Following on from Kenya's Chairmanship, the International Grains Council has appointed Ms Anita Katial, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Agricultural Counsellor for the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland and the US Embassy in London, as Chairperson for 2023/24.
During its tenure, the United States of America is particularly interested in working with the Secretariat and IGC members to further develop information and transparency on the global grains, oilseeds, rice and pulses markets, as sound information on trade flows supports the policy decision-making process and enhances the resilience of global food security. This will include creating a biodiesel dashboard and increasing the provision of real time information on the movement of grains. An emphasis will also be put on the importance of open markets and attracting new members.
The United States will host the 59th IGC Council Session and a Grains Forum on logistics and infrastructure in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 23-24 January 2024.
On her appointment, Ms Katial said, "IGC is rightly held in high regard for the work it does promoting expansion, openness, and fairness in the grains sector; supporting and improving international cooperation in grains trade; and contributing to grain market stability and world food security. I look forward to partnering with the incoming Vice Chair, Hamed Oussama Salhi from Algeria, and the IGC team to deliver on this mission, add important tools and applications that will support its members, while also working to promote the expansion of IGC's member base."
The carbon footprint of raw materials and feeds can be relatively easily calculated by using validated and widely accepted PEFCR (Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules) Feed data and GFLI (Global Feed Life Cycle Assessment Institute) methodology.
"However, the carbon footprint of feed is only part of the story when it comes to ecological sustainability in the entire animal production chain", says Marco de Mik, consultant at Schothorst Feed Research: "We also need to consider other aspects, like biodiversity, fresh water use, land use, et cetera. Furthermore, the ecological footprint of a piece of meat depends not only on the feed composition, but also on the management on the farm and in the slaughterhouse."
Full chain analysis
"From PEFCR Feed and GFLI we know that feed composition largely determine the carbon footprint of the feed. But that is not the whole story, we also need to consider the next parts of the food chain", De Mik explains: "Animal management on farm plays a crucial role: Producing more meat, milk or eggs with less feed by increasing the feed efficiency is always a good idea, for economic and ecological reasons, but other factors are also important." De Mik refers manure management, animal health status on the farm, rearing conditions, number of calves and heifers kept on a dairy farm, slaughter weight of pigs, longevity of sows and number of piglets raised per sow per year. "To determine the ecological footprint of the full chain of meat, milk or eggs production, we need to consider not only the feed, but also the farm and the slaughter house".
Opteinics
The Opteinics software, developed by BASF, offers the possibility to determine the ecological footprint from feed production up to the carcasses delivered by the slaughter house.
"It is a useful tool to analyse data from the feed producer, the livestock farmer and the slaughter house. And this may lead to surprising conclusions", De Mik has seen.
He used the Optenics software to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions per 1000 kg pig carcass weight for a slaughter weight of 100kg vs a slaughter weight of 130 kg: "The higher slaughter weight resulted in a higher feed intake and lower feed efficiency, as expected. But by keeping fisher pigs on the farm to a higher live weight, you need fewer pigs to obtain 1000 kg of carcass. Therefore, the carbon footprint per 1000 kg of carcass, considering the full chain (feed -> farm -> slaughter) is lower with a higher slaughter weight."
Feed efficiency
Marko de Mik also points out that 'feed efficiency' is a somewhat confusing parameter: "We need a new perspective, because just looking at kg of meat or milk or eggs produced per kg of feed is not sufficient. Beef cattle is often 'accused' of having a low feed efficiency, but when we look at the amount of human edible feed or protein or energy that beef cattle requires to produce a kg of human edible food or protein or energy, the picture is completely different: Ruminants can be largely fed with feedstuffs that humans won't or can't eat, so the 'human edible protein or energy conversion' is actually much better for beef cattle than for laying hens, broilers, turkeys or pigs", De Mik shows. "We need to look at feed efficiency from a nutritional and environmental perspective", De Mik concludes.
