With the menu item “Offers” in the main menu item “Feedstuffs” of fodjan, fodjan offers for the first time the possibility of a feed exchange and trade market.
As a farm, you can post feed quantities for sale to other farms.
As a farm and advisor, you can also see what feed is available for your farm and keep an eye on price trends.
As a trader, you can post feed for trading to farms in your sales area.
As a trader, you also have the option of automating the posting of your offers via fodjan and forwarding orders directly to your system for processing. If you are interested, please contact business-solutions@fodjan.de.
In addition to farm-to-farm offers, we are pleased to announce our pilot project with “BAT Agrar”! It is now possible to purchase rapeseed meal from BAT in certain regions of Germany directly via fodjan and view the current prices.
Follow us here to find out… what will be possible with this function in the future, what it can already do in detail and how you can take your first steps as a retailer or prospective buyer in fodjan, regardless of whether you are already using fodjan or not:
The “Advised farmer” licences (the two in the middle of the graphic) are an exclusive benefit for farmers who work together with their advisors in fodjan. It includes a set of rights adapted to the practice and lower prices than the full farmer licence – there is a free licence (see middle left) and an extended, low-cost “Advised farmer (limited)” licence (see middle right).
We wish everyone happy holidays and a motivated start to 2024! In case of emergencies, our support team will of course be there for you over Christmas and New Year – by e-mail to support@fodjan.de. All the best! Your fodjan team 🎅
EuroTier is one of the pivotal events of livestock farming. Of course, as always, we will also be at the start!
Where can I meet fodjan and experience it live?
Panel discussion:
Digitisation and data interfaces for practitioners – here live on stage we discuss together with Lely, FarmChamps and more the current challenges of data linkage in the livestock sector and possible solutions.
EuroTier, DLG stage in hall 26 booth B33, 16.11.2022 10-11 Uhr, will be held in German language
Booth:
This year we will be at EuroTier mainly in person. So feel free to email us at business-solutions@fodjan.de to arrange a personal appointment at EuroTier.
Otherwise, we can also be found at times on the stand of one of our projects: ATLAS Project in Hall 26, Stand B 25
What’s new at fodjan for the EuroTier?
Since the last digital EuroTier in 2021 and the last on-site EuroTier in 2018, a lot has happened at fodjan. Here are a few insights:
Feeding controlling expanded in the direction of climate tracking
Controlling the most important feeding processes and key figures has always been one of the basic topics of fodjan: keeping an eye on feed stocks, cost optimisation as well as health and economy. Since the end of 2020 and many extensions (most recently in July 2022), the evaluation view Feeding Controlling has taken this to a new level. These include e.g.:
The monitoring of feed intake – also in connection with activated interfaces from the feed mixing and weighing technology. Here is a look at the German version:
Monitoring of feed costs or IOFC compared to milk yield. Here is a look at the German version:
Estimation of methane emission from feeding. Here is a look at the German version:
Read more about other functions such as feed efficiency and nitrogen tracking and more about the functions in detail here: Feed Controlling >
Individualisation options of fodjan for consultants
In recent years, we have greatly expanded our options for customising our own fodjan world as a white-label solution for advisory teams in feeding. In addition to completely individually developed functions, more and more existing building block modules can be added, such as a custom design, feed database, etc., or for more convenience, such as a variant of processing compound feeds from the ration processing.
In addition to further laboratory interfaces to other LUFA laboratories, among others, the grassland interface for pasture management and a first test version of the CowConnect interface have also moved in to further increase the convenience of data use and transmission.
Design & clarity for a faster fodjan
Many users and many new functions naturally also mean technical maintenance on the other side. We place the highest value on fast loading times, clarity of use and modern, secure technology. That’s why we are successively working on the conversion of all pages to our new design. Many users have already noticed the improvement in their daily, weekly or monthly work with the platform. And it also looks more beautiful and tidier!
Easier coordination with the ration messenger
In the “Comments” tab, changes can be sent to someone for approval in fodjan and commented with notes.
For all interested feeding professionals there is a 20% discount on the first year of the fodjan Pro Farmer or Adviser annual licence during EuroTier from 24.10. to 30.11.2022. Voucher code for booking: Eurotier2022
Best wishes and an exciting EuroTier from the entire fodjan team!
Seit 2018 ist die EU-Datenschutzgrundverordnung (DSGVO) unmittelbar geltendes Datenschutzrecht und hat dem Datenschutz eine nie dagewesene Aufmerksamkeit beschert. Diese Entwicklung ist gerade angesichts der Corona-Pandemie nicht zum Stillstand gekommen, sondern macht deutlich, wie wichtig es ist, Datenschutzbestimmungen zu prüfen, einzuhalten und zu dokumentieren.
Kopfzerbrechen?
Viele Anforderungen machen bisherige Ansätze unsicher, wenn nicht gar unzulässig. Die Landwirtschaft ist hiervon nicht ausgenommen. Auch hier stoßen wir fast täglich auf fragwürdige Verfahren zum Schutz personenbezogener Daten. Deswegen haben wir uns mit dem Dresdener Institut für Datenschutz und dem Netzwerk Digitale Landwirtschaft zusammengetan, um das Thema Datenschutz & Landwirtschaft insbes. in der Tierhaltung direkt zu adressieren und für Sie in einem kostenfreien Whitepaper zusammenzufassen.
Was wir für Sie ins Whitepaper gepackt haben:
Die Einhaltung der DSGVO kann eine Hidden-Champion-Strategie für Sie sein. Deshalb klären wir im Whitepaper die folgenden Punkte auf:
Was sind personenbezogene Daten in der Landwirtschaft?
