you worked with an employer who has recognized that they have a toxic work environment? They have at least a problem work environment and they want to change. They want to make that commitment we were talking about, and they want to know how to do it. Have you worked with somebody like that? What would you tell them?

Tanya:            Yes. One of the things I shared in my Alltech talk was, there is this theory – and, in fact, practice – about curb cuts. In the ’40s, curb cuts started in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where someone said, “Listen, I can’t get my wheelchair to go on the street, so what I want to do is create this curb cut,” and that happened. Well, fast forward to a few years later at Berkeley, where there were students that were living in the hospital there because they’re students at the university but they can’t make it to their classes without incredible difficulty. Their dorm is a hospital because it’s the only accessible place. So, in the middle of the night, these folks went and poured some concrete and made their own cuts so that they can get onto the sidewalks.

                        This created a revolution all around the country of people noticing that it’s not just the disability community that can use these. It’s people with strollers. It’s people with skateboards. It’s people using their bags, their luggage to get where they’re going, that are using these. Some studies have shown that nine out of ten people are going out of their way to use these cuts in order to get where they’re going. So here’s this incredible theory about this was made for one group of people, but it impacted everyone else. It impacted tons of other people.

                        This is what I share with companies, is we have to get to a point where you are using that theory. What is it that you can do that is going to impact everyone but is specifically geared towards including diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility? Where are those places in your company or your business where you can make some changes that will actually be good for everyone?

Tom:              In business, the bottom line is everything. How does that translate to the bottom line?

Tanya:            The bottom line is about creating policies so that it’s no longer about managers having to pick and choose how they’re going to react to a situation and whether or not it is equitable. It is, Here’s what the policy says. This policy is for everyone, and this is how we’ll move forward. It is managers changing their style and becoming more about one-on-ones where they’re actually listening to what people are sharing. I share a lot with my companies an example of whenever there is a major tragedy – and I’m an African American woman doing this work. Whenever there is a major tragedy, another shooting or something that involves my community, when I go to work, I’m carrying that with me. Same for our Asian American friends, same for our Jewish friends. When you’re coming into that space at work, you’re literally carrying that with you.

                        Having policies that say you can stay home during the day when that kind of thing happens, when you just need to have time to mourn with your community or to grieve or to do what you need to do, that actually affects everyone. That gives everyone the opportunity that when something strikes, that they’re able to work on their mental health or do what they need to do. I think having those opportunities, to have that be a part of or other things be a part of your policy, moves people into that space of real inclusion.

                        Just several years ago, when people, organizations, and companies started offering health benefits to partners, you didn’t have to be married to have those health benefits. That allowed for a whole group of people who’d been ignored to have health benefits. That affected our country. You see that people that were uninsured before, now they’ve got insurance through their partner’s company. That is a real change, and that makes your employee feel seen, but it also affects all of us.

Tom:              These are thoughtful gestures that we don’t often think of when we’re thinking of business policy or company policy. They’re really soft policy, but not really, are they? Especially in today’s world, if that company wants to succeed and sustain that success, it’s going to need to be open to diversity, inclusion, equity and accessibility.

Tanya:            Absolutely. I just was speaking, directly after my talk, to someone who’s in HR, and they said, “We get these phone calls every day about what is it like.” If I’m coming to your company as a person who is traditionally excluded or marginalized, my group of people that I come from, and I’m coming into your company, how am I going to be received? So it’s not just about whether we have increased representation. Once I get there, am I going to be received by everyone? Is there a code of ethics that makes sure that I’m not going to experience a lot of microaggressions in order to just do my job? Am I going to be believed when I say, “Hey, this is a problem,” and not have someone say, “Well, Bob really didn’t mean that” or “Erica didn’t really mean that. Let’s just smooth that over”? Am I going to be able to have a space where there are not going to be excuses made when things like that happen? So that becomes safer for everyone.

Tom:              How do you sustain that, making sure that as people come and go, as people do these days, that the same balance of these principles is maintained beyond?