Challenges
In the near future, a full LCA to determine the ecological impact of the entire animal production chain, will be required to maintain the license to produce for the livestock sector, De Mik expects. Not only carbon footprints, but also other ecological parameters and animal welfare are in the centre of public debate around livestock farming. It is a challenge to tackle the demands ahead. "We need to optimise the entire chain, not just the feed. For that, we need reliable and standardised data and methods for all sustainability aspects of the food chain", says De Mik
"At Schothorst Feed Research, we are anticipating these developments. We use the Opteinics tool to collect data from our own experimental farm and we support our customers with knowledge and expertise on life cycle assessments. As soon as policy makers, ngo's, retailers or other stakeholders demand LCA data from the animal production chain, we are ready to deliver."
Optimising Livestock production in today's challenge, taking place 8-12 August 5, 2023 at the Sunway hotel Phnom Penh.
In the face of global fluctuations, the livestock industry in Vietnam and ASEAN countries experienced many difficulties when the prices of raw materials, especially animal feeds increased, and epidemics occurred and spread over a large area.
Looking for solutions to overcome the difficulties, Vietstock continues to organise a livestock roadshow with the topic Optimising Livestock Production in Today's Challenge in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This is the third roadshow in a series of 5 roadshows organised by Vietstock.
With the support of the Cambodia Livestock Raisers Association (CLRA) and Animal feed management (GHAHP), the livestock roadshow in Cambodia will bring the latest regional market information, the most advanced technologies, and techniques.
The Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solsky held another online meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry of the Republic of Moldova Volodymyr Bolya. Representatives of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine and the Ukrainian and Moldovan Railways were also present at the meeting.
The ministers discussed the current state of railway transportation of Ukrainian agricultural products through Moldova in the direction of the ports of Reni, Giurgiulesti and Galati after the new tariff plan came into effect. And discounts on some other types of agricultural products are also possible.
The parties agreed to coordinate the situation and, if necessary, make adjustments.
Mykola Solsky thanked for the support and cooperation.
For reference, the Moldovan Railways agreed to provide a discount of 27% to the existing tariffs for the transit transportation of grain and 39% for sunflower oil through the territory of the Republic of Moldova in the direction of the ports of Reni, Giurgiulesti and Galati. The new tariff conditions came into effect on July 15, 2023.
Depart Packaging Solutions add new packaging machines to its product range by signing an agency agreement with ISG Pack.
Alapala Holding Company's group company Depart which is well known in milling spare part sales, innovative solutions and after-sales services, pasta spare parts, telescopic conveyor systems, sorting & rice machines and many packaging solutions; signed another agreement for the packaging industry.
With the collaboration made with ISG Pack, Depart now will work on wrapping machines, shrink wrap machines and vacuum machines too. The company which has been active in many countries of the world in the fields of horizontal & vertical primary packaging and end of line packaging systems, has taken its place in the market as a one stop shop that meets all needs of packaging.
Following the modern packaging technologies closely, Depart supports its customers flawless production with the same precision as in the milling field. With the assurance of Depart, the sales team meet their customers with reliable, customisable systems from A to Z according to their needs.
Now depart will offer wrapping machines, shrink wrap machines and vacuum machines to meet the needs of all industries who use packaging.
From now on, Depart will manage the sales and marketing of ISG Pack in many countries around the world. With its worldwide distribution network, after-sales services and high customer satisfaction. Depart is rapidly advancing in the packaging field.
Under the name of "Depart Packaging Solutions", Depart meets the needs of all sectors that uses packaging.
July 27, 2023 - Evonik is announcing a net price increase of 8-10% per kilogram on Biolys® (L-lysine 62.4%, feed grade) for all customers with immediate effect
All existing contracts and supply agreements will be honored.
A major new research project led by the University of Stirling will investigate how the combined effects of climate warning, shifts in vegetation, and nitrogen pollution affect mountain soil biodiversity and the release of carbon from soil, further warming the planet.
The current understanding of the problem is based on studies of single factors, but it is feared a combination, known as synergistic effects, could lead to sudden and unexpected losses in biodiversity and carbon.
Soil is one of the most complex and important resources on earth because it harbours vast biodiversity and stores more carbon than the Earth's atmosphere and vegetation combined.
