feedstuffs in focus

The pork industry took a proactive step to protect animal health and producers’ livelihoods this week with the approval of a resolution aimed at enhancing the country’s live swine traceability system. The goal of the new standards is that of better controlling the spread of a foreign animal disease and lessening the economic impact of an outbreak should one occur. 

Joining Feedstuffs’ Ann Hess in this episode to discuss the importance of controlling foreign animal disease in our nation’s swine herd is Dr. Anna Forseth, Director of Animal Health for the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). In her role, Anna is the liaison between the pork industry and the government on pre-harvest animal health and public health issues. We caught up with Anna at this week’s National Pork Industry Forum. 

This episode is being brought to you by United Animal Health, a leader in animal health and nutrition. You can learn more about United Animal Health and how they are working to advance animal science worldwide by visiting the website at UnitedANH.com

If you would like to hear more conversations about some of the big issues affecting the livestock, poultry, grain and animal feed industries, subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast channel. For daily news, visit us at feedstuffs.com; nationalhogfarmer.com and beefmagazine.com 

The U.S. in recent years has seen some of the worst hatchability numbers since the late 1980s. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture in January 2024 reported average hatchability at 79.6%. There are many factors in play, in the barn and the hatchery, that can impact hatchability. Some blame poor fertility and embryo mortality, while others consider more management-related issues. Regardless, the cause of this phenomenon is unclear.

Until a firm cause is discovered and addressed, what can producers do to support hatchability and better ensure those chicks make it onto dinner plates? 

Joining Feedstuffs in Focus host Sarah Muirhead is NOVUS executive manager and poultry technology lead Hugo Romero-Sanchez, a poultry expert with a comprehensive understanding of the physiological, nutritional, environmental, and economic variables that affect broiler and layer performance. Dr. Romero presented a TECHTalk on the topic of hatchability during the 2024 International Production and Processing Expo this week. 

To learn how NOVUS is using intelligent nutrition to help poultry producers do more, visit www.novusint.com

The International Production & Processing Expo, also known as IPPE, is held annually in Atlanta, Ga. This year’s event is set for Jan. 30-Feb. 1 and will offer the largest trade show floor space ever and more than 80 hours of dynamic education sessions focused on current industry issues. 

Joining  Feedstuffs editor Sarah Muirhead in this episode of Feedstuffs in Focus to talk about IPPE and everything it has to offer this year’s attendees is Sarah Novak, chief operating officer of the American Feed Industry Assn.  AFIA is one of the hosting organizations of IPPE.

This episode is brought to you by the International Production & Processing Expo, a collaboration of three shows representing the entire chain of protein production and processing. Make your plans today to join the feed, meat and poultry industry in Atlanta, Ga., on Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2024. To learn more at ippexpo.org. 

There is no right answer when it comes to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, but controlling the virus in the early days requires PRRSv herd stabilization and herd closure to be part of the conversation. 

In this episode, Dr. Paul Yeske, Swine Vet Center, walks us through different strategies producers can use in the field to control and eliminate PRRS L1C. Our Ann Hess sat down with Dr. Yeske at this past weekend’s PRRS conference in Chicago, IL.

This episode is sponsored by United Animal Health, a leader in animal health and nutrition. You can learn more about United Animal Health and how they are working to advance animal science worldwide by visiting the website at UnitedANH.com

For more information on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.beefmagazine.com, www.Feedstuffs.com,  and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. 


 

Recent changes to animal food regulations and how such changes could affect the animal food industry in 2024 are among those topics on the minds of today’s animal food facility managers and operation/mill personnel. The big question being, of course, is how these latest regulatory requirements might impact business and the feed industry overall. 

With us in this episode of Feedstuffs in Focus to talk about the feed education component of the upcoming International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) and what’s on the industry’s radar when it comes to regulation and enforcement is Gary Huddleston, Director of Feed Manufacturing and Regulatory Affairs for the American Feed Industry Assn. Among other things, Huddleston is involved in pulling together the Feed Education Program held each year during IPPE in Atlanta. He also is coordinator of AFIA and Feedstuffs Feed Facility of the Year annual awards program. Adding to the excitement, this year's winner in the commercial dry category will be announced during the feed education session on Wednesday morning of IPPE.

This episode is brought to you by International Production & Processing Expo, a collaboration of three shows representing the entire chain of protein production and processing. Make your plans today to join the feed, meat and poultry industry in Atlanta, Ga., on Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2024. To learn more at ippexpo.org. 

