Alltech to produce Optigen II in Australia for first time

Alltech will produce its feed additive Optigen II in Australia for the first time with an expanded production facility in Forbes, New South Wales.
Optigen II is a safe and traceable non-protein nitrogen source that can help dairy and beef farmers increase yield. Optigen II is a controlled-release technology designed to provide a safe, concentrated source of ruminally degradable protein. Due to the concentrated nature of Optigen II, more cost-effective diets can be achieved by balancing the ration with less expensive feed ingredients.
“This technology helps to provide sustained availability of ammonia to the rumen environment, ensuring that rumen bacteria have continued access to this essential food source,” according to Dr. Susanne Roth, ruminant sales and marketing manager, Alltech Oceania.
Optigen II originally was developed by Cornell University, and is supported by in vitro, in situ and in vivo research.
Many countries have been using Optigen II for many years: the U.S. started in 2004, Europe in 2006, followed by South America and Asia. In Australia, the product has been used for almost seven years.
“Demand has been rapidly increasing over the last couple of years due to volatile protein markets and drought conditions, hence Alltech’s commitment to manufacture locally,” Roth told WATTAgNet. “New Zealand are also big users of Optigen II, where it is fed during the dry summer months and to winter milking herds.”
Roth said Alltech operates 14 Optigen II production plants worldwide, three of which are in the Asia Pacific region: Tianjin, China; Bangalore, India; and Forbes, Australia. Australia is the only planned expansion in production.
“Optigen II can be used on top of an existing diet or as a reformulation tool to replace vegetable protein and gain space for fiber or energy,” Roth said. However, she stressed that “the results in dairy and beef are always very much related to the feeding system and overall management system.”
“What you usually see is a better feed efficiency, but the amount ultimately depends on what the ration looks like,” she said.

Feedback from farmers

Farmers in New South Wales that have used Optigen II cite improvements after adding the product.
“We reformulated the young bull diet to include 80g Optigen II in a silage, barley, canola meal ration,” said a representative from Irelands Angus Stud in southern New South Wales. “We were very happy with the results: an increase in weight gain on the young bulls, and therefore finished off heavier at the time of the bull sale. We also noticed that our cattle look healthier and have a better coat condition.”
A representative from George Pitkin and Sons said: “With the inclusion rate of Optigen II and yeast culture, I was able to remove the starter diet in the feedlot. My goal was to improve pasture intake and increase feed conversion rate to improve weight gain and, since I incorporated the products, I am happy that I have achieved these results.”

Mycotoxins in corn silage threaten ruminant performance

Corn and corn silage samples from the 2015 harvest revealed moderate to high levels of multiple types of mycotoxins, reported Dr. Max Hawkins during Alltech’s 2015 North American Harvest Analysis webinar, held on November 30. The ruminant-specific report aimed to assess the risks posed by these toxins found in feedstuffs and cattle feed.
This year, the company analyzed 116 samples from 17 states/provinces, submitted between September 1 and the last week of November.
The 2015 analysis revealed an average of 5.62 mycotoxins per sample – slightly less than the 2014 average of 6.13. However, even at lower levels, new combinations of mycotoxins can have serious effects on cattle health and performance.
“It might be a little less, but it’s a different group of toxins this year and that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a feedstuff with less risk involved with it,” said Hawkins, who is a nutritionist with Alltech’s Mycotoxin Management Team.
He warns that multiple mycotoxins work synergistically, so it’s important to have an understanding of different levels of each toxin within the feed.

Effects of multiple mycotoxins

Produced by various mold species, there are more than 400 known mycotoxins that produce toxic side effects.
The groups of mycotoxins of particular concern to ruminants this year come from the soil-born molds Fusarium, Pencillium and Aspergillus.
In ruminants, these mycotoxins pose a threat to dry matter intake (DMI), milk production, weight gain, rumen function, gut health and immune response.
Hawkins highlighted the mycotoxin groups present in the 2015 harvest samples and their prevalence:

• B Trichothecenes (DONs) = +90 percent
• Fusaric Acid = +90 percent
• A Trichothecenes (T2) = higher levels than 2014, high levels of DOS
• Fumonsins = 60 percent
• Pencillium toxins = more than 40 percent (higher than 2014), may increase while in storage

“The increased levels of T2 family and Pencillium toxins together are increasing the risk over what we saw in 2014 corn silage,” he reported.

REQ distribution among samples

Based on Alltech’s Risk Equivalent  Quantity (REQ), an estimate of all mycotoxins and their risk contained within a feed or feedstuff, 85 percent of samples were of moderate to high risk for dairy cattle; 84 percent moderate to high risk for beef cattle; and 95 percent moderate to high risk for calves.
Developing animals are particularly susceptible to the effects of multiple mycotoxins. According to Hawkins, REQ for calves ranked at 87 percent in the high risk category due to the potential long-term effects of mycotoxin exposure.
“Once you begin feeding forages to young calves  - particularly on replacement heifers – you run the risk of impacting growth, performance and sexual development; lactation; and subsequent lifetime performance,” he explained. “Many times people think of calves as very young animals, but really on the dairy side, calves can go up until the heifer is bred. In beef cattle, receiving at the feed lot … so really we’re talking about all immature cattle.”
Depending on the inclusion of corn silage in a ration, risk can be reduced, but will likely still walk the line between moderate and high REQ levels.
The 2015 North American Harvest Analysis was conducted at Alltech’s ISO/IEC accredited Analytical Services Laboratory in Winchester, Kentucky.