Dr Arthur Broadbent, who is joining the University of Stirling in January, will lead the study which is funded by a grant of almost £700,000 awarded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Dr Broadbent said: "Mountain ecosystems are hotspots of biodiversity and store significant amounts of soil carbon. However, they are very vulnerable to global environmental change. They are warming twice as fast as the global average, leading to upward shifts in vegetation, and increased extremes of drought and flooding. At the same time, agricultural and industrial pollution are overloading fragile mountain ecosystems with too much nitrogen, which can have negative effects on ecosystem processes." Dr Broadbent went on to say "Synergistic effects are a particularly pressing knowledge gap in mountain ecosystems, where even fundamental data on soil microbial diversity, functioning, and carbon stocks are lacking. During this fellowship, I will address the knowledge gap on below ground biodiversity in mountain soils and how this critically underpins C-cycling processes. I will also determine how soil biodiversity and functioning respond to multiple drivers of global change, established if there are synergistic effects, and what the consequences of these synergistic effects are for soil carbon stocks in mountain ecosystems worldwide. This new knowledge will help to build environmental resilience by informing land managers and policy managers and policy makers on how best to preserve soil biodiversity and improve natural C storage in the face of rapid climate change."
During the five-year study, Dr Broadbent will carry out experiments in arctic and alpine mountain ranges, collaborate with globally leading mountain researchers in Switzerland, and utilise state-of-the-art facilities at the University of Stirling.
Dr Broadbent said: "The University of Stirling is the ideal place for me to carry out this fellowship. It has an excellent track record in attracting and supporting independent research fellows thanks to its approach to professional development , Excellent facilities, and a collegial research culture. I will have access to state-of-the-art Controlled Environment Facilities, a Mid-to-Near InfraRed Spectrometer and CN elemental analyser, allowing me to conduct tightly controlled mechanistic experiments and measure key carbon cycling parameters central to my Independent Research Fellowship (IRF)."
The NERC IRF scheme is designed to develop significant leadership among the most promising early-career environmental scientists. Dr Broadbent is one of twelve early career researchers awarded a NERC IRF.
Professor Peter Liss, Interim Executive Chair of NERC, said: "NERC Independent Research Fellowships support talented early career researchers to work independently and deliver cutting-edge environmental science. I'd like to offer my congratulations to all those who have been awarded a fellowship this year. Environmental research advances our understanding of the planet and is the key to tackling and adapting to critical challenges such as climate change. By investing in these fellowships, NERC is supporting innovation and sustainability in environmental science and developing leading researcher of the future,"
Dr Broadbent has been awarded £690,233 by NERC, which is one of seven research councils which make up UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the national funding agency investing in science and research in the UK.
Macduff ship Design is pleased to announce that the 24m aquaculture workboat, 'Turas A Bhradain'. has been delivered to its owners Bakkafrost Scotland. Initially the Turas a Bhradain will operate alongside Bakkafrost Scotland's wellboats Ronja Star and Ronja Fisk, playing a key role in fish health by preparing the pens forth wellboats to carry out freshwater treatments.
The vessel was completed by Macduff Shipyards at their yard in the Aberdeenshire and is the first of two near identical bespoke vessels being built by the yard for the business. 'Turas A Bhradain' is deigned as a multirole workboat with large open working deck with offset port casing for improved starboard side access and a large forward ramp. The layout will allow for the vessel to complete a wide range of tasks from general cargo duties through to specific aquaculture services
The Tura a Bhradain will operate across Bakkafrost Scotland's sites on the west coast and Hebrides and has been delivered following a year-long construction period which followed a detailed design process involving the owners and operational staff, the shipyard and Macduff Ship Design. 'Turas a Bhradain' is constructed entirely from steel to a hard-chine, landing craft, hull form. The final touches were completed on the vessel in July 2023 followed by final trials and delivery. The design was a development of the highly successful 'Helen Rice' and 'Geraldine Mary' workboats designed by Macduff Ship Design.
The workboat is equipped with an array of equipment to allow it to operate in a range of different roles. The main propulsion is provided by twin tier III compliant Doosan 4l 126 CAKH engines delivering 373 Kw @ 2000 rpm. On deck there are 2 Marine Cranes to starboard both supplied by HS Marine - 1 x AK61 4E and 1 x AK30 HE3. The engines drive 2 x 1500mm propellers supplied by Teignbridge propulsion. These are fitted in nozzles to give excellent levels of bollard pull and there is also a stern thruster, both of which were supplied by Fort Propulsion, which when combined with the twin screw set up gives excellent low speed manoeuvrability for operations in and around the fish farm cages.