For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.beefmagazine.com, www.Feedstuffs.com,  and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. 
 

What are the pressing issues for the animal feed and pet food industries as 2023 wraps up and we move into 2024. 

Rachael Dettmann Spiegel, a food lawyer with Faegre Drinker in Minneapolis, shares her insight on what to expect. To date, she says there has been an increase inspections and enforcement on the part of the Food & Drug Administration in this post-COVID era. In particular, she says, the agency is looking at companies from more of a complete perspective, making visits to all manufacturing facilities rather than picking and choosing just a few to visits. She also addresses the importance of having contracts in place with suppliers, having a safety culture throughout the team and making sure product recall preparations are in place.

This episode is sponsored by United Animal Health, a leader in animal health and nutrition. You can learn more about United Animal Health and how they are working to advance animal science worldwide by visiting the website at UnitedANH.com

For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.beefmagazine.com, www.Feedstuffs.com,  and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. 

There are plenty of diseases that can affect a production system, but what happens when the standard culprits don’t show up on a diagnostics test? 

Host Sarah Muirhead sits down with Dr. Tom Petznick of ArkCare to discuss lessons learned in uncovering and controlling porcine sapovirus.

They discuss: 

• Realizing he was dealing with a new challenge
• Next generation gene sequencing
• Treatments for a little known virus
• The costs of sapovirus to a system
• Lessons learned from a sneaky virus

Dr. Petznick, veterinarian at ArkCare, has been practicing swine veterinary medicine for 25 years and is this year’s Allen D. Leman Science in Practice Award winner. His expertise in managing purebred sows has made him an in-demand consulting swine veterinarian.

This podcast is one of a four-part series on controlling costs with herd health brought to you by Pharmgate Animal Health. Check out the other three episodes for discussions on PRRS, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Lawsonia. Call your Pharmgate representative or visit pharmgate.com to learn about their broad portfolio options to support your protocols. 

There are plenty of diseases that can affect a production system, but what happens when the standard culprits don’t show up on a diagnostics test? 

Host Sarah Muirhead sits down with Dr. Tom Petznick of ArkCare to discuss lessons learned in uncovering and controlling porcine sapovirus.

They discuss: 

• Realizing he was dealing with a new challenge
• Next generation gene sequencing
• Treatments for a little known virus
• The costs of sapovirus to a system
• Lessons learned from a sneaky virus

Dr. Petznick, veterinarian at ArkCare, has been practicing swine veterinary medicine for 25 years and is this year’s Allen D. Leman Science in Practice Award winner. His expertise in managing purebred sows has made him an in-demand consulting swine veterinarian.

This podcast is one of a four-part series on controlling costs with herd health brought to you by Pharmgate Animal Health. Check out the other three episodes for discussions on PRRS, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Lawsonia. Call your Pharmgate representative or visit pharmgate.com to learn about their broad portfolio options to support your protocols. 

“There is no such thing as normal diarrhea.” This comes from someone who has dedicated nearly 40 years to controlling and establishing immunity to ileitis, a leading cause of diarrhea in pigs. 

Host Sarah Muirhead speaks with Dr. Nate Winkelman from Swine Services Unlimited about practical strategies and lessons learned for controlling Lawsonia.

They discuss: 

• Costs of Lawsonia  to a system
• Why ileitis is so endemic in the swine industry
• Types of diagnosis and treatments
• The future of ileitis control

This podcast is one of a four-part series on controlling costs through herd health, which is brought to you by Pharmgate Animal Health. Check out the other three episodes for discussions on PPRS, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and porcine sapovirus. Call your Pharmgate representative or visit pharmgate.com to learn about their broad portfolio of options to support your protocols. 

“There is no such thing as normal diarrhea.” This comes from someone who has dedicated nearly 40 years to controlling and establishing immunity to ileitis, a leading cause of diarrhea in pigs. 

Host Sarah Muirhead speaks with Dr. Nate Winkelman from Swine Services Unlimited about practical strategies and lessons learned for controlling Lawsonia.

They discuss: 

• Costs of Lawsonia  to a system
• Why ileitis is so endemic in the swine industry
• Types of diagnosis and treatments
• The future of ileitis control

This podcast is one of a four-part series on controlling costs through herd health, which is brought to you by Pharmgate Animal Health. Check out the other three episodes for discussions on PPRS, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and porcine sapovirus. Call your Pharmgate representative or visit pharmgate.com to learn about their broad portfolio of options to support your protocols. 

