About the project
Population growth, climate changes and diminishing natural resources highlight the need to promote food security in agricultural policies. Norway has a Nordic climate with less than 3% of the total land area cultivated. This limitation contributes to high levels of imported feed ingredients used in concentrate feeds for production animals in Norway, with especially high figure for protein ingredients (~90%). This is in contrast to the agricultural policy in Norway promoting food self-sufficiency. Furthermore, the Norwegian livestock population is in a unique position with regard to animal health, and there is an increased risk of introducing new diseases to the country through import of feed ingredients. This is not wanted.
Therefore, there is a growing need to search for local resources, new technologies and treatment methods that can increase the share of Norwegian feed ingredients in rations to production animals. This project will investigate the effects of using the alkalization technology on locally produced grain in diets to dairy cows to fulfil the national goal of increased food production based on national resources. A pilot trial has shown that it was possible to increase the amount of Norwegian ingredients in concentrates fed to dairy cows from 48% to 75% without negative effects on digestibility and rumen physiology.
The current project aims to investigate the effects of using alkaline grain in diets to dairy cows on physiological and production parameters and monitor environmental effects through quantification of greenhouse gas emission and nitrogen excretion. In addition, the project will look into animal health parameters by using new methods (-omics) and try to identify proxies (biomarkers) as non-invasive tools to detect animals with subacute rumen acidosis (SARA). Economic analysis on the feasibility of the proposed alkaline treatment in relation to soy-based diets will also be evaluated.
The main objective of the proposed project is increasing the proportion and use efficiency of local feed resources in cattle diets using alkaline technology, as part of the national effort to increase food security and food self-sufficiency- with special emphasis on dairy cow milk production, health, reduction in GHG and nutrient emissions..
AlkaNor is a collaborative project between local and inertnational partners, and led by NMBU.
Local partners: Norgesfôr AS, Strand Unikorn AS, and TINE SA
International partners: INRAe (Research for Agriculture, Food and Environment), France; and FiveF Alka Ltd., United Kingdom
Publications
Inclusion of slow-release ammonia-treated barley in concentrates – feed intake and milk production
Poster at 74th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP)
Temporally synchronized ruminal vs reticular fluid pH and short chain fatty acids in dairy cows
Poster at 74th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP)
In Vitro Rumen Fermentation Characteristics, Estimated Utilizable Crude Protein and Metabolizable Energy Values of Grass Silages, Concentrate Feeds and Their Mixtures
Animals 2023 Published: 23 August 2023
Feed intake, milk yield and varaition in the reticulo-rumen pH with Norwegian Red dairy cows given access to concentrate feeds differing in the level of local ingredients
Masteroppgave ved NMBU