The hydraulic package also comprises 3 capstans all arranged to starboard, an Anchor windlass, hydraulic rams for operation of the bow ramp and a tow winch situated on the centre line. Due to the offset position of the casting the winch can work both aft over a stern roller or forward over a narrow roller built into the bow ramp.
The vessel complements its extensive deck machinery package with an impressive cargo carrying capability for a vessel of this size, being able to carry, a maximum capacity of 125 T of deck car go and has deck fittings for 3 x 20 foot ISO containers.
Vessel particulars
Length OA: 24.0 metres
Breadth: 9.0m
Depth: 3.1m
Maximum draft: 2.25 m
Fuel Capacity: 14,000 litres
Fresh Water Capacity: 5,000 litres
Deck Cargo capacity: 125 tonnes
The vessel has two cranes: HS Marine AK 61 4E and AK30 HE3
Main engines: 2 x Doosan 4L 126 CAKH – 373 KW @ 2000 RPM Tier III
Imas R&D and engineering team has developed a new roller mill chassis construction material namely Polymer Base Construction®, which is officially released for worldwide customers as being the first example of using polymeric composites in the milling industry.
The traditional way of manufacturing a roller mill chassis is to use either welded steel, or cast iron method. Instead, Imas today presents Polymer Base Construction® with the major advantage of having better vibration damping properties, which provides higher reliability and extended long term durability for roller mills.
Most of the roller mill manufacturers in the world still prefers the welded steel method for the production of roller mill chassis. In 2010, Imas replaced the use of welded steel for roller mill chassis with cast iron. Having the mission of being the industry leader in research and development, the company has been working on the use of polymeric composites in the chassis construction of Imas machinery since 2020.
After the completion of all product development, real time testing, and patenting, etc. progresses, today Multimilla Roller Mill with Polymer Base Construction® has been officially released for worldwide customers.
First Prize Right After The Launch…
The new Polymer Base Construction® chasis design of roller mills by Imas, has already received ‘Product Showcase 2023’ award by IAOM (International Association of Operative Millers), during the last IAOM USA Conference and Expo held between April 17 and 21, 2023 in Minnesota, USA.
What is Polymeric Composite?
Polymeric composites are combinations of polymers (i.e., thermosets or thermoplastics) with various continuous and noncontinuous reinforcements/fillers, being a very special material that can be designed and produced for different uses and purposes.
Polymeric composites have been widely used in many fields including aerospace, marine, and automotive industries. They easily find place in many applications that the industry curiously looks for creating new shapes and variations out of polymeric composites for different uses.
Effects of Vibration on Machinery and Building
Machinery vibration, which occurs naturally during the operation of any machine, has some important hidden threads.
In the short term, high machinery vibration levels can have a disruptive effect on the sensitive operating adjustments of machines, which may also lead to inconsistency in the process and product quality. For this reason, damping of the vibration and keeping the resonance under critical levels is crucial for both the health of machinery and buildings.
In the long term, machinery vibration can cause failures that may result in shortened machine life, through the continuous effect and damage to the parts and materials (bearings, bearing housings, other moving parts, etc.). In addition, it can even create problems in the static structure of mill buildings, as it might also have impacts on worker health and safety.
Multimilla Roller Mill presents higher operational reliability and extended long term durability with Polymer Base Construction®.
According to the tests and measurements carried out by expertised Imas R&D center engineers, and scientists from Konya Technical University and Necmettin Erbakan University, it is found that polymeric composite material actually has nearly 10 times better vibration damping ability than cast iron, and even 20times better than welded steel.
Environmentalist Approach, Low Footprint
As well as its better vibration damping ability, the polymeric composite chassis material has comparatively lower thermal conductivity, higher rigidity and corrosion resistance properties, also has better production flexibility advantages with reduced production time, cost, and carbon footprint.