Industry disruptors. Those people, those companies and that technology that are changing things up and bringing forward new ideas and often times new solutions for agriculture. 

Joining us on this episode of Feedstuffs in Focus is a leading disruptor in the agricultural input sector. The company is Phinite and has developed an innovative approach to animal manure. Jordan Phasey, founder and CEO of Phinite, is here to tell us more.

This episode is sponsored by United Animal Health, a leader in animal health and nutrition. You can learn more about United Animal Health and how they are working to advance animal science worldwide by visiting the website at UnitedANH.com

For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com,  and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.

In this episode, host Sarah Muirhead talks with Dr. R.Dean Boyd and Dr. Aaron Gaines about establishing reliable net energy (NE) values for soybean meal (SBM) in commercial growing and finishing swine diets. Boyd and Gaines are the authors of a recently published Feedstuffs article, “Soybean meal NE value for growing pigs is greater in commercial environments.”

Typically, academic research facilities lack pathogen and/or environmental stressors that are encountered in commercial barns, which typically house 1000 pigs or more per room. The authors discuss how the apparent difference in NE estimates between academic and commercial environments are determined and will propose that health-promoting molecules specific to SBM contribute to the difference.

Listeners can learn more about why there is a difference between the two environments (as well as a comparison to other industry references, such as NRC) and the key takeaways in terms of new opportunities – and value – for the industry.

Meat discoloration during retail display is a process characterized by changes in the pigment of meat. In beef, that discoloration has been linked back to muscle type. Studies regarding the color stability of different pork muscles, however, has been more limited. 

Joining us today to talk about meat discoloration at retail is Dr. Bailey Harsh, assistant professor of meat science in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Illinois. Dr. Harsh’s research is dedicated to the development of application-focused solutions aimed at challenges in food and production agriculture and increasing consumer demand for meat products.

This episode of Feedstuffs in Focus is sponsored byTopigs Norsvin.  Swine genetics company Topigs Norsvin is renowned for its innovative approach to implementing new technologies and its continuous focus on cost-efficient and sustainable pig production.  Research, innovation, and dissemination of genetic improvements are the cornerstones of the company.  For more information, visit TopigsNorsvin.us.

For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.

When looking to increase crop yields, a stable biological environment really should be the ultimate goal.

Environmental needs vary from crop to crop, but the one constant is that each crop has an optimal environment to support maximum yields and crop quality. Creating and maintaining this environment is key to a successful farm. 

Joining us to talk about how best to achieve an optimal biological environment through high-quality data that is collected through well planned, accurate field trials is Dr. Sagi Katz, Vice President Agronomy at Agmatix. Agmatix is an agro infomatics company offering data-driven solutions for ag professionals worldwide.

For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.

Pet owners will soon find updated packaging and labels when shopping for pet food and specialty pet food products. This is because the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has approved new suggested labeling guidelines. Guidelines that will ensure consistency and transparency and allow consumers to more easily make more informed buying decisions for their pets.

Passage of the revised Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food sets a new standard for pet food manufacturers and distributors and is the result of feed regulatory professionals across the United States and Canada working cooperatively with consumers and professionals within the pet food industry on a strategic course to ensure pet food labels provide a more comprehensive view of the product.

Joining us in the episode with all the details is Austin Therrell, Executive Director of AAFCO.  We talk about what the new guidelines will mean for pet owners and feed manufacturers. We also talk about what's ahead in terms of adoption of the new guidelines at the state level and, for that matter, what may be the best approach to the regulation of pet foods and animal food. 

For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.
 

Alltech has introduced Triad, an innovative solution that promotes successful farrowing and pig livability through a palatable, proprietary blend of Alltech ingredients. 

During World Pork Expo, our Ann Hess caught up with Andy Rash, general manager of Alltech’s U.S. swine business to find out more about Triad and what opportunities it has to offer hog producers. 

As Rash explains, sow throughput can be compromised by a higher incidence of stillborn pigs and pre-wean death losses, decreasing overall performance for swine producers. Effective during short feeding intervals, Triad supports sows during parturition and lessened pre-wean mortality, driving more pigs and more pounds long-term.

