February 28, 2023

Cargill Animal Nutrition in deal to use near-IR analysis platform in North American dairy farms

Si-Ware Systems announced a deal with agriculture feed specialist Cargill Animal Nutrition that will see the former's near-IR analysis platform used in North American dairy farms.

The agreement covers use of Si-Ware's NeoSpectra platform by Cargill's North American dairy teams for the on-site analysis of forages, feeds and feed ingredients, as part of Cargill's provision of research capabilities, feed products and services to the farming sector.

"We are very excited to partner with NeoSpectra to bring this innovative nutrient analysis platform to the dairy industry," said Kristen Burkhardt of Cargill. "We are committed to providing our customers with the best quality feed to reach their goals, and this partnership will help us to continue to deliver on that promise with real-time, accurate insights."

The Cargill deal for dairy farms is a continuation of Si-Ware's licensing programme for the NeoSpectra near-IR platform, which has seen parallel agreements made with global feed-additive specialists AB Vista and Brazilian animal feed laboratory Labnutris in the past 12 months.

Cargill will use the NeoSpectra platform to analyse the nutrient content of feed and feed ingredients quickly and accurately, helping dairy farmers to monitor what the cattle consume and ensuring consistency of nutrition.

A recent Italian study comparing the use of near-IR systems with other methods found that the faster testing of feed allowed by hand-held optical devices could result in both lower feed costs and higher milk production.

"Our solutions will help Cargill ensure the nutritional value of their feed products, providing their customers with the information they need to make accurate and informed choices on the spot," said Si-Ware's Mostafa Medhat.

- Optics.Org