Imas Production and R&D Deputy General Manager Mr. Murat Apakhan said that “At Imas, we believe that the reliability of our machines is important as much as their technology. For this reason, we continuously develop the structural design of our machines and systemsthrough new engineering standards. Today we believe that we took a leading step with the first use of polymeric composites in the milling industry.’’
As well as Multimilla roller mill, Polymer Base Construction® has already been introduced for some of feed milling machinery by Imas, including Viteral series flake roller, hammer mill, and pellet press machines.
July 25, 2023 - The US Wheat Associates (USW) board of directors seated officers for 2023/24 at their annual meeting July 12, 2023, in Minneapolis, Minn. USW is the export market development organisation for the US wheat industry.
Michael Peters, Okarche, Okla., accepted the USW Chairman's gavel from 2022/23 Chair Rhonda Larson, East Grand Forks, Minn. Clark Hamilton, Ririe, Idaho, now serves as Vice Chair, and Jim Pellman, McClusky, ND., starts his term as Secretary-Treasurer. This slate of officers was elected in February 2023.
US Wheat Associates' (USW) is to "develop, maintain, and expand international markets to enhance wheat's profitability for US wheat producers and its value for their customers." USW activities in more than 100 countries are made possible through producer checkoff dollars managed by 17 state wheat commissions and cost-share funding provided by USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. USW maintains 15 offices strategically located around the world to help wheat buyers, millers, bakers, wheat food processors and government officials understand the quality, value and reliability of all six US wheat classes. For more information, visit HERE.
July 25, 2023 - AMANDUS KAHL continues to optimise the energy efficiency of its plants. With the innovative, electronic automatic pellet mill control EAPR, the Reinbek - based mechanical engineering company ensures optimum operation with low personnel requirements and long service lives.
The EAPR is a pellet mill control system for automatic operation of flat die pellet mills made by AMANDUS KAHL. This system enables users to control all relevant process parameters. It consists of a local control cabinet with graphic touch panel and intuitive software user interface. For more energy efficiency, AMANDUS KAHL thus takes into account the entire plant and equips all pellet mills with corresponding switching and control systems. If desired, the customised software enables the user to control and monitor the pellet mill, the dosing screw, the mixer, the auxiliary units - the cooler if required - and the respective upstream and downstream elements at any time. As an option, up to four additional liquids can be added to the continuous mixer and included in the processing. Once the process parameters have been specifies, the EAPR controls the fully automatic operation, including error and alarm messages as well as system diagnostics. In the event of problems, the system can be accessed via remote maintenance to make operation as simple and user-friendly as possible.
AMANDUS KAHL thus remains true to its principles of automation and simplification. Optionally, an automatic distance control, the DISTAMAT, can be used in addition to the EAPR pellet mill control. It ensures continuous adjustment and immediate regulation of the roller gap of the pellet mill. In conjunction with the DISTAMAT, the EAPR thus guarantees optimum pellet quality, longer service life and fully automatic operation.
July 25, 2023 - The vital role played by probiotics in maintaining an optimum poultry microbiome balance and the beneficial impact of the patented GO Technology® powered probiotic, Microsaf®, on the successful development of sustainable poultry production were two of the highlights presented to around 100 poultry professionals during a satellite symposium at the 23rd European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition (ESPN) in Italy.
Organised by Phileo by Lesaffre, the satellite session featured presentations by Dr Ralph Rosenbaum, from IRTA Spain; Professor Todd Applegate from University of Georgia, USA; Dr Rober Kemperman from Lesaffre Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), and Dr Alain Riggi, Phileo's Global Poultry Manager.
The keynote message from Dr Rosenbaum centred on the application of a shared holistic strategy and action plan, as designed in relation to the pursuit of sustainable poultry production.
Addressing the need to identify the right pathways to achieve a sustainable poultry industry, Dr Rosenbaum took his audience through a series of scenarios based on where to start, if they were to achieve a big impact. Feed materials, nutritional solutions, manure management and energy were all mentioned, each time with a clear focus on how making good choices in these areas might yield improvements in feed composition, daily growth rates, FCR and morality. Major take-home messages included the need for poultry producers and their industry partners to be wholly science-based in their decision-making and to continuously adapt to advances in knowledge. There was also a warning to stakeholders that nobody can 'do sustainability' on their own, backed by a sharp reminder that the best return on investment will be found where the big impacts are. The challenge is to find those impacts.
