ARTICLE 54 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE April 2022 A BETTER FEED EFFICIENCY WILL DRIVE SUSTAINABILITY Wasting nutrients is a waste of money. But feed losses also have a direct effect on animal health and performance and makes the diet less sustainable. This can be prevented by giving the rumen more care and attention. In a healthy working rumen, digestion is optimised and no nutrients will be lost. This means one step closer to a more sustainable dairy farm. The global dairy sector has been under a magnifying glass for many years already regarding its effect on the environment, in particular its contribution to the overall emission of greenhouse gasses. At the same time, the dairy sector is a growing and important industry, contributing to supplying the increased volume of animal protein needed for the growing world population. While the dairy farming sector has already made some huge improvements over the last decades, reflected in higher milk production and better genetics, the sector has to do better to meet today’s and future sustainability goals regarding methane emission, animal health and economics. The key to all this is feed efficiency. An increased feed efficiency not only reduces the carbon footprint per kilogram of milk or meat produced, it also benefits the cow’s health and performance and the farmer’s profitability, all key components of sustainable ruminant production. RUMEN: ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT Increasing feed efficiency starts by using better feed and feeding techniques, taking into account the choice and quality of raw materials and by-products used. But this only makes sense if you have a healthy working rumen, the most important organ in the digestive system of a cow. The rumen contains a complex ecosystem composed of anaerobic bacteria, protozoa, fungi and archaea (the rumen microbiota). The rumen microbiota plays an essential role in the nutrient acquisition and utilization of ruminants, as they break down plant material, whilst providing metabolic energy to animals. Rumen microflora is therefore strongly linked with feed efficiency. In many high producing dairy cows, the rumen is constantly challenged and can therefore not always work at full capacity. This can be the result of environmental challenges (such as heat stress) or sudden changes in the feed ration in terms of fibre or energy content for example. These challenges change the rumen microbiota and can make digestion less efficient or even lead to rumen disorders such as sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) or acidosis. Many dairy cows are high producing animals, meaning that the rumen is constantly challenged. For many dairy cows this means room for improvement for rumen health. MORE MILK, BETTER TRANSITION The use of targeted feed additives is an effective and proven way to contribute to a healthy rumen enviValentin Nenov Global Ruminant Manager Phileo by Lesaffre
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