Improving Livestock Production Processes

Today I want to share one of the best resources for anyone working with barn, aviary, or free-range layer systems — the Lohmann Management Guide: Alternative Systems. This guide is extremely valuable, practical, and full of detailed recommendations on rearing, lighting, biosecurity, nutrition, flock behaviour, ventilation, and production management. Everything you need—from early chick management to litter quality, nesting behaviour, pecking control, and free-range challenges—is covered in a clear, easy-to-use format. One thing I really like is that the guide includes many QR codes on almost every topic — you can scan them and quickly access deeper, more detailed information, videos, data sheets, lighting programs, nutrient specs, and more. This makes the guide not just a document, but a full interactive learning tool. I used this guide many times in my work with layers, and I truly believe it is one of the most useful management documents in our industry. Thank you to the Lohmann team for creating such a professional and practical resource for farmers, advisors, and managers around the world. 📄 Download the Management Guide here: https://lnkd.in/gmMwcaje #poultry #layers #lohmann #alternativesystems #aviary #freerange #poultrymanagement #animalwelfare #farmmanagement #poultryproduction #poultryscience #poultrynutrition #poultryfarming #biosecurity #ventilation #lightingprogram #enrichment #eggproduction #VasiliiUlitin #poultryadvisor #agriculture #aginnovation #farmersupport #technicalguide

We Can Breed Faster Growing Pigs. But Can We Breed Tougher Ones? For decades, genetic progress in livestock has centred on traits with obvious economic value: faster growth, better feed conversion, higher carcass yield, and ever-larger litters. This delivered enormous gains. Today’s finishing pigs commonly grow over 1 kg per day with more than 60% lean body mass. But those gains came with consequences. Sow longevity declined. Larger litters pushed birth weights down and hurt survivability. Like a high-performance vehicle hitting a bump at speed, these animals became more sensitive to health challenges and management. Breeding companies have already begun rebalancing, shifting from “more pigs” to “more surviving pigs,” emphasising piglet vitality, mothering ability, and functional teat count. Yet the world around us is changing faster than these incremental adjustments. Reduced antibiotic use is increasing disease pressure. Welfare expectations mean less castration, less tail docking, fewer crates. Labour shortages—especially in farrowing—demand calmer, more autonomous sows. Sustainability pressures are pushing diets towards more fibrous, local raw materials. And genotype × environment interactions are exposing the limits of selecting animals under ideal nucleus conditions for farms that look nothing like them. The traits that now matter most—resilience, robustness, disease tolerance, behavioural stability, gut health, and the ability to perform on alternative diets—are the traits genomics alone struggles to improve. They’re low heritability, difficult to measure, expensive to phenotype, and often only expressed under stress. This is why the future of breeding needs a new biological layer: transcriptomics. Transcriptomics reveals how genes actually function—how animals respond to challenge, nutrition, stress, or pathogens. It uncovers expression signatures linked to resilience, immune function, gut integrity, metabolic efficiency. When integrated with genomic selection, it has the potential to enhance prediction accuracy, identify functional markers, and provide early-life indicators for traits that normally appear late or only under difficult conditions. At BIOFRACTAL we translate gene expression patterns into practical tools: signatures of disease resilience, gut health, metabolic efficiency using AI models linking mRNA expression to real biological performance. This approach can accelerate the shift from selecting animals that simply maximise output to selecting animals genuinely fit for the future—productive, robust, welfare-aligned, sustainable, and capable of thriving under real-world conditions. Transcriptomics isn’t just an add-on. It could be the defining differentiator for the next generation of genetics companies. I’d love to hear how others in the genetics, production, or nutrition space view this shift. Is transcriptomics the missing layer our industry needs? #transcriptomics #animalGenomics #swineRobustness

