How animal feed and nutrition have a direct impact on human health

Animal feed and nutrition have a direct impact on human health, as they affect the quality and safety of animal-based food products, such as meat, eggs, and milk. Some of the factors that influence human health through animal feed and nutrition are:

• Feed ingredients: The type and source of feed ingredients can affect the nutritional composition, microbial contamination, and presence of toxins or residues in animal products. For example, some feed ingredients may contain antinutritional factors, antibiotics, or heavy metals that can harm animals and humans12

• Feed additives: Feed additives are substances that are added to feed to improve animal performance, health, or product quality. Some of the common feed additives are enzymes, probiotics, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Feed additives can have positive or negative effects on human health, depending on their type, dose, and interaction with other components in the feed or animal product34.
• Feed processing: Feed processing is the physical or chemical treatment of feed to enhance its digestibility, palatability, or shelf life. Feed processing can also affect the nutritional value, microbial quality, and safety of animal products. For example, heat treatment can reduce pathogens and toxins in feed, but it can also destroy some nutrients or create harmful compounds56.

    Mixed with Dried Madre de Agua leaves 

 

 

        

The animal feed and nutrition industry is facing several challenges and opportunities in the global market. Some of the main challenges are:

• Supply chain disruptions: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions in the supply chain of feed ingredients and additives, leading to shortages, price fluctuations, and quality issues. The feed industry has to cope with the uncertainty and volatility of the market, as well as the increased demand for safe and traceable feed products78.
• Environmental impact: The feed industry is responsible for a large share of the environmental impact of livestock production, such as greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, and biodiversity loss. The feed industry has to adopt more sustainable practices and technologies to reduce its environmental footprint and meet the consumer expectations for eco-friendly animal products910.
• Regulatory changes: The feed industry is subject to various regulations and standards on feed quality, safety, labeling, and use of certain ingredients or additives. The feed industry has to comply with the existing and emerging regulations in different regions and countries, as well as the requirements of different certification schemes or market segments.

Some of the main opportunities are:

• Innovation: The feed industry has the potential to innovate and develop new solutions for improving animal nutrition, health, and welfare. Some of the emerging trends in feed innovation are alternative protein sources (such as insects, algae, or microbial protein), functional ingredients (such as prebiotics, phytogenics, or immunomodulators), precision feeding (such as sensors, smart feeders, or big data analysis), and novel processing methods (such as extrusion, fermentation, or encapsulation). 
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Commercial feed

Madre de Agua leaf-meal

• Market differentiation: The feed industry can create value-added products that cater to specific market segments or consumer preferences. Some of the examples are organic feed, non-GMO feed, antibiotic-free feed, or specialty feed for niche animal species. The feed industry can also leverage its role in enhancing animal product quality attributes such as taste, texture, color, or shelf life.
• Collaboration: The feed industry can benefit from collaborating with other stakeholders in the animal production value chain, such as farmers, veterinarians, processors, retailers, or consumers. Collaboration can help to improve communication, information sharing, problem solving, and trust among the value chain partners. Collaboration can also foster synergies and co-innovation for addressing common challenges and opportunities.

To conclude, animal feed and nutrition have a significant impact on human health, as they determine the quality and safety of animal products that we consume. The feed industry faces various challenges, such as supply chain disruptions, environmental impact, and regulatory changes, but also has opportunities to innovate, differentiate, and collaborate. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post and learned something new. 😊

2.5 - 3 years old Madre de Agua Forage plants

Madre de Agua: A Nutritious and Sustainable Forage for Livestock and Poultry

If you are looking for a forage plant that can provide high-quality feed for your livestock and poultry, you may want to consider Madre de Agua (Trichantera gigantea), a tropical tree that has many benefits for both animals and the environment.

Madre de Agua Rooted as Planting Material

Madre de Agua is native to Central America and northern South America, but it can grow well in various types of soil and climates, including the Philippines. It can be planted as a live fence, intercropped with other plants, or grown in pots or bags. It can produce 40 to 60 tons of fresh leaves per hectare per year, which can be harvested every three months ¹². 

