Alltech’s Global 500 conference saw nearly 700 dairy and beef producers from 32 countries!
President and founder of Alltech, Dr. Pearse Lyons opened the conference with his “Eight Big Ideas” for the dairy and beef industries:
Efficiency: the cow is a fermentor, it is designed for fiber, we can increase efficiency and feed fiber.
Green house gases: We cannot stick our head in the sand. Green house gases are a real problem and sooner or later we will be taxed.
Mineral wastage & pollution: .75 kilo of mineral waste per cow means that a ton of mineral waste per day on a 1,000 cow farm.
Creating more nutritious milk and beef.
Branding: Branding is essential. Why is soda $5 per gallon when milk is so much better for you?
Fiber: Grain is expensive or unavailable. Fiber is not only a cheaper alternative but the rumen is designed to use it.
Nutrigenomics: This is a nutrition revolution. Nutrigenomics allow us to study how nutrients switch genes on and off. We can then develop programmed nutrition plans for young animals to increase efficiency and performance for life.
Social Media: We have to tell our story.
This was followed by two days of seminars, covering everything from nutrition, to branding and social media. Experts from all areas of the industry were on hand to give dairy and beef producers all the information they need to take on the challenges of a changing industry.
Coming up next week in Lexington, Kentucky is an event that dairy and beef producers should not miss.
Since 2008, more than 800 of world’s most progressive dairy and beef producers have convened for the Alltech Global 500 to network and discuss the most relevant and challenging topics in the industry.
This year, the Global 500 explores the future landscape for the dairy and beef industries and provides a rare opportunity for global colleagues and friends to engage in open discussion on critical topics such as sustainable strategies and practices that can be implemented now and in the future.
I talked with Alltech Beef Division Manager Ty Yeast about the event, which will be held December 6-8. “Originally it started as a dairy event and with the success after the first two years in the dairy event, we expanded to the beef side as well,” Ty said. “Last year was our first ever addition of the beef event and we had over 125 participants from all over the world.” This year, Ty says they already have more than doubled last year’s registration.
Ty says the conference is really about looking at new ways of approaching a business that’s been around for a long time. “It’s innovation, it’s looking at new ways of doing things, and really breaking old paradigms on how to move forward and get to that next level of efficiency.
Interested producers can still register for the event by going to the Global 500 website. You can be sure it will be worth your while.
During World Dairy Expo at the Alltech reception I ran into Steve Maddox again. Steve is a dairy farmer from California and Alltech customer.
Alltech’s theme for Expo is “Who cares about production in your dairy herd? Alltech DOES!” Steve says they accomplish that by “taking a total approach socially and otherwise on the way they’re approaching it.” He encourages dairy farmers to visit Alltech because they’re putting out “top quality products.” Steve says that Alltech’s commitment to sustainability ties right in to what he’s trying to do as a farmer and working with Dairy Management, Inc. on the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards program. Steve mentions several Alltech products that have worked for him including Yea-Sacc and he’s trying out the new Alltech DEMP, Dietary Escape Microbial Protein.
Alltech held their annual World Dairy Expo reception last night and Kentucky Ale was the star once again! A lot of happy customers showed up including Chris Sorenson, United Cooperative dairy nutritionist and calf/heifer specialist. I visited with him just as the fun got started.
The theme here at Expo for Alltech is, “Who cares about production in your dairy herd? Alltech DOES!” So I asked Chris how he thinks Alltech fulfills that theme. He says he’s an analytical person so he loves the research that Alltech does that proves how their products work. He uses Alltech inoculants quite a bit and says “a lot of the guys who are using it can not believe how quick the haylage will cool down.” He’s also very impressed with Bio-Mos. When it comes to support Alltech supplies him with lots of options for contacts to get answers to questions quickly.
If you happen to stop by the Alltech booth (#3204) at World Dairy Expo, make sure you take a photo of yourself and post it on their Facebook page (facebook.com/AlltechNaturally). It could win you a new iPad!
If you can’t make it by the booth, or you’re not even at expo, just post a photo of your cow on the Alltech Facebook page. The photo that has the most “likes” by the end of Expo wins the poster an iPad. Certainly worth the effort! Photos are already up there, including ours. Sure, we’ll take a new iPad if you want to like our photo!
