Livestock Innovation

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LRIC in the news 

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https://livestockresearch.ca/article/stopping_asf_spread_by_wild_boars 

Funding opportunities

• Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs, ongoing

• Rapid Response for Business Development: Grand River Agricultural Society, ongoing

Please visit LRIC's website for more information on the funding opportunities:
https://livestockresearch.ca/call_for_research_proposals 

Sector-specific innovation highlights*

Poultry: Dried yeast as protein alternative for poultry rations

A study out of Poland has found that dried distillery yeast can be used as a protein and energy source in broiler feed. Birds receiving three per cent deactivated yeast in their ration had significantly better feed conversion than those fed a diet of six or nine per cent yeast inclusion. 

Read more: https://farmingfuturefood.com/dried-yeast-offers-protein-alternative-for-chicken-diets/ 
 

Swine: Pigs could offer future human health solutions

Large-scale mapping of pig genes could pave the way for new human medicines. That’s according to researchers at Denmark’s Aarhus University, who have carried out complex genetic analyses of hundreds of pigs and humans to identify the most important genetic similarities between the two. The results could also be used to breed pigs that are more climate friendly. 

Read more: https://tech.au.dk/en/about-the-faculty/news/show/artikel/large-scale-mapping-of-pig-genes-could-pave-the-way-for-new-human-medicines

Beef: Three strategies to reduce the environmental footprint of beef production 

There is no shortage of innovations to reduce the impact of beef production on the environment, but the biggest changes can come from focusing on three main areas: what cattle eat, how beef production is managed, and the genetic make up of cattle to make them more resilient to climate change. 

Read more: https://www.greenbiz.com/article/3-key-strategies-transforming-beef-industry  

Dairy: Optimizing soybean meal for the dairy diet

A U.S. startup specializing in producing soy-based feed for dairy cattle is offering a product it says optimizes the cows’ diet, reduces costs, enhances their nutritional intake and improves milk and milk fat production – all without using imported palm oil. Clean Label Solution’s innovation improves the digestibility of soybean meal for dairy cattle. 

Read more: https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2024/04/08/New-York-firm-excels-in-Soy-Innovation-Challenge 

Small ruminants: Early detection of parasitic infections in sheep using blood biomarkers

The Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production at Olds College has just wrapped up a project on using blood biomarkers for early detection of parasitic infections in sheep. Researchers have identified and quantified a panel of predictive blood biomarkers using genomics and metabolomics technologies. The work is part of a larger project at Olds focused on technologies to improve sheep production efficiency. 

Read more: https://www.oldscollege.ca/smart-farm-research/articles/livestock/measuring-feed-efficiency.html

Watch a video about the project: https://youtu.be/td9vm14tths 

Cross-sector innovation highlights*

Feed: Global feed sustainability needs policy shift 

Livestock feed production needs to prioritize a shift towards local, circular and soilless protein sources, say researchers in a paper published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. This could include alternatives like seaweed, cellular or insect proteins, or generating proteins from food waste and by-products, but will require better engagement on the social acceptability of protein from these sources. 

Read more: https://farmingfuturefood.com/policy-rethink-needed-for-shift-to-sustainable-livestock-feeds/

Feed: Feed mill automation can reduce energy costs and improve sustainability

Automating a feed mill could be the key to unlocking energy efficiency and substantial production costs savings in the livestock feed sector. With the growing focus on sustainability and reduced environmental footprint, mills are looking for new ways to optimize their facilities, lower emissions and resource use without impacting production volume or quality. 

Read more: https://www.agritechtomorrow.com/story/2024/02/energy-efficient-milling-reduce-energy-costs-and-improve-sustainability-through-feed-mill-automation/15262/ 

Cattle health: New vaccine protects cattle from bovine tuberculosis

Researchers from the United States, Ethiopia and the UK have shown that a human vaccine for tuberculosis can also significantly reduce the infectiousness of vaccinated livestock. The study found using the vaccine reduced TB transmission in cattle by almost 90%. Bovine tuberculosis causes large economic losses to animal agriculture worldwide.

Read more: https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/vaccine-protects-cattle-bovine-tuberculosis-may-eliminate-disease/

On the horizon*

McDonald’s 10-year quest for sustainable beef

In 2014, McDonald’s boldly announced it would begin sourcing what it called “verifiable, sustainable beef”. Ten years later, they’re not there yet, but they’ve made progress albeit slow and nuanced. The company is recognized in the beef value chain as a leading driver of sustainability initiatives that are creating change – and yet the company and the beef industry in general is still lacking basic definitions, metrics and goals for beef sustainability. 

Read more: https://www.greenbiz.com/article/story-mcdonalds-10-year-quest-sustainable-beef 

*Articles in this newsletter are selected for relevance and interest to the livestock sector. LRIC does not verify claims made by the article authors and we recognize that not all data is specific to Ontario. The intent is to select articles that will expose readers to issues, perceptions and developments that have the potential to impact livestock production. 

Thanks for reading. We'd love to hear your feedback about LRIC - both about what we're doing and what you think we should be doing! Please contact us at info@livestockresearch.ca with any questions or comments.

The Livestock Innovation Corporation is funded in part by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial initiative.