The leaves of Madre de Agua are rich in protein, fiber, calcium, and amino acids, making them a nutritious and balanced feed for different kinds of animals, such as chickens, goats, pigs, rabbits, cows, and turkeys. The leaves can be fed fresh or processed into leaf meal, silage, or pellets. They can also replace up to 20 to 30 percent of commercial feeds, reducing the feed costs and improving the health and productivity of the animals ¹²³.

                     

Madre de Agua leaves

Madre de Agua is not only beneficial for livestock and poultry, but also for the environment. The tree has a fast regrowth rate and can grow in shaded areas, making it a sustainable and resilient option that helps conserve natural resources. By reducing the dependence on commercial feeds, Madre de Agua can also help mitigate the negative impacts of conventional livestock farming on the environment, such as deforestation and pollution ¹².

 

Madre de Agua is a versatile and valuable forage plant that can enhance the livelihoods of backyard livestock farmers. By planting and using Madre de Agua, you can provide your animals with a protein-rich feed that improves their health and performance. You can also contribute to the preservation and improvement of the environment by using a natural and renewable resource. Madre de Agua is truly a forage plant for the future ¹². 

How We Feed Our Madre de Agua to Our Farm

 A Discovery Journey into How We Feed Our Madre de Agua to Our Farm

The Madre de agua leaves are mostly used on our farm as raw, cut-and-carry forage for ruminants. Most of us, in my opinion, engage in this technique along with using other types of farm-available feed. Many of my Facebook friends questioned what they should do with extra Madre de Agua leaves. Here are some of the ways we learned to feed it to our pigs, ducks, and chickens.   

Harvesting Madre de Agua

• Cut-and-carry forage harvested fresh Madre de Agua are fed directly to the chickens or pigs.

Dried Madre de Agua leaves

Crushed dried Madre de Agua Leaves mix with corn

Chop Madre de Agua leaves mixed, wet fed with rice bran

Crushed Madre de Agua leaves

• Crushed Madre de Agua leaves are combined with corn, rice bran, and commercial feed after being sun or air dried. You decide how much to feed. Although we are not professionals, we always employ a 1:1 ratio.

Note that we do not pretend to be experts and that our results are solely based on personal experience.

A sack of pelleted Madre de Agua

Manual Madre de Agua pelletizer

• Madre de Agua leaves are pelletized with additional feed materials like corn or rice bran. You can also utilize different forage, such as forage leaves or Moringa (Malungay) leaves.

Shredded /chop Madre de Agua leaves for silage / fermentation

• Pigs can be given silage/ fermented Madre de Agua leaves directly. It can also be fed to chickens combined with our dried feed. The benefit of fermentation is that it levels the nutrients in the diet.

The following fantastic Amazon CLICKFINDS goods can assist you in completing the above feed endeavor. (Note: As an Amazon associate, please be aware that I will receive a tiny commission from the sale of the goods.) 

1. Easy Grab 55-60 Gallon heavy duty plastic bags

2. Electric Grain Grinder

3. Electric Chipper / Chopper with Bin

4. Electric chipper / chopper

5. Electric leaf-mulcher shedder

6. Manual Pellet Mill

 

Note: Products with electrical plugs are designed for use in the US. Outlets and voltage differ internationally and this product may require an adapter or converter for use in your destination. Please check compatibility before purchasing.

 

Madre de Agua Potential Benefits

Madre de Agua is a plant with several potential benefits. The following are some of the benefits of Madre de Agua as supported by the provided web search results.

1.  Livestock feed: Madre de Agua can be used as a feed crop for livestock, particularly   swine. It can lead to healthier, heavier, and reddish meat color, as well as better taste   than those not fed with Madre de Agua.
2. Poultry feed: Madre de Agua leaves can be used as a supplement to commercial feeds for chickens, and partial replacement of commercial feeds with Madre de Agua gives almost the same results in terms of weight gain, meat quality, and income compared to those given purely commercial feeds. 

               

It is important to note that further research is needed to fully understand the potential benefits and limitations of Madre de Agua in these applications. Additionally, it is always recommended to consult with a veterinarian or agricultural specialist before making any changes to livestock or poultry feed.