July 4, 2019
The poultry industry is undergoing changes based on consumers demand for transparency. The most common trends, highlighted here. One of the trends mentioned, an all vegetarian diet claim,…
June 20, 2019
In the last five years, two endemic viruses – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus – were introduced to North America and resulted in a…
June 11, 2019
Lysine is the first limiting amino acid in diets for swine and second limiting for poultry. It is used as a reference to adjust the content of other…
June 11, 2019
With more consumers and governments pushing to reduce use of antibiotics in livestock production, several challenges have come to light. Antibiotics have been used for many years to…
May 16, 2019
One of the grand narratives you may have noticed on the Insta-Pro blog relates to oilseeds, grains, and their final ingredient forms exhibiting more differentiation than is often…
May 2, 2019
Every living thing is driven to seek nourishment in order to survive and thrive. Many nutrients are essential – animals cannot survive for long without them. It’s important…
April 25, 2019
I’ve discussed on the blog before the variable and low-quality nature of dried distillers’ grains with solubles (DDGS), a plentiful and inexpensive by-product of the corn ethanol fuel…
April 4, 2019
When I started to work as a nutritionist for Insta-Pro®, somebody asked me what an animal nutritionist does in a company that manufacture extruders, presses and coolers? The…
March 21, 2019
When animal diets are formulated, at times it’s assumed that a sort of “cookie cutter” approach is taken. This means that all of the ingredients and corresponding nutrient…
March 14, 2019
Recently, I was in Argentina at an extrusion conference and I was asked for my comments on preheating soybean prior to extrusion. Apparently, there are people buying preheaters…
March 7, 2019
The first 1,000 days between conception and a child’s 2nd birthday are critical for shaping each child’s development. This is the period when the foundations of good health,…
February 28, 2019
Recently, I had many clients and prospects ask about having a cooker just before extrusion. While this is entirely up to the client, it is our duty to…
February 21, 2019
I noticed recently that an FDA-approved animal drug was being launched to reduce ammonia emissions in beef cattle. The drug, which may be a feed additive, appears to…
January 3, 2019
Due to a delay in harvest caused by wet weather, the fungus which produces mycotoxins is expected to cause higher than normal levels as discussed in a recent…
December 20, 2018
Proper feeding of fat and fat products to dairy cows are a common strategy to boost production, however, understanding the roles of various fat components is essential. Overfeeding…
December 13, 2018
Putting together a diet formulation for animal production – balancing performance goals with economic considerations – is something we discuss here on a regular basis. We periodically provide…
November 29, 2018
A recent article by NPR highlights the emergence of “edible” cottonseed – suitable for food production, not just feed. Cottonseed is the resulting seed after the ginning process…
November 22, 2018
In a previous blog, I discussed how feeding ExPress® soymeal to dairy provides a highly digestible source of protein and energy while improving milk production and lowering diet…
