Launching the upgraded Return on Investment (ROI) Calculator 2.0, Volac Wilmar Feed Ingredients highlights the tool as helping farmers assess dairy fat supplements. By tailoring recommendations to individual farm economics, the tool aims to empower producers to strike a balance between cash flow constraints and long-term herd performance.
Volac Wilmar Feed Ingredients has launched the upgraded Return on Investment (ROI) Calculator 2.0, which reportedly offers farmers and nutritionists further support in assessing the financial and nutritional impact of rumen-protected fat supplementation in dairy rations globally.
Photo: Volac Wilmar
According to Paul Fransen, the Developer and Business Development Manager for Volac Wilmar Feed Ingredients, the ROI Calculator 2.0 feeds off the original performance-to-financial correlation ‘return on investment’ model, with more datasets and features to guide on-farm decision making.
“The Return on Investment Calculator 2.0 allows farmers anywhere in the world to input their own herd data, such as milk prices, feed costs and fat supplement pricing, for an instant projection on profitability and nutrient digestibility,” explains Fransen. “By tailoring recommendations to individual farm economics, the tool empowers producers to strike a balance between cash flow constraints and long-term herd performance.”
EXPANDED CAPABILITIES
Key inputs for the model, including expected milk yield, milk composition and feed efficiency, come from two meta-analyses from Dr. Adam Lock’s group at Michigan State University, US, that collated more than 65 peer-reviewed research papers.
The new ROI Calculator 2.0 builds from those data points, giving users the ability to analyse hydrogenated fatty acid products, calcium salts and high-C16 rumen-protected fat supplements at flexible inclusion rates, according to the announcement. Users also receive a greater amount of feedback with 15 selectable graphs, covering metrics such as margin, return on investment, nitrogen efficiency, feed efficiency, and NDF and fatty acid digestibility.
“This allows users much greater economic insights to compare cash flow impacts with longer-term efficiency gains,” continues Fransen.
SUPPORTING DATA-BACKED DECISIONS
As dairy farmers continue to face fluctuating feed costs and milk prices, the ROI Calculator 2.0 is expected to provide a valuable resource to help farmers stay competitive, efficient and profitable.
“The ROI Calculator 2.0 doesn’t just give farmers numbers – it gives them actionable insights that show how fat supplementation strategies can improve milk yield, cow health and financial returns,” concludes Fransen. “Every input must deliver a value and this tool is going to allow users to evaluate which rumen-protected fat supplement will deliver the most value to their individual herd. Fat supplements are highly energy-dense and different fatty acid formulations drive different aspects of production.”
The ROI Calculator 2.0 is free and available online.
