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“In light of the government’s announcement regarding The Climate Action Plan, which aims to push Ireland to reach its 2030 targets, and to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Keenan are delighted to offer farmers a tangible means of reducing their carbon footprint on-farm, while enhancing production and profitability,” said Matt Higgins, General Manager, Keenan. The Irish company estimates the feeder can lead to as much as 25% less methane when a below average herd receives rations from the Keenan diet feeder and the company’s controller.
Click here to read full article.
Nestled in the scenic landscape of rural Northern Ireland, neighbouring the bank of the River Foyle, third-generation dairy farmer Alistair Thompson farms 600 pedigree Holstein cows across two sites at Beaverlodge Farms in Strabane, Co. Tyrone.Calving all year round, Alistair’s cows are currently averaging 8,500L. A thorough approach to animal husbandry and cow health is the number one priority for Alistair. The milking cows are housed on water beds, which is said to reduce the effects of heat stress on the herd and aid milk production.
Changing from a non–KEENAN tub feeder to a KEENAN MechFiber400, fitted with a KEENAN controller and the InTouch feed management platform, Alistair has improved milk production by approximately 2L/cow/day since 2018.
Read full article here.
Taking steps to improve dry cow nutrition can significantly reduce incidences of metabolic disease within the herd, improving overall efficiency and profitability if the results of a trial comparing metabolic disease incidence rates in cows fed a conventional dry cow diet, against cows fed a high-fibre KEENAN MechFiber mix are anything to go by.
Based on a reduction in health issues around calving, findings from the trial indicate that an average 148-head milking herd could expect to achieve a financial benefit in excess of £11,000/year.
According to Chris Lord, UK InTouch manager for Alltech, dry cow management is often led to chance and can prove costly. Instead, he said producers should focus on delivering a consistent ration with optimum structure during the dry period.
Read full article here.
A diet feeder manufactured by Irish machinery brand Keenan, owned by Alltech, has been certified as the first environmentally sustainable diet feeder in the world. The certification was issued by Carbon Trust, a global organization headquartered in the UK that works with private and public organizations to become more resource efficient and reduce carbon impact.
Irish-based machinery brand, KEENAN, has been validated by the Carbon Trust as a more sustainable diet feeder, proven to reduce methane emissions on-farm.
Click here to read full article.
On Tuesday, June 18, we opened up the gates to our headquarters in Borris, Co. Carlow, for the annual KEENAN Open Day!
Speaking on the day, James Brough, UK and IRE General Manager said, “The KEENAN Open Day is an event that allows us to showcase the full product range for KEENAN as well as the latest innovation in the group. We showcase the machines, we showcase the controller, we showcase Alltech and also a few other exhibitors on the day”.
Overall, the day was a huge success with over 200 people, including Irish dairy and beef farmers, walking through our doors.
A key highlight of the KEENAN Open Day is having the opportunity to give live machine demonstrations. This year, attendees were able to see both the KEENAN MechFiber bale handler and the KEENAN Vertical Auger machines in action.
Both diet feeders were fitted with the new KEENAN Controller, in combination with InTouch Daily TMR Manager software, which ensures a consistent ration for feeding livestock.
Our Head of InTouch nutrition, Cathal Bohane, took to the stage to give a presentation on the importance of accuracy and consistency when mixing and feeding rations. He also demonstrated how silage quality varies across the clam face and leads to variability in ration quality.
Are you a farmer that is looking to feed large numbers of animals in a short amount of time? Well, the MechFiber 380 could be the machine for you…
With a payload of 9,000 kilograms, this diet feeder is capable of feeding up to 150 dairy cows or more than 350 fattening cattle for 24 hours with a single load!
This machine comes with oil bath drives, which means no damage is caused to moving parts during heavy work — optimising strength and reliability. Find out more here.
Is your space limited? Is mobility of prime importance to you? Then the VA2-24S, one of our newer machines, may be just what you’re looking for.
The capacity of our Vertical Auger machines ranges from 18 centimeters3 to 44 centimeters3, with twin auger models making up the VA2 range. This machine is the shorter option of the KEENAN Vertical Auger 24m3 range and comes equipped with InTouch as standard to optimize the mix.
Find out more here.
Once the live demonstrations were over, attendees gathered to attend a technical and informative panel discussion, which was led by InTouch feeding specialist, Seamus Callanan.