Lallemand Animal Nutrition expands its Ruminant Center of Excellence program

Lallemand Animal Nutrition and Texas A&M Agrilife Research have announced a collaboration to be launched at the McGregor Research Center in McGregor, TX. Lallemand Animal Nutrition has established partnerships worldwide as part of its Research Centers of Excellence program, to “Forward” the development and innovation of microbial solutions.
“We’re at the forefront of providing modern yeast, bacteria and microbial solutions, and collaborative partnerships,” says Mathieu Castex, PhD., Global Research and Development Director, Lallemand Animal Nutrition. “Our Centers of Excellence provide the opportunity to evaluate our technologies in real-life situations. This collaboration is one of two dedicated to product applications for beef, dairy and small ruminant animals. The work completed at these locations focuses on continuously documenting the mode of action, biomarkers of efficacy and benefits of existing yeast and bacteria strains. The researchers also are working toward a better understanding of the microbial ecosystems, solutions and applications to support sustainable animal production, Dr. Castex adds.
“In particular, we are aiming to document microbial solutions that can help to answer the modern challenges of dairy and beef production ─ maintaining optimal production while enhancing animal well-being,” he says.
Kerry Barling, DVM, PhD, Global Manager of Beef technology with Lallemand helped select Texas A&M AgriLife Research for this partnership based on its vision for supporting animal agriculture.
“The research completed at the McGregor facility, along with our other Ruminant Centers of Excellence, will be a combination of strain selection; identification and characterization; as well as in vitro and in vivo testing,” Dr. Barling says. “With this new partnership, we can complete more field validation work and real-life monitoring with a GrowSafe System to measure individual animal feed intake and

Patent issued for ‘peanut brittle’ for ruminants

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  freeimages.com/SCapture

  A patent has been issued for a “peanut brittle” developed at Kansas State University.

  From WATTAgNet:
  A patent has been issued for a “peanut brittle” developed at Kansas State University that ensures cows and other livestock get the vitamins intended for them in their feed.
  U.S. Patent No. 8,828,421, "Method for Encapsulation of Orally Ingested Materials to Alter the Site of Digestion, Site of Action, or Stability," was recently issued to the Kansas State University Research Foundation, a nonprofit corporation responsible for managing technology transfer activities at the university.
  Faculty at Kansas State University developed a candy-like coating that protects vitamins and other micronutrients given to cattle and other ruminant animals from being prematurely digested by bacteria in the animal's digestive system. The coating provides an easy, inexpensive method for delivering undiluted dosages of vitamins, amino acids and other nutrients to livestock.
  "In ruminant animals … we often feed rations to the animal with the hope of providing nutrients directly to it, but we always have to contend with the pesky microorganisms in the digestive system," said Jim Drouillard, professor of animal sciences and industry. "Those microorganisms and bacteria also feed on these nutrients as they move through the animal, potentially causing deficiencies of key nutrients for the animal itself.”
  The patent currently is licensed to Afgrifeed, a South African animal feed manufacturing company.

Workshop looks at trace minerals across Europe

Between June 24-28, Orffa and Micronutrients, feed ingredient suppliers, organized the 1st European Ruminant Trace Mineral Workshop Tour across Denmark, the United Kingdom France, Spain, and Italy within five days.
This first workshop provided information on the importance and solutions for an optimal trace mineral supply in ruminants to 43 leading ruminant nutritionists in Europe. Organizers invited Dr. Jerry Spears, professor emeritus of the Department of Animal Science, North Carolina State University, United States. Spears has 40 years research experience in trace mineral nutrition.
Spears gave an overview trace mineral history and the development of the various types of trace minerals such as inorganic, organic and the new registered hydroxy trace elements. Organizers presented scientific trial results confirming the performance of high quality chelates and hydroxy trace elements. Participants evaluated the bioavailability of various trace element sources, including natural amounts of raw material. They also discussed how to handle high values of sulphur, molybdenum and iron in practical ruminant diets.
Following positive feedback, organizers plan on repeating the workshop in September of this year.

Iowa Beef Center offers forage testing at ISU

A forage testing project sponsored by the Iowa Beef Center (IBC) at Iowa State University (ISU) offers cow-calf producers the chance to test their forage rations.
For less than $7 per sample tested, the project offers producers a 50% cost share per sample for up to three forage samples. "This may be the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy," said ISU Extension beef program specialist Beth Doran. "This project focuses on hays and silages that have been hampered by wet weather this summer."
The project was developed to assist producers in managing rain-affected forages when developing cow rations. "Energy in the cow diet is important because calves born to thin cows are at higher risk of weak calf syndrome," said ISU Extension beef veterinarian Grant Dewell.
The testing will provide both protein and energy analyses. "The goal is a live, healthy calf," said Doran.

