Knowledge from research into practice
Last week Schothorst Feed Research (SFR) organised the 11th annual Feeds & Nutrition course. An event with the aim of translating recent research knowledge into practice. Professionals from the (compound) feed sector were updated on different developments by the specialists of SFR. The programme offered a lot of information for the animal feed sector. It was an exciting 5-day event with plenty of room for discussion, networking and knowledge sharing. Over 70 nutritionists, veterinarians, product managers and sales managers from all over the world came together to share the latest scientific insights.
This year the Feeds & Nutrition course was divided into 13 different modules that could be combined by the attendees into a tailor-made programme. The course participants could learn two days about raw materials. In addition, four course days were offered for poultry, swine and ruminants. During the first day, attention was paid to feed evaluation. This included energy-, protein-, fibre-, calcium- and phosphorus evaluation. The days about feed evaluation were followed by three days on animal species specific applied nutrition. These included fundamental topics such as physiology of the gastrointestinal tract, intestinal health, piglet vitality, egg and meat quality and minerals, or preventing subacute rumen- and hindgut acidosis. Besides the various nutritional topics, SFR also discussed other relevant topics such as the development of slow(er) growing breeds, the importance of early feeding, precision feeding, reducing environmental impact of dairy cow husbandry, protein reduction and the use of alternative protein sources. At the end of the training days, live feed formulation was performed by the SFR consultants, to show the effect of certain strategies and choices on feed composition to make the practical applicability clear.
Throughout the week, there was also plenty of opportunity to connect with each other. Which, after 2 years of Covid-19 restrictions, was again a pleasant side effect! Therefore, besides the day programme, there was also a social programme. At the end of every day was the opportunity to talk with the SFR experts in an informal setting or just to interact with all the other participants during the ‘Lets (not) talk nutrition’ networking drink. Besides this, on Monday evening a dinner cruise on the canals of Amsterdam was organised. The guide shared many interesting facts about the history and origins of Amsterdam while enjoying an international dinner. On Wednesday evening, the programme included a dinner in Zaandam. The weather allowed for a nice and interactive outdoor dinner where many (international) experiences were exchanged.
We hope our participants can put the SFR approach into action. We can look back on a successful week full of inspiring and interactive sessions!