ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference typically attracts more than 3,500 attendees from more than 70 countries in Lexington, KY each May. The event is now being held virtually, due to COVID-19.
Dr. Vaughn Holder, Ruminants Research Group Director at Alltech, joined this new experience to present his research on the carbon footprint of beef production and the impact Alltech?s Total Replacement Technology can have on reproduction and performance.
Dr. Holder evaluated the future of food production. He concludes: Farmers will need to produce more food in the next 50 years than what they have in the entire 10,000 years of human civilization. Dr. Holder says producers, particularly beef producers, must do this as efficiently as possible.
?Cattle emissions are part of a carbon cycle and ,methane, which is the main problem with cattle emissions, is breaking down in the environment. We actually have zero effect on warming. That being said, if we reduce the amount that we put into the environment, we actually have the potential to cause global cooling,” Dr. Holder said.
Dr. Holder adds, “Cattle production is one of the only industries able to capture carbon and capture emissions, and cause global cooling.” He cites other production efficiencies, which can positively affect global warming.
?Things like using a total replacement trace mineral program on a cow-calf operation, combined effects of increasing weights by 25 pounds, improving fertility by three-percent and reducing age of first calving by 18 days – (Those) actually lead to a reduction in the carbon footprint of that operation by five, full percentage points,” Dr. Holder said.
To view Dr. Holder’s presentation, visit one.alltech.com.
