NEWS 18 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE January 2024 FEFAC: Outlook for compound feed demand in 2024 remains uncertain European Compound Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC) explained its EU compound feed production estimates for 2023 and market outlook for 2024. EU compound feed production (EU27) for farmed animals in 2023 is estimated at 144.3 million metric tonnes, reflecting a 2% decrease compared to 2022, according to data forecasts provided by FEFAC members. The EU feed market in 2023 reflects continued political and market crisis management pressures and a growing demand for providing sustainable feed solutions to address market dynamics and regulatory considerations. These trends are a response to the adverse impacts of climate change and animal diseases on the supply of raw materials, such as droughts and floods, and on animal production capacity, including Avian Influenza (AI) and African Swine Fever (ASF). Additionally, national policies ranging from greenhouse gas reduction goals to nitrate emission regulations have contributed to these shifts. Benson Hill, Inc., self-described as an ag tech company unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants, announced that recent advances in its soybean breeding programme will drive the doubling of its seed portfolio by 2025. The latest field evaluations on Benson Hill’s third generation of Ultra High Protein Low Oligosaccharides, non-GMO soybean varieties, showed protein gains of 2% over the previous generation and achieved a yield gap of only 3 to 5 bushels per acre, compared with commodity GMO soybeans. “We’ve successfully demonstrated that CropOS®, our AI-based prediction and data insights platform, can drive our predictive breeding efforts and give us a step-change forward on multiple traits like protein and yield,” said Jason Bull, Chief Technology Officer of Benson Hill. “We are now seeing massive gains in the field that minimise the tradeoff between yield and protein, surpassing expectations from when we began building on the high-protein soybean genetics we acquired in 2019.” “What this means for the industry is that we’re accelerating our speed to market with de-risked, outcome-based products in record time,” Bull added. “We expect to expand our portfolio of seed innovations again in 2025 to offer two dozen varieties that encompass protein, lower-indigestible sugars, and quality oil.” Benson Hill Chief Executive Officer Deanie Elsner also announced today at FARMCON 2024 an expansion of its commercially available soybean portfolio for 2024, adding five value-added varieties to its lineup. Benson Hill previously offered about a dozen soybean seed varieties that deliver ultra-high protein, high-oleic and low-linoleic oils, and low-oligosaccharide quality traits. Read more>> Benson Hill introduces five 2024 soybean varieties
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