Bavaria Offers Natural Antimicrobial Option in Livestock

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Animal Health, Antibiotics, Livestock

The danger of overuse of antibiotics to promote growth in livestock has become a major concern to farmers, health workers, scientists and the general public. One solution is found in nature. Organosulphured compounds in plants in the Allium family, such as garlic and onions, have natural antimicrobial activity that provides benefits comparable to antibiotics without the risk they pose.

Bavaria Corp.’s new product, GOL, is a standardized and stabilized pool of these organosulphured molecules. Added to feed or water GOL improves intestinal health, helps maintain feed consumption and reduces diarrhea during infectious events. GOL also aids in controlling Coccidiosis and increases transference of immunoglobulin G from parent to offspring thus maintaining overall health, increasing weight gain and lowering veterinary expenses.

GOL’s mode of action is through thiosulphnates that are the most active of the organosulphured compounds found in Allium plants. These small molecules are very reactive and have a high affinity for enzymes that affect cell membrane integrity, especially Cystein proteinases. This mechanism explains why thiosulphnates are effective in controlling parasites, fungi, and bacteria.

GOL provides an economical and natural alternative to antibiotics for swine, ruminants and poultry.

Animal Ag Bites 10/23

kelly marshallAgWired Animal, Animal Bites

  • The Allflex Group is proud to announce that two SCR products were awarded innovation honors at the World Dairy Expo earlier this month. The SenseTime cloud-based electronic cow monitoring system and the eSense ear tag were both named as winners in the 2017 Dairy Herd Management Innovation Awards – World Dairy Expo Edition.
  • The Pork Checkoff has a new partnership with Yummly, a leading recipe app and website.  The agreement means Pork Board’s more than 2,100 recipes will be placed in front of Yummly’s more than 23 million registered users.
  • Craig Morris, Ph.D. is the New Vice President of International Marketing for the National Pork Board.  Morris has been serving as the Deputy Administrator over the Livestock, Poultry and Seed Program of the Agricultural Marketing Service at the USDA.
  • Kenny Miller has been promoted to chief financial officer at the American Angus Association.  He replaces Rich Wilson who served as CFO for 48 years.

Agrikua’s Gender Equality Project = 1st at #YouthAgSummit

jamie johansenAgribusiness, AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, Bayer, Youth, Youth Ag Summit

Last week, I was given the opportunity to attend the 2017 Youth Ag Summit organized by Bayer Crop Science. Never have I ever attended such a motivating and uplifting agricultural event. 100 youth from 18-25 gathered in Brussels, Belgium to tackle some of the worlds leading issues in agriculture.

During the Summit, delegates worked across the week in groups of ten to develop their ideas centered around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of Gender Equality, Quality Education, and Responsible Consumption and Production. Groups pitched to a jury of experts and the audience. Winners were selected based on feasibility, innovativeness, and creativity. Bayer will be funding the top three future projects developed.

– Third place went to “Imperfect Picks”, a group who was assigned to work on SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. These delegates impressed with their cartoon campaign to promote “ugly fruits” to children and enable a broader cultural shift towards accepting food that appears blemished but is still of good quality. They won €3,000 to further develop and implement their project.
– Second place went to “Seeds of Change”, a group of delegates focusing on SDG 4: Quality Education. They will use their prize of €5,000 to fund a project aimed at promoting agriculture in schools through young agricultural champions, in order to bridge the disconnect between people who consume, and people who produce food.
– First place was awarded to the group “AGRIKUA” (“kua” being the Swahili word for “grow”), whose project focuses on promoting Gender Equality (SDG 5) in the agricultural sector. Their plan to create an online professional platform for young Kenyan women seeking opportunities in agriculture impressed the jury and audience alike, and they took home the grand prize of €10,000. On top of this funding, the AGRIKUA delegates will also receive dedicated training and coaching to help make the project a reality. They will also be invited back to Europe to present their project to a relevant industry platform.

I was able to speak to the Agrikua spokespeople following the announcement to dive deeper into their project and hear their enthusiasm. Listen here: Interview with Agrikua

View and download photos from the event here: 2017 Youth Ag Summit Photo Album

John Deere Introduces New HarvestLab™ 3000

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Beef, Cattle, Dairy, Forage, John Deere

To help beef and dairy producers more accurately and quickly measure certain nutrient values of the forages they’re harvesting and feeding their livestock, John Deere is introducing the new HarvestLab™ 3000.

John Deere HarvestLab 3000 uses Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to evaluate constituent characteristics such as moisture, dry matter, protein, starch, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) or acid detergent fiber (ADF). Results are immediate and allow owners to take more frequent and representative samples rather than relying on periodic, non-representative samples measured via wet-chemistry analysis. In the field, broader light spectrum measures up to 10 nutrient values 4,000 times per second, providing permanent, real-time data gathering. Operators can view constituent measurements while harvesting and then quickly make on-the-go adjustments to maximize feed quality.

When mounted to forage harvesters, HarvestLab 3000 offers integrated, automatic length of cut adjustments based on moisture ranges preset by the operator. This feature helps ensure optimum bunker density and high-quality silage. In addition, inoculants can be more precisely applied during harvest based on sugar and dry-matter readings. The end result is high-quality silage with greater feed value and reduced spoilage.

Read More

2018 Stakeholders Summit Themed ‘Protect Your Roots’

Jamie JohansenAg Group, Animal Ag Alliance, Animal Health, Animal Welfare, Food, Livestock

The Animal Agriculture Alliance announced its 2018 Stakeholders Summit will be themed Protect Your Roots. The event will be held May 3-4 in Arlington, Va. Registration for the event will open later this year.