When we stopped by the booth, we talked to Tammy Casper, assistant marketing coordinator with Alltech. Tammy says their main message for dairy producers is that Alltech cares. “We do want to help dairy farmers and increase milk production,” she said, noting that the first day of expo was busy and fun with all the students who stopped by.
“A Brave New World” is the theme of the Alltech’s 2011 Global 500. The company will explore the dairy and beef industries’ future landscape and provide a rare opportunity for global colleagues and friends to engage in open discussion on critical topics such as sustainable strategies and practices that can be implemented now and in the future.
Join Alltech on December 6-8, 2011 in Lexington, Ky. Registration is by invitation only, so contact Alltech’s Global 500 registration team via phone: 1-859-887-3328 or email: global500@alltech.com.
What challenges and opportunities await us in this Brave New World?
· A world in which demand for fuel, food and other commodities will only continue to spike as global population and wealth increase.
· A world in which the adoption of new technologies is not optional but a requirement if you want to stay competitive.
· Finally, it’s a world of transparency in which people develop strong personal impressions of companies and producers – and communicate their feelings through social media as well as with their neighbors.
Dr. Jude Capper, Washington State University, Assistant Professor of Dairy Sciences (pictured on the left) is a myth buster. At the Alltech International Symposium she took on the myths about the carbon footprint of modern dairy production. Her presentation was titled, “Managing the media myth: What is the truth behind the carbon footprint of modern dairy production? Things you should know.” I spoke with her to find out what we should know.
Jude says that the main takeaway from her remarks is “If we improve productivity, we cut land use, we cut water use, we cut fertilizer and fossil fuel use and we cut the total carbon footprint.” Now how often have you heard modern dairy production portrayed in that light? But that’s the truth and a story that needs to be told. Compared to 1944 the carbon footprint of a pound of milk has decreased by 63 percent! She says we still have a lot of room for improvement too. Her research has focused on American dairy production but she says that this same trend is happening in countries around the world. I am glad we had her on the program! Dr. Jude Capper Interview
You can find more information about her research on the WSU website.
Last week I attended the Alltech International Symposium. Of course dairy is a big part of the educational topics offered at this annual event. I’ve got a couple of interviews to share with you starting with this one.
Disruptive change sounds disturbing. However, perhaps it’s more of a challenge. Mandi McLeod, System Insights, Ltd., New Zealand, talked about it and its impact on the dairy industry during the Alltech International Symposium. She’s seen here being interviewed by Ireland’s RTE voice Damien O’Reilly. I spoke with Mandi after Damien to learn what is going on with dairy farming in her country and how she coaches family business strategy.
Mandi says the New Zealand dairy model is still working but needs to evolve further in light of disruptive changes in the industry. She says that their level of productivity hasn’t kept up with the price of their product which makes them vulnerable at the moment. The current pricing of dairy products is just not financially sustainable and it looks like that isn’t going to improve soon. Mandi is a family business strategist and advises dairy farmers to take a look at their business and make sure they’re using resources wisely. Sounds like common sense advice for any business. She wants people to enjoy what they are doing by finding a balance in their life and business. Having a good plan would help a family business tremendously. Perhaps you should give Mandi a call if you need help. Mandi McLeod Interview
Alltech’s 27th International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium will address dairy industry challenges and provide insights and solutions to the issues that plague the dairy industry. The Symposium, entitled The Game Changers: Creative Concepts for Agribusiness to Respond to Relentless Commoditization and to Innovate for a Greener Future will be held at the Lexington Convention Center in Lexington, Ky., USA from May 22-25, 2011.
To secure your place at the 2011 Alltech International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium, please visit Alltech’s Symposium site. For more information, please email symposium@alltech.com and be sure to join in the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag: #AlltechSymposium. Follow Alltech Symposium related news on Alltech’s agriculture and science blog.
