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Feed is typically the highest variable cost in producing a litre of milk. This article will examine best practices in feed utilisation, storage and managing supply challenges to support dairy farm profitability.
The reliance on marine-based ingredients has been problematic for the aquaculture feed industry for many years. The industry still has some ways to go in producing a fish meal-free diet across all species, but R&D developments in this area have highlighted that fish do not require fishmeal to grow and perform optimally.
Selenium supplements are available in several forms; inorganic mineral salts, such as sodium selenite or selenate; organic forms, such as selenium-enriched yeast in which selenoamino acid analogues such as selenomethionine predominate; or chemically synthesised selenoamino acids and selenoamino acid analogues produced by synthetic routes. The distribution and accumulation of selenium and selenium form in animal tissues depends greatly on the type of selenium supplement, and the form in which selenium is presented will play a crucial role in its bioavailability and efficacy.
Skeletal muscle is complex and dynamic. Its functional characteristics and metabolic properties adapt based on environmental and physiological factors. Therefore, changes to an animal’s genetics, growth rate, nutrition, locomotion and metabolism can greatly alter skeletal muscle composition and, ultimately, meat quality. Minerals are indispensable nutrients involved in various biological processes, such as metabolism, reproduction and immunity. They serve as activators and cofactors for various enzymes and are critical components of cellular membranes.
At the recent Alltech One Conference in Lexington, Ky., Erik Weihenmayer shared his ability to define what it truly means to live a “No Barriers Life,” as he told stories of his groundbreaking adventures around the world as a blind adventurer. On May 25, 2001, Weihenmayer become the first blind person to reach the summit of Mt. Everest.
Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech encouraged ONE attendees to pause for a moment and imagine climbing the Seven Summits ascending some of the most treacherous and scary climbs 3000-foot frozen waterfalls in Nepal.
The buzz word in many industries around the world is “sustainability”, achieved by making operations “net zero”. But just as most people realise that they should not use more resources and emit more pollutants, forward thinkers get to grips with the idea that “net zero” is not good enough. We should be aiming for “net positive”.
The MechFiber345+ has a similar footprint to the KEENAN MechFiber320+, offering a bigger mixing capacity (up to 35% greater) and features an enlarged mixing chamber. It features an oil bath driveline, with an automatic chain lubrication system for easy maintenance and central greasing of all front bearings from one location.
The 14 cubic metre KEENAN MechFiber320+ is one of the most popular diet feeders in the KEENAN range. With a low horsepower requirement, and a high level of versatility, including the option to fit a BaleBlend system, this model is the perfect choice for medium sized farms that need a reliable diet feeder to deliver consistently day in day out. One of the main advantages of the MechFiber320+ is its ability to feed into high troughs, 1,181mm (46.5’’) without any additional modifications. The simple two-chain drive system makes maintenance easy. There is also an option to fit an automatic oiling system to ensure optimum lubrication.
The MechFiber380+ is designed for the farm that wants to feed large numbers of animals in a short period of time. With a payload of 9,000kgs, the machine is capable of feeding up to 170 dairy cows or 320 fattening cattle for 24 hours with a single load. The machine manoeuvres like the smaller MechFiber365+ with some unique stand-alone product features.
As with all KEENAN diet feeders, the MechFiber380+ retains the paddle mixing system ensuring a consistent ration is produced each and every time.
The body design has been optimised to carry the curve of the body around closer to the top of the knife, to reduce, or remove the effect of a pinch point created after the top knife. This has been designed to reduce the peak power requirement and reduce the stress on the machine in operation.
The principle of the complete oil bath for the chain drive has been retained from the MechFiber400+, but simplified from both a build and maintenance point of view.
The number of body blades, set up and location has been reviewed and optimised. All blade are located within the main body of the machine nominally between the 5 and 7 o’clock positions. This ensures that material is chopped efficiently without increasing power requirement.