Tanya:            It takes a clear plan, and it takes incredible dedication. I often tell people that bias trainings and workshops alone will never work. They will literally never work. Oftentimes people say, well, my company did that bias training, so we should be good to go. But the data actually shows that if you’re forcing people to go to those classes, they end up resenting it. It also shows that the ones who show up at the class most eager to learn are people who are already on that journey anyway.

                        Who are those people in your company already on that journey who you can build some longevity and sustainability with, who will be great assets in helping the company move along? In some ways, what people do is, they create these equity groups in their company. It’s employees that are on these equity teams and they’re bringing in speakers, and anybody who wants to join joins. Nobody’s forced to join. What happens is, it actually creates an incredible atmosphere.

But I caution people as well: Those people are already doing their whole entire day job, then they’re also on this team. They need to be compensated for their time. That is a policy that the company can make. If you’re joining this equity team, you will be compensated for your work outside of the work that you already do. You’re already doing your day job, but we’re asking you to do this, which is actually emotional labor as well. That’s a policy that would affect everyone. That could make sure that there’s some longevity so that as people are leaving, there’s already that policy in place. There’s already a group of people that are trained and ready to go, and they’re going to train the next group of people, and so it continues to be sustainable in that way.

Tom:              It’s actually an investment, isn’t it?

Tanya:            It is a huge investment.

Tom:              Over the past decade, Tanya, you’ve served as a consultant for companies and organizations that want to make deep-game, life-changing shifts in their cultures and their policies. Change is challenging for a lot of people. Have you encountered cultures that were not quite there yet, not fully on board with opening up to diversity, inclusion, equity, accessibility?

Tanya:            Absolutely. There have been organizations, in fact, that have said, We really want to move in this way of equity. We really want to make sure people feel as if they belong here, yet their policies and procedures, they’re unwilling to make changes. When I come in, they’ll say, We really want to make changes, but we don’t. So it is really difficult to work with people like that who really see the need – I call it optics, that looks really great on paper. You’ve got maybe a diversity statement on your website, but I go to look at who’s on your board. I look at who is a C-suite person in your company. I look at your employees and I don’t see that diversity that you’re saying that you’re striving for or that your statement claims that you’re striving for. We have a holiday coming up like Juneteenth or Pride or that kind of thing, and I see you suddenly posting all kinds of things on social media about caring about these groups of people, yet your policies are not reflecting that. So what I tell people is, if you’re in that space, nothing will change. It’s all optics. We need to get past optics and get to a place where we’re actually making sustainable change.

Tom:              Do you, as a person of color offering consulting services in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, encounter the very issues and the challenges that you’re trying to combat in the world?

Tanya:            Absolutely, and especially in that world of consulting, but also in the world as an executive director. There are rooms that I can’t get into. Sometimes I will send one of my board members to talk to, say, a donor who I know does not want to talk to me because I’m a Black woman. That’s happened in my life before. So when I’m in these rooms as well, I have to have my own boldness, know who I am, and know my stuff when I’m coming into the room, to be able to show data and what works and to be able to challenge, Do you really want your organization to change, or is this just lip service? Because at that point then we can part ways because I will not waste my time.

Tom:              Again, commitment, right?

Tanya:            Commitment, absolutely.

Tom:              You founded Step by Step in 1995, I believe.

Tanya:            We had three founders that founded it in 1995. I’ve been there for nine years.

Tom:              And you founded it as an organization that is mom-led and empowerment-focused. In describing the mission on your website, you say that is a trauma-informed organization. Tell us about that.

Tanya:            Absolutely. Trauma-informed is a category that was created, and it is measurable. You can look at the government websites and find that it’s a measurable thing. In order to be trauma-informed, your organization or company needs to acknowledge the trauma of the past. Being able to acknowledge that there are systemic issues at work that are really harming people, that have lasted many – you and I might not have been a part of them, but there are sometimes governmental policies that have affected people, and so we acknowledge that.