Symposium attendees will hear from and interact with dairy industry experts during the following informational seminars:
Managing the media myth: What is the truth behind the carbon footprint of modern dairy production? J. Capper, Washington State University, Washington, USA
Win-win: Can we reduce the environmental impact of silage while increasing milk production? D. Davies, Silage Solutions Ltd, Wales, UK
Towards farm sustainability – Can we benchmark milk production economics? T. Hemme, IFCN Dairy Research Center, Kiel, Germany
The DEMP revolution: Feeding microbial protein directly to the cow. A. Gehman, Alltech, South Dakota, USA
The forgotten importance of heifer nutrition – Its impact on future cow performance. J. Heinrichs, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, USA
The power of dealing with the end consumer – Should farms commercialize their own milk? R. Jank, Jr., Agrindus, São Paulo, Brazil
Managing metabolic stress in high-performing dairy cows. M. Kaske, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany
Is the New Zealand model still working? Meeting the challenge of disruptive change. M. McLeod, Silvanus Limited, Waikato, New Zealand
Optigen®: A Game Changer for the Brazilian dairy industry. M. Pereira, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Meeting consumer expectations – The challenges of environmentally sustainable farming. D. Tristant, AgroParisTech – Ferme de Grignon, Thiverval-Grignon, France
The five myths of trace mineral supplementation. R. Murphy, Alltech Biosciences, Dunboyne, Ireland
Programmed nutrition – The importance of measuring feed conversion. Why it is essential to dairy producer survival. C. Thorp, Kennan Systems, Co. Carlow, Ireland
“Feeding the World – 9.3 billion people for dinner in 2050″ is the theme of Alltech’s lecture tour this year that kicked off during AG CONNECT Expo in Atlanta. Dr. Mark Lyons, International Project Director for Alltech, says AG CONNECT was a great place for them to start. “We have operations in 90 countries, we’re selling into almost 120 countries,” Mark said. “So for us, it’s an excellent venue. Having a stop in Georgia is one thing, having a stop here at this event is much different.”
Now the lecture tour has moved on to stops along the eastern part of the U.S. and next week, the western part. “We’ll have 23 stops in North America and over 100 stops globally,” Mark said. “It culminates in our symposium in May in Kentucky. It’s a very important part of what we do. We estimate that we get in front of about 20,000 people a year.” There were several hundred at the event in Atlanta.
The Alltech North American Lecture Tour will present the possibilities that lie within the ACE Principle – improving the performance of the Animal, satisfying the Consumer, and protecting the Environment, one of the core philosophies of the company since 1985. This week, the tour started Ontario and Quebec and is hitting several stops around the U.S., including cities in Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin. More information about the tour, where it will be and how to attend can be found at alltech.com/nalt.
Proving once again that he’s following in the foot steps of that “other” Dr. Lyons, Dr. Mark Lyons made concluding remarks in grand fashion at the Alltech Global 500.
After providing an overview of Alltech innovations with Dr. Karl Dawson during the final session of the conference Mark encouraged the participants to “Think it, Ink it.” He said they should write down at least five things they were taking away from the event that could then take action on when they got home. How many times to you hear something and wish you’d made a note of it?
Dairy farmers need to know about crisis communications just as much as any other business. Those attending the Alltech Global 500 Peter Kerr, KerrComm, address this topic and provide meaningful ideas for how to cope with it. Peter is a communications consultant and he presented a very positive message about turning a negative situation into an opportunity.
He discussed how the critics of agriculture who often present very misleading or inaccurate information are successful by having very well crafted messages. Farmers need to be equally prepared so they can use opportunities to teach and present truthful information. I like his idea of also being prepared to use new communications channels like social media as vehicles to deliver that positive and truthful message. He also suggests that farmer consider consulting with a communications professional. On a final note he made a point of being truthful even if the negative publicity you may be dealing with is because of a problem on your operation. Be prepared to tell your story and what you’re doing to change things. Good advice!
At the beginning of the Alltech Global 500 I participated in a presentation on social media and I’ve been overhearing farmers talking about how to use it for their farm. During a discussion dinner last night I met a dairy farmer who has been using it to drive business on his farm. He’s a great example for all farmers. He’s Carl Chaney (left in photo) and you can find his farm online at Chaney’s Dairy Barn.
Carl has a great story which I recorded this morning. Basically, his family operation decided to take control of their own destiny and diversify into processing their own milk, making their own ice cream and creating an agri-tourism component of their farm. So over the last couple years they have been using a website and now Facebook and Twitter to promote their business and Carl says they have direct evidence of how it has helped. This use of social media has helped them stay in the dairy business after they were considering getting out.
