One of the highlights of the annual conferences Alltech puts on is the dinner discussions portion of the program. At the most recent Alltech Global Dairy & Beef Conference in Deauville, France, Chuck caught up with Robert Walker, Alltech’s Crop Science Division, who led a discussion dinner on crop yields and quality of crop yields.
“We’re driving crop yields, but maybe we’ve forgotten about the quality of those yields,” he offered during the discussion that included a wide variety of farmers from around the world. Walker added that very few producers are looking at issues, such as protein and energy content per acre, as well as mycotoxins and other quality factors that could be controlled in the field. “If you combine yield, nutritional value, and quality, you can actually start measuring pounds of milk per acre, and in the end, efficiency, which drives profitability and [sustainability].”
Tying together efficiency, profitability and sustainability, is the key behind Alltech’s E=P+S program (Efficiency (E) gives you profitability (P) plus sustainability (S), which we’ve discussed in an earlier post). Walker said they’re trying to look at the bigger picture of crop science and connect what makes plants grow better and more efficiently and tie that together with what those feed inputs will do for the livestock producers who ultimatley give those crops to their animals.
“It is about taking a holitsic, integrated approach to agriculture,” he said.
Walker added that while crop prices, in particular, corn prices, are down from their most recent highs, there’s still a strong argument for using the technologies that will help producers grow the inputs for livestock and maintain high profits.
You can listen to all of Chuck’s conversation with Robert here: Interview with Robert Walker, Alltech