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The challenge of improving animal productivity is fuelling the need for innovations to achieve the right feeding strategy.
Keeping livestock fit and healthy
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Automated feeding systems are helping to improve the general feed efficiency of the farm.
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HEALTHY DIET and the right feeding strategy is one of the most important requirements for high performance and well-being of livestock. Several innovations and research in nutrients and feed strategy are constantly aiming to optimise the welfare of livestock. Turning red seaweed into feed supplement Sustainable agriculture company CH4, plans to build the first farm and processing plant, in South Australia, to turn red seaweed into a feed supplement for cows in order to reduce their methane production by 90%. Each farm would be capable of producing about 400 tonnes of dry weight milled seaweed a year – enough to feed up to 20,000 cows. Cattle is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, with each of the 1.5 billion cows on the planet producing
14 African Farming - January/February 2021
around 100kgs of methane per year. The farms are based on research by Australia’s CSIRO, which found that the red seaweed Asparagopsis mixed with regular cattle feed at a rate of 100 grams per cow per day, reduced methane production by 90%. “We are optimising our processes, optimising the hatchery work we are doing in South Australia and New Zealand, we are optimising the in-water architecture that’s going to be used, and we are doing
The use of automatic feeding systems allows for the use of different feeding strategies in a simple and labour free manner. It also improves the general feed efficiency of the farm.
that in Port Lincoln at the moment, and we are optimising the freeze-drying processing work,” he said. Poultry nutrition Research presented by Wageningen University & Research (WUR) has shown that if broilers have to forage and peck the larvae, they move more, which improves their welfare During the research, live black soldier fly larvae were offered in different quantities and at different times during the day. “We saw that the broilers were motivated all day long to get to the larvae,” said researcher Allyson Ipema. Automation The use of automatic feeding systems allows for the use of different feeding strategies in a simple and labour free manner. It further improves the general feed efficiency of the farm.
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