Besides driving business Carl says they are also helping educate consumers about where their food comes from. Sounds like he could be on the board of the AgChat Foundation! The farm conducts tours with a growing number of area schools. You’ll hear the pride in his voice when he sees kids marvel over a new calf or seeing a milking parlor in action.
One of the features of the Alltech Global 500 are a series of discussion dinners. Attendees can choose a topic of they are most interested in. During the dinners a moderator will stimulate conversation with everyone providing input. It’s a great opportunity to interact with other dairy and beef producers from around the world and hear their perspectives on these topics.
I attended a dinner with the topic of milk quality. I met Travis from Texas and Charles from New Zealand. We spoke after the dinner and you’ll hear them say that the ability to meet with and talk with other dairy farmers is one of the most important things they get out of the conference. They also realize how similar their challenges are regardless of what country they live in.
I’m borrowing from the Alltech blog, Innovations, here. They produced a short video to answer a question very important to dairy farmers. How would you answer the question?
What is the most important thing for a dairy farmer to consider with regard to economic sustainability?
Sustainability means many things to many people. Geoff Frank is CEO of Improcrop, an Alltech Regional Sales Manager and a dairy farmer. I asked Geoff to describe the most important issue for dairy farmers as the industry strives for economic sustainability.
I think the comment I’ve heard most often at the Alltech Global 500 is how important and rewarding the interaction with other dairy and beef producers from around the world is. We’ve got 29 countries represented here. One of our international visitors that I met today was George Strang, Scotland.
George is a dairy farmer with 250 cows and it’s a family run farm. He actually won an Alltech competition and the prize was this trip. He’s loving his first visit to the USA. He admits that he hasn’t embraced technology as much as he should so he’s planning on getting a Facebook account to help keep in touch with other farmers he’s met here. He says he has found that farmers face the same kinds of challenges regardless of what country they are from. However, he says his country is one of the few that doesn’t grow corn so he’s hoping some varieties will be created that can be grown in Scotland.
At the Alltech Global 500 feeding efficiency was the subject of a presentation by Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois. He says that to survive we’re going to have to become more feed efficient and since feed can make up half the cost of producing milk it’s very important. He says that with corn getting to $6/bushel we’re going to have to look at more forage in the diet. That means a closer look at the nutrition plan to control variation. He uses a term, “precision feeding” which he says is “everyday delivering the same ration, if it’s higher in forages it means you have to take that variation out based on variety selections and types of forages you’re feeding.”
This year’s Alltech Global 500 includes a full program for beef producers. As we’ve said many times before, if you’re in the dairy business, you’re in the beef business. So, I spoke with one of the beef farmers here, Charles Miller. He’s a Kentucky cattleman so he didn’t have as far to go as many who are here from 29 different countries.
Charles says he’s an Alltech customer and he’s glad to see the company placing a greater emphasis on beef lately and here at this conference. He sees the interaction with international farmers as a great opportunity. He says that one of the most interesting things he has seen and learned so far is the importance and perspective on social media. He said, “As we go forward as an industry, if we fail to utilize that tool to our best advantage we’re going to be left behind.”
This video is what set the stage for the Alltech Global 500. We’re talking innovation, sustainability, risk management, feeding efficiency and much more.
A forward looking panel of experts spoke to the Alltech Global 500 today. Their topic, “Forecast 2025: A vision for the future.” Now that’s not an easy task!
I spoke with one of the panelists, Mandi McLeod, Dunvegan Farms, Ltd, New Zealand. Mandi says the future is about doing what you do well and focusing on the resources you have, in fact, “use them to the absolute maximum.” She says that you have to make sure your profits and people are sustainable and that profits come before production. She was very clear that by 2025 she hopes there will be no subsidies. I asked her what sustainability means to her. She provides a very common sense definition. Too bad there are so many that aren’t! She says farmers here are curious about prices and controls and how to become more profitable.
Alltech’s Global 500 conference saw nearly 700 dairy and beef producers from 32 countries!
Since 2008, more than 800 of world’s most progressive dairy and beef producers have convened for the 
If you happen to stop by the 
Last week I attended the Alltech International Symposium. Of course dairy is a big part of the educational topics offered at this annual event. I’ve got a couple of interviews to share with you starting with this one.
“Feeding the World – 9.3 billion people for dinner in 2050″ is the theme of 
