Robert Westman, UFC dairy tech nutritionist, works with Adam Husfeldt, dairy producer, to create healthy and palatable feed rations for Adam’s dairy cattle herd. By bringing technology on-site, ration changes can be implemented instantly to help maximize and improve milk supply and quality.
Technology and the Feed Specialists Who Use It By Kelly Powell, UFC Feed Product & Sales Manager
UFC’s Feed Division has assembled the best, most enthusiastic group of dairy, beef and swine nutrition and management specialists. Our experts not only work extremely hard to help our customers succeed, but they also stay on top of the latest nutritional, management and technology changes in the livestock industry.
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ith the help of this group, UFC has identified the companies that bring the most innovative products and highest quality support personnel available. We all read about new feeds, additives and management styles, as well as new studies that prove each of these technologies works. What many of our customers do not see is the new nutritional technology that is required to make these things work. UFC has evaluated some of the newest, most up-to-date nutritional software in the industry. We selected technology that balances all feedstuffs for the optimum nutritional performance. Our former way of evaluating feedstuffs was good enough for years, but it evaluated nutrients based on a linear individual nutrient evaluation. The new Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) is a model that evaluates feedstuffs based on how the animal can utilize all the nutrients within each individual feed product. The CNCPS predicts the nutrient digestibility and how each nutrient will pass through the digestive system and be absorbed based on how all nutrients work together or simultaneously for optimum performance. With this new technology, we can more accurately balance diets.
By using the latest, most innovative nutrition formulation programs, the most efficient nutrient utilization is achieved offering producers cost-saving opportunities and providing good environmental stewardship. As an example, current nutrition ration programs for dairy formulate on amino acids in conjunction with total protein. By incorporating amino acids into the ration, the total protein content of the ration can often be decreased, sparing excess protein (nitrogen) excretion into the environment. While nutrients in manure make excellent fertilizer for crops, feeding excess nutrients to fertilize crops makes for expensive fertilizer. To effectively utilize the newest technology in ration formulation and feeding animals, our nutritionists are continuously engaged in professional development. Meetings, webinars, diagnostic groups and good old-fashioned reading are a few of the ways our nutritionists stay current on livestock industry information. At UFC, education is a high priority and having knowledgeable nutritionists means producers are getting cutting-edge, optimal nutrition services. We encourage you to utilize UFC’s talented group of dairy, beef and swine specialists. They are the leaders in our industry. ●
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