Professor Applegate followed with a review of the latest research outcomes on poultry microbiome balance, as studied in relation to the use of current turbulent feed materials. Exploring the 'macro' effects of microbial metabolites in broiler nutrition; the effect of 'indigestibility' on intestinal and microbial response, and the impact and role of probiotics in the sector, Prof. Applegate drew particular attention to the vital relationship that exists between the maintenance of a balanced microbiome and successful poultry production. In looking at the role of probiotics within the production, meanwhile, he pointed out several proven benefits, including trial evidence that probiotic supplementation has been shown to reduce the 'cost' of securing an immune response in poultry by 40%. "Probiotics today, however, are not a commodity," he said, adding that all products are 'unique' based on their selection criteria. Here again, the challenge for farmers and industry partners is to find the probiotics that work best within their own 'unique' systems.
Dr Kemperman explained the features and benefits of Phileo by Lesaffre's exclusive 3-patent Germination Optimisation Technology® (GO Technology®), a state-of-the-art process designed to promote faster and stronger Bacillus spore germination. The GO Technology®, he told the gathering, maximises the impact of Microsaf® within a short transit time of 4-6 hours, a time frame which has been proven to apply to most chickens. The session concluded with a review by Dr Riggi of an extensive range of trial results focusing on the effect of Microsaf® on sustainable poultry production and emphasising the efficacy of probiotics across such systems.
Explaining that some selected spore-forming bacteria probiotics boost resistance to the demands of today's production processes, while also delivering proven benefits after germination, he posed the key question of how poultry producers might deal with the fact that the average transition time within the poultry gut is just 4-6 hours. The challenge, of course, is to achieve maximum impact from spore-forming bacteria probiotics in the poultry gut during such a short transition time, a task for which Microsaf® was developed, based on a unique association of three different Bacillus species, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus pumilus, all carefully selected to deliver improvements in feed efficiency, gut function, and microbiota, and overall growth performance in birds. Session delegates included poultry professionals from many different countries, including India, China, Vietnam, US, EU, Brazil, Argentina, and others.
Professor Applegate followed with a review of the latest research outcomes on poultry microbiome balance, as studied in relation to the use of current turbulent feed materials. Exploring the 'macro' effects of microbial metabolites in broiler nutrition; the effect of 'indigestibility' on intestinal and microbial response, and the impact and role of probiotics in the sector, Prof. Applegate drew particular attention to the vital relationship that exists between the maintenance of a balanced microbiome and successful poultry production. In looking at the role of probiotics within the production, meanwhile, he pointed out several proven benefits, including trial evidence that probiotic supplementation has been shown to reduce the 'cost' of securing an immune response in poultry by 40%. "Probiotics today, however, are not a commodity," he said, adding that all products are 'unique' based on their selection criteria. Here again, the challenge for farmers and industry partners is to find the probiotics that work best within their own 'unique' systems.
Dr Kemperman explained the features and benefits of Phileo by Lesaffre's exclusive 3-patent Germination Optimisation Technology® (GO Technology®), a state-of-the-art process designed to promote faster and stronger Bacillus spore germination. The GO Technology®, he told the gathering, maximises the impact of Microsaf® within a short transit time of 4-6 hours, a time frame which has been proven to apply to most chickens. The session concluded with a review by Dr Riggi of an extensive range of trial results focusing on the effect of Microsaf® on sustainable poultry production and emphasising the efficacy of probiotics across such systems.
Explaining that some selected spore-forming bacteria probiotics boost resistance to the demands of today's production processes, while also delivering proven benefits after germination, he posed the key question of how poultry producers might deal with the fact that the average transition time within the poultry gut is just 4-6 hours. The challenge, of course, is to achieve maximum impact from spore-forming bacteria probiotics in the poultry gut during such a short transition time, a task for which Microsaf® was developed, based on a unique association of three different Bacillus species, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus pumilus, all carefully selected to deliver improvements in feed efficiency, gut function, and microbiota, and overall growth performance in birds. Session delegates included poultry professionals from many different countries, including India, China, Vietnam, US, EU, Brazil, Argentina, and others.
