China to improve dairy industry with NIR technology

The US Grains Council (USGC) recently helped purchase near infrared radiation (NIR) equipment for Huaxia Dairy Farm, a USGC partner farm for the Sino-US Dairy Management Training Centre and one of the most advanced dairy operations in China.

 

NIR technology rapidly analyses nutritional qualities of feed content, enabling Chinese dairy farmers to implement superior feeding practices, according to the USGC. The NIR equipment will be used to set up a forage lab at the training centre.

 

The use of low quality forage is currently a big constraint for the Chinese dairy farmer, said Cary Sifferath, USGC director in China. He added that NIR technology will enable Chinese dairy farmers to assess their forage and help promote the feeding of full ear corn silage in modern dairy operations, thus increasing the demand for feed grains in China.

 

The benefits of NIR technology are not limited to Huaxia dairy farm as dairy manufacturers across China can send feed samples to the centre for accurate nutritional content analysis, which will result in more cost-effective practices.

 

Mike Callahan, USGC senior director of international operations for Asia, said this technology will provide Chinese dairy farmers' an opportunity towards higher corn silage and feed grains usage in larger-scale commercial operations. NIR technology will enable large commercial Chinese dairy farmers to boost their production efficiency and reduce costs by increasing feed to an appropriate ration for livestock.