A true digitalisation is taking place in animal nutrition and creates more opportunities for precision feeding strategies.


By being more precise, we can formulate diets that help farm- ers be more sustainable, resilient and socially accepted. Preci- sion feeding also means that we look at the animal’s require- ments and better adapt the diets to these needs, taking animal species, age group, production status, market needs and the business objectives into consideration. In 2013, Trouw Nutrition started NutriOpt and continuously built on that range of digital solutions and services for professionals in animal nutrition. All are developed with the aim of helping to finetune feeding strategies and precisely calculate the most economically effi- cient approach under current market conditions.


From analysis to performance A strong component of NutriOpt is feed analysis and report- ing by using advanced equipment such as NIR. An example is the NutriOpt On-site Adviser: a mobile NIR scanner and soft- ware connected to a mobile phone to see the feed analysis results in an instant. With the availability of more 4G (and soon 5G) coverage in rural areas, there is huge potential in us- ing digital tools like these in the field to increase the speed of analysis, feed quality and overall efficiency of feed data use. Accurate analysis is key to formulating cost-effective diets. But if we talk about true digitalisation, this also entails fast and real-time data processing, data visualisation and the cre- ation of actionable insights, all of which are needed for feed quality control, formulating diets and in order to quickly act on, for example, unpredictable circumstances around raw material procurement. Within NutriOpt, the steps from analy- sis to feed formulation and modelling are covered and


connected. What does this mean in practice? When you scan the feed samples with NIR equipment, the nutritional data of these scans are synchronised real-time in the MyNutriOpt portal, a new, web-based environment. Quality control, ani- mal nutritionists or feed managers can all access these data in this portal and use them for trend reports of certain raw ma- terials and calculation of nutritional values. This digitalisation of feed data and the ability to manage it digitally enables feed professionals to work with the most accurate data avail- able. This will give us better grip on feed quality and make it possible to adjust feed matrices when needed. Thanks to this nutritional data – in combination with NutriOpt’s optimal diet services and modelling – we can formulate the required feed and predict the effects on animal performance.


The power of digital tools and data The use of digital solutions and services in agriculture helps to increase efficiency, simplify the decision-making process and increase the accuracy and predictability of results. In re- cent years, true digitalisation has been taking place in animal nutrition and is thus creating more opportunities for preci- sion feeding strategies. We become more accurate and are able to better streamline processes around raw materials, feed formulation and feed processing. This is a great step for- ward, because good animal health and performance starts with knowing the quality and nutrient value of your feed and raw materials. By being more precise and working with true nutritional values, we can formulate diets that reflect reality and better meet the nutritional needs of animals.


▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 29, No. 4, 2021 17


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