Online Milling School resumes January 13th with mixing operations session

The Online Milling School (OMS) will be resuming on January 13 at 2pm Bangkok time (GMT+7) with the fourth session focused on mixing operations.

The second critical control process for consistently meeting the feed formula specifications is the mixing operations. This session will highlight the importance of achieving a homogeneous mixture within a specified time while allowing for the sequential addition of raw materials, micro ingredients and liquids. The various types of mixers and their influence on cross contamination and carryover is explained.

 

Speakers
 

Ryan Alan S. Celis

Ryan Alan S. Celis
Feed Mill Owner and Feed Mill Engineering Consultant
A mechanical engineer by training Ryan started with San Miguel Philippines in 1988 and undertook various positions, including head of Maintenance, Plant Engineer and latterly Manufacturing Manager for the company's feed milling operations based in Manila. He set up his own engineering and consultancy company in 1998 specialising in project engineering, feed mill construction and fabrication and project management. He currently runs his own feedmill in southern Philippines contract manufacturing for various feed companies.
 

Roy Kazen

Roy Kazen
Business Development Manager - North America, Ottevanger Milling Engineers
Mr Kazen is a SMEI Certified Professional Salesperson with a Bachelor of Business Engineering, and a Bachelor of Automotive Engineering.







Online Milling School's Winter Course 2020-21
Sessions will run every Wednesday (excluding public holidays) through to mid-March 2021. It is broadcast at 2pm Bangkok Time (GMT+7) and will comprise both live and recorded presentations plus host a dynamic Q&A session each week!

Each Session will be re-broadcast again on Thursday each week at 10:00 Chicago Time to reach the industry in North, Central and South America.

The 'Feed Milling Production Management' Certificate
Our Certificate validates your attendance and demonstrates to your company, co-workers and future employers that you have a greater understanding and knowledge of the complete feed milling process.

Following the completion of the first Course in October 2020, on average 45 percent of students completed all 12 Session and obtained the much valued OMS Certificate of Attainment.

The Winter 2020-21 Course in Detail
There are 12 individual 2-hour Sessions that make up The Feed Milling Production Management Course. This Course has been restructured to follow the production process more closely from start-to-finish and has an additional number of presenters.

There will be an opportunity at the end of the course to catch up on any courses missed for those who have signed up for the full 12 sessions. We have invited those who have completed several of the 2020 first course to attend the courses they have missed in this the Winter Course if they wish to complete and achieve the Certificate of Attainment.

For more information and to register visit the Online Milling School website, HERE.

 

The Aquaculturists

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Salmon farmer overcomes COVID-19 disruption to safeguard high fish survival

Scottish Sea Farms delivered high fish survival and strong biological performance in 2020 despite the ongoing pandemic, recently released figures show.

Over the full year, the salmon farmer achieved an average annual survival rate of 92 percent across its 42-strong estate of marine farms.

 

Image credit: Scottish Sea Farms

This brings Scottish Sea Farms' average annual survival rate for the last five-year period to 91 percent.

Commenting on the results, Scottish Sea Farms Managing Director Jim Gallagher says, '2020 was a tough year by anyone's standards with the arrival of Covid-19, but particularly so for livestock farmers with animals to be fed and tended to – a duty of care that applies 365 days of the year.

'Thanks to the diligence of our farming teams, the many specialist roles working alongside them and the phenomenal amount of time, energy and focus given collectively to ensuring the best growing conditions, we have successfully safeguarded fish welfare throughout the ongoing disruption and continued to play our part in keeping supplies of highly nutritious, home-grown food flowing.'

Also integral to the high survival rates recorded in 2020, says Mr Gallagher, is the company's long-term strategic investment programme.

'We're working hard every single day to make the best decisions for our fish: adding to our capacity and competence; investing our money where it's needed the most; and, crucially, monitoring the results to ensure these investments are delivering the anticipated difference or whether we need to hone our approaches further.'

In 2020 alone, investments included:
- £1M in the creation of 30 new roles across the company
- £1.9M new service vessel, the Fair Isle, to support the company's Northern Isles farms and free up existing vessel, the Sally Anne, for the mainland region
- £2.3M Hydrolicer and support vessel, the Helen Mary, to help ensure timely control of sea lice without the use of medicines
- £3.2M new farm at Hunda, Orkney, including hybrid barge and two dedicated workboats

These were in addition to a series of upgrades to existing farm infrastructure including feed barges, remote feeding systems, predator control netting and environmental monitoring, as well as applied research into the key areas of gill health and the effects of plankton.

'It's hugely reassuring to see our hard work and ongoing investment deliver 92 per cent average survival amongst a species thought to have a survival rate of just five per cent or less in the wild. That said, there's much work still to be done with regards to understanding and pre-empting the challenges of a changing marine environment – we now know to expect the unexpected,' says Scottish Sea Farms Head of Fish Health, Dr Ralph Bickerdike.

One of the company's primary areas of focus is phytoplankton blooms which are attributed to climate change and can challenge fish gills; organs which are vital to their overall health and wellbeing.  

In November 2020, a plankton event contributed to a fall in survival rates at Scottish Sea Farms' Lismore East farm in Loch Linnhe, from 92 percent pre-event to 63 percent after the event. This compares to survival rates of 89 percent and 95 percent for the same farm's previous two crops, respectively.

Dr Bickerdike continues, 'These environmental changes and challenges, whilst isolated, can be devastating to fish stocks and to the farmers who care for them. The more we can learn about what causes them and why, the better able we will be to identify how best to pre-empt and avoid them.'

Visit the Scottish Sea Farms website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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Phibro Aqua company profile

Phibro Aqua is a division of Phibro Animal Health Corporation, a diversified global developer and manufacturer of a broad range of animal health and nutrition products for the poultry, swine, cattle, dairy and aquaculture markets.

Growing worldwide demand for high quality protein, combined with expanding human populations and decreasing wild stocks of fish, assures an increased future dependence on aquaculture products and technologies.

The challenge is to develop profitable and sustainable aquaculture practices which will implement advanced technologies. These technologies will allow aquaculture to make a significant contribution to future supplies of aquatic products.

Phibro Aqua has developed a strong team of fish health specialists and scientists with a focus on providing the global aquaculture industry with cost effective health management solutions in order to maximize the productivity of their customer’s farms. This Phibro Aqua team brings customers a full range of expertise in production and operation, fish health management, disease diagnosis and vaccination.

Phibro Aqua operates comprehensive Research and Development facilities. These facilities include a large scale wet lab for clinical evaluation of fish vaccines, medication and feed additives. Phibro Aqua's lab includes a full diagnostic service addressing parasitology, bacteriology, histopathology and molecular-biology.

Visit the Phibro Aqua website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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