Dairy Diary: September business update
What’s NEW in the dairy farming world? We report on a newly formulated grassland herbicide, the opening of an agricultural testing facility, the launch of the largest unit for UV treatment, as well as various partnerships and awards in the global dairy sector. Read an update on these developments and more on the latest dairy sector news…
FMC announces new grassland herbicide
Agricultural sciences company FMC announces that its newly formulated grassland herbicide, Triad SX, offers livestock farmers an additional tool to help establish new leys this autumn. “Triad SX has excellent activity on a wide range of broad leaved weeds, including those which compete strongly and prevent good establishment of both the grass and clover, allowing livestock farmers to get the grass off to a good start,” says FMC commercial technical manager, Simon Francis.Kynetec’s introduced Interlytics analytics tool
Kynetec’s Interlytics is a new predictive analytics tool as part of their latest SaaS release. Integrating crop protection market data, sourced directly from growers, with a diverse range of dynamic data sources – including macroeconomic indicators, climate data, and demographic trends – Interlytics provides a timely view of the agricultural market.
Eurofins Agro UK opens new agricultural testing facility
Eurofins Agro UK has opened a new agricultural testing facility located in Needham Market, Suffolk, which will serve the whole of the UK. Forage testing was previously offered at the company’s laboratory in Wolverhampton. However, growing demand for agricultural testing has led to the investment in a new facility. MD Andrew Shead explains: “There has been a sharp rise in demand for soil, slurry, compost and forage testing as agriculture moves towards a more data-driven farming system.” The new testing facility and is located near another Eurofins laboratory which has historically carried out compost, AD and fertiliser testing.
Novus to share dairy best practices at World Dairy Expo
Experts from Novus International will share their insights into top-performing dairy herds at the World Dairy Expo, taking place from 1-6 October in Madison, Wisconsin, US, through 2 Knowledge Nook sessions. Karen Luchterhand, Ph.D., C.O.W.S. Program service lead, will present ‘What Are Our Top Producing Herds Doing?’ at 14:30 on 4 October, and Novus ruminant technical manager Hannah Tucker, Ph.D., will present the topic ‘Reduce Your Risk: Successfully Manage Your Milk Components when Changing Forage Sources’ at 10:30 on 5 October, both in in the atrium of the Exhibition Hall.
Selko convenes next gen mycotoxin talent
At the World Mycotoxin Forum in October in Antwerp, Belgium, Nutreco’s feed additives brand, Selko, will share findings on mycotoxin prevalence worldwide, and the efficacy of varied mitigation strategies. The gathering will include the Young Scientist Forum, a call for next-gen scientists to share their insights and inspirations for applying science to address commercial mycotoxin challenges. As a sponsor of the event, Selko scientists and research partners will present 9 research posters and deliver 2 oral presentations during the conference.
Trials in Italy confirm efficacy of dsm-firmenich’s Bovaer
Two on-farm trails conducted by the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy tested the efficacy of dsm-firmenich‘s Bovaer in ruminants consuming Italian dairy cow diets, which are rich in corn silage. At the recommended minimum dose, Bovaer reduced enteric methane emissions by 44 to 50% while maintaining milk production and composition, milk fatty acids profile, animal health and welfare, and feed efficiency.
Mylkcubator: More than Mylk is launched
Pascual Innoventures, the Corporate Venture unit of the Spanish manufacturer of dairy products and beverages, Pascual, has announced, in collaboration with the Foodtech accelerator Eatable Adventures, the launch of Mylkcubator: More Than Mylk, a global programme dedicated to advancing cellular agriculture technologies and fermentation techniques in the alternative food industry.
CEOs meet at the Alltech Vietnam Agri-food Summit
Some 24 CEOs from across the Vietnamese agri-food sector convened at the Alltech Vietnam Agri-food Summit in Ho Chi Minh City to discuss how to sustainably meet the challenges currently facing the industry. Changemakers and thought leaders shared their insights on various topics, including consumer trends, agricultural technologies and the biggest opportunities for the Vietnamese market. The group also explored how the industry can continue to innovate and work together.
Cornish Herd wins national Holstein UK premier herd title
Cornwall-based Wills Brothers Ltd of the Willsbro herd have won the 2023 Holstein UK Premier Herd competition. The Wills family represented the Southern region with their 1,700-cow herd based at Wadebridge and were presented with the award at UK Dairy Day. The award recognises the most outstanding Holstein herd.
