INTERVIEW ▶▶▶ Nutrition courses at Schothorst Feed Research
In 2019, Schothorst Feed Research (SFR) will organise the Feeds & Nutrition course for the 9th
time and will be held 3-7
June 2019 in Zaandam, near Amsterdam. The goal of the Feeds & Nutrition course is to share scientific knowledge in such a way that the participant can implement this knowl- edge in daily work. To achieve this, 16 different modules are offered from which the participants can compose their own programme. Besides the species specific modules (basic principles, nutrient evaluation, applied nutrition and feed formulation for poultry, swine and ruminants) also species transcending topics are offered (feedstuffs, feed quality, feed processing, mycotoxins). The modules for ruminant
condition is high on the agenda for researchers like us. Be- sides the E-dairy model, that we are constantly improving, SFR is also working together with Ghent University in Bel- gium to study the fatty acid pattern in milk and what this means for cow health. Next to this, the effect of rumen health on overall animal health remains a hot topic still, but we also see a global interest in other parts of the digestive system of the cow: acidosis of the hind gut for example. This disorder is linked with rumen acidosis, but we still don’t know a lot about it. The hind gut is more sensitive to acids and toxins than the rumen and the cow can become very sick from hind gut acidosis. We are doing research work to find ways to influence the whole digestive system through nutrition.”
DG: We see a trend of using more feed additives in cow nutrition. Do you think dairy cows can benefit from it? WS: “We do see more use of feed additives in ruminant nutri- tion. A great deal of research has been dedicated to rumen undegradable amino acids. This is of interest because we tend to include less protein in the diet of high performing dairy cows. In addition, the use of high quality protein sourc- es such as soybean meal is under discussion. The undegrada- ble amino acids are included in the feed matrix and a nutri- tionist can then quickly see if the use of these supplements are also economically interesting or whether it is better to re- place them with other protein feed ingredients or make the products less degradable through heat treatment for exam- ple. We also see a growing interest in the use of choline or vi- tamin (B) products in dairy cow diets. Especially B vitamins, which are good for high performing dairy cows as this sup- ports the liver function. Regarding other feed additives that claim to increase immunity and reduce mastitis for example, it is a more complex issue. Antibiotics are mainly used in dry cows and decreasing its use is more linked with having a good farm management and hygiene protocol in place. In addition, prevention of diseases already starts with the calf,
28 ▶DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 6, No. 2, 2019
nutrition are: Advanced dairy nutrition, applied dairy nutri- tion and feeding management/ration formulation dairy. All modules are given by researchers and consultants from SFR, together with experts from the field. The course is designed for nutritionists, purchasing managers, product managers and quality assurance managers of feed and feed additive producers or others involved in the feed and allied industry. The modules will be held over the course of one week and will be given in English. Registration is required before May 10, 2019. More detailed information can be found at:
www.schothorst.nl.
by making sure it gets enough colostrum and high quality solid feeds.”
DG: Will a typical dairy cow diet look the same ten years’ time? WS: “I think we will see a few changes in the near future. We will have access to a larger pallet of feed ingredients. In some countries of the world, such as the Netherlands, we also see more focus on sourcing the feed material regionally instead of importing from far away. This will mean that Dutch dairy cows will have more grass and less corn in the diet. The quest for nutritionists is then to find the best compound feed to complement this new type of diet. At the same time, I hope that diet formulation in the coming years will be based more on digestible protein instead of crude protein. Most of the regulation and the models are still based on crude protein, because it can be measured easily and directly translated from the nitrogen total. The digestible protein levels are more complicated to measure and are based on calculations. Internationally we see a trend in using less GMO ingredients and the effect of dairy farming on the envi- ronment (greenhouse gas emissions), as mentioned before. This has a direct effect on the feed ingredients we use and are allowed to use in the future. We will also focus more on for- mulating diets for individual cows. This means that all cows get the same basal diet with roughage, but are supplemented separately with compound feed in a feed station. This is made easier through the use of sensors and other technology that gives insight in rumination and other param- eters. Lastly, I see an increased interest in feeding calves and dry cows. Both of these groups are very important. A high producing dairy cow starts with a healthy calf. Still, some farmers don’t always realise that. With more attention to feeding calves at a young age, through the so-called meta- bolic programming – the chance that more milk is produced later in life is increased.”
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