[PARIS] – At the SIMA trade show in France’s capital, KEENAN proudly showcased the latest in a string of innovations since its acquisition by Alltech in April 2016. The introduction of the KEENAN MechFiber345SP, the first self-propelled machine in the KEENAN range, marks a new path for the company and one that has been long-awaited.

KEENAN customers have been requesting a self-propelled MechFiber machine, and KEENAN has spent time perfecting its design, committed to delivering the very best machine possible. Long synonymous with excellence in nutrition and driving animal performance through optimising rumen health, KEENAN focused on researching the loading and chopping mechanisms available on the market to ensure the best fit. Of highest importance was identifying a solution consistent with the core KEENAN ethos of retaining forage structure. In Italian firm Storti, they identified a partner that can deliver this much sought-after, self-loading technology.

“When we announced our collaboration with Storti, some thought it was all about introducing a KEENAN vertical auger to our range — that couldn’t be further from the reality,” said KEENAN CEO Robbie Walker. “KEENAN and Storti had been in talks for quite some time about this exciting development: a self-propelled machine with a loading mechanism that does not destruct fibre and delivers the quality MechFiber mix that is so important to KEENAN.”

With class-leading cutter head technology, the KEENAN MechFiberSP range has been engineered to deliver rapid loading of a vast array of products, leaving a clean, uniform face for optimum pit face management. The tungsten-coated blades feature a unique crossed arrangement, performing clean cuts without damaging the structure of the fibre, even with very compact silages. Engineered with a focus on speed, precision and versatility, the special placement of the blades and configuration of the loading channel allows the cutter to load in both directions and easily run in reverse if needed, while a high-speed loading belt drastically reduces mix preparation time.

Producing the noted KEENAN MechFiber mix in 16 and 20 cubic meter outputs for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the KEENAN MechFiberSP range offers left or right front discharge via an adjustable conveyor for homogeneous distribution of total mixed rations.

Available in both 25 kilometres per hour or high-speed “Plus” 40 kilometres per hour models, the operating system of the KEENAN MechFiberSP range has been cleverly designed for ease of maintenance and features a mechanical drive to the six-paddle reel. This exclusive engineering system, by means of a specially designed gearbox and PTO shaft, transfers all the power from the engine to the mixing system, thus reducing fuel consumption by up to 25 percent as well as reducing maintenance costs.

Fitted with the KEENAN InTouch controller as standard, the KEENAN MechFiberSP range is connected to the KEENAN InTouch service, which provides real-time feed advice and ration formulation through a dedicated team of skilled nutritionists. KEENAN InTouch is proven to deliver consistency in both feed and mixing to ensure improved milk yields and milk solids and better herd health in conjunction with monitoring and control of feed costs.

“KEENAN now offers the complete range of feeding solutions: Farmers can choose from the MechFiber-producing horizontal paddle machine in both trailed and self-propelled options as well as twin and triple auger vertical trailed units,” said Walker. “Testament to the level of excitement about this launch of the KEENAN self-propelled range is that a number of self-propelled machines have been pre-sold in continental Europe despite only being unveiled at SIMA. That demonstrates the trust our customers have in our attention to detail and commitment to delivering the very best quality machine and mix.”

For further information, visit www.keenansystem.com.

[DUBLIN, Ireland] – Out of the 370 craft beers competing in The Dublin Craft Beer Cup, it was Saison Witbier from Horizont of Hungary that took home the top prize at the Alltech Craft Brews & Food Fair. The saison wheat beer, with its refreshing citrus aroma, was an overwhelming favourite with the 28 independent judges. The Classic Pear Cider from McCashin’s Brewery of New Zealand also struck a chord with judges, particularly its perfect balance of sweetness and acidity and its impressive pear top notes, to win The Dublin Craft Cider Cup. The Alltech Craft Brews & Food Fair, Ireland’s largest craft brews fair, opened its doors for the three-day festival at The Convention Centre Dublin this evening.

“In the past, stout beers have reigned supreme in The Dublin Craft Beer Cup; we are now seeing the highest quality challenges from other beer types,” said Dr. Gearóid Cahill, head judge of The Dublin Craft Beer Cup and director of brewing science at Alltech. “It was nice to see a new, refreshing wheat beer take top prize this year.”

There was an impressive range of ciders as well, spanning sweet, dry and even barrel-aged varieties.

