Grazingland Animal and Nutrition Laboratory (GAN Lab) Services
The GAN Lab offers dietary diagnostic analysis of fecal samples by using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). The outputs of this analysis includes diet protein and digestibility which are used in conjunction with animal and environmental descriptions to inform a nutritional balance software package, (NUTBAL). Combined results generated by this “NIRS/NUTBAL System” serve to optimize nutritional and grazing management decisions by informing:
- Projected weight or body condition gain/loss
- Timing of stocking rate, pasture rotation or supplemental feeding
- Types and amounts of supplemental feed to help achieve performance goals
Processing your sample and recommendations
Decision support using the NIRS/NUTBAL system
The GAN Lab accepts and analyzes your pasture-collected fecal samples by using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy, NIRS. This fecal analysis has proven to be a useful and effective diagnostic and management tool — determining the forage quality in an animal’s system 36 hours prior to defecating. The GAN Lab’s NIRS analyses can tell you the percentages of protein and energy in the forage your animals are grazing.
After the NIRS analysis, nutritional balance software known as NUTBAL (operated by GAN Lab staff or available to you online) processes data about animal profiles, environmental conditions, pasture conditions, supplemental feed programs and gain goals. With this data, the NUTBAL software generates reports that estimate forage intake, protein or energy requirements and intake, and weight change.
This decision support process is known as the NIRS/NUTBAL System.
A strategy for a changing market environment
Analysts stress that livestock producers are facing a market environment that requires greater attention to production costs. Supplements and stored forages represent a major expenditure in livestock production. Greater cost-efficiency can be gained through strategic feeding programs involving “feeding smart…not more or less, necessarily.” The NIRS/NUTBAL System is a tool for producers, managers, and consultants to make informed feeding and grazing decisions.
This NIRS/NUTBAL System monitors the changes in forage quality over time and matches the nutritional needs of livestock to the most economical feedstuff currently available. A regular monitoring program such as a monthly sampling schedule provides a wealth of information that brings a new level of confidence to the decision-making process.
How can the NIRS/NUTBAL System be useful to you?
- Drought Management – The NIRS/NUTBAL Pro System is a diagnostic tool that keeps you in tune with the nutritional status of your livestock in order to make more informed decisions for better management of droughts, feeds, reproduction and grazing.
- Reproductive Management – Monitoring herd nutrition allows you to better manage for appropriate body condition helping to facilitate improved conception rates, milk production, and herd productivity.
- Economical Feed Management – The NIRS/NUTBAL system helps you identify when what and how much to feed to maximize the cost-effectiveness of winter-feeding programs, drought supplementation, and production goals.
- Grazing Management – Track your pasture’s forage quality to fine-tune rotational grazing programs and identify deficiencies in current systems.
GAN Lab contact information:
Phone: (254) 774-6134
Email: ganlab@agnet.tamu.edu
Address: 1052 Agronomy Rd.
TAMU 2138
College Station, TX 77843-2138
Video: How to Track Your Submission Online
This video explains how to check on the status of your sample submission at NUTBAL Online.