Tool / Technology: Feed Ration Planner
Analysis prepared by (country): UK
Production type the tool/technology is relevant for: Dairy / Meat / Both
Description of the “benchmark” farm for which the analysis is performed:
Country: UK
Production type:
Mainly outdoors / Housed 0-3 months a year / Housed 4-8 months a year / Mainly indoors
Farm grazing area: ~1,000 ha
Species: Sheep
Number of animals: 700 ewes
Breed: Predominantly Scottish Blackface
Number of staff: 2
Costs
Initial set-up
Capital costs (Large items e.g. a weigh crate, auto-drafter, etc.):
€1 – €500 / €501- €1,000 / €1,001-€2,500 / €2,501-€5,000 / €5,001-€15,000 / > €15,000
Individual costs (Smaller items e.g. per tag, per sample, per collar):
€1 – €20 / €21- €50 / €51-€200 / €201-€500 / > €500
Equipment leasing costs (if not purchased):
Annual / Monthly / Weekly / €1 – €50 / €51-€200 / €201-€500 / > €500
Lifetime of the technology (approximately how long will it last before needing replaced)?
1 – 4 weeks / 1-6 months / 6 – 12 months / 1-2 years / 2-5 years / > 5 years
Farm infrastructure requirements:
Decrease / Increase / No change /
Percentage of animals within the flock/herd that use/are equipped/take advantage of the technology?
100%
Running costs
Power source requirements (tick all that apply):
Not required / Mains / Battery / Solar / Other
Subscription fee – Needed? Yes / No
If yes
Per flock / herd: Annual €1 – €50
Per individual animal: Monthly €51 – €200
Per unit:Weekly /€201 – €500 / Over €500
Additional licences or permits required? No / Yes – Annual / Yes – Monthly / Yes – Weekly
If yes, cost:
€1 – €50 / €51 – €200 / €201 – €500 / Over €500
Maintenance cost – included in the subscription? Yes / No / Not applicable
If no, cost per month:
€1 – €50 / €51 – €200 / €201 – €500 / Over €500
Maintenance / replacement parts:
Easy to obtain / Difficult to obtain / Not obtainable / Don’t know
Technical / mechanical support provided on farm, after purchase? Yes / No
Training requirements
Training required to install / use? Yes / No
If yes, time range?
Up to an hour / Half day / Full day / More
Additional technical advice required (e.g. advisor time)? Yes / No
Are there additional costs associated with training and/or technical advice? Yes / No
Benefits
(tick all that apply)
Management
Labour / time saving.
Accuracy of records (health, management, movements etc.).
Management decisions for animal groupings.
Better individual animal management.
Improved medicine use.
Better nutrition / meeting requirements better.
Improved use of feed resource (grazing, concentrates, etc.).
Product quality improvements (e.g. hay, carcass, growth, milk, etc.).
Increased information on production system.
Opportunity for sharing / moving device (more than one location).
Animal
Reduced stress to the animal(s).
Improved welfare of the animals(s).
Additional information on animal behaviour.
Information on water intake / water availability.
Information on food intake / food availability.
Technical
Compatibility with other devices.
Ease of data transfer to other software.
Easy to use once installed.
Other
Reduced stress to farmer / staff.
Environmental benefits (e.g. reduced wastage, improved biodiversity, etc.)
Helps to attract new entrants in to the small ruminant industries.
Another benefit not listed? Please give details:
The tool is free to download from the AHDB webpage.
Data helps to plan when additional supplementation is required.
Overall summary:
Ease of use? Scale 1 (Complicated) – 10 (Simple)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Value for money (for this type of benchmark farm)?
Yes / No / Maybe
Recommend this tool/technology for use on other types of farm?
Yes / No / Maybe
Additional comments?
The tool is free but requires regular measurements using a plate meter/sward stick to collect pasture data and a computer.
Mainly useful for improved and/or semi-improved grazing. Might not be so practical for extensive hill ground grazing.
Data collected can be used with some mobile phone apps and farm management software (some of these may involve a subscription fee).
More sophisticated ration software are available, which come at a cost, but allow more detailed rations to be set for various different classes of animal (pregnant ewes, finishing lambs, etc.).
e.g. DietCheck for Sheep – https://dietcheck.co.uk/software/dietcheck-for-sheep.
Small Ruminant Nutrition System – (Model: SRNS (nutritionmodels.com)
