Participants visit "The Farm" on the 2nd day of Phileo's symposium
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The highlight of the second day of Phileo's ruminant symposium in Toulouse, France was probably the visit to an experimental dairy farm.
"The Farm" is equipped with the latest-generation tools enabling the company to gather together in a single location both the animals and the analytical and laboratory equipment needed in order to develop new solutions. The research focus on the study of intestinal flora, detection of various mycotoxins, assessment of the impact of animal feeding methods on the environment, and improving animal welfare.
Prior to the visit, Dr. Guillaume Tabouret, principal investigator at the National Institute of Agricultural Research, France, gave the first presentation of the day entitled "Innate immune defences against ruminant mammary gland infections". According to him, the innate immune response is a highly coordinated process involving a dense network of interactions between populations of immune cells, and understanding the immune mechanisms involved during mammary gland infections is crucial in developing measures to control mastitis.
Dr. Tabouret's topic was well followed by Prof. Erminio Trevisi, associate professor at Catholic University of the Sacred Heart - Institute of Zootechnics in Rome, Italy, who spoke on "Metabolic adaptation, innate immune system and liver function in the transition period of dairy cows: assessment and implications for the following lactation". His institute suggests some composite indices which could one day be used as tools for an aid in the detection of cows with subclinical health problems and in the amendment of management and nutritional strategies adopted in dairy farms.
Dr. Matt Cravey, head of North American Ruminant Programs Phileo, US, then discussed on the management, nutrition and health challenges of feeder cattle in the US, where among other recommendations, he highlighted the importance of preconditioning calves through vaccinations, and the rule of thumb for receiving cattle - "water first, feed second".
His presentation was well-followed by Dr. Kendall Karr, director of nutrition services for Cactus Feeders, who discussed the changing trends in the management, nutrition and health issues of growing and finishing cattle in the US. Specifically, for ration formulation, he pointed out that the use of grain by-products has become much more prevalent in Southern Plains cattle diets, with many research dollars being spent on determining the feeding value and proper supplementation of diets containing these by-products.