                        But we also acknowledge that there are ACEs – as we call them, particularly in the therapy world – adverse childhood experiences that affect many of us. Many of us have had divorced parents, or we’ve had to move, or we’ve seen violence, but the more of those ACEs that start to add up, that means more trauma that you’ve experienced in your life. We are trauma-informed by saying we know that those things affect people’s lives. There’s data to show that they [people who have had ACEs] don’t live as long, that there’s more risky behavior, that they might drop out of high school more frequently, because they have experienced those adverse childhood experiences.

                        For us, to be able to put that in the forefront as we are working with these young women, they are leading us. They are literally putting their lives in our hands when they don’t have to. They’re making a choice to say, I want you to be invited into my life as I try to become a great mom and a great citizen in this world. And we’re able to walk alongside them, knowing that they might take ten steps forward and ten steps back, but we’re still committed to them as long as they’re committed to us. We don’t chase them down, but if they’re committed to working to improve their lives, we’re committed to walking alongside them.

Tom:              Do you find that, when you’re working with somebody who’s working their way through that, that once they do and once they recognize traumas that maybe they had shoved down into their subconsciousness and really not confronted, that there is kind of a sense of liberation?

Tanya:            Absolutely. There’s liberation and freedom. There’s change and there’s a recognition in how I contribute or can contribute to my health and the health of my child, how society has contributed to ills and also helps in my life, and how I can navigate both of those areas. It really is about wholeness and holistic, being complete, that these young women begin to shine. They go after their goals. They’re able to set and reach those goals because there’s a recognition: I experienced this thing, and it is monumental in my life, but it doesn’t define who I am.

Tom:              Have you seen it instill maybe a new level of confidence?

Tanya:            Absolutely. Just a couple of weeks ago, we had one of the moms that I met nine years ago come back and share her story with not only our board and donors but some of our moms as well. She was somebody who was living in a domestic violence situation when I met her, was living in poverty, and just had so much going on in her life that was heavy. She was able to share, “Just having people that believed in me and stuck with me even when I didn’t stick with myself really made a difference for me to know that I am worthy of this.” Then, from there, she was able to do her own work.

                        It’s not about Step by Step coming alongside and telling someone what they should do. It’s about us saying, What is it that you want, and how can we remove barriers? Watching these young women reach those goals, watching this young woman who now owns a home, is a boss at her job and has a healthy child who’s doing really well, that’s all we want for them, to be able to have that kind of life that they envision for themselves.

Tom:              A few years ago, Tanya, you opened something called Mama’s Hideout. Tell us about that.

Tanya:            Yeah, our office is Mama’s Hideout. Thanks to the Murry Foundation and others who really care about having space for these young women to come into our office, they can use computers. We have childcare if they are coming to our office and they’ve got their children with them. They might just need a break to look for a job online. They might need to take their GED test or what have you. They can do that in our office. It’s also a place for them just to come and hang out. Maybe their child’s in childcare for the day. They’re still looking for a job or they’re working the late shift, but they just feel like, I just want to be around positive people. They can just come to our office and literally hang out in Mama’s Hideout. We love that too.

Tom:              Now you’re offering a financial literacy course, and I understand that it’s described as trauma-informed. Can you elaborate on that?

Tanya:            Yes. It is one of my favorite programs that we have ever done at Step by Step. What we have found is that there are all kinds of financial literacy courses out there that offer a lot of different things. You can throw a stick and you’ll hit a financial literacy course. But we have not found financial literacy courses that really speak to trauma. For instance, we have a mom who moved 13 times before she was in third grade. What do you think that does to a person to not have that permanency, to not have a place to call their own? But also to see why we’re moving. We might be leaving because the landlord’s increased the rent or because of the affordable housing crisis that we have. That affects you psychologically as well as physically.

