Healthy guts, healthy herds: How micronutrition supports animal performance from within
Key Takeways
- A healthy gut isn’t just vital for people; it’s the foundation of animal health and performance.
- Cargill's Micronutrition & Health Solutions business supports animal gut health across dairy, beef, swine, poultry and more, to help farmers efficiently increase production and improve performance.
- Gut health is a cornerstone of animal health, performance, and even the global food supply. When animals digest feed efficiently and stay resilient to stress and disease, farmers can produce safe, high-quality milk, eggs and meat more sustainably, helping feed our growing global population.
At the center of this balance is the gut microbiome comprising of the vast community of microorganisms that reside in the digestive tract. Each animal’s microbiome is unique, impacted by factors like diet, environment, local conditions, overall animal health, production performance and more.
A well-balanced gut microbiome supports optimal nutrient absorption, strengthens immunity and even helps protect against harmful bacteria. When it is out of balance, production performance declines and animal health can suffer. Understanding and supporting that vital ecosystem is at the heart of Cargill’s Micronutrition & Health Solutions business.
Precision nutrition, powered by Cargill
Drawing on years of research in microbiome, metabolic engineering and biochemistry, Micronutrition & Health Solutions’ microbiome program lead Anirikh Chakrabarti looks into modulation of the gut microbiome across different species in animal trials. Those trials help identify new nutritional solutions, innovative combinations and the impact of existing products to maximize health benefits. All of this translates complex science into practical solutions that help farmers improve productivity while caring for animal well-being.
“We aim to understand how different nutritional solutions change the gut environment, and how the evolution of the microbiome impacts the health and performance of the animal,” Anirikh says.
Anirikh and colleagues’ macro understanding of the microbiome and the gut ecosystem informs which specific combinations of micronutrition solutions should be provided to specific animals at a specific time. It’s this highly nuanced, precision nutrition that can have the biggest impact on supporting animal health and productivity.
Farm results that prove the power of a healthy gut
For Ohio, U.S. farm manager Scott VonGuten, feed decisions for his 2,200 dairy cows are a daily adjustment.
“When a naturally occurring toxin started causing stomach issues and impacting milk production, we added a postbiotic to their diet to support gut health and promote immune strength, ultimately minimizing production losses," Scott says, highlighting the kind of dynamic adjustments that can be needed at any time.
For others, the powerful combination of micronutrition technologies can improve feed conversion, ultimately increasing net profitability.
“We saw the impact of improved gut health for poultry firsthand,” explains Dr. Wilinton Ortiz, technical director for Santipollo, a large-scale poultry operation in Colombia with over 325,000 birds. “After adding postbiotics and phytogenics to their diets, we saw reduced improved livability, increased feed conversion and increased slaughter weight.”
In a world where demand for animal protein continues to rise, micronutrition plays an essential role in building a more food secure future. By supporting the gut health of animals, we help farmers everywhere produce more efficiently and responsibly, helping nourish the world from the inside out.
Did you know?
Micronutrition goes beyond traditional feed additives. It considers the impact of how each microelement interacts with each other and the animal, and its effect on the animal’s microbiome, health and performance. Cargill offers a wide range of science-based solutions, with a focus on nutrition technologies like:
- Postbiotics are made from a proprietary fermentation process of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that provide health benefits like immune strength or digestive health.
- Phytogenics are combinations of bioactive compounds derived from, or inspired by, plants that benefits animals, people and the environment.
- Enzymes are blended in precise amounts to support digestive health and improve feed conversion ratios.
- Anti-mycotoxin agents enhance feed safety and protect animals from the negative impacts of mycotoxicosis through rapid detection and targeted solutions.
When coupled with good farm management practices, micronutrition can help animals make the most of every bite of feed, improving feed conversion, supporting health and preserving valuable resources.
Cargill animal nutrition
Cargill has more than 120 years of experience in animal nutrition solutions.
