Forages are now an integral component in all aspects of ruminant nutrition, within the UK over 20 million tonnes are produced each year. Pressures on the dairy sector to improve milk yields and increases in animal feedstuff prices has made it more important than ever for farmers to have accurate information about the nutritional values of their forages.

As such forage analysis is a management tool needed for proper livestock nutrition. Forage quality changes through age and storage, but by testing forage on a regular basis throughout the season, the ration can be kept finely tuned in order to maximise its effective usage.

Minerals make up between 3 -5% of an animals bodyweight and with the correct balance being obtained through the diet (feed plus mineral supplement) therefore it is equally important to important to obtain an accurate analysis of forages for their mineral content.

Sciantec has over 30 years experience in testing forages for nutrition and minerals and is a founder member of the FAA (Forage Analysis Assurance group (FAA). Key aspects of the Sciantec forage testing service include:

• Rapid turnaround NIR analysis backed up by full wet chemistry support
• Full analysis suites for
  • Fresh grass & maize
  • Grass silage
  • Maize silage
  • Wholecrop silage
  • Hay/haylage
  • Lucerne & ensiled legumes
• Mineral and vfa (volatile fatty acid) analysis available using wet chemistry
• Reports e-mailed direct to customers reports to ensure the rapid transfer of the data
• Varied report formats to incorporate customer branding