In a world of farming and ranching that is increasingly shifting to natural, more efficient, bio-based approaches for elite level animal care and performance, innovations in feed and nutrition are quickly rising to the forefront as a top ‘game-changing’ factor for 2017 and beyond.
A group with a unique vantage point on this growing trend, including the big picture of where the world of feed has come from and where it is headed, is the team at Country Junction Feeds, based in Wetaskiwin Alberta. The company is building on a remarkable 100-year history serving customers across the province, the country and into the U.S., specializing in quality bulk and bagged feeds for beef, dairy, equine, poultry, swine, goat, lamb, certified organic feeds and more.
“Advances in feed and nutrition approaches have always moved at a steady rate, but today both the pace of innovation and the interest in this area is spiking much higher than ever before,” says Darrell Kimmel, manager of Country Junction Feeds. “The bottom line for farmers and ranchers is more choice, better options, and more opportunities to get more value out of feed to greatly strengthen their results.”
A wave of emerging trends, industry developments and new science-based knowledge and tools, have all come together at the same time, toward a much stronger emphasis on feed and nutrition as a top area of opportunity, says Bernie Grumpelt, ruminant nutritionist for Country Junction Feeds.
“We’re entering a new era, with a new mindset about how best to support the performance of farm animals, whether they are food production animals or working farm animals,” says Grumpelt. “Artificial inputs, over-reliance on antimicrobials – these types of approaches are on the way out. There’s a lot more focus on high quality diets, top quality feed and the use of improved nutrition strategies and supplements to get the most feed value and benefits possible, while reducing waste and environmental impact.”
Today’s best approaches also have strong components to support optimal animal well- being and comfort throughout a variety of situations, including elements that support fast recovery from energy depletion and protection from the negative impacts of stress, says Grumpelt. Many of these shifts have been coming for a while now and that has driven a lot more science and innovation to support evolving farming and ranching industries. “Whether the priority is animal health, productivity, efficiency or animal care, the future is all about a much stronger focus on feed.”
Country Junction Feeds was established in 1917 and is approaching 100 years of innovation, expansion and customer service. The current mill was built in 1973 as a division of Wetaskiwin Co-op and serves customers in broad areas of Western Canada and into the U.S. More information on Country Junction Feeds and its comprehensive offering of products and services is available at www.countryjunctionfeeds.com.