The latest information and updates from Alltech Mycotoxin Management.
Welcome to the first edition of the Farmfeed for 2023! ⭐
In this issue, we bring you updates and insights on the latest news and events from the Alltech Mycotoxin Management team and the wider industry.
The end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023 have certainly kept the team busy, with multiple events being hosted, both in-person and virtually. The release of the harvest analysis report booklets is certainly a highlight, as well as the announcement of the Alltech 2023 Feed Production Workshop, which is now open for registration.
We hope you find this edition informative and engaging, and we welcome your feedback.
The 2022 Alltech Harvest Analysis
Are you fully equipped to act both early and effectively against mycotoxin risk?
No matter where you are, all feed and livestock producers face challenges from hidden mycotoxins in their feed ingredients. However, before you can mitigate the issue, you must first understand the specific challenge in your region.
The Alltech 2022 Harvest analysis programmes include:
Detailed analysis report booklet
Live expert webinar
Interactive map
Downloadable mycotoxin resources
You can sign up to relevant programme in your area, giving you access to all of the above material, using the links below:
International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE)
From the 24th - 26th January, John Winchell, primary support for Alltech RAPIREAD and Nick Adams, Mycotoxin Program Director, headed to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the International Production & Processing Expo. During the event, the team gave demonstrations of the Neogen Raptor and Mycotoxin Management RAPIREAD program.
As one of the first physical events of 2023, IPPE was a great success with the team engaged in plenty of exciting conversations and demonstrations across the three days.
"Mycosorb is cheap compared to the cost of mycotoxin poisoning."
In this testimonial video, featuring Mark Lewis from Rosevale farm, discover how Alltech's mycotoxin management programme helped manage a mycotoxin problem and improve production.
Causing a wide variety of health issues, mycotoxins pose a serious threat to the productivity and profitability of even the best run animal production systems.
Alltech's mycotoxin management programme, which combines wide ranging laboratory-based testing with Alltech 37+ and Alltech RAPIREAD, gives producers both flexibility and accuracy in understanding their mycotoxin problem.
Mycotoxins can negatively impact the health and performance of your herd, fundamentally affecting your bottom line. 🐄🐑
Learn more about the mycotoxin challenge for ruminant animals and the effect it can have on the health of your business with the latest mycotoxin explainer video.
After another successful edition of the Feed Mill Workshop in 2022, the workshop is back for 2023 with a brand new format!
This year, we are updating the workshop, delivering content across multiple dates throughout the year. The online sessions will be condensed into two-hour-long workshops, featuring 3-4 industry speakers. These sessions will be a mixture of short presentations and discussions, with the opportunity for attendees to ask questions during a Q&A session as well.
Each workshop will focus on a different topic, with key themes including quality control, feed processing, biosecurity, regulation, technology & automation and more. The first instalment of this workshop will take a look at the key areas around preparing a mill for intake.
Please join us on the 4th April for the first edition of the newly formatted Feed Production Workshop where we will bring together like-minded individuals from all over the world to further our knowledge on successfully producing the highest quality animal feed at each stage.
The mycotoxin-related health impact of shifting to plant-based diets
In recent years, with a look to creating a healthier and more sustainable diet, plant-based alternatives such as dairy and meat substitutes have been developed in order to reduce the consumption of animal-based foods. As these plant-based alternatives continue to develop and expand within the market, the question arises: 'what do we know about the mycotoxin-related health impacts of shifting to a plant-based diet?'
Indian livestock producers facing corn quality challenges
A year that promised so much for Indian corn producers turned out much the opposite when crops began being harvested. Fertiliser shortages, adverse weather conditions and pest damage all played a role in driving down the yield and quality of both the earlier and later harvests (Rabi and Kharif).
Mycotoxin explosion creating havoc on dairy farms right across Northern Ireland
One of the most significant challenges thrown up for dairy and beef farmers over recent months has been a direct consequence of the extremely high mycotoxin levels found in their silages. Learn more in this example with Mark Lewis, who milks 135 pedigree Holstein cows near Tandragee, Co. Armagh.
Over the past few months, Alltech field teams have been actively working with their customers and partners to assess what is the mycotoxin risk attached to new crop grains and forages coming out of harvest 2022.
A Herd's Efficiency Needs Optimal Forage
Forages have long been the dominant feedstuff used in the production of ruminant livestock. As livestock producers across the world have sought to increase the productivity of their herds in recent decades, the use of higher forage content total mixed rations (TMRs) has grown in popularity, creating the need for greater monitoring of the quality of high inclusion feedstuffs such as grass silage, corn silage, alfalfa or small grain silages.
Martin Minchin, Mycotoxin Management Marketing Manager
Having been born and raised on a mixed farm at the foothills of Mount Leinster in South Eastern Ireland, from an early age it felt inevitable that my life path would revolve around agriculture in some shape or form.
School holidays were spent either helping out on the home farm, or earning some extra money on neighbouring farms (my dad’s pay wasn’t always reliable!).
With sheep and crops being my preferred choice of task, spring lambing and autumn harvest seasons were always the highlight in the farming calendar.
For my third level studies I chose to pursue a BSc in Agriculture and Land Management at the South East Technological University. While there, we had the opportunity to meet and learn from John Geraghty, an internationally renowned champion of conservation agriculture. He challenged much of the conventional thinking that was ingrained in us about how food was being produced, and his energy and enthusiasm for learning and sharing new and better agriculture techniques remains one of the most positive influences that I continue to try and take forward in my career each day.
The overseas rite of passage took me to New Zealand with my college friends for a season spent harvesting forage crops in the North Island. On return, the somewhat dreaded job search had to begin, and I was lucky to get an opportunity to join Kverneland Group, a Norwegian based manufacturer of crop and forage equipment. Visiting almost 20 countries in 5 years with this company was the dream for a recent graduate and fuelled my passion and interest for global agriculture.
It was back to the books in 2015 when I took up an MSc in Food Business Strategy at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. Alltech was a featured case study during that year and I was fascinated by the story of the company and the technologies that it had developed. A LinkedIn message led to a meeting with Robbie Walker, which led to a meeting with Dr. Pearse Lyons at their Craft Beer Fair, which led to me being hired! I’m so thankful I sent that speculative LinkedIn message as the journey since at Alltech has been nothing short of incredible. If I had a checklist of what I would want in a career, Alltech ticks so many of them. Moving to Stamford and joining the Mycotoxin Management Team has been one of the many highlights, and it is with excitement that each day we can come to work and know that our solutions are truly making a positive difference to feed and livestock producers globally, and most importantly moving us towards a future where a Planet of Plenty is not just a dream, but a reality enjoyed by all.