The 2018 Summit will inspire attendees representing all facets of animal agriculture to be proud of their past and current roles in the industry and challenge them to be forward-thinking about how we can continue to grow into the future. Even if communication is not part of their job description, Summit attendees will leave with new perspectives on key issues and ready to engage with influencers to secure the future of animal agriculture.

“We continue to break Summit attendance records year after year, with the 2017 event in Kansas City attracting our largest crowd yet,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “Returning to our Arlington home for the 2018 Summit is a perfect fit for the Protect Your Roots theme. No matter what your role in animal agriculture, if you have a passion for the industry and a vested interest in helping the industry succeed into the future, you need to put our Summit on your calendar.”

The Alliance is currently accepting applications to speak at the event. If you have an idea for a presentation or panel discussion that will provide unique and thought-provoking ideas and focus on actionable items attendees can implement, you are encouraged to submit your application by December 1, 2017.

Updated Deere Utility Tractors in the Sunbelt

AgWired Animal, Audio, John Deere, Sunbelt Ag Expo, Tractor

John Deere is updating its popular 3-cylinder 5E Series Utility Tractors for model year 2018 and these versatile machines are on display this week at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia.

“We lowered the hood down about five inches to give more visibility,” said John Doyle, product marketing manager for Deere. “We increased the size of the operator platform by about 20 percent and we lowered it …. and it has a higher backrest on it to give you more comfort.”

This 5E series was designed primarily for large property owners and non-commercial ag customers with horses and livestock. Learn more in this interview: Interview with John Doyle, Deere

2017 Sunbelt Ag Expo Photo Album

Stories from Sunbelt Ag Expo sponsored by Stories from Sunbelt Ag Expo sponsored by John Deere

GIPSA Rules Withdrawn by Administration

AgWired AgNewsWire, AgWired Animal, Audio, Livestock, NCBA, NPPC, usda

The Trump administration today announced it will withdraw controversial regulations under the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration (GIPSA) related to the buying and selling of livestock.

The action includes an interim final rule that deals with harm to competition and one proposed related rule issued in the final days of the Obama administration. The interim final rule was scheduled to be implemented this Thursday.

“The concern was that this rule as proposed would lead to unnecessary and unproductive litigation,” said Secretary Sonny Perdue during a conference call with reporters from Europe on Tuesday. “My goal at this point is to make sure that the industry abides by the USDA motto and that is Do Right and Feed everyone.”

Listen to Perdue’s comments here: Secretary Perdue comments on GIPSA rule action

Lawmakers and industry groups applauded the action, including Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and House Agriculture Committee Chair Rep. Michael Conaway (R-TX); the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the National Chicken Council.

Secretary Perdue in Europe

AgWired AgNewsWire, AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, GIPSA, Trade, usda

USDA secretary Sonny Perdue greets Pope Francis with FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has been on a whirlwind trip around Europe for the past several days, starting with meetings in London before taking part in the G-7 ministerial, taking part in World Food Day in Rome and meeting Pope Francis yesterday, and concluding his trip today in Madrid.

“It’s been a very productive trip,” said Perdue during a media conference call this morning. “We’ve had …very frank and direct discussions about some of the restrictions the EU has placed.”

Listen to his opening statement here: USDA Secretary Perdue from Europe

On the call, Perdue answered reporters’ questions about issues such as the this morning’s announced rollback of Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rules, European trade, and NAFTA. Secretary Perdue answers reporter questions

Hubbard Robo-Max Custom Feed for Automated Systems

AgWired Animal, Alltech, Audio, Dairy, Feed, Livestock, World Dairy Expo

As robotic milking equipment is becoming more prevalent in the dairy industry, the need for customized feed to use in the systems is increasing, so Hubbard Feeds came up with Robo-Max Computerized Feeder Pellets.

“What we’ve found is that you really need to fine tune what’s going into your pellet formula by having the right amount of starch or energy available right there at the robot,” said Hubbard Feeds dairy nutritionist Jon Pretz during an interview at World Dairy Expo.

Since the systems rely mostly on the animals desire to receive the feed offered through the robot, a high quality, palatable pellet is essential. “What we like to do is increase that starch level as much as we can to get a high-energy pellet into the robot to drive the cows to the robot,” said Pretz.

Learn more in this interview: Interview with Jon Pretz, Hubbard

2017 World Dairy Expo Photo Album

Coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Alltech Coverage of the Farm Progress Show is sponsored by Hubbard Feeds

Animal Ag Bites 10/16

kelly marshallAgWired Animal, Animal Bites

  • On January 17 and 18, 2018 dairy farmers will attend the Dairy Strong conference and trade show in Madison, Wisconsin.  Those who register before November 1, 2017 can attend for free.
  • The National Pork Board is celebrating a new song titled Porkchop by recording artist Cowboy Troy, American country rapper, Hick Hop innovator and songwriter currently traveling with Big & Rich.  Download the song here.
  • Gostwyck Partners‘ sheep farm in Gostwyck, NSW Australia has been certified by SCS Global Services under the Responsible Wool Standard.
  • The 201 World Dairy Expo has come to an end with a record 884 participating companies.  A Show Summary is now available with complete details about the event.
  • RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness group has released a new report, “Steady Growth Ahead for the U.S. Pork Industry- Outlook Hinges on Increased Exports.”  Contact Sarah.Kolell@RaboAg.com for more information.
  • Novus International, Inc. has raised of $20,000 to help those affected by the recent hurricane in Texas.  As a global animal nutrition and health solutions provider with more than 700 employees in 35 countries worldwide, part of this workforce includes manufacturing and business offices in Texas.
  • The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) has given their 2017 Distinguished Service Award to Anne Dawson, senior trade advisor for the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.  The award honors those whose leadership contributes towards achievement of USMEF’s export goals.