Evaluating Ingredients – Pelleting vs. Mash in Poultry Diets Part 4
October 19, 2017
In part 4 of the How to Evaluate Ingredients series, I’m switching back to poultry. Parts 1 and 2, focused on poultry and how changes in the levels…
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Adding Value by Processing Locally Grown Ingredients
October 12, 2017
I recently visited Sri Lanka to participate in Lanka Livestock, a regional agricultural trade show. Our booth attracted numerous new prospects interested in extrusion technologies as well as…
Evaluating Ingredients – Protein in the Rumen and Small Intestine Part 3
September 28, 2017
For part 3 of how to evaluate ingredients, I’m switching over to ruminants. In parts 1 and 2, I focused on poultry and how changes in the levels…
Evaluating Ingredients – Effect of Dietary Fat Content in Poultry Part 2
September 21, 2017
In part 1, I discussed the effect of dietary crude fiber level, or the amount of indigestible carbohydrates, on metabolizable energy content of a broiler diet. As the…
What Is Express® Soymeal?
September 14, 2017
Soybeans consumed by livestock and poultry animals worldwide are processed through solvent or mechanical extraction then converted to soybean meal. As the inventor of high shear, dry extrusion,…
Motor Starters
September 7, 2017
A simple, yet often overlooked item required in extrusion facilities are motor starters. This device is essentially a giant switch to supply power to a motor. Several companies…
Converting Waste into High Quality Ingredients
August 31, 2017
FAO predicts that by 2050 food production will have to increase by 70 percent in order to meet the population’s food demand. They also mention that combating poverty…
Evaluating Ingredients – Effect of Crude Fiber in Poultry Part 1
August 24, 2017
There are many choices when formulating diets for food animals. Understandably, least-cost formulation programs are used to quickly determine how to meet certain nutrient requirements, different for each…
Automation & Process Control
August 17, 2017
There’s an old quote that says “you don’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been.” While this may be philosophical, it can be relevant to…
Machine Hours and Man Hours
August 10, 2017
Equipment efficiency is measured in operating hours, energy consumption, output, processing losses, and so on. Man, too, likes to measure his work time in hours. Managing employee hours…
Extrusion Facility For Poverty Alleviation Part II
August 3, 2017
In a previous blog, we discussed implementing an extrusion facility for poverty alleviation. The center mentioned in the blog, Don Bosco Agro-Mechanical Technology Center, is managed by Salesian…
Mid-Year Business Considerations & Planning Ahead
July 27, 2017
We recently crossed the halfway point for 2017. At this time of year, you are reflecting on your strategic plans and getting ready to make more decisions that…
Amino Acids: Looking Beyond Protein Levels for Animal Performance
July 20, 2017
In this industry, we talk about protein a lot. This is because it helps evaluate the value of an ingredient or diet. The type of protein we are…
Feeding Modern Sows
July 13, 2017
When I started my career in a pig breeding farm way back in 1978, the length of a 6-month-old gilt was about 110 cm (~ 43 in) and…
Get More With A Quality Process & Quality Ingredients
July 6, 2017
A recent blog post over at WATT made some good points while discussing a topic many livestock producers debate – investing in high-quality ingredients versus inexpensive ingredients for…
Personal Service: A Thing of The Past?
June 29, 2017
Recently, my friends and I were discussing our frustration when calling to get service support, only to get a recorded message asking us to enter information. This frustration…
Low Cost TSP Trials
June 15, 2017
As the world population increases, the need to feed more and more people increases as well. A hot topic during our sales discussions is the development of our…
Safety when working on Insta-Pro Extruders
June 8, 2017
Safety is often overlooked, but it is one of, if not the most important, responsibilities of the workplace. Large machinery is very heavy and consists of moving parts…