Orffa Belgium hosts seminar
The theme of Orffa Belgium NV’s 2023 seminar was ‘One Health’. In addition to sharing in-house knowledge, Dr Ir. Alfons Jansman from Wageningen Livestock Research focused on how to reduce nitrogen excretion by adjustments to the feed of pigs and poultry, and Shannon Groen from Delft Solids Solutions spoke about the techniques available to test dustiness of feed additives and feeds.John Deere and DeLaval partner
John Deere and DeLaval joins efforts to create the Milk Sustainability Center, a digital eco-system to monitor nutrient use efficiency for nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and carbon dioxide equivalent for their entire farm, specific fields, or their herd. The eco-system will be open for partners to join, with the objective of providing farmers with data needed for a holistic view of the dairy operations. The MSC will also provide data to allow dairy farmers to compare their performance to other dairy operations and identify areas for improvement.
Lyras launches the largest unit for UV treatment
Lyras, a Danish company specialising in sustainable pasteurisation technology, has launched a new raslysation plant, which it believes to be the world’s largest for UV treatment of liquid foods. The new unit, the Raslysation Castor, can produce 380,000 l/h, which is tenfold the amount of the company’s top seller, the Raslysation Sirius. It has been developed in collaboration with Novozymes, a biotech group who are a market leader in industrial enzymes, and can be quickly adapted to the individual customer.
Spring Valley Farm and Heath Jerseys awarded the 2023 McKown Master Breeder Award
The Jersey breed has been the foundation of Spring Valley Farm in Westminster, Md., for nearly 100 years. The farm is owned and operated by third generation dairymen, brothers Allen and Wayne Stiles, and included their nephew Michael Heath until his sudden passing earlier this year. In honor of their success, they were selected by the Klussendorf Association as this year’s recipient of the Robert “Whitey” McKown Master Breeder Award, which honors exemplary breeders. Winners embody qualities associated with the Klussendorf award, including character, ability, endeavor, and sportsmanship.
Trident MicroNutri brand launched at Dairy Day 2023
AB Agri has introduced the brand Trident MicroNutri as the new name for its expanding ruminant business, supplying feed additives across Great Britain and Ireland. The brand was introduced during Dairy Day 2023 in Shropshire. The move also sees the operation become more closely aligned to the existing AB Agri ruminant B2B business, Trident Feeds.
AB Agri acquires National Milk Records
AB Agri has completed the acquisition of NMR, an agri-tech supplier of management information and testing services to the UK dairy supply chain, developing technology used to inform farming efficiency and animal welfare, and quantify food provenance.
Cowconnect launches new feed management software
Providing exclusive access to additional data and analysis, including new forage stock management features, Feedlync 2.0 by Cowconnect is helping dairy producers analyse feed accuracy, improve feed efficiencies and cow performance while reducing wastage and farm carbon footprints. These new features have been extensively trialed in the UK and Denmark. A unique feature is that users will be informed of how many days of forage are left in a clamp or how many days until a delivery is required for concentrates.
EW Nutrition announces Jan Vanbrabant as new CEO
EW Nutrition, provider of functional animal nutrition solutions, welcomes Jan Vanbrabant as its new CEO. Vanbrabant has a PhD degree in microbiology and is an experienced manager in animal health and nutrition, having held leadership roles at DSM, Erber Group, Biomin and Kemin. Former CEO Michael Gerrits is heading into retirement after 6 years leading EW Nutrition.
Miller Joins World Dairy Expo as cattle show & contests coordinator
World Dairy Expo has introduced Lexa Miller of Black Earth, Wis., as the organisation’s new cattle show & contests coordinator. In this role, Miller will assist with all operations of Expo’s dairy cattle show and youth contest events, in addition to working closely with Expo’s dairy cattle exhibitors, the Dairy Cattle Exhibitor Committee and Breed Superintendents. Miller is no stranger to Expo, having exhibited her own animals in the Dairy Cattle Show in addition to helping countless exhibitors prepare their animals for the Showring over the years.
Novus announces management changes
Novus International has announced the upcoming retirement of Dr Uwe Ranft from his role as MD of Europe, the Middle East and Africa and global strategic accounts. Ranft has been with the company for the past 20 years, with 14 of those at the helm of the commercial business in EMEA. Dr Volker Seidl, who joined the company in 2021 as the director of global strategic accounts, will succeed him, bringing 20 years of extensive experience to the role. The transition period has begun and will continue through to January 2024, when Seidl’s appointment takes effect.
