Feed Diets

Archer Daniels Midland Company, Deere & Co, and Monsanto Co. have agreed to collaborate on research to explore technologies and processes to turn crop residues into feed and bioenergy products.

The companies will work together to identify environmentally and economically sustainable methods for the harvest, storage and transport of corn stover—the stalks, leaves and cobs of corn plants. Corn stover can be used in feed for animals, as biomass to generate steam and electricity or as a cellulosic feedstock for biofuel production.

By creating feed and energy products from crop by-products, farmers can produce more products without farming more acres, and increase the value derived from each acre.

Stover is usually left on the field, where, in proper amounts, it helps reduce soil erosion and build up soil organic matter. A 170-bushel-per-acre corn crop, which was the average last year in Iowa, also produces about four dry tons of stover. USDA forecasts that in 2008, farmers will harvest 12.3 billion bushels of corn, resulting in approximately 290 million tons of stover.

In their work, the companies will address a number of complexities and challenges. For example, stover collection rates need to be adjusted on a field-by-field basis to ensure that sufficient stover is left on the soil to reduce erosion and maintain or improve soil quality for the next season’s crop. Also, the amount of moisture in the stover at harvest can present challenges in transportation and storage. Monsanto, ADM and John Deere are committed to identifying processes and technologies that will create an economically, agronomically and environmentally sound value chain for corn stover.

“As the world’s population grows, so will demand for food and energy. Using non-food feedstocks for feed and energy is one way that agriculture can apply innovation to create renewable, sustainable solutions,” said Dr. Todd Werpy, vice president, research, ADM. “There are a number of challenges associated with harvest, collection and storage of cellulosic biomass. This collaborative effort brings together three agricultural leaders to identify and address the complexities that come with commercializing a new feedstock.”

“Expansions in biorenewable energy are possible if we are able to combine productivity and sustainability improvements in agriculture and forestry with a variety of biomass feedstocks and the most applicable conversion technologies,” said Dr. Klaus Hoehn, vice president, advanced technology and engineering, John Deere. “We are hopeful the collaboration of our companies will lead to innovative technologies to improve collection and provisioning of biomass feedstocks, such as corn stover.”

“Advanced biotechnologies are protecting plants better than ever, helping the plants to achieve their full grain yield potential,” said Robb Fraley, chief technology officer, Monsanto Co. “Achieving this potential also means having healthier, larger plants producing even more biomass. This provides an opportunity to convert an underutilized resource into a new source of value for growers and processors. It’s an exciting area of research to focus on and we’re pleased to be a part of it.”

Cargill Inc. has teamed up with Diester Industrie to open Cargill Atlantique, a new oilseed crushing plant next to Diester Industrie’s biodiesel plant near the port of Montoir/Saint-Nazaire in France. The crushing plant will send its rapeoil to Diester Industrie by pipeline.

The plant will crush 600,000 tonnes of rapeseed to make 350,000 tonnes of rapemeal, mainly used in animal feed for its high protein content, and 250,000 tonnes of rapeoil a year.

The venture represents a 65 million euros investment for Cargill, according to Reuters.

Amlan International announces the hiring of Fang Chi as technical services director and Jonathan Broomhead as chief research scientist to focus on worldwide technical support and new product development. Dr. Chi has published papers on aspects of animal health and nutrition and managed animal health technical services throughout Asia and the United States. Dr. Broomhead will manage all laboratory and field research for new product development.

Nutreco  has announced the acquisition of Biofaktory, a premix and specialty feed company with production facilities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The purchase price will be approximately EURO 10 million. Biofaktory is the market leader in premix and specialty feed in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia. The company also exports to other countries in Central and East Europe. In addition, Biofaktory holds a 54 percent shareholding in Integra, a small layer pullet and hatchery. Biofaktory has annual revenues of approximately EURO 40 million.

Related article:    Rebalanced: Nutreco builds on its changed profile

Sow feed strategies: Risk of vitamins shortage

Many feed diets need to have extra vitamin supplementation unless the animals themselves can be fed on a different basis.

Adjusting feed levels by body score, rather than weight puts sows at risk of vitamin deficiencies that can reduce litter size, especially in older animals.

Sows in pig breeding herds around the world are at risk of receiving an under-supply of micro nutrients, according to evidence compiled in the USA. Many sow diets need to have extra vitamin supplementation unless the animals themselves can be fed on a different basis.

North American swine nutritionists say the difficulty has arisen over time because of the common practice of deciding the daily feed allowance of a pregnant sow on the basis of her body condition. The pig feeding schedule used in re-breeding and gestation typically follows a typical pattern (see figure ‘Typical sow feeding’). So a level of about 4 kilograms per day is reduced to 2 kg soon after mating and will remain at that point until shortly before farrowing, apart from some initial adjustments deemed necessary to correct the sow from being either too thin or over-fat.

The compensatory amounts are judged by so-called condition scores. A standard scoring system would make the ideal sow a score-3 on a scale running from 1 (thin) to 5 (fat). Unfortunately, the score she receives takes no account of her age or parity status, nor does it consider her weight.

That lack of a weight assessment is now reckoned a critical factor in failing to provide enough nutrients to certain individuals. It was discussed last year in the USA, at a Pork Academy session held before the World Pork Expo exhibition. Dr Frank Aherne of the University of Alberta in Canada drew attention to the difference in feeding level that would occur if sows were fed exclusively on the score of 3 given visually to their physical condition, rather than on his preferred basis of backfat thickness and estimated weight.

Using an example of feeding levels based on backfat and sow weight (see table), animals in a lightweight range of 115-140 kg, and measuring some 15-18 mm of backfat at mating, would receive 1.9 kg of feed per day. Medium-sized sows weighing 180-215 kg would receive 2.4 kg daily. Heavyweights of 250-300 kg could expect 2.8 kg/day because of their weight and backfat.