As South Africa continues to grapple with household food insecurity, young animal science specialists are urging greater support for dairy farmers to enable them to produce more with fewer resources.
The country’s agricultural sector is facing a host of challenges, from climate change and rising input costs to increasing pressure to ensure food security. Against this backdrop, emerging voices in the animal nutrition and feed industry are calling for a mindset shift within the dairy sector.
Speaking at the recent Total Mixed Ration (TMR) Conference hosted by the Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO), Ruth O’Reilly and Jaco van Wyk shared their perspectives on how the dairy industry can become more productive and sustainable, especially as many South African households struggle to afford nutritious food.
Feed efficiency as a game-changer
O’Reilly, a technical advisor in animal health and nutrition at Alltech, highlighted the critical role of feed efficiency in enhancing productivity in both the dairy and meat industries.
“The products that we offer influence the household food insecurity in the way that we create or provide solutions that help animals be more efficient. So, more milk, more meat on the animal and at a faster rate. So less time to slaughter,” she said.
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O’Reilly noted that in a country where many families live on the brink of hunger, every litre of milk and kilogram of meat can make a tangible difference. Achieving quicker, more efficient results helps ease cost pressures across the entire value chain.
Van Wyk, a technical sales manager at Alltech who works closely with farmers on the ground, said he noted that sustainable gains in animal health and productivity are no longer optional; they are essential.
“If you look at 10, 20 years back, I mean, we have come so far with producing more with less. It’s because of science and the integration and the growth in the industry,” Van Wyk said.
He stressed the importance of optimising production systems holistically, improving efficiency without overburdening animals or the environment.
O’Reilly emphasised that sustainability must be understood beyond environmental terms to include economic viability and social responsibility.
“You can’t just have a profitable farm, but then five years down the line, you can’t be profitable anymore because maybe you’ve got soil degradation or you’ve got a problem that you could have solved by just thinking more long-term,” O’Reilly said.
Fresh thinking required
On the policy front, O’Reilly expressed cautious optimism about the minister of agriculture, welcoming recent proactive initiatives such as widespread avian flu vaccinations.
Meanwhile, Van Wyk called for more balanced public narratives around the agricultural sector.“Agriculture has been so demonised in the last 10, 20 years. It’s not the biggest problem in our country. Yes, there are things we need to improve. But we are improving.”
Both specialists believe that younger professionals and recent graduates must lead efforts to reshape perceptions of the industry and foster collaboration.
“If industry competitors could just help each other and help the industry grow, because we want a better world for tomorrow. We don’t just want a better bottom line,” said O’Reilly.
Van Wyk also called for a major shift in how farmers, particularly in the dairy sector, approach investments and long-term planning. He warned that a tendency to cut corners in the short term could undermine productivity and profitability in the long run.
Rather than relying on outdated practices, he encouraged farmers to view decisions around animal nutrition and herd management as strategic, long-term investments.
“It’s an investment for the future. I mean, dairy animals, they don’t just go in and out. You’ve got to milk them for several years. What you feed them from when they’re heifers until when they’re old, it makes a massive difference,” Van Wyk said.
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