Sustainability
We are committed to furthering the mission of our customers whose primary aim is to raise and care for animals as efficiently and sustainably as possible.
Improving Feed Efficiency
Getting more energy out of feed is critical for the health and performance of any animal. For instance, the rumen microbes in our product Galaxis Frontier were specifically selected for their ability to catabolize feedstuffs in the rumen, resulting in more accessible energy from rumen fermentation. Improving the availability of energy from feedstuffs means lactating cows can do more of what they do best: make high quality milk.
Outcompeting the Methanogens
Hydrogen and carbon are the raw materials for methane formation. There are two main processes competing for hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the cow rumen. The first, acetogenesis, converts these molecules into short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that can be used for energy by the cow to produce milk, for example - which is desirable. The second, methanogenesis, competes for these molecules and utilizes them to generate methane, which is released primarily through eructation (burping) - which is undesirable. Our Galaxis microbes are acetogenic and we are testing their ability to compete against methanogens with the goal of reducing methane emissions. New practices that reduce enteric methane emissions from livestock could provide detectable GHG reductions in a matter of decades.
Improving Milk Production
It’s critical to get the most out of your cows without jeopardizing their health. The native rumen microorganisms in our Galaxis products were selected for their ability to positively enhance the rumen microbiome. We are analyzing the impact that these microbes have on digestibility (forthcoming Galaxis Frontier trial manuscripts). Improved digestibility results in increased milk production from the same amount of feed.
Improving Chicken Health and Environmental Footprint
Using poultry manure instead of commercial nitrogen to fertilize crops can improve soybean and corn yields. Seeding the chicken gastrointestinal tract with the native microbes in our Avius product-lines not only helps maintain healthy performing birds, but may affect the composition of poultry manure. This means better quality manure with reduced amounts of phosphate and fecal coliform bacteria contributing to surface runoff.
Fighting the war on antibiotic resistance
According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance poses one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development today. Over the last decade, poultry farmers have worked tirelessly to dramatically reduce the use of antibiotics through improved stewardship and the implementation of new technology. We have shown that the supplementation of microbes native to the GI tract of chickens can promote an optimal and resilient chicken microbiome, while reducing the colonization of pathogens such as Salmonella enterica and Clostridium perfringens - helping to reduce the need for antibiotics in the first place.
An optimal rumen microbiome for steers
Feedlot practices take advantage of the high energy in corn and other grains for the overall transformation from low value / poorly nutritious crops to high value / nutritious animal proteins. However, ruminants have evolved to utilize cellulolytic feedstuffs and as such, excess grain in the ration can cause the rumen fermentation profile to get “stuck”, resulting in a variety of cascading physiological consequences. For example, liver abscesses are the result of a highly acidic (suboptimal) rumen environment and affect between 10-20% of feedlot cattle. Reducing the incidence of rumen acidosis may result in healthier animals, decreased food waste, and improved feed efficiency of the animal. Additionally, our scientists are actively testing the impact that native microbes may have on reducing rumen acidosis and improving food safety, feed efficiency, and additionally, methane production, with very significant benefits across all these areas.