Optimizing livestock feed provision to improve the efficiency of the agri-food system

ABSTRACT

In light of population growth and current ecological threats, such as resource depletion and climate change, the agriculture industry faces increasing pressures, demands, and scrutiny. Livestock production, in particular, receives criticism due to the land, water, and energy use, as well as the GHG emissions associated with these production systems. While acknowledging sustainability concerns regarding livestock production and consumption practices, we argue that livestock themselves form an integral part of sustainable agri-food systems. Livestock can act as a “battery of nutrients,” storing nutrients that would otherwise be inaccessible or lost to the agri-food system and making them nutritionally-accessible to humans. Thus, we propose three agronomically-viable feed provision strategies that improve the efficiency and sustainability of current arable land-based production systems, including maximizing forages as feed, integrating crop and livestock systems, and using co-product feeds as well as wasted food. We conceptually apply these strategies to an Ontario context, using province-based land productivity estimates to approximate a 41% reduction in arable land use for feed production while maintaining sufficient animal protein output to satisfy an adequate diet.

KEYWORDS:

• Adequate diet
• conservation agriculture
• co-products
• crop and livestock integration
• forages
• livestock as nutrient battery
• wasted food

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge R. Bergeron for reviewing the manuscript and Loblaw Co. Ltd for operating funds donated to Ralph C. Martin. Kyra K. Lightburn was supported by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Canadian Graduate Scholarship (NSERC CGSM), the Mrs. Fred Ball Scholarship, the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEIIGSST) and the University of Guelph’s Graduate Entrance of Excellence Award during the preparation of this manuscript.

Author Contributions

Sara L. Wyngaarden, Kyra K. Lightburn and Ralph C. Martin conceived the project, wrote the review and prepared the manuscript. All authors approve the manuscripts final form.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Guelph’s Graduate Entrance of Excellence Award;Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEIIGSST);Loblaw Co. Ltd;National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Canadian Graduate Scholarship (NSERC CGSM);Mrs. Fred Ball Scholarship.