“We also had some complex ciders with a range of fruit ingredients,” said Cahill. “The Irish cider producers impressed the independent judges with their overall quality; however, New Zealand swept the board with the only two gold medals, both awarded to McCashin’s Brewery.”

Gold medals were awarded to outstanding brews from Ireland, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Spain and Hungary. A full list of gold, silver and bronze medal winners for The Dublin Craft Beer Cup and The Dublin Craft Cider Cup can be found here.

“Our three-day festival is about celebrating the craft brews industry, and it gives us an opportunity to showcase what Ireland has to offer,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech. “It is more than just a craft beer festival; with craft cider, craft spirits and craft wine, there’s something here to tempt all taste buds.”

This year’s live entertainment is set to delight, with Hermitage Green headlining Friday and The Camembert Quartet closing out the festival on Saturday night.

Tickets are available to purchase from EventBrite. For more information, visit www.alltechbrews.ie, follow @alltechbrews and join the conversation by using #alltechbrews.

[BORRIS, Ireland] – Hot on the heels of revealing its manufacturing collaboration with Storti, KEENAN is proud to announce the appointment of Michael Carbery as head of innovation. Carbery has worked for KEENAN for more than six years as group service development manager, and he brings to the role a wealth of experience as well as unique market and customer insights, having held the position of general manager in a number of engineering companies prior to joining KEENAN. Since joining the Alltech family of companies, KEENAN has introduced a number of engineering and product developments that underpin its superb design, focus on quality and innovative offerings.

KEENAN is also proud to welcome professor Gerald Byrne to the team. Byrne and Carbery will work alongside each other to ensure KEENAN continues to be an innovator in the farm machinery sector. Byrne will join KEENAN after spending five years as dean of engineering at University College Dublin (UCD). Byrne brings with him a considerable breadth of knowledge, creativity and experience to spearhead KEENAN’s latest innovation initiatives and will focus on streamlining production, fast-tracking efficiency and optimising plant configuration. Among Bryne’s many credentials are his honorary professorship at Tianjin University in China, being the first and only Irish member of the International Academy for Production Engineering and a membership in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

“Bringing innovation into the heart of everything we do will be my focus during my time as chairman of the KEENAN Innovation and R&D Board,” said Byrne. “There are a lot of exciting new technologies out there, and we want to ensure that KEENAN stays at the forefront of such developments.

“On a global scale, manufacturing is becoming increasingly digital and connected,” he continued. “More than merely keeping up with this rapid pace of change, KEENAN needs to lead the way. The KEENAN team has a wealth of experience and ideas, and our R&D and innovation platform will tap into these to keep KEENAN on top.”

The KEENAN name has long been associated with quality and reliability. Moving forward in an ever-changing marketplace, the innovation team, led by Byrne and Carbery, will ensure the KEENAN machine remains synonymous with technology, optimisation, efficiency and innovation.

“Byrne and Carbery’s appointments represent KEENAN’s continued commitment to bring the very latest in innovation and technology to the agriculture industry,” said Robert Walker, CEO of KEENAN. “We have looked both internally and externally to bolster our innovation culture here at KEENAN, and we are delighted to retain the very best Irish talent. I am confident this pairing will prove to be an unparalleled resource as KEENAN moves forward.”

The new appointments uphold the integrity of KEENAN engineering and the company’s commitment to efficiency and profitability for the farmer.

[HELMOND, the Netherlands] – 2016 was a busy year for Coppens International, an Alltech company and leading international aquatic feed solutions provider. Since joining Alltech, collaboration between the companies’ research teams has resulted in a wide range of projects. These projects include the introduction of several new algae products containing innovative Alltech technologies, such as the revolutionary sustainable fish oil replacer ForPlusTM, to the Coppens International aquatic product range.

Together, the two companies have added the following Alltech aquaculture technologies to the Coppens International aquatic feed range in order to provide customers with a sustainable alternative to fish oil and inorganic trace minerals as well as provide functional additives to support fish health:

· ForPlusTM: an algae-derived fish oil replacer containing very high levels of DHA omega-3 fatty acids

· Bio-Mos®: supports gut integrity and overall performance by promoting good bacteria and building defense

· ActigenTM: developed through nutrigenomics as a natural means of maintaining gut health and integrity to support overall performance

· Bioplex®: optimises overall health, growth and performance of fish using organically bound trace elements such as zinc, copper, manganese and iron

“Our full range of commercial feeds now contains a range of new additives, which are specially designed for the benefit of our customers,” said Gijs Rutjes, technical sales support manager at Coppens International. “We have added Alltech’s ForPlus, which is not only derived from algae, but is a fully traceable and sustainable source of DHA omega-3 and a fish oil replacement.