“Helping producers keep more pigs they work so hard to produce in the production chain is a great challenge to address,” Rash said. “The industry makes such a large investment in total pigs born but focusing on pigs weaned is the real opportunity.”

This episode of Feedstuffs in Focus is brought to you by Alltech, a global leader in animal nutrition. For more information on Alltech and Triad, visit Alltech.com.

For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.

The swine industry is currently facing some real economic challenges. Joining us from World Pork Expo to provide perspective on the industry and what is driving this economic uncertainty, as well as thoughts on how long it might last is Dr. Matt Ritter, Sr. Vice President Research & Development with United Animal Health. 

This episode of Feedstuffs in Focus is sponsored by United Animal Health, a leader in animal health and nutrition. You can learn more about United Animal Health and how they are working to advance animal science worldwide by visiting the website at UnitedANH.com

For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.

Researchers in swine nutrition have focused much of their recent efforts on exploring how feed can benefit sows and pigs beyond growth and production. Historically, interventions have concentrated on attacking a particular pathogen, but modern technologies have shown promise in proactively supporting and developing pigs’ immune systems. 

This episode of Feedstuffs in Focus is sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition. Driven to unlock the greatest potential in every animal, Purina is an industry-leading innovator offering a valued portfolio of complete feeds, supplements, premixes, ingredients and specialty technologies for the livestock and lifestyle animal markets. For more information, visit purinamills.com. 

For additional background on this topic: https://www.feedstuffs.com/news/purina-announces-new-swine-feed-additives 

With us today to talk about the science behind the immune system as well as new feed additives that proactively support immune function is Dr. Erin Bryan, a swine nutritional immunologist with Purina Animal Nutrition. Dr. Bryan is on the Swine Innovation Team and conducts much of her research at the Purina Animal Nutrition Center, the company’s state-of-the-art research farm in Gray Summit, Missouri. Dr. Bryan and Feedstuffs’ Ann Hess caught up at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa.

For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.

It’s all the buzz in the business world. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a public relations, and even marketing, tool is on the rise and making headlines.

But what is true risk? What is the real cost of getting your messaging wrong or using AI to craft your messaging? Is AI a business opportunity, risk or a bit of both?

 Hinda Mitchell, President of the Inspire PR Group, shares with us her insight on AI and automation as a replacement for trained marketing and PR staff.

For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.

During World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, NOVUS International, a global feed additive company, revealed its comprehensive rebranding initiative. The changes reflect the more than 30-year-old company’s promise to deliver more to its customers and its commitment to providing solutions created through advanced technology, based on global scientific research that goes further to offer unexpected benefits to customers. 

“Intelligent nutrition is how we support animal health and performance,” says NOVUS SVP and Chief Commercial Officer Ed Galo in this week’s Feedstuffs in Focus podcast and press release. “Our novel combination of experienced people, insightful perspective, and smarter solutions allows us to put more into everything we create. Because we want to deliver more benefits that deliver more for producers. That’s intelligent nutrition.” 

As Galo explains, Made of More™, the company’s new slogan, represents the focus of all its future endeavors.  

NOVUS liquid and dry methionine solutions utilize the HMTBa molecule, which is a precursor to L-methionine. Because of this unique molecule, ALIMET® feed supplement, MHA® feed supplement and MFP® feed supplement are nitrogen-free and have properties of an organic acid benefiting overall gut health. Liquid ALIMET® feed supplement requires virtually no handling thanks to the company’s automated inventory system for customers (AIMS). HMTBa is also the backbone for MINTREX® bis-chelated trace minerals, highly bioavailable and absorbable organic zinc, copper, and manganese that allow producers to use lower inclusion of minerals in the ration while seeing the same or improved performance and growth. MINTREX® is also a source of methionine through HMTBa. ACTIVATE® nutritional feed acid is made from a blend of organic acids and HMTBa shown to reduce the survivability of certain pathogens in feed. 

Just as NOVUS works to do more for its customers, it’s also working to offer more to the industry. Galo says new products – created in-house, through partnerships, or via mergers and acquisitions – are on the horizon. 

“Innovation remains our core priority. As experts in the global food system, we can see where the animal protein industry is heading and this vision directs how we can help meet regional goals from performance and environmental sustainability to return on investment,” he says. “We are driven to create new ideas and technologies that improve the health of animals and animal protein production.”

For more information on intelligent nutrition and how NOVUS is made of more, visit http://novusint.com/MADE-OF-MORE.