New precision-feeding technology ‘brings the laboratory to the farm or the integrator’

Transparency is increasingly important to stakeholders across the feed-to-food chain and the NutriOpt On-Site Adviser makes it easy and efficient for farmers and feed mills to assure feed meets optimal quality and nutrition standards, said the company.

The equipment, it said, is designed to provide real-time, on-site analysis to assess the nutritional value of animal feed, including raw materials and silage.

The tool is meant to close the gap between theory and practice by delivering all NutriOpt’s nutritional expertise directly on-site through the use of a handheld scanner and smartphone, said Marko Schuring, innovation and application specialist at Trouw Nutrition, when we caught up with him during the Hannover based trade show.  

Users can scan feed samples and receive real-time data to maintain quality control and drive feed decisions.

“It enables the user to scan raw materials on site, so it brings the laboratory to the farm or the integrator. It allows analysis of raw materials on the spot. The analysis of crude protein, fat, fiber or ash is then translated into nutrients, with which raw materials can be validated. Based on that, least cost feed formulations [can be carried out].” ​

At the feed mill level, he said the tool could be used at the gate, when the raw material is being received, he added. “Immediately you can take the decision to accept a lot or not.”​

Trouw Nutrition only launched the NutriOpt On-Site Adviser mid-October.

The company showcased the new tool at EuroTier. A testing bar in the Trouw Nutrition booth at the show allowed attendees to scan feed samples and experience how the mobile technology connects to the NutriOpt database.

The technology was also on display at the EuroTier Digital Farming Platform.

Reports ​

“The scanner is robust and easy to work with … the quality of the analysis is very good,”​ added Schuring.

The tool links the on-site scanning process of feed samples directly to advice based on the NutriOpt Nutritional Database, which is supported by Trouw Nutrition’s four worldwide research centers, its global laboratories, and a network of experts. The database provides the basis for reports that are sent directly to the user.

These reports include analytical results for either pigs, poultry or ruminants, and show whether the tested samples meet the optimal quality standards and advice, or whether an adaptation of the diet/load list is required.