Alltech ‘ONE’ conference is set to break new ground

This much anticipated event will provide those in attendance with the opportunity to explore collaborative solutions to the greatest challenges facing the agri-food industry, focusing on the “4 Cs” impacting global agriculture: climate, conflict, consumer and cost.

Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, will be challenging delegates to think about what comes next for the agri-food industry.

Speaking at the inaugural ‘ONE’ 2023 event in Budapest, Lyons said that, in times of uncertainty, it is crucial for businesses to adapt and innovate.

He added:“The Alltech ONE Conference is no exception. While our annual symposium has had its roots in Kentucky, USA, for four decades, we felt it was important to adapt and engage with our customers on their home ground.”

ONE Budapest attendees heard from industry experts on various topics, including insights from the dairy industry, data for profitable and sustainable agriculture, and mycotoxin management, and they were also able to attend focus track sessions on dairy, pigs and poultry.

Robert Walker, European growth officer at Alltech, moderated a panel discussion featuring the species focus track speakers, who discussed how to remain profitable amid uncertainty and how the learnings from the day’s sessions can be applied to individual operations.

“By sharing data and insights, we empower advisors to solve agri-food-system challenges and drive the transfer of value, from the consumer to the processor to the farmer,” said Walker.

The event featured a discussion between Alltech vice president, Tara McCarthy, and Lyons on the path forward toward a sustainable future.

“As an industry, we have the responsibility to frame the role of agri-food in the context of the four Cs of climate, conflict, cost and consumer,” McCarthy said.

“We will need to use our insights, our skills and our scale to achieve impact, but most importantly, we will need to adapt and partner across the value chain.”

Richard Dudgeon, Alltech’s regional manager for Northern Ireland, commented on the significance of the Dublin ‘ONE’ event.

He said:“Agriculture recognises the role it can play in delivering climate change solutions for the benefit of the entire planet.

“But of equal significance is the fact that all of this can be achieved while still increasing our levels of food output.”

Richard continued:“New technologies are constantly coming on stream, which will allow agriculture to drive the entire sustainability debate on a global basis.”

Delivering on sustainability across the entire spectrum of agricultural is a core priority for Alltech.

In 2019, the business committed its team to a single, shared purpose of Working Together for a Planet of Plenty™, viewing it even more broadly as a vision for the global agri-food sector.

As collaboration is essential for the achievement of shared goals, Alltech is inviting the global agriculture and agri-food industry to participate in the company’s inaugural Sustainability Insights Survey to gather insights on the issues that matter most to the agri-food value chain’s stakeholders.

“Given the evolving understanding of sustainability and the complexity of our industry, we believe that there is significant value in exploring and sharing perspectives across the value chain,” said Tara McCarthy.

“This consultation will better enable us to develop a robust, future-facing perspective and a collaboration strategy that is relevant, ambitious and inclusive.

“Our aim is to identify tangible actions across the industry and across the value chain, as we seek to deliver a Planet of Plenty.”

The survey is now open to the global agri-food industry to provide input until June 12, 2023.

The results of this global research will only be presented in aggregate form and responses will not be personally identified in the report.

“However, the aggregate findings will be shared and available for the benefit of the agri-food industry and its partners later this year.”

Strengthening its commitment to Working Together for a Planet of Plenty™, Alltech Crop Science has acquired Ideagro, based in Murcia, Spain.

This partnership joins two leading platforms to accelerate soil and crop research, and to enhance biological and other microorganism-based offerings to Alltech Crop Science customers throughout the world.

“We are excited to announce that Ideagro has joined the Alltech Crop Science global team, providing us with a partner who shares our vision and significantly scaling our research capabilities,” said Andy Thomas, CEO of Alltech Crop Science.

"This is the strengthening of a longstanding partnership. We have worked closely with the Ideagro team since their founding 11 years ago.”

Ideagro is a leader in agri-food research and development with a team of more than 20 scientists.

It is committed to improving the productivity and profitability of agricultural systems.

Its expertise in developing beneficial organisms for soil aids the growth of crops, reduces the impact of chemical inputs and helps plants to resist biotic and abiotic stress.

Ideagro’s analytical capabilities, with special emphasis on in-vitro research, phytopathology, soil dynamics and microorganisms, further enable growers to identify microorganisms and quantify enzymatic activity in the soil.

“We are facing a great growth opportunity for Ideagro because we are going to have better means and more technological capacity to develop our research, which will now have a global projection,” said Pedro Palazón, CEO of Ideagro.

“We will no longer only study the soils of the Iberian Peninsula, but we will work with soils from all over the world to achieve more sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture.”