What if simply moving your animals differently could double your pasture productivity? Let’s dive into it… Smart rotational grazing in action proves that livestock management is not just about feeding animals; it’s about managing the land with precision and purpose. In this system, goats are not left to graze randomly. They are moved strategically from one paddock to another, giving each section of pasture time to rest and regenerate before being grazed again. This controlled movement prevents overgrazing and allows plants to grow back stronger, with deeper roots and better coverage. As the grazing cycle continues, the impact becomes visible. Soil health improves, organic matter increases, and the land begins to retain more moisture. Instead of declining over time, the pasture becomes more resilient and productive. At the center of this setup is an efficient hub designed for water access, feeding, and easy management. This central point simplifies operations, reduces labor, and ensures that animal movement is smooth and intentional. The animals benefit just as much as the land. With consistent access to fresh, nutrient-rich forage, goats experience better health, reduced stress, and lower exposure to parasites. This is the real shift in livestock farming: It’s not about increasing numbers; it’s about improving systems. Because when grazing is managed properly, pasture is not just maintained… it is continuously regenerated and upgraded.

"By integrating our distillery with our livestock, we eliminate waste, lower feed costs, improve animal welfare, and triple our compost production for soil regeneration." One of the biggest opportunities in European agriculture is moving from linear value chains to bio-based regional economies — systems where biomass is processed, used, and regenerated locally, creating environmental, economic, and social value at the same time. At La Junquera Farm, we are seeing this transition in practice through an unexpected resource: distilled aromatic plant material. After harvesting aromatics and extracting essential oils in our distillery, we are left with dry plant biomass. Traditionally, this would be treated as a low-value residue. Instead, we reintegrate it into our livestock system. Here is what happens: • The distilled material becomes bedding (“aromatic straw”) for our cows • Cows consume around 20%, reducing external feed needs • The material keeps animals warm and dry in winter • Manure and plant fibers compost together efficiently • Result: 5x more compost production We see that doing this we need fewer external inputs, are more resilient to price volatility, have a lower environmental footprint, and improve our soils. Looking ahead, systems like this can form the backbone of regional regenerative production clusters, where processing facilities, farms, and soil restoration are tightly connected. #RegenerativeAgriculture #Bioeconomy #CircularEconomy #SoilHealth #ClimateAdaptation #RuralDevelopment #NatureBasedSolutions #EUCAP #murcia, Nemesis-Soil

What about animals in agroforestry?   There are many problems caused by modern animal production. Brazil is associated with lots of these problems, most prominently deforestation linked to cattle ranching.   But Brazilian farmers and researchers have also found innovative ways to ‘reforest’ pastures by integrating trees into them. These systems are called silvopastoral systems, or integrated crop-livestock-forestry systems (ILPF is the Brazilian acronym).   What does science say about these silvopastoral systems? There are many studies, and I’ll highlight a few: 🐄 First off on animal welfare: the shade from trees protects the animals from excessive heat, improving their welfare and sparing them energy to regulate body temperature [1]. 🌳 What about carbon emissions? In Minas Gerais state (Brazil), the carbon sequestered in the biomass growth of as little as 44 eucalyptus trees per ha was found to offset cattle emissions [2]. Look to intensive silvopastoral systems in Colombia for substantial carbon sequestration rates and examples of denser and more diversified systems [3]. 🥩 🌽 Productivity? Low productivity is an issue in most Brazilian pasture-based systems. Fertilising the whole field when planting a silvopasture and using the space between tree rows to plant (feed) crops while trees are still young (1-3 years) can increase total productivity a lot. Once trees are tall enough the cattle can move in (they might kill too young trees [4]). Choosing a shade tolerant grass species (e.g. Panicum maximum cv. Aruana) and spacing tree rows far enough apart (e.g. 30 m [5]) is important to get good grass productivity. In summary, ILPFs are more productive, better for animal welfare, and emissions negative, compared to extensive pastures [6]. And so, yes, based on the evidence, a massive opportunity. In 2015 there were 1.8 million ha of these silvopastoral systems in Brazil, according to data from Embrapa. I feel that this estimate might be a bit high, nonetheless there is certainly a significant uptake already. What is holding back farmers from planting even more silvopastures? [7] show some factors, such as cattle ranchers’ risk aversion towards new practices, and lack of technical assistance. Cattle ranching is also not a high margin business, and the upfront investments into planting and fencing can be relatively high. At the Centre for Ecological Innovation in Agroforestry (CEIA), we work on making the strategic integration of trees on farms even more scalable. References in the comments.

Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to Evaluate Dairy Diet Efficiency Achieving precision in dairy nutrition requires accurately predicting the metabolizable methionine (Met) and lysine (Lys) available to each cow. Reliable measurement techniques are essential to assess nitrogen and amino acid utilization effectively. Understanding the rumen protection rate and intestinal availability of rumen-protected amino acids (RP-AAs) helps determine the primary amino acids available to the animal. When diets are formulated with the right RP-Met and RP-Lys, in line with the latest nutritional insights, nitrogen efficiency improves, and animal performance increases. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a valuable tool for measuring the environmental impact of different feeding strategies. A recent study compared a control diet without RP-AAs to two diets incorporating RP-Met and RP-Lys. The control and one of the test diets contained soybean meal, while the other did not. Both experimental diets had lower crude protein levels but still met the animals’ metabolizable protein (MP) requirements. The LCA showed over 7% improved nitrogen efficiency, a more than 10% reduction in nitrous oxide emissions, and over 10% lower CO₂-equivalent emissions per kilogram of dry matter compared to the control. Importantly, these benefits were achieved without increasing feed costs. Balancing for individual amino acids rather than relying on excess crude protein presents a significant opportunity to enhance dairy herd profitability. With rising feed costs, formulating lower-protein diets while meeting amino acid requirements can improve MP utilization, cow productivity, and overall health. At the same time, it reduces nitrogen excretion and the environmental footprint of dairy production. Are you ready for the future? #SustainableDairy #AminoAcidBalancing #FeedEfficiency

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) of Feed mill. GMP ensures that feed is produced consistently with high quality, safety, and traceability. It is essential to maintain animal health, support food safety, and comply with regulatory requirements. Key GMP Principles in Feed Production: 🌽 Premises & Facility Maintenance - Keep the facility clean, dry, and pest-free. - Separate raw material, processing, and finished product zones. - Ensure proper lighting, ventilation, and drainage. 🌽 Equipment Hygiene - Regularly clean and maintain all equipment (e.g., grinder, mixer, pellet mill). - Avoid cross-contamination between different feed batches. - Calibrate scales, thermometers, and sensors regularly. 🌽 Raw Material Control - Purchase ingredients from approved, reliable suppliers. - Inspect incoming raw materials for quality, moisture, mold, or foreign objects. - Store ingredients properly (temperature/humidity control, FIFO system). 🌽 Process Control - Follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) at each step: grinding, mixing, pelleting, cooling, bagging. - Use accurate mixing ratios and mixing time. - Monitor critical control points (e.g., temperature during pelleting). 🌽 Cross-Contamination Prevention - Clean mixing lines and conveyors between batches. - Use flushing or sequencing protocols. - Design layout to separate medicated and non-medicated feeds. 🌽 Personal Hygiene and Training - Workers should wear clean uniforms, gloves, masks, etc. - Regular handwashing and hygiene practices. - Ongoing training on GMP, feed safety, and hazard awareness. 🌽 Record Keeping - Maintain logs for raw material receipt, processing, QC checks, cleaning, and maintenance. - Batch traceability (from raw material to finished product). 🌽 Pest Control - Implement regular pest monitoring and control programs. - Keep the surroundings clean and remove standing water or feed spills. 🌽 Water and Air Quality - Use potable water for processing. - Ensure proper air filtration and dust control to avoid contamination. 🌽 Benefits of GMP in Feed Mills: - Consistent feed quality and nutrition - Reduced contamination risk - Enhanced animal performance and health - Easier compliance with audits (HACCP, ISO, etc.) - Better customer confidence.