After all, it’s all well and good listening to us, but it’s best not to just take our word — the farmers are the real experts! On our farmer panel this year was:
Pat and Kevin both explained how they achieved increased animal performance and improved herd health, with reduced retained placentas and reduced cases of milk fever. James also discussed how he achieved increased performance through increased feed efficiency.
It’s not often that we get external visitors into our factory, so the KEENAN Open Day is a great opportunity for us to reveal exactly how a KEENAN diet feeder is manufactured. We have approximately 120 employees currently working at our site in Borris — including administrative staff — and on average make around 10 machines per day.
Interested to know what happens at each stage of the production line? Find out more here: What takes place behind the scenes at the KEENAN factory in Co. Carlow?
KEENAN were joined by a host of exhibitors on the day, including Ireland’s leading ag-tech and farm support service companies Moocall, Herdwatch, InTouch, Samco, Grasstec and Embrace Farm. Exhibitors were able to showcase their latest innovations and farming services throughout the day.
Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, also attended the KEENAN Open Day and spoke about the potential of KEENAN.
“I think what’s most exciting about what’s taking place here is innovation, such as changes we can see with the machine, of course becoming carbon accredited and also in the future, you will be seeing KEENAN machines that are able to facilitate larger herds,” commented Dr. Lyons. “So, there’s a lot of excitement now having KEENAN fully part of the Alltech family.”
Don’t worry if you missed this year’s KEENAN Open Day, you can find all the event highlights here: KEENAN Open Day Highlights
(PS. We are already busy making plans for next year…#KEENANOpenDay2020).
For more information, please contact us on +353 (0) 59 977 1200 or email keenaninfo@alltech.com.
Sustainability is a non-negotiable in agriculture. The animal food supply chain is faced with growing pressures to reduce methane and carbon dioxide emissions. As concern for our planet’s finite resources escalates, we have a responsibility to be proactive in sourcing solutions and partnerships that can relieve environmental strain and prioritize sustainability on-farm. KEENAN are at the forefront of supporting farmers achieve a carbon neutral footprint. We have patented a number of our innovations that make our diet feeders not only safer and more user-friendly, but also durable and economical.
KEENAN, has been validated by the Carbon Trust as a diet feeder, which can reduce methane emissions on-farm. As a company, KEENAN has long been synonymous with engineering cutting-edge diet feeders, which produce a unique homogeneous mix that optimizes rumen health and ensures consistent animal performance.
The Carbon Trust has validated that reduced methane output can come as a result of improved feed conversion efficiency (FCE) in livestock. Having investigated the output from the KEENAN diet feeder and reviewing data from the KEENAN controller, the Carbon Trust has established that the KEENAN machine can reduce methane emissions.
The unique engineering features and mixing action of a KEENAN diet feeder make it synonymous with mix quality. Mix quality is the sum of many parts, including chop type and length as well as fiber type, presentation and most importantly, consistency. Optimized diet formulation relies heavily on the physical mix that is delivered to the animals; this mix needs to be delivered consistently every day in order for farms to achieve their production goals while enhancing the efficient use of their feed.
The Carbon Trust report cited that improving herd performance through improved FCE can reduce methane production. KEENAN estimates this can lead to as much as 25 percent less methane when a below average herd receives rations from the KEENAN diet feeder and the KEENAN Controller.
KEENAN has been a member of the Alltech family of companies since April 2016. Alltech has always been deeply rooted in their sustainability efforts and continue to strengthen their commitment to the animal, environment and consumer, with their Planet of Plenty initiative.
“With the adoption of new technologies and management practices, and, most of all, human ingenuity, we believe a Planet of Plenty is possible,” said Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “Our Planet of Plenty vision propels our founding ACE (animal, consumer, environment) principle into a new world of possibility, where anyone and everyone can make a positive impact on our shared planet.”
KEENAN supplied a MechFiber300 diet feeder, equipped with a KEENAN controller to plastic roads company MacRebur. The machine will be used to mix granulated plastic waste with an activator developed by MacRebur to create a mix that will be distributed to asphalt producers. MacRebur uses plastic waste that is ready for road constructions and surfacing. This helps to extend and improve the bitumen binder, the liquid binder that holds asphalt together. Intensive studies have revealed plastic roads to be more robust and flexible, improving the lifespan up to 60 percent. The company plans to take this new style of recycling global, using local plastic waste for local roads.
