July Food for thought…

• Feeding insects to cattle could make meat and milk production more sustainable
• Large randomized controlled trial shows decreased fall and fracture risk in older adults who increased consumption of calcium and protein through dairy foods
• New Zealand 'burp tax' to cost typical large dairy farm more than €11,000 a year
• U.S. Dairy Cows Upcycle by-products into Dairy Foods 

Feeding insects to cattle could make meat and milk production more sustainable – The Conversation.com  The challenge to feed everyone continues as our World’s population increases.  Some countries that export meat and dairy are looking for ways to increase their output while also being sensitive to the environmental impacts of agricultural production.  One important aspect is sourcing ingredients for animal feed that can substitute for grains, freeing more farmland to grow crops for human consumption. Extensive research has been carried out on using insect protein in pig and poultry feed, and now some promising new research has been published on feeding to cattle. Read the full article

Large randomized controlled trial shows decreased fall and fracture risk in older adults who increased consumption of calcium and protein through dairy foods – the BMJ – see the full research paper or more information and tips from the National Dairy Council.

New Zealand 'burp tax' to cost typical large dairy farm more than €11,000 a year  – edairy news.  In 2019, New Zealand was one of the first countries to bind its climate commitments into law, including objectives for agriculture.  Read the article  

U.S. Dairy Cows upcycle by-products into Dairy Foods – Journal of Cleaner Production.  Dairy cattle recycle nutrients found in human-inedible by-product (BP) feeds to make nutritious milk, eliminating the need for disposal by alternative methods.  A large survey of dairy nutrition consultants and feed industry representatives in the US was carried out to quantify milking cow BP consumption.  Feeding BP to dairy cows represents an effective vehicle to recycle valuable nutrients that are either indigestible by humans or undesirable for direct human consumption into milk and dairy foods.  Since BP replace forages and grains that would otherwise be included in the dairy cow's diet, minimal or even less long-term non-CO2 GHG emissions are generated by feeding BP to dairy cows.  Read the full article