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Consumer demand driving natural feed solutions

Poultry barn with Amlan logo text graphic.

Source: Amie Simpson, Brownfield Ag NewsJanuary 28, 2022

“Increasing regulation and strong consumer demand are creating a growing market for natural animal protein production solutions,” commented Dr. Wade Robey, our vice president of marketing and product development, in a recent interview with Amie Simpson of Brownfield Ag News. Wade also discussed Amlan’s introduction of natural mineral-based food additives to the US market and the growth opportunities this presents for Amlan in 2022. Read more here.

Managing Gut Health for Antibiotic-Free Chicken

Fred Kao photo with chicken barn background graphic.

Source: Red River Farm Network, January 28, 2022

An increasing market sector around the world. That’s the prediction for the no-antibiotic-ever market provided by Fred Kao, Vice President of Global Sales for Amlan, during his recent interview with Red River Farm Network. Fred also discussed the competitiveness of Amlan’s mineral as a stand-alone product. Read the full story here.

A Q&A with Dr. Wade Robey

Dr. Wade Robey picture graphic

Meet Dr. Wade Robey, VP Marketing and Product Development, as he answers questions about Amlan, the industry and the science behind our products. In this short video, Wade discusses how Amlan’s mineral technology meets the needs of global poultry and livestock producers and their consumers while stressing the importance of a natural approach to this demand.

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The Amlan Team Is Expanding, but the Dedication to Our Values Is Stronger Than Ever

Gráfico de Oil-Dri e Amlan logotipos com membros da equipe.

As the animal health business of Oil-Dri® Corporation of America, Amlan International shares more than Oil-Dri’s millions of tons of mineral reserves — we also share Oil-Dri’s values and ethics. As the Amlan business continues to rapidly grow, so does our team of talented professionals focused on providing mineral-based solutions for our customers — while maintaining their strong ethical values.

The Family Values of Oil-Dri

Nick Jaffee, the grandfather of the current Oil-Dri President and CEO Dan Jaffee, founded Oil-Dri in 1941 with the very same values we live by today. Oil-Dri’s tight-knit inclusive culture means teammates are more like family than colleagues, which can be credited to Oil-Dri’s focus on integrity, approach and vision.

  • Integrity: We emphasize honesty, ethics, diversity and compassion, and support healthy lifestyles with a strong work-life balance.
  • Approach: Centered on collaboration, communication and transparency, our open and accessible corporate structure and culture start at the top, which is why we have a thriving, close-knit global community.
  • Vision: As a family-owned and family-operated company, each decision is made with future generations in mind.

Respect and Trust Are Key

Amlan employees strive to be positive, honest and open-minded to maintain trust in each other and, more importantly, earn the trust and respect of their customers. As our business continues to expand throughout the world and we welcome more team members to Amlan, we continue to uphold these values.

Our Growing Amlan Family

An example of our growing Oil-Dri and Amlan family is our expanding team in China. We recognize that the animal protein market there is growing rapidly, so we’re meeting this demand with the addition of several team members and an expansion of our logistics operations. Our new teammates and investment in our infrastructure in China will help support our mission of providing excellence in technical and customer service that keeps pace with the increasing animal protein demand in this region.

We have also invested in a secure product supply chain for our customers in China by operating multiple logistics centers. The warehouses are located in Tianjin, which supplies the northeast; Shenzhen in the southeast; and Chongqing, which supplies central and southwest China. The supply hubs allow us to quickly adjust to any shifting product demands within the country.

Continued Growth Around the World

Our team continues to grow in other regions and countries around the world, including Indonesia where a patent was recently issued that protects the novel, mineral-based formulation used in Amlan’s existing natural feed additives, Varium® for poultry and NeoPrime® for swine (not available for sale in the U.S.). With the world’s fourth-largest population, the expansion of Indonesia’s sales and technical service team, together with the patent issuance, allows us to better support Indonesian producers, helping them to achieve their production goals and meet the demand for high-quality animal protein.

We have established a strong North American team, as well. Stay tuned for some exciting North American news!

 

Oil-Dri’s core values were passed down to Dan Jaffee from his grandfather and father, and Dan strives to instill these values in all Oil-Dri employees, including the Amlan team. As we continue to grow, we know that our relationships with our customers will prosper too, due to our strong belief in these core values.

The Benefits of Pelleting Feed and Related Diet Considerations

Close-up large metal poultry feeder

The benefits of pelleting feed have been an area of interest for decades; however, recent research suggests that the extent of the performance improvements may depend on other diet characteristics. With feed estimated to be around 70% of production costs for poultry and swine producers, the benefit-cost ratio is an important factor when determining what form the diet should take.

