Patent issued for ‘peanut brittle’ for ruminants

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  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.

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.

Weak ruminant market hits supplement sales at Westway

Westway Group Inc in the US produces approximately 1.5 million tons of liquid feed supplements annually at 37 facilities through its subsidiary Westway Feed Products.
In an earnings statement for the six months to June 2010, it says the tonnage sold by its liquid feed supplement business declined by 3% because of continued weakness in the dairy and cattle markets, to 771,000 tons from 792,000 tons for the same period of 2009.
This included a 2% drop to 355,000 tons for the three-month period ended June, compared to 362,000 tons in April-June 2009, although the gross profit margin (net revenues minus cost of sales) remained constant at US$9.6 million.

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.”