Dairy Diary: March business update

Alltech continues partnership of mentorship program for women in food and agriculture

Alltech is continuing its partnership with the Women in Food & Agriculture (WFA) Mentorship Program. Applications are now open for new mentors of any gender and for female mentees from across the global food and agriculture sector. Now in its fourth year, the free-to-join program is dedicated to supporting women across the global food and agriculture sector by providing mentorship opportunities.

Rumenco’s Lifeline Pre-Calver increases colostrum igG by 20% in farm trial

A 2023 cattle farm trial found combination feed and micronutrient bucket Lifeline Pre-Calver to increase colostrum quality by 20% when compared to an isolated micronutrient delivery method. These results show the benefit of supplementing micronutrients with additional feed compounds to increase total colostrum production and immunoglobulin concentration, says Dr Alison Bond, nutritionist for Rumenco.

Novus acquires enzyme company BioResource International

Novus International has completed the acquisition of US-based enzyme company BioResource International, making Novus the owner of all BioResource International’s products and intellectual property, and takes control of the company’s facilities in North Carolina in the US. BioResource’s products include feed additives and enzymes, among others.

SenseHub Youngstock unlocks entire lifetime monitoring for dairy herds

MSD Animal Health UK Limited has launched the SenseHub Dairy Youngstock application plan in the UK. It uses the SenseHub monitoring ear tag to assess the behavioural patterns of calves from birth to 12 months of age to identify any signs of potential ill health or opportunities for welfare improvements. The new Youngstock plan is suitable for nipple-fed calves in single hutches, or for post-weaning calves housed in group pens.

Lallemand Animal Nutrition shares results of Manure Pro bedding conditioner

Lallemand Animal Nutrition has shared the results of a recent scientific publication showing that the application of a microbial-based bedding conditioner, Manure Pro, preserves the quality of the bedding material and has positive outcomes on the maintenance of udder health and cow health. The conditioner contains an enzymatic and bacterial complex that promotes the development of beneficial microorganisms when applied to the bedding material.

New packaging for mozzarella introduced by Amcor and PFM

Amcor has announced its new AmPrima for Mozzarella, a recycle-ready packaging solution for fresh mozzarella. The new package was presented at Anuga FoodTec 2024 by PFM Packaging Machinery, with a live demo. AmPrima for Mozzarella is a lightweight and flexible, mono-PE based material (97% PE content). It offers robust barrier properties to preserve the product for freshness and shelf life. The new package has been designed with increased puncture resistance, seal strength and material stiffness to avoid leaks and maintain product quality.

Ketosis Risk Alert tool introduced at dairy roadshow

During a UK roadshow, dairy management software company Uniform-Agri introduced a new Ketosis Risk Alert tool to their farmers as part of their updated software package. The roadshow included workshops for dairy farmers using the Uniform-Agri software to showcase the new elements of the herd management programme.

Boost eligibility potential for grant funding with veterinary advice

Details of the Rural Payment Agency’s latest round of Farming Equipment and Technology Fund grants has recently been announced in England, and MSD Animal Health has noted that farmers who wish to apply for grant funding on a range of animal health and welfare equipment can improve their application scores by submitting evidence that their claim has been discussed with their veterinary surgeon.

Deloitte and DSM-Firmenich partner with Sustell

Deloitte and DSM-Firmenich have entered into a strategic partnership aimed to address the growing need for environmental accountability and unlock new opportunities related to sustainability across the animal protein value chain using DSM-Firmenich’s life cycle assessment (LCA) platform, Sustell.

EW Nutrition acquires BioStabil product line from DSM-Firmenich

EW Nutrition has acquired the Biomin BioStabil product line from DSM-Firmenich, giving the animal nutrition solutions company ownership of an established line of silage inoculants.

Agrar GmbH Reichenbach relies on digestate processing from Weltec Biopower

In March 2024, Agrar GmbH Reichenbach commissioned its Kumac digestate processing system from Weltec Biopower. This is the first Kumac plant to go live in Germany, in addition to the 16 that have been built worldwide to date. The agricultural company based in the Saxony, Germany, specialises in dairy farming and the cultivation of feed crops. In addition to the dairy farm with 1,400 cows and breeding cattle, the farmers have been operating a biogas plant with an electrical output of 845 kW since 2006. The facilities generate up to 72,000 tonnes of liquid manure and digestate a year.

The 2024 ADSA annual meeting takes place this June

The 2024 ADSA (American Dairy Science Association) Annual Meeting is scheduled for 16-19 June 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Attending ADSA’s conference gives you face-to-face, personal access to cutting-edge dairy science and the people behind the breakthroughs, as well as symposia, poster sessions and networking events. Registration is open!

Influential dairy leaders awarded World Dairy Expo Recognition Awards

World Dairy Expo has announced the recipients of the 2024 Expo Recognition Awards. Nominated and selected by their peers, these individuals have made remarkable contributions to the dairy industry and their communities. Honorees will be formally honored during the Recognition Awards Banquet at World Dairy Expo on 2 October 2024. The recipients are:

• Dairy Producers of the Year: Mike Larson, Ed & Barb Larson, Sandy Larson & Jim Trustem, Evansville, Wis., Larson Acres
• Industry People of the Year: Jim Barmore, Marty Faldet, and King Hickman, Lakewood, Minn., GPS Dairy Consulting LLC
• International Person of the Year: Paul Larmer, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, Semex

AMC launches new green loan to support sustainable farming

The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (AMC), part of Lloyds Banking Group, has launched a new loan to support farmers and rural businesses transitioning to more sustainable practices. The Clean Growth Financing Initiative provides discounted lending to help the British agricultural sector reduce its environmental impact. With a zero per cent arrangement fee for eligible projects, the loan can be used to finance a broad range of green investments from the purchase of low-carbon machinery to renewable energy infrastructure.

Zinpro releases its 2023 report

Zinpro Corporation has announced its Fortify the Future sustainability commitment and the release of the company’s 2023 Sustainability Report. One of the highlights of the report include the company’s tools and solutions that led to positive economic outcomes for customers in the dairy, as well as nutritional technologies that enhance animal wellbeing and performance and led to improved outcomes such as decreases in liver abscesses and death from bovine respiratory disease in feedlot cattle.