Pellet Quality

Pelleting can improve production performance, although research has found that this can depend on the quality of the pellet. Positive production effects can be limited if the pellet quality is poor and there is a large percentage of fines in the feed. In a broiler study,1 an improvement in feed intake, live weight gain, feed conversion rate (FCR) and carcass weight was observed as the percent of pellets in the feed increased. A model based on this research indicated a 0.4-point increase in FCR, a 10 g carcass-weight increase and a 4 g breast-weight improvement for every 10% increase in intact pellets in the feed.

Pellet and Nutrient Density Relationship

The extent of production improvements from pelleting may also depend on the diet formulation. Recent research suggests that the level of nutrient density may determine how beneficial pelleting really is. In two broiler studies,2,3 five diet nutrient density levels were compared in either mash or pellet form. As expected, broilers fed pelleted diets had better performance than mash-fed birds at all nutrient density levels. However, the pellet benefits were greater at the lowest nutrient density and positive performance responses to pelleting decreased as nutrient density increased. Therefore, the nutrient density of diets may be an important consideration during diet formulation to ensure that the extra expense of pelleting delivers the expected increase in performance.

Mitigating Mycotoxin Effects

Another potential benefit of pelleting feed is the reduction of negative performance effects observed when feed is contaminated with the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON). In two swine studies,4,5 pelleting DON-contaminated diets improved average daily gain and gain to feed (G:F), ameliorating the reduction in performance caused by DON-contaminated feed. The concentration of DON in the diet was not altered by pelleting, but the performance benefits of pelleting were able to mitigate the DON-related production losses. Numerically, the increase in daily gain due to pelleting was greater in the DON-contaminated feed than the control feed. It is not clear however, if negative effects from contamination by other mycotoxins could also be abated by pelleting, so using a natural mycotoxin control product is recommended. To identify if feed is contaminated with mycotoxins and at what concentration, BioInsights Mycotoxin Diagnostic Services, offered by Amlan International, can test feed on-site and provide an accurate quantitative result within 10 minutes.

Other Benefits of Pelleting

Pelleting can increase palatability by masking unpleasant ingredient tastes and reducing ingredient sorting. Production efficiencies also improve as less feed is wasted and time allocated to eating is reduced, which allows more energy to be dedicated to growth.

Pelleting feed has multiple logistic benefits including improving feed flow through bins and less space required for storage. Ingredient separation during storage and transport and dust production are also reduced — depending on the quality of the pellet. Low-quality pellets that have a large percentage of fines may still have these issues.

Pelleting feed has many potential advantages, as long as all components of the diet formulation are considered, pellet quality is maximized and the pellets, like all feed, are manufactured safely following recommended guidelines.

References

  1. Lilly K, Gehring C, Beaman K, Turk P, Sperow M, Moritz J. Examining the relationships between pellet quality, broiler performance, and bird sex. J Appl Poult Res. 2011;20:231–239. https://doi.org/10.3382/japr.2009-00138
  2. Abdollahia M, Zaefariana F, Ravindrana V, Selleb P. The interactive influence of dietary nutrient density and feed form on the performance of broiler chickens. Anim Feed Sci Technol. 2018;239:33–43.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2018.03.005
  3. Hamungalu O, Zaefarian F, Abdollahi M, Ravindran V. Performance response of broilers to feeding pelleted diets is influenced by dietary nutrient density. Anim Feed Sci Technol. 2020;268:114613
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2020.114613
  4. Frobose H, Fruge E, Tokach M, Hansen E, DeRouchey J, Dritz S, Goodband R, Nelssen J. The effects of deoxynivalenol-contaminated corn dried distillers grains with solubles in nursery pig diets and potential for mitigation by commercially available feed additives. J Anim Sci. 2015;93:1074–1088. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2013-6883
  5. Frobose H, Fruge E, Tokach M, Hansen E, DeRouchey J, Dritz S, Goodband R, Nelssen J. The influence of pelleting and supplementing sodium metabisulfite (Na2S2O5) on nursery pigs fed diets contaminated with deoxynivalenol. Anim Feed Sci Technol. 2015;210:152–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2015.09.020

2020 Retrospect and Looking Ahead to 2021: What’s Next for Amlan and Our Customers?

Looking Ahead into 2021 header

It was a challenging year for everyone around the world, but for the poultry and livestock industries, the forecast for 2021 is encouraging. Let’s take a look back at production and consumer trends from last year and look at what the expectations are for this year. We will also recap some of our news stories from 2020 and share exciting new developments for 2021.