Dear all, India’s livestock sector—with 8.6 crore households engaged in animal husbandry—stands at a pivotal moment where feed and fodder optimization can unlock significant income gains for farmers, especially women-led smallholdings. Drawing on NSSO, ICAR and Ministry datasets, the analysis highlights how improved feed management, high-yield fodder varieties, silage technology, and FPO-based cooperative manufacturing can reduce costs by 12–18%, improve feed efficiency by 15–20%, and substantially boost farmer margins. With strong policy foundations such as AHIDF, National Livestock Mission, and MGNREGA convergence models already in place, the opportunity lies in accelerating adoption, strengthening extension systems, and leveraging public–private partnerships to deliver scalable, evidence-backed improvements in productivity and rural incomes.

For years, farm and food system debates have focused on acres, yields, and inputs. But what if one of the biggest levers for farm income, livestock efficiency, and environmental impact has been hiding in plain sight? Independent university and industry scientists have now shown that soybean protein quality—not just yield—changes the entire livestock feed system. Here’s the headline insight from the research: 🔹 Higher-protein soybean meal means less soybean meal is needed—but soybean value goes up 🔹 Corn demand rises naturally, strengthening the whole crop-livestock system 🔹 Synthetic amino acids and DDGS are displaced, bringing feed back to natural ingredients 🔹 Livestock CO₂ and nitrogen emissions fall measurably, because feed drives ~90% of emissions in pigs and poultry This isn’t theory. The gains are measurable, diet by diet, and they point to a practical way to recover billions in lost family-farm revenue while improving sustainability—without mandates or new technology. It’s a rare finding that aligns: 🌱 Farmers 🐖 Livestock producers 🌽 Corn demand 🌍 Environmental goals All from working Seed to Feed. If you care about farm economics, livestock health, or real environmental outcomes (not just accounting frameworks), this short flyer is worth your time. 👇 Read the flyer and see the data for yourself.

#poultry centered #regenerative #agroforestry #system update. Some may have to backtrack and read many posts to make full sense of this, but for those tracking closely here is the story these pictures tell. - Chickens die during the growing period. Many farmers compost them, but without a professionally designed system this can present a real issue at so many levels, including the spread of disease, fly population explosions, among others. Some dispose of them in ways not worth getting into. - We have built simple 55 gallon steel rocket stoves and have chosen to incinerate them. We use only clean hardwoods to ignite before the carcasses self-ignite. The final product is a mineral rich bone, blood ash superbly good for multiple on-farm uses (no mess, no flies, no risk of spreading disease, quick). - After the flocks are harvested, these ashes mixed with biochar are spread on top of the bedding before it is harvested from the barns. This step adds critical minerals, biological infrastructure and aeration system (that adds a long list of advantages and benefits to the manure treatment and composting process) - Once harvested, the mix goes into a #JohnsonSu bioreactor, check this amazing invention from our friends at NMSU. - The end product can be spread with regular farm equipment for the production of grains, we plan for those grains to be alley-cropped as well to expand perennial crops beyond the poultry units. We can now start restoring soil and ecosystems at a regional scale, and close the energy cycles that makes our poultry worth the #regenerative claim/attribute. - In the fields (without chickens), spot use of the fertilizer/innoculant can be seen after being used around the base of the plants. - We have planted over 40,000 trees and bushes in the farms in the system, and every year we plant larger nurseries to provide new farmers joining the system with the upfront perennial crops, a $7,000 per production unit (1.5-ac for the Midwest), removing the main barrier to establishment/adoption of perennial crops. - Each farmer can now pot and pre-grow their trees, and bring them into the paddocks once they are beyond the reach of the chickens (or plant a year or two ahead of chicken production) - New regional partners can now have their teams fully trained at our prototype region (MN-WI-MN bordering area) - Brands and buyers interested in #regenerative #poultry can significantly de-risk their supply chain by joining the system. - Ashes and biochar applied to the ranging paddocks add density and diversity of minerals which are then taken up by the forages and 🐛 and grubs chickens feast on. Nutrient dense-food results from proper system design and careful management. We can assure that now. - Next: Poultry-centered innoculant in forest gardening!!! Stay tuned, we will be building this demonstration and training unit at www.salvatierrafarms.com For now, take the #regenerative #poultry 101 through our online training www.regenpoultry.com