                        We talk about those things in our program. In fact, the first two weeks of our ten-week program is to talk about what is our relationship with finances. Sometimes, we maybe get money and just spend it right away. Why do we do that? That’s not something that we automatically want to do, but why does it seem like a knee-jerk reaction to spend that money right away? That comes from a trauma response of not having what you need and trying to make sure that your child has what they need. We talk about that. The moms share with one another about how they deal with money. Before we get to this, is how you join a bank, or this is what savings looks like, or this is how you budget. We have to talk about our relationship with money. So that’s been incredible.

                        The best part of this program is that we match their dollars that they save. These young women will get a bank account. They’re required to put at least $25 a month in that account, and Step by Step will match it three to one. She comes to our program, and she raises $2,000. She will leave that program with $6,000 to buy a car, to go back to school, to put a down payment on a house, to reduce her own debt. There are several reasons why they could do that, why they become a part of this program. They pick their goal and then we help them reach that goal and remove barriers.

Tom:              Is that in partnership with somebody? How is that done?

Tanya:            That’s a lot of me doing what I’m doing right now, talking to donors. I just share the stories of these young women overcoming. For some, that makes a huge difference. If you can imagine needing transportation to get to all the places that you go and having to take our bus system – We love Lextran. They’re so supportive. But our moms have to go to the hub and then they have to go somewhere else. It takes sometimes a really long time just to get to one place. What if you’ve got more than one child and you’ve got to go to several appointments? Your whole day is then lost, and you’re having to take off work. What if she was able to save up $6,000 for a down payment for a car? It would change her life. These things seem simple, but they really are life changing.

Tom:              If you had a list of concerns for young single moms who hope to balance being moms with professional growth, what concerns do you consider when you’re working with them that they need to deal with?

Tanya:            A lot of [the concerns] are beyond their control. I mentioned already our affordable housing crisis here in Lexington. We have moms that are literally moving out of the county because they cannot find a place to live even with all our partners. The Office of Homelessness [Prevention and Intervention] does an amazing job. Polly Ruddick and her crew are just wonderful, but the housing stock isn’t there, and so that is a huge barrier. If [the young mom] is going to stay couch-hopping or she’s staying with an abuser because she can’t even find a place to live, that affects everything in her life. There’s a systemic issue there.

                        About 25% of our moms come from DCBS [Department for Community Based Services]. We’ll get a call from the state that says, “I think this young woman would be great for your program.” Working on getting her child back or working on keeping custody of her child or working on, I am a mom in foster care with my baby, that is a big deal. So those instances of child welfare are huge for us, where we want to make sure that the children are safe but our moms are safe as well.

Tom:              Is there a particular success story that stands out in your memory?

Tanya:            Absolutely. She wouldn’t mind me telling you at all. She loves to come and speak this a lot. We have a leadership development program where our moms become leaders. It’s a pretty intense two-year program, and Brittany is one of our leaders. Brittany came to us a few years ago. She said, “Miss Tanya, I’m dropping out of high school. I have a great job. I’m making great money. I don’t really need high school.” Of course, I talked to her about why she would need a diploma, why it would be great, and how, later on in life, she might regret not having one. She just said, “I’m just going to make this decision.” Well, it’s her life. It’s not mine. I gave her great advice, but she decided not to take it, and that’s okay. We just continued to love on her.

                        A few months later, she said, “Actually, I think I need that diploma. I think I need to go back to school.” We cheered for her like we were at the winning UK game. We just praised her and cheered for her, and we got to watch her walk across that stage. She graduated, and now she’s in college, and she is one of our most outspoken cheerleaders for our program. She is speaking into the lives of other moms, telling them, “You can do it. I dropped out of high school. I went back. If you need the support, we’re here for you. But also, you’re not stupid. You can do this.” And just speaking into her life and sharing, like, “This is what happened with me. If I can do it, you can do it.” So Brittany is just absolutely amazing, and we love her.

Tom:              What a wonderful story.

Tanya Torp is the executive director of Step by Step, a nonprofit based in Lexington that equips, encourages and empowers young single mothers. Thank you very much, Tanya.

Tanya:            Thank you for having me.

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