Skarb-BIO company in close cooperation with Dutch company Eurofins Agro has launched a really innovative project — Skarb-Lab — to obtain reliable and accurate results in forage researches.
Grand opening ceremony of modern laboratory Skarb-Lab was visited by representatives of Eurofins Agro company — Han van de Goor and Jacqueline Geerling van Beek. The laboratory will allow landowners to conduct spectral researches of rough forages, the results will include more than 40 parameters analyzed.
In March first rough forages analyses were conducted. On the basis of analyses experts will be able to make special recommendations about how to improve feed and also will allow making more accurate feeding programs (long-term and short-term). For Belarus it is a unique project. Generally cattle breeders use chemical ways of forage researches which are less exact and take much more time.
Work of Skarb-Lab is based on NIRS technology (Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy). It is a method of physical analysis which uses a near part of infrared radiation. NIRS researches of grass silo or corn silo give valuable information on composition and structure of forages: sugar, starch, protein, fats and etc.
Advantages of NIRS research:
1. Speed — time for NIRS researches:
- Dry feed — 2 hours;
- Wet feed — up to 2 days.
2. High accuracy — full automation of the process, human factor errors are excluded.
3.Purity
- Chemical substances are not used;
- Taken material remains usable for a research for other parameters (control).
4. Low operational expenses;
5. Experience — more than 80 years of practice and knowledge in agricultural analyses.
