typically seen when cows go out to grass. Rumen buffers are strongly recommended. This will help to maintain rumen health and milk yields.” Included, typically at a rate of between


DAIRY PRODUCERS ENCOURAGED TO KEEP UP THE GOOD NUTRITION AS COWS ENTER SUMMER


MONTHS ‘IN GOOD SHAPE’ Despite a long and tough winter, cows are in good condition and production levels have held up, according to Cargill’s ruminant technical manager Philip Ingram. He encourages producers to maintain these levels by keeping a close eye on nutrition and to rise to the challenges of more grass-based diets being fed on many units this year, particularly in early summer. “Now we are safely clear of winter


conditions, many dairy producers are focussed on replenishing forage stocks that, in many parts of the country, had reached rock bottom,” says Dr Ingram. “It was a long winter. We were eking out


limited and variable forages and making sure rations were carefully balanced. However, this close attention to nutritional detail, and good cow care, has meant that cows have been turned out in good condition and production is on target. “Producers should keep a close eye on


cow nutrition and look to maintain the good cow condition and production levels that many have achieved during winter. “But there are challenges,” he adds.


“Limited forages are available for buffer feeding, which means that more cows than usual will be relying on grazed grass for a greater proportion of their nutrients.” Grazed grass is rich in both protein and


energy. In early summer it will typically have a crude protein around 20% compared with a TMR, which may be 16% crude protein. “The skill is to cash in on these nutrients


and turn them in to milk, and avoid the excess protein being turned into ammonia and the energy required to do this. Research has shown that the energy required for this process can easily be worth two litres of milk.” Dr Ingram recommends that producers


consider including a protein efficiency product, which can be added to the compound feed or TMR. “Products such as Optitek can ‘build’ this excess protein in the diet into microbial protein in the rumen. Microbial protein is the most digestible,


nutritious form of protein available to the cow, and it can help to drive production and regain body reserves post calving.” He also warns producers to be even


more diligent in monitoring rumen health this year, particularly where there is more reliance on grazed grass. “The high digestibility and low dry matter can reduce the cow’s rumen pH and increase her risk of acidosis. And this reduction in structural fibre in the diet compared with the winter ration accounts, in part, for the depressed butterfat levels


PAGE 46 JULY/AUGUST 2018 FEED COMPOUNDER


100g and 150g/head/day, the rumen buffer Equaliser absorbs the excess acid in the rumen and helps to maintain a pH as close as possible to the optimum of 6.5. It has been shown to improve butterfats by 0.53% in SARA-challenged cows and improve milk yields. This makes it a cost-effective option, particularly where rumen health may be challenged.


MIALGAE ON TRACK TO SHAKE UP FOOD INDUSTRY AFTER £500,000


INVESTMENT MiAlgae, a student-launched startup that aims to revolutionise the animal and fish feed industries with microalgae made from the co- products of whisky, has received £500,000 from investors. The company, founded by Douglas


Martin while a masters student at the University of Edinburgh in 2015-16, grows algae rich in omega-3 and other nutrients using co-products from the whisky distillation process. The microalgae produced can be used as


a raw material for agricultural food products, with the company initially targeting the aquaculture industry, whose future growth is predicted to require new sources of feed. The investment, in equal shares from


Equity Gap, the Scottish Investment Bank, the investment arm of Scotland’s enterprise agencies, and the University’s venture fund Old College Capital, will enable the company to expand its team and build a pilot plant for its technology at a whisky distillery. The £500,000 seed investment in


MiAlgae follows a series of competition and funding successes. Martin obtained a Smart: Scotland


grant in 2017, has progressed through the EU’s three-stage Climate-KIC Accelerator programme hosted at the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation, has had competition success including Scottish EDGE Young EDGE and Innovate UK, and was recently named Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Martin recently pitched at the final of the 2018 Scottish EDGE competition with the chance of being awarded an additional £100k of funding for the company. Martin will be looking to expand the


company’s production capacity 30-fold and will be expanding his team of two, to reach five. Aquaculture is worth £1.8 billion a year


to the Scottish economy, according to latest Scottish Government figures, but Martin’s ambition does not stop with aquaculture or Scotland. “We’re looking at multiple industries in the


supply side, multiple industries at the product side, then diversification into multiple products beyond feeds,” said Martin. “There are lots of things we can do with our products.”


ADIFO SEMINAR AND VISIT TO


AGRUNIEKRIJNVALLEI More than 80 professionals representing over 10 countries from the feed, premix, aquafeed, pet food and other related industries met at Adifo’s seminar in Rhenen, The Netherlands. During this event, professionals from


different industries were brought together to share insights and discuss innovations in feed technology. The central theme: Data Management, Integration & Collaboration was looked at from different angles such as; trends in the growing aquafeed business, Internet of farming, insights in ration advice, precision feeding, etc. These topics were further illustrated by case studies. Among the keynote speakers were Robin


De Groof (ED&F Man holding), Laura Star (Schothorst Feed Research), Ben Lamberigts (Coppens International), Rob van Winden (Agrifirm), Martin Grift (AgruniekRijnvallei) and Kristof Mertens (Porphyrio). After the presentations and lunch in


Rhenen, all participants were welcomed at the production site of AgruniekRijnvallei in Wageningen.


EVONIK CELEBRATES THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF FERMAS: SLOVAKIAN SITE PLAYS KEY ROLE IN EVONIK’S FERMENTATION


PROCESSES When it comes to industrial fermentation processes for new products, all roads at Evonik lead to the Group’s Slovakian site in Slovenská Ľupča. Fermas s.r.o., a company in which the former Degussa AG held a majority of shares, began the fermentative production of the amino acids lysine and threonine in 1993. This year, the site celebrates its 25th anniversary as Evonik Fermas GmbH. “It is rewarding to see how well Fermas


has developed and how important it has become for our business,” says Dr. Emmanuel Auer, the head of the Animal Nutrition Business Line of Evonik. All amino acids in Evonik’s portfolio that are produced with fermentation methods, whether for animal nutrition or pharmaceutical applications, originally started out at the site. The Evonik Group has since established


large production capacities in other parts of the world for most of these amino acids, and Fermas has specialized in scaling up fermentation processes. All new biotechnological processes move from process development in the laboratory to industrial scale production in Slovenská Ľupča, where the experts for large-scale fermenters are based. Thanks to the trend toward sustainability,


Fermas has continued to see a steady stream of new projects and investments. Over the past years, investments in the double-digit million Euro range have been made into new products, improved technologies, and infrastructure at the site.


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