July 25, 2023 - Evonik is making progress with the expansion of its DL-methionine production plant in Singapore: In order to reach an important milestone in the construction process, production at the Singapore plant on on Jurong Island will be reduced for three months in Q4/2023, followed by another three-month tie-in shutdown in the first half of 2024.
This shutdown is part of the implementation of Evonik's methionine asset strategy to safeguard long-term global supply security. The expansion is proceeding as expected and the planned production stops in Q4/2023 and H1/2024, which are necessary for maintenance and safety reasons, will allow modifications to be made that would not be possible during day-to-day operations.
"We fully understand that these shutdowns may pose challenges for our customers and our teams have prepared mitigation plans for metAMINO® supply from our global production network. We are in continuous communication with regional and global customers to carefully plan shipments", says Noel Kim, Regional Vice President Animal Nutrition.
Earlier this year, Evonik announced a high double-digit million-euro investment to boost production capacity of MetAMINO® (DL-methionine) on Jurong Island, Singapore, by 40,000 metric tons per year to around 340,000 metric tons per year. The expansion will improve the efficiency of the facility's processes and reduce the carbon footprint of all Evonik's MetAMINO® production in Singapore by six percent (Scope 1+2+3).
Methionine is used in livestock production to feed animals healthily, efficiently, and sustainably. With its science-based approach, the Animal Nutrition business line of Evonik develops products, services and system solutions that help supply a growing world population with healthy, high-quality and affordable animal protein. Animal Nutrition is part of Evonik's Nutrition & Care Division and contributes significantly to the profitable growth of Nutrition & Care through it self-financing power.
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) is pleased to announce the addition of Ivy Torres as its global programs specialist, effective July 10.
In this newly created AFIA position, Torres will be responsible for supporting international market access and development programs worldwide, and the development, implementation and communication of the association's global policy goals and activities. She will also support the work of AFIA's International Trade Committee.
"Ivy brings a wealth of global programming expertise as well as the desire to broaden her knowledge into the wider international policy and trade sphere and agriculture as a whole," said Gina Tumbarello, AFIA's senior director of global strategies, policy and trade. "We are very excited for her to expand the US animal food industry's international trade work and join our legislative and regulatory team!"
Previously, Torres served as a manager of global programs at the US Grains Council, where she assisted on market development programs with strategic analysis, program planning and development, implementation and evaluation, actual cost and end-result contracting, budgeting and accounting, administration and communications. In addition, she organised 60+ trade teams and missions each year.
Hailing from South River, N.J., Torres holds a dual bachelor's degree in globalisation studies and Latin American, Caribbean and Latino studies combined with Spanish from Gettysburg College. She also holds a master's degree in development with a focus in agrarian, food and environmental studies from the international institute of Social Studies.
July 24, 2023 - One of Alltech's mycotoxin research papers has been recognised by Toxins, a prestigious international research journal, as one of three winners of their 2022 Best Paper Awards. The paper, "Co-Occurrence of 35 Mycotoxins: A Seven-Year Survey of Corn Grain and Corn Silage in the United States," was written by Alltech Mycotoxin Management team members Dr. Alexandra Weaver, global technical support; Nick Adams, global director; and Dr. Alex Yiannikouris, research group director; along with an independent researcher Dr. Daniel Weaver.
"Research and innovation are at the core of our business at Alltech, and we are proud of this recognition of the innovative work being conducted by our global mycotoxin management team," said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. "Mycotoxins are ever-present on the farm, and they pose a real threat to the productivity of even the best-run livestock production operations. Mycotoxin management should be on every feed producer and farmer's radar."
Alltech's winning paper describes how mycotoxins contaminate corn grain and silage in the United States with frequent co-occurrence of fusaric acid with deoxynivalenol, fusaric acid with 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol, and fusaric acid with fumonisin B1, highlighting the importance of assessing multiple mycotoxins, including emerging mycotoxins and mycotoxin metabolites, when developing risk management programs.
