FeedPlu$4 Ver. 4.0 Feed Analysis Database
FeedPlu$4 Ver. 4.0 is a comprehensive feed analysis database that contains over 1000 individual feeds used in the dairy industry from Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales, including forages, concentrates, protein meals and by-products.
The majority of feeds contained in the database were compiled from a number of Dairy Australia and Sub-tropical Dairy Program funded projects. These projects include Protein Plu$ (DAQ11004), Protein project (UQ062), M5 Farmlets project (DAQ10785), the Darling Downs SRT funded By-products composition project, the North Queensland SRT funded Pasture composition project and the Nutrition Plu$ (DAQ12305) project. Additional feed analysis has also been provided by dairy processors that have been involved with the Protein Plu$ project.
A large majority of the feeds were analysed in the USA by Dairy One forage lab by wet chemistry and NIRS analysis techniques. All feeds were analysed for crude protein (CP), metabolisable energy (ME), net energy (NE), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), lignin, starch, sugars, non-fibre carbohydrates (NFC), non-structural carbohydrate (NSC), relative feed value (RFV), total digestible nutrients (TDN), fat, ash and minerals (Ca, P, K, Na, Mg, S, Cl, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn and Mo). Some of the more recent analyses also included an estimate of lysine and methionine content as part of the package.
About the program
FeedPlu$4 Ver. 4.0 has two main screens within the program. The first screen allows the user to select individual or groups of feeds from within a state and within a specific season. The analyses required are then selected and average, minimum and maximum values are calculated for the selected feed/s.
Summary reports can also be created for the selected feeds or for the entire feed database and printed.
The second screen is a diet composition calculator, which allows the user to select relevant feed types, specify feed intakes and calculate average concentrations of a range of dietary components including CP, ME, NDF, NFC, starch and mineral concentrations etc.
The diet composition calculator is designed to allow farmers and advisors to asses the diet being fed to the dairy herd and compare to the nutritional targets set out in the Protein Plu$ Checkbook. The diet composition calculator is not a diet formulation program.
The feed database will be updated with new analyses in the future with any feed analysis conducted by new projects undertaken by DPI&F, Queensland.
How to get your copy of FeedPlu$4 Ver. 4.0
Due to the size of this program, a CD copy is available on request. If you have a broadband internet connection, see below. For a copy of the CD please contact:
Gordon Simpson
Dairy Systems Modeller
Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
Email gordon.simpson@deedi.qld.gov.au
Or if you have a broadband internet connection you could download the install files right now!
Instructions to Download - This file is 2.3 MB. FP4Install.zip is a new installation
1. Right click on the FeedPlu$4 Ver. 4.0 icon and use the "Save Target As" option to download the file to your computer.
2. When saved to your computer unzip the file, a new subdirectory will be created "FP4Install".
3. Run the file "FP4Install.exe" in this subdirectory and follow the prompts.
4. Windows 95 and 98 users: If you have trouble running the program, download updated Data Access Components; after downloading run "mdac-typ.exe"
Need to update your existing FeedPlu$4 Ver. 4.0 feed analysis database?
Once you have installed your software, updates of additional feed analyses can be downloaded from the Dairyinfo.biz website. This can be done by clicking on the "Data" menu in FeedPlu$4 and then choosing "Download new database" from the menu list. This will automatically update your FeedPlu$4 Ver. 4.0 program with any new feed analyses.