Livestock keeping in all its ventures is the most important source of income for millions of people.
However, livestock feeding and nutrition are a major concern as animals do not meet their requirements at a low cost.
Thus, feed formulation tools ensure that all those concerns are addressed.
Feed formulation requires an in-depth knowledge of animal nutrition, which includes the nutrient requirements and composition of the ingredients (Onebunne, 2016).
Thus, ingredients within the most reliable feed formulation tools have been tested and analyzed by nutritionists and feed rations are articulated using certain proportions that will maxmize the ingredients’ impact.
Main Features of Farm4Trades’ Feed Formula App
- Ingredients
Some safe agricultural products and by-products need to be added to animal feed. Most of the ingredients are listed and can easily be added for formulation. Within the Feed Formula App, farmers will find the very first Milled Bush library dedicated to Namibia’s encroacher bushes, and their by-products are included in the list of ingredients, specifically created for using them as a nutritional resource in periods of drought.
- Nutritional Requirements
The feed formulation app provides a way of entering new ingredients and managing the ingredients through selecting from the verified, preferred, and saved nutritional requirements which are available for inclusion in the formulas. Those nutritional ingredients are listed with their requirements for specific species, sex, purpose, age, etc.
- Ration library
This section will enable you to choose from the listed rations that were previously created or saved by you, helping you save time in recreating a ration and to keep records of all the rations formulated and given to the animals.
The importance of the Feed Formula App
Feed formulation is the most vital aspect for animal feed producers. Balancing the ingredients is a big challenge faced by the feed producers/farmers; especially when the number of ingredients and complexity increases, making it very difficult to sequence the formulation manually. Thus, the Feed Formula App helps to formulate a more complex diet with a designated and automated algorithm.
Feed formulas are based on the animal production purpose does not only meet the farmer's target, but it also improves the safety, quality of food, and welfare of the animals. Moreover, it is also crucial to know that nutrients play an essential role in the behavior and health of the animals.
As a farmer, it is important to produce animal ration at a low cost while increasing profits. It goes with saying that managing a farm is expensive and feed alone is on top of the list. It is therefore important to ensure that every feedstuff added to the ration is needed/required by the animal for a specific purpose.
Feed formulation is both a science and an art, that involves balancing feed ingredients and nutrient supply based on the animal production purpose. Nyahangare explained that feed formulation from the science aspect makes sure that the animal gets its required nutrients according to demand, while the art ensures that the feed encourages voluntary feed intake (Mutingwende, 2018).
It’s time for action!
Thanks for your interest and for reading this article to the end! We warmly encourage you to discover Farm4Trade Suite and start using the apps to improve your farming skills.
Try it now for free, you can manage up to 50 animals, one farm and invite one member of your staff to collaborate. See you there!
References
- Saxena P., 2010. Feed formulation software: A comparative Study. Department of Mathematics, BLS Institute of Management, 1 (8). India.
- Rossi R., 2006. An Introduction to Least-cost Feed Formulation Software. Retrieved from
- Onebunne A., 2016. Feed formulation: Key to successful animal farming. 2016. Retrieved from https://punchng.com/feed-formulation-key-successful-animal-farming/
- Mutingwende BA., 2018. Farmers Trained on Importance of On-Farm Feed Formulation. Retrieved from https://spiked.co.zw/farmers-trained-on-importance-of-on-farm-feed-formulation/
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations., 2014. Importance of accurate feed analysis in enhancing safety and quality of food, increasing productivity and welfare of the animal, and conserving the environment. Animal Production and Health.
