Consultation services

The Feed First team prides ourselves on active, high-level involvement in all facets of the entire feed business. We exist to serve and support stakeholders across the entire industry and feed value chain to effectively align themselves and create maximum value through mutual support structures.

Feed First manages the research programmes in two broiler research facilities and have developed an in-house broiler growth and optimisation model. Furthermore, we are highly skilled in the development of commercial models from customer databases through multiple regression techniques. All our specifications are based on maximising or minimising the objective function for the specific customer, which may be profit per kilogram live weight, margin over feed cost, or cost per kilogram live weight or meat.

OUR VALUE-ADDING CONSULTANCY SERVICES INCLUDE:

  • Commercial inputs (ingredient prices, availability, and production forecasting)
  • Technical inputs (Rm matrix and specifications)
  • Quantification of every facet and impact on the cost of the diet
  • Analytical services
  • South Africa Future Exchange (Safex) hedging for maize and soya bean
  • Component pricing for soybean meal
  • Global macro- and micro-ingredient procurement
  • Logistics
  • Quality standards

The advantage of our models are that they are very accurate, easy to use, and relate well with modern poultry genetics. Our models are based on regression equations that predict the growth of the broiler from energy and balanced protein, taking into consideration the effect that the nutrient composition during a specific phase will have on the reaction of the bird to dietary nutrients in the next phase. The models are designed to change diet prices as their density changes, which gives us the ability to maximise the objective function. We also follow a practical system of continuously updating our regression curves as genetics improves.

Feed First has developed strong data analysis capabilities that are used to analyse customer production databases and convert them into mathematical prediction equations that allow the customer to reach maximum profitability.

We have also developed various customer models for commercial layers and broiler breeders. These include determining the optimal culling age for layers and breeders, as well as predicting performance such as egg production, hatchability, and other production parameters in a specific business.

  • Assisting customers with the development of an effective quality control (QC) system
  • Training in quality systems, including good manufacturing practice (GMP)
  • Implementation of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) quality standards
  • Monitoring raw material and final product quality
  • Feed mill management and efficiency optimisation
  • Processing technology

Planning, execution, statistical analysis, reports, and recommendations, including:

  • Trial facilities for poultry (2 × 96-pen facilities)
  • Diet densities specific to a customer or market
  • Raw material evaluation
  • Additive evaluation
  • Performance evaluation
  • Trials for product development
  • A variety of other trials