“Test results show that by completely replacing fish oil with ForPlus, we have been able to transfer a high amount of DHA omega-3 into the fish,” continued Rutjes. “Due to the unsustainable global supply of fish oil, this is a huge leap forward for our aquaculture nutrition programmes.”

Amongst the latest innovations being unveiled, Coppens International will introduce a new product to market, Neogreen, a high-quality, sustainable trout feed and the first on the market to contain ForPlus.

The new Coppens International range of products provides hope for the industry as the availability and quality of fish oil and fish meal continue to decline, impacting DHA omega-3 levels in farmed fish. Research recently carried out by University of Stirling in Scotland, for example, showed that levels of DHA omega-3 oils in farmed salmon have fallen significantly in the past five years. DHA omega-3 produced through algae offers a viable alternative in the creation of such functional foods.

“We are constantly innovating,” said Rutjes. “At Coppens International, we are passionate about exploring new ways to ensure our customers receive the very best quality aquatic feeds. Our latest range will make strides in arresting the decline in levels of DHA omega-3 in farmed fish.”

For nearly 24 years, Coppens International has earned a strong reputation for being an innovative, high-quality aquatic feed producer. The company gained compliance with the Aquaculture Stewardship Council in 2016, which provides customers with a guarantee of Coppens’ cutting-edge sustainable technologies and is vital to success in today’s demanding aquaculture industry.

“The Coppens International brand has always been associated with quality and continuous improvement of aquatic feeds,” said Patrick Charlton, CEO of Coppens International. “We developed the new range of feeds to reflect not only these attributes, but to ultimately benefit our customers.”

To find out more about the new innovative range of aquatic feeds optimised with Alltech’s algae and nutritional know-how, visit www.coppens.com.

Coppens International exports quality aquatic feed to more than 60 countries worldwide. The business is spread across three locations, with its headquarters in Helmond, the Netherlands, production in Nettetal, Germany, and research and development in Valkenswaard, the Netherlands. Coppens International is also ISO 22.000, ISO 50.001 and Global GAP certified.

[STAMFORD, UK] Leading agri-environmental consultancy Alltech E-CO2 has launched a new website offering farmers and the wider food industry valuable knowledge on resource efficiency. In addition to free farm efficiency assessments, the site also hosts new interactive ‘virtual farm’ graphics that provide quick and easy information on the main origins of carbon emissions.

“The new website offers opportunities to gain a better understanding of the factors affecting food production efficiency, as well as access to tools that will help farmers improve enterprise performance,” said Ben Braou, general business manager at Alltech E-CO2.

“A farm’s carbon footprint is an accurate indicator of performance efficiency and therefore profitability,” continued Braou. “Therefore, managing the business to minimise emissions helps the bottom line as well as the environment.”

The website’s interactive online ‘What If?’ tools, which calculate carbon footprints from enterprise input and performance data, offer a good starting point by providing farmers with a quick and simple opportunity to assess and benchmark their business efficiency. The tools offer insight into current practices and provide opportunities to see how changes can benefit performance. As such, using the online tools provides a good introduction to more comprehensive farm assessments, which Alltech E-CO2 finds give farmers the best opportunities to review and improve their businesses.

The interactive ‘virtual farm’ graphics are currently available for both ruminant and non-ruminant livestock enterprises, providing a quick guide to the origins of greenhouse gas emissions. The new site also highlights Alltech E-CO2’s wider range of farming solutions, which include tools to calculate costs of production, evaluate biodiversity and measure water footprints.

Alltech E-CO2 works closely with the Carbon Trust and other independent bodies to ensure its assessment tools are technically sound, robust and accredited. The company has pioneered the use of on-farm environmental tools and assessments with software licensed globally. To date, it has carried out more than 6,000 farm consultancy visits throughout Europe, commonly in collaboration with food processors and supermarkets, and is now operating as far afield as the United States of America and Australia.

To view the new website, go to alltech-e-co2.com.