Ideagro has state-of-the-art laboratories and experimental research stations and fields for carrying out trials in Spain. To date, the company has researched more than 90 different crops and performed more than 10,000 physicochemical and biological analyses.

This has led to the development of new agricultural strategies based on microorganisms.

Ideagro’s three laboratories are fully equipped with the latest technologies to focus on nutraceuticals, phytopathology, research and development and molecular biology.

“The combination of the Ideagro expertise with the reach and scale of Alltech will allow us to extend world-leading understanding of the interface between soil, crop, animal and human health to the global market,” Andy Thomas further explained.

“The potential implications of these insights cannot be understated as we endeavour to improve the vitality of our global food system, from the ground up.”

As a global leader in animal nutrition, Alltech is committed to partnering with companies that share its commitment to Working Together for a Planet of Plenty™.

Last month Alltech announced it has acquired a majority interest in Agolin.

Founded in 2006 in Switzerland, Agolin has developed and produced plant-based nutrition solutions that improve herd performance, profitability and sustainability, according to a 2020 meta-analysis in the journal: Animals.

Agolin’s high-quality essential oil blends are scientifically proven to optimize feed intake and performance, including improved milk and meat production.

Furthermore, Agolin® Ruminant was the first feed additive certified by The Carbon Trust for methane reduction in ruminants (2018).

Today, organisations such as Verra and Gold Standard are including it in their major international climate protection projects.

“Agolin’s essential oil blends are a complement to Alltech’s proven nutritional technologies, such as Yea-Sacc® and Optigen®,” said Mark Lyons.

“Governments, consumer brands and retailers are making important commitments to reduce their environmental impact. These commitments rely upon farmers and ranchers, and we are dedicated to supporting them with the best available nutritional technologies to achieve more milk and meat while reducing their environmental footprint.”

The alliance between Alltech and Agolin will empower farmers to reach their sustainability goals while also supporting the performance and profitability of the cattle in their herds and supply chains.

The synergistic use of Alltech and Agolin nutritional technologies leads to benefits such as improved animal welfare, greater feed efficiency and conversion, enhanced milk and meat production, increased profitability, and a reduced environmental footprint, including a boost in nitrogen efficiency.

The partners will also be exploring opportunities to develop new technologies that bring together the best of Alltech’s proven nutrition and Agolin’s essential oil blends.

Agolin has a presence in Europe, Asia and North America. Alltech’s majority interest in the company will expand the availability of Agolin to additional markets.

"We at Agolin are delighted with this strategic alliance to grow synergistically through the added technical expertise and global reach of Alltech,” said Kurt Schaller, managing director of Agolin SA.

“This represents a new era for our business, and we look forward to breaking new ground in our industry.”

Agolin focuses on research and development to produce and market innovative feed additives based on plant active ingredients, which are effective and easy to use.

Its essential oil blends are backed by a strong quality management system (FAMI-QS), which ensures safety and guarantees traceability.

Delivering ways of improving forage quality at farm level is another priority for Alltech.

Recent weeks have been marked by the Irish launch of the company’s new silage inoculant: Egalis.

The product has been independently trialled over the past four years. This work has included a number of farm-based trials carried out on the island of Ireland.

Richard Dudgeon explained:“Egalis brings together all the latest thinking and research findings, where the development of silage inoculants is concerned.

He continued:“Egalis acts to secure a very fast pH drop within a clamp: the end result is lower dry matter losses and maximum nutrient retention, both within the clamp and at feed out.

“As a result, producers will have more and better silage to feed and fewer concerns about wasting feed.”

At a fundamental level, Egalis controls and drives forage fermentations through the use of highly efficient homolactic bacteria and elements that inhibit fungal growth.

The Egalis range includes products that meet the specific needs of farmers and contractors committed to making high quality, grass, wholecrop and maize silages.

All of this brings together Alltech’s decades of expertise in fermentation, utilising bacterial strains specifically selected to maximise nutrient and dry matter protection.

Richard Dudgeon concluded:“The Egalis range of products brings together decades of expertise in fermentation, utilising bacteria strains specifically selected to maximise nutrient and dry matter protection.

“Together with our on-farm support teams and range of services, Alltech helps to improve fermentation to produce superior-quality silage, enabling producers to hold onto more of what they grow, from field to feed passage.”

Alltech is an American company, headquartered in Nicholasville, Kentucky, with operations in animal feed, meat, brewing, and distilling.

Alltech develops agricultural products for use in both livestock and crop farming, as well as products for the food industry.