MAIZE SILAGE ANALYSIS KEY TO BALANCING VARIED STARCH
EVONIK INVESTS IN PRECISION LIVESTOCK START-UP TO IMPROVE
POULTRY PRODUCTION Evonik has invested in the startup OPTIfarm Ltd. through its venture capital unit and now holds a minority stake in the company, which is headquartered in Chesterfield (United Kingdom). OPTIfarm is already generating revenue through delivering round the clock monitoring of poultry houses, ensuring better animal welfare, improving livestock performance and enabling fail-safe operations. OPTIfarm’s team uses whatever imagery, automation and sensors that are already available, including temperature, water and feed. This allows checks to take place from afar. Any issues can be discovered and corrected quickly, saving the farmer time and money. The transaction took place in the context of a spinout of OPTIfarm from the Applied Group. The parties have agreed not to disclose the amount of the investment.
INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON IMPORTANCE OF
MANAGING CHANGE With the farming industry entering a period of unprecedented change, the 2019 National Farm Management Conference will help farmers, farm managers and others involved in agriculture and rural businesses challenge their approach to managing change in their own business. Organised by the Institute of Agricultural
Management, the conference takes place on Wednesday 13th February at The Royal Society in London. “Agriculture and rural businesses will have
to evolve if they are to remain sustainable and viable in rapidly changing times,” comments IAgrM National Director, Victoria Bywater. “This conference will encourage delegates to step back and think about how they, and their business, need to change.” In the morning, leading authorities
including Professor Nigel Scolan from Queen’s University, Belfast and Captain Bob Rusbridge from Babcock International will discuss the factors influencing successful change management and provide practical
insights.The afternoon session will consider the implications of change management at farm level, with individual speakers focussing on the dairy/livestock, cereals, field vegetable and field vegetable sectors. Victor Chesnutt, Deputy President of
the Ulster Farming Union will be the keynote speaker at the evening reception. Delegates can book online at:
www.iagrm.org.uk/events
LEVELS Early maize silage analysis results are indicating varied quality, particularly when it comes to starch levels. Producers are therefore being urged to test forage stocks and adequately balance rations to maximise cow health and productivity. Rob Fowkes, nutritional advisor at
Quality Liquid Feeds, explains that he is witnessing two main scenarios across the farms he supports, which are maize silages with either low or high starch levels. “There are health and productivity
implications associated with both of these scenarios, be that ruminal acidosis from feeding too much starch, or reduced productivity due to poor rumen function from reduced levels,” he warns. “For this reason, it’s critical that farmers
get their maize silage tested to help them understand exactly what they’re working with. Rations can then be accurately balanced to drive cow health and productivity, while maximising the value of home-grown forages.” For those with lower levels of starch,
Rob recommends considering adding extra cereals to the ration. “Imported whole maize is a very good
option at the moment as it’s very competitively priced because of the high UK wheat price,” he explains. “Another way to balance out low starch
levels is to include sugar in the diet. For example, adding a molasses-based product, such as Dairy SugR, provides an economical source of carbohydrate, in the form of six carbon sugars. “By including these six carbon sugars at
5-7% of the ration, overall efficiency, rumen function, and productivity will increase, which ultimately drive the bottom line.” Liz Newman, northern nutritional advisor
at Quality Liquid Feeds, explains there is huge milk from forage potential for those producers who have access to high starch maize. However, it must be balanced correctly. “Higher starch levels in maize forage
means higher propionic fermentation in the rumen which equals higher milk yields and milk protein. However, getting the fermentable metabolisable energy (FME) to effective rumen degradable protein (ERDP) ratio correct is essential to achieve this and minimise the risk of ruminal acidosis,” she says. “For this reason, high starch maize silages
need balancing with a higher degradable protein. One of the options is to include a ‘timed-release- protein’. “Timed-release’ protein sources are
unique, because the protein source is urea phosphate, which degrades at a similar rate to soya and rape within the rumen. This helps to increase rumen efficiency by supplying rumen micro-organisms with a constant supply of energy and non-protein nitrogen,” she adds.
“The key message here is to establish
what you’re working with, and once you understand your starch levels, make changes to balance out the ration and ensure cow health and productivity is maximised.” Increased ash readings Stunted growth of maize plants meant that crops were chopped lower to the ground at harvest which has increased ash readings in forages. “Ash carries unwanted microbes and
bacteria which can cause heating of the TMR in the trough, reducing FME and rumen productivity,” explains Rob. “Including a mould inhibitor, such as
MycoCurb, within your molasses-based liquid feed can help reduce heating, keeping your ration cool and minimising the risk of producing mycotoxins,” he adds.
TIGHTER SOY CERTIFICATION P R O G R A M M E S C R E A T E OPPORTUNITIES TO END ‘LEGAL’
DEFORESTATION The large-scale and recently increasing ‘legal’ deforestation in South America is being challenged by The Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS) through its scheme of soy certification; a system that ensures a genuinely sustainable food chain. RTRS is the internationally recognised
organisation promoting the responsible production, trading and use of soy. It has been estimated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that 88m hectares of Amazon and Cerrado could still be cleared ‘legally’ if nothing is done to protect them. ‘Legal’ deforestation in South America
is being challenged by RTRS through its soy certification scheme. Producers have responded to this
challenge and via RTRS have certified soy product to the value of 4 million tons in 2017 and expects to exceed that number in 2018. RTRS sets a robust and verified standard
for soy certification, through its wide network of growers, that is a readily available solution for tackling deforestation and conversion of natural land in the widest scope. Two recent reports on certification
standards by Mekon Ecology and Thunen in support of the Amsterdam Declarations Partnership, the initiative of European countries working towards eliminating deforestation from agricultural and commodity, trade and signed by Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom, observed that RTRS ensures zero deforestation soya production and is transparent in its certification of production. Furthermore, the Thunen report
concluded that while many schemes, such as those included in the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guideline, do offer positive progress towards sustainable soy sourcing only a small number meet the deforestation-free goals of the AD Partnership.
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