PARTNER FEATURE ▶▶▶
Precision feeding in ruminants
Precision feeding boosts efficiency since every animal is then fed according to its individual requirements. Providing the right amount of nutrients ensures optimal performance and reduces the animals’ environmental footprint by cutting down on waste of nutrients.
BY MIEKE ZOON AND CÉLINE ROBIN PRODUCT MANAGERS FOR MINERALS AT PANCOSMA
T
oday’s consumers demand increasingly efficient, low-impact food production, and that includes ani- mal production. This means that in addition to cost efficiency, the sector must also find effective ways to
reduce environmental impact. Meanwhile, we have become more aware of the risks of using antibiotics to improve effi- ciency, due to the development of multi-resistant bacteria. Not to mention animal welfare and quality of life. Each of these challenges may seem very different, even contradicto- ry, but there are solutions which ideally address several issues at once. It’s no surprise that the concept of “precision feeding” is becoming one of the industry’s go-to solutions.
Precision feeding Precision feeding means feeding each and every animal ac- cording to its individual requirements. Not only on average,
but at every feeding, every single day. It boosts efficiency, since the closer feed meets animals’ nutritional requirements, the easier it is for them to reach their full genetic potential. Providing less than the required amount of any important nu- trient (e.g. energy, amino acids, vitamins, and trace minerals) will negatively impact performance. Providing the right amount of nutrients is a sustainable way to use resources, ensure optimal performance and reduce the animals’ environmental footprint through less waste of nutrients.
Mineral homogeneity One of the main challenges in precision feeding is the low- level inclusion of essential nutrients such as minerals. In fact, the inclusion level can be so low that it is difficult to ensure homogenous distribution. This can lead to some animals not getting all the nutrients they need. The latest development and new generation of multi-mineral products is B-Traxim All- in-1. Using Pancosma’s Iso-Fusion technology (IFT), every par- ticle contains exactly the same ratio of each different mineral (Figure 1), resulting in perfectly uniform distribution and homogenous premix and feed. The four different minerals in one B-Traxim All-in-1 product were identified using Scanning Electron Microscopy together with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) at the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) in Neuchatel, Switzerland. These minerals (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) were identified and represented with four different colours. Figure 1 shows that not only are all four metals present in every parti- cle, but they are very evenly distributed throughout each one. Farmers are looking for a way to provide nutrients homoge- nously and positively impact animal uniformity, performance and products. A series of tests based on the coefficient of vari- ation confirmed a much lower deviation to the mean with All- in-1 products compared to traditional blends (Figure 2).
Figure 1. Overlay of minerals identified within a B-TRAXIM All-in-1 product. Each particle contains a combination of four different minerals in exact ly the same proportions.
20 ▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 29, No. 2, 2021
Multi-mineral benefits Multi-mineral products can also facilitate the day-to-day work of feed mills and on-farm mixers. Having all the necessary mine rals in one more concentrated formula reduces the number of silos used and stocks held on site. Plus, administra- tively, there are fewer orders and registrations to keep track of. B-Traxim PRO4 is an All-in-1 solution containing Zn, Mn, Cu and Co, designed to meet ruminants’ needs. It is based on
PHOTO: PANCOSMA
PHOTO: MARK PASVEER
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