Record Chicken Meat Production

Global chicken meat production continued to increase in 2020; it’s a trend that will persist into 2021 according to the USDA, who predicts that a record 102.9 million tons to be produced. China will lead the growth but gains in Brazil, the EU, US and India are also expected. Brazil is also expected to increase exports by expanding shipments to the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Pork Production Expected to Rebound

Swine production was impacted by two viral diseases in 2020: African swine fever (ASF) and COVID-19. However, according to the USDA, global pork production is forecasted to be 4% higher in 2021, as countries affected by ASF rebuild herds. Economic improvements and recovery of the food and restaurant service sectors should also improve demand for pork products.

Regionally, the USDA forecasts that increased domestic consumption will have pork production in Brazil set to increase 4% in 2021. While China is quickly rebuilding herds, production is expected to still be 25% lower than pre-ASF levels. Similarly, Vietnam and the Philippines are showing production recovery. However ASF continues to be a challenge in the Philippines. Taiwan was officially recognized as free from foot and mouth disease without vaccinations by the OIE in June 2020, but classical swine fever is still a concern for export pork markets.

Consumers Trends and Reduced AGP Use

While global pork and poultry meat production is forecast to increase in 2021, the type of products consumers are purchasing may see a shift if trends from this year continue. Consumers are wanting healthy and safe products and are seeking claims-based meat options that have labels such as “all-natural” and “free-from.”

Along with consumer demand for “all-natural” products, the concern over multi-drug resistant and mutant bacteria has kept the reduction of antimicrobial use for growth promotion purposes a top priority for global livestock and poultry producers. Brazil banned the use of three antibiotics (tylosin, tiamulin and lincomycin) as growth promoters in 2020, aligning with OIE, FAO and WHO-supported policies.

Patented Natural Alternatives to AGPs

As demand for alternatives to AGPs increases, we are continuing to invest in next-generation technology that provides natural mineral-based feed additives for gut health and production efficiency. Last year, Amlan, which is the animal health business of Oil-Dri Corporation of America, a leading global manufacturer and marketer of sorbent minerals, announced that EU and US patents were issued in relation to formulation of the additives, Varium® for poultry and NeoPrime® for swine. A similar patent was issued in China in 2018 and additional patents are expected to be granted in the near future.

The patents provide a methodology for using a natural, mineral-based formula to mitigate the effects of exposure to pathogenic bacteria and the disease-causing toxins they produce, which damage gut health and function.

Amlan’s Leadership Team Expands

Our investment in intestinal health products strengthened last year with the appointment of Fred Kao to the newly created role of Vice President of Global Sales. Mr. Kao brings 20 years of expertise in building strong relationships with key integrators in the animal protein business around the globe, including Europe, Middle East, African and Asia Pacific regions.

Mr. Kao is working to build the sales and technical service team to offer more specialized and expert support to our customers. To support this goal, we recently welcomed the following people to our team:

  • Heath Wessels, Director of Sales, North America
  • Harold Zhou, Director of Sales, China
  • Dr. Kreangkrai “Pong” Sangthongdang, Country Manager, Thailand
  • Ricardo Ivanovski, Technical Service Specialist, Brazil
  • Julio Aguila, Regional Key Account Manager, Mexico
  • Andres Soto, Regional Key Account Manager, Mexico
  • Sissi Fang, Sr. Marketing Specialist, China
  • Summer Xiao, Logistic Assistant, China
  • Wang Huarui, Area Sales Manager, North China
  • Teng Yingyun, Area Sales Manager, South China

New Natural Health Solutions for Poultry and Livestock

Our scientists are experts in developing advanced mineral-based technology using our owned, unique mineral and proprietary thermal activation process. This year we will continue to develop natural, efficacious feed additives for protein producing animal disease management, and we are excited to announce that two new products will soon be commercially available in select countries.

While 2020 was certainly a difficult year in many ways, everyone at Amlan is dedicated to helping poultry and livestock producers reduce their production challenges. By investing in state-of-the-art technology and developing next-generation mineral-based products and services, we are providing producers with innovative solutions to improve the health and production efficiency of their flock or herd. To learn more, visit https://amlan.com/products/

“We are polluting the environment with resistant genes”

Dr. Margie Lee

“We are polluting the environment with resistant genes”

Source: AllAboutFeed.net, 17 Aug 2018

By: Emmy Koeleman, Editor: All About Feed & Dairy Global

Antimicrobial resistance is not new, but actually a very old phenomenon. But we see the amount of resistant bacteria genes in the soil increasing, which is more worrisome than antibiotics use on its own.

This is according to microbiologist Dr Margie Lee, professor and head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech in the US. Dr Lee presented her insights on antimicrobial resistance at the first-annual summer international poultry symposium, organised by Amlan International (Aug 2-3 in Chicago, US).

Click Here to read the full story.

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