How to feed high yielding dairy cows to maintain milk yield and fertility

At the Thursday June 24th WATT Online Feed Forum we are presenting a webinar titled: How to feed high yielding dairy cows to maintain milk yield and fertility
This 60 minute presentation, with live Q&A, will be led by Prof. Phil Garnsworthy and focused on dairy cow nutrition and fertility. Dr. Garnsworthy will explain that a way has been found of solving a common problem in dairy cow nutrition -- that of feeding modern Holsteins to maximise feed utilisation efficiency for milk production without compromising reproductive performance.
There will be 4 other feed webinars held during the day too.
For a peek at the agenda and to sign up for this free-to-attend virtual event visit http://www.wattevents.com today!

Warm welcome for dairy emissions report

Directors of the International Dairy Federation have welcomed a new report from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations called Greenhouse Gas Emissions From the Dairy Sector. Whereas previous commentaries usually marked milking herds as contributing substantially to emissions of gases linked to global warming, the FAO’s report contends that the environmental impact of the dairy sector accounts for 2.7% of total output, even including all emissions related to processing and transport as well as milk production.
Richard Doyle, president of the International Dairy Federation, also noted that the FAO findings indicated significant variations among the different regions and climate patterns of the world.
“This study is a fundamental part of the process of understanding and continually minimizing the environmental impacts of the dairy sector,” he said. “The global dairy sector and its partners are implementing a global agenda for action in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the supply chain. Our sector is responsibly focused on providing consumers with the nutritious dairy products they want, in a way that is economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible.”

Winter weather increases use of cattle feed in Texas

Cold, wet weather through most of Texas has temporarily increased cattle farmers’ reliance on feed and hay, according to the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. However, the rains should result in more productive winter pastures in the upcoming months.
“Earlier this week we received some moisture in the form of rain and sleet, and a small amount of snow. Although this has slowed down harvest, it has been a blessing for pastures and rangeland,” said Ryan Martin, AgriLife Extension agent in Motley County, southeast of Amarillo.

Novus launches podcast series

Novus International recently launched a bi-weekly podcast series titled, “What’s New with Novus.” The first podcast was made available November 18 on iTunes, Zune and on the company Web site.
The topics will focus on issues facing the global agriculture community today. These issues include the global food crisis, sustainability and key industry events. Every other podcast will focus on Alimet feed supplement.
The first podcast features Dr. Giovanni Gasperoni, executive vice president, marketing and sales, Novus.
The next edition of “What’s New with Novus” will be available November 30. Novus’s Global Ruminant Market Manager Stephanie Gable will be discussing oxidative balance in cows.

Price volatility management strategies

Managing a feed company during extraordinary prices swings like those seen in 2008 and early 2009 is no easy task.
John Scheuers, vice president of feed operations for United Cooperative, based in Beaver Dam, Wis., says the overall key ingredient to successful management when prices yo-yo on a daily basis is to pay attention to detail.
“There were times when we changed prices daily on our feeds instead of weekly,” Scheuers says. “We went to a daily price concept as we made our way through the volatility.”
He and his cooperative, which serves mostly dairy producers in south-central Wisconsin, also paid closer attention to risk management.
“We took smaller positions more often rather than larger positions less often,” he says. That gave United Cooperative more flexibility and helped it cost-average in and out of the various grain and oilseed markets.
“In such volatility you are either on the right side or the wrong side of the market,” Scheuers notes. “Taking smaller bites helps spread out risk.”
On the feed side of the business, United Cooperative buys basis and manages for basis versus doing a lot of hedging or position taking, while the grain side of the cooperative takes more positions in the futures markets.

Dairy industry struggling
With the dairy industry in one of its deepest and longest slumps in years, volatility has also hit the co-op through sales.
“People have cut back on volume and on the level of nutrition being fed. They are in survival mode versus thriving mode,” Scheuers notes. “That affects income, so we’ve become more cost sensitive in the operations of the company.”
Overall, both producers and those in the feed industry have become more conservative since the 2008 commodity bubble popped.
Buyers want shorter contracts, and in general livestock producers are living more hand-to-mouth with their feed needs.

Group cites loophole in grassfed standard

The organization Animal Welfare Approved recently pointed out loopholes in the USDA "Grass Fed" standard. The statement was released as La Cense Ranch announced it is the first grassfed beef producer to be certified under the USDA standard.Animal Welfare Approved Program Director Andrew Gunther stated the government standard only partially addresses buyers' expectations for grassfed meat. He expressed concern that consumers may believe ruminants are raised on pasture for the duration of their lives, without confinement or feedlots. The USDA standard does not guarantee this.
As it stands, it only requires access to the outdoors during the growing season. This could mean that six months of the year, animals can be kept confined as long as they are fed grass and forage. Animal Welfare Approved and American Grassfed Association assert animals should have to be on pasture or range to be considered grassfed.