Mycotoxins contaminate crops worldwide and play a deleterious role in animal health and performance. Multiple mycotoxins can co-occur, which may increase the negative impact on the animal. To assess the multiple mycotox in profile of corn, Alltech conducted a seven-year survey of new crop corn grain and silage in the United States. A total of 711 grain and 1117 silage samples were collected between 2013 and 2019 and analysed for the simultaneous presence of 35 mycotoxins using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry at the Alltech 37+ Analytical Laboratory.
The study showed that multiple mycotoxins were often present in both corn grain and corn silage in the US. In fact, 90.2% of grain and 96.5%of silage samples contained at least two types of mycotoxins. Fusaric acid was the most frequently detected mycotoxin in 78.1 and 93.8% of grains and silages respectively, followed by deoxynivalenol in 75.7 and 88.2% of samples. The greatest co-occurence was between fusaric acid and deoxynivalenol in 59.1% of grains and 82.7% of silages, followed by fusaric acid and fumonisin B1, deoxynivalenol with 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol, and fusaric acid with 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol.
The research also discovered that some of the more frequent Mycotoxins they found were ones that may not be routinely analysed by many programs, such as fusaric acid and deoxynivalenol, underscoring the importance of testing for multiple mycotoxins when developing management programs.
Mycotoxin challenges have risen in recent years along with the incidence of extreme weather conditions, such as droughts, floods and heat waves. In the US, 100% of samples contained two or more mycotoxins, according to the 2022 Alltech Harvest Analysis. In Europe, 79% contained two or more mycotoxins.
"Being selected for this award shows the interest in and importance of testing for multiple mycotoxins," Said Dr. Alexandra Weaver. "When we better understand the full mycotoxin profile of a feedstuff or ration, more informed decisions on mycotoxin management can be made."
The winning paper was published by Toxins in July 2021, and can be accessed here. For more information about the Alltech Mycotoxin Management program, visit HERE.
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), in coordination with Feedstuffs, has opened the application phase for its 2023 Commercial Dry feed manufacturing facilities.
"We take great pleasure in acknowledging those commercial dry facilities that exceed expectations in their commitment to ensuring safe and efficientoperations," said Gary Huddleston, AFIA's director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs. "Day-in, day-out, our members are churning out safe and high-quality animal food and this is a great opportunity to recognise those who go above and beyond."
The AFIA has been recognising excellent feed manufacturing facilities since 1985. In 2016, the AFIA created four distinct manufacturing categories to be more inclusive of the various industry facilities. In 2021, the FFY program separated each category into its own individual program: liquid feed, commercial dry, premix and ingredient, and integrator, with each category having its own facility of the year award. See a list of previous award winners on the AFIA's website.
The application phase for the Commercial Dry Feed Facility of the Year is now open and submissions, with the $100 application fee, are due by Sept. 15. The winning facility will be recognised on Jan. 31, 2024, at the AFIA's Feed Education Program, held in conjunction with the international production & Processing Expo in Atlanta, Ga. The winning plant manager will receive overnight accommodations and a free registration to the expo.
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The Grain Corridor Agreement, under the guarantor of Turkey and the United Nations, was suspended after Russia announced that it would not continue.
Russia announced that it would return to the grain agreement conditionally and gave 3 months to reach a concrete result at the United Nations. The Russian Ministry of Defence also declared that until the agreement is re-established, any ship that will go to Ukrainian ports will be considered a military threat and will be hit.
With Russia's withdrawal, the future of the grain deal became uncertain. Russia wanted the promises made to them to be kept. Expressing that Russia was promised that it would export its grain, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that they extended the agreement many times and demanded that all the clauses related to Russia be fulfilled and that the sanctions be relaxed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski asked for help from Turkey and the United Nations and stated that security in the Black Sea should be ensured by international patrols.
The United Nations, on the other hand, stated that due to Russia's withdrawal from the agreement, the ships in the Black Sea should be ensured by international patrols.
The United Nations, on the other hand, stated that due to Russia's withdrawal from the agreement, the ships in the Black Sea could no longer be secured.
Ukraine announced the destruction of 60,000 tons of grain at ports recently hit by Russia.
