Rumen8

This webpage gives access to the Tropical Feed Library which can be read and used only with the Rumen8 diet formulation software for dairy cows. This Feed Library was developed by the Kenya Market-led Dairy programme (KMDP) of SNV Kenya / Netherlands Development Organization, to support introduction of Rumen8 as an advisory tool to Kenya and the East African dairy sector. Adaptation of the Rumen8 software to tropical areas and the East African context was financially supported by SNV-KMDP and VICTAM Foundation from the Netherlands. KMDP was funded by the Netherlands Government.

The Australian feed library, which is provided with Rumen8, is not adequate for many countries with a tropical climate. Hence the KMDP project developed the Tropical Feed Library. Some of the feeds in the Tropical Feed Library are unique to Africa and are missing in the Australian library. In addition, higher levels of Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) and lower levels of crude protein are common in many tropical forages. For such diets it is recommended to use NDF intake (tick under DMI estimation method on the Animal tab) to predict the dry matter intake of dairy cattle in the tropics.

Data for the Tropical Feed Library was obtained from about 10 trusted published sources and currently includes about 350 feedstuffs. The library will remain the intellectual property of SNV and will be expanded and updated from time to time so please check this website regularly for updates.

Before downloading the Tropical Feed Library, it is essential to first install the Rumen8 software.

Once the installation is complete download the SNV Tropical feed library file from the link below to your ‘Downloads’ folder. This is usually the default location to save downloaded files to.

To import the Tropical Feed Library, start the Rumen8 application which will open with the default Feed Library (usually the provided Australian Feed Library).

1. Click on the ‘Edit’ menu at the left top corner of the Rumen8 window and then click on ‘Edit Feeds’ in the menu that appears, or just use the keyboard shortcut Control-F. The Feed Editor window will open.
2. Click on the third tab called ‘Manage libraries and Ingredient visibility’.
3. On the right side of the tab click the ‘New’ button in the ‘Library’ column. This will ask you for a name for the new library. Type in SNV Tropical feeds and click ‘Okay’. You now have an empty feed library ready to import feeds into.
4. Now click the ‘Import’ button in the ‘Library’ column. Note, NOT the other import button at the bottom of the window under the ‘Share’ section.
5. In the ‘Import Feed Library’ window that appears, change to the ‘Downloads’ folder you previously downloaded the ‘SNVFeedLibrary4.db3’ file to. The file ’SNVFeedLibrary.db3’ will be visible. Click on it and then click on the ‘Open’ button.
6. You will then be prompted to give the imported library a name, or just accept the default ‘SNV Tropical Feed Library’ in the entry box. Click ‘Okay’ to complete the import of the feed library.

Once the library has been imported, the top right section of the tab will show 356 feeds and mixes are available.
You now have two feed libraries, the default one supplied with Rumen8 and the Tropical library you have just created. You can switch between them using the drop down menu below where the number of feeds are shown. Use the rightmost tab of the Feed Editor to copy feeds between the libraries if you wish.

All the feeds and mixes in the library are locked, so cannot be edited by Rumen8 users other than adding costs and losses. You will need to create customised feeds based on analysis of the feeds on your farm, so to do this first create a copy of the most similar library feed, give it a unique name, and then adjust the parameters to suit.

The Rumen8 software and the SNV Tropical Feed Library are provided ‘as-is’, without any express or implied warranty. In no event will the owners of Rumen8 and/or SNV Netherlands Development Organisation be held responsible and/or liable – or will accept liability - for any damages arising from the use of this software and/or the Tropical Feed Library.

While all reasonable efforts have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the Rumen8 application and the Tropical Feed Library, use of the information so provided is at the user’s own risk. To the fullest extent permitted by Australian, Dutch and international law the developers of Rumen8 and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, disclaim all liability for any losses, costs, damages and the like sustained or incurred as a result of the use of - or reliance upon - the information provided, including liability stemming from reliance upon any part which may contain inadvertent errors, whether typographical or otherwise, or omissions of any kind.