Praktische Beispiele aus der Landwirtschaft
Die häufigsten Fallstricke
Risiken für Ihr Unternehmen und reale Straffälle
Was im Falle einer DSGVO-Informationsanfrage zu tun ist
Hinweis: Die Downloadseite des Netzwerks Digitale Landwirtschaft ist zwar englischsprachig, Sie können darüber aber beide Versionen herunterladen: Deutsch und Englisch.
The agricultural European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI) was launched by the European Commission in 2012. The formation of so-called “operational groups” (OG) in several projects forms the cornerstone for innovative implementations and is intended to promote exchange between farmers, scientists and other interested parties. For the implementation of a project in the Free State of Saxony, an OG must comprise at least two independent actors and be based in Saxony.
The real-world challenges that motivated us to create Feed 4.0
Feeding has a paramount influence on animal welfare and performance as well as on the carbon footprint of dairy production. There are numerous demands on the feeding of a modern dairy cow in terms of health, performance, nutrient cycling, climate change and economics. Feed is a natural product and therefore available in different qualities and finite quantities. Thus, dairy farmers, together with feeding advisors, have to balance the feeding of the animals very precisely. Weather extremes are increasingly tightening the availability of feed. It is therefore essential to find new ways for farms to evaluate available feeds and combine them in the best possible way to optimize animal welfare, climate footprint and profitability in the long term.
Existing web platforms for trading basic feeds are an important first step. However, intelligent further development of these marketplaces is needed so that farmers can take account of the multitude of requirements in on-farm feed purchasing and obtain a quick overview of suitable options for their current farm situation and ration.
The solution idea: A digital feed purchasing assistant
By participating in the “FEED 4.0” project, the aim is to improve resource efficiency in dairy farming through artificial intelligence in feed purchasing by farms.Thus, farms are to be digitally supported in making optimal purchasing decisions for feed on an individual farm basis and the existing web platforms are to be linked to the planned, digital prototype.
The platform planned by OG is based on the Industry 4.0 approach. In concrete terms, this means that it is not the farmers or advisors themselves who search the online offering for suitable feeds, but rather a special search algorithm that automatically takes over this task more quickly and much more comprehensively. Users weight their requirements for the feed ration. The search algorithm then automatically suggests a suitable feed including a recommendation for specific use within the feed ration, optimized according to the objectives. This search algorithm acts as an assistant. Ultimately, farmers and advisors decide which suggestion to choose and then adjust the ration if necessary. Both target groups of the system are to be involved in the development process of the software prototype at an early stage.
The project partners
fodjan GmbH: Project management and coordination of the OG as well as development of the software prototype and deployment of the platform.
Agrarberatung Koesling Anderson – Agricultural consulting: Support in the connection of the feed industry as well as in the concrete integration of the suggestions into the ration calculation matrix.
Luchbergmilch eG – Agrarunternehmen Starbach-Sachsen eG – Agribusiness: Execution of the operational tests of the prototypes in cooperation with fodjan.
Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Dresden – University of Applied Sciences: Scientific monitoring of the project.
Project results
As a result of the project, farms can now be better supported digitally in making optimised purchasing decisions for feed and feed management on an individual farm basis.
In addition to concepts and prototypes for app functions for manure sieve and shaker box evaluation and documentation, a digital marketplace for feed that can be easily fed by traders and farmers was also developed. In addition, a comprehensive contract management system was implemented to forecast the range of purchased and own feed based on user requirements. –> More about contract management
Based on the project work, several concepts for the implementation of a digital Feed 4.0 assistant were also created, which uses intelligent search/suggestion functions to suggest suitable purchased feed for the existing rations. Furthermore, considerations on the use of feed efficiency and IOFC as key figures in feeding advice and ration calculation were created and presented at events such as the NDL Meet Up 2023 in Dresden.
In addition, existing web platforms can be connected to the digital prototypes and advice can be obtained from the consortium on the requirements and concepts created.
During the project, the focus of the feed health assessment of the status quo in the literature was shifted in particular to the newly developed GfE model, for which the consortium, together with the LKS in Saxony, developed concrete proposals for implementation in practice. In addition, the participants have decided to continue working on this after the project period in order to create a sandbox for the industry, a test version of the new model in ration calculation, to make the innovations more tangible for advisors and farmers.
If you are interested in more information on the project results, how they can be used in your organisation and much more, please contact support@fodjan.de. The project results will also be presented at Agra on 13.4.2024 in the Robotics & Digitalisation programme area.
What has coronavirus changed in the agricultural sector? Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in January 2020, the media has been restlessly filled with our crises: Hamster purchases, milk price crisis, Tönnies scandal. The eyes of the public are focused on all systemically relevant sectors and the coronavirus crisis has changed us forever. In this blog post, however, we want to look at a change in the coronavirus era that has hardly been discussed in the media, but will have a much more lasting impact on our livestock farming in the future. Has coronavirus driven digitalization in livestock farming?
Catapulted forward by years?
Consumers are leading the way: Digital farm stores and food delivery services are booming (see REWE delivery service, bringmeister, pielers, kaufnekuh.de and more). And the latest digital survey conducted by bitkom e.v. in April 2020 continues to show an increase in the use of digital solutions on farms. In times of contact restrictions, digital solutions are therefore becoming a game changer for the agricultural industry in order to remain accessible and maintain business relationships. Steps that would have taken the agricultural sector months or even years here and there to put digitalization so high on the priority list are now being taken.
How have feed retailers reacted? Small start, big impact: Certainly, telephone advice and a few more online aids and information do not make a digitalization trend (we will come to the really big changes in a moment). Nevertheless, significantly more information has already been provided digitally than before and customers have found relevant information quickly without the phones and service hotlines being red-hot – saving time and nerves on both sides. Feeding advisors had to work more from home and were more reliant than ever on digital tools to collaborate with their customers.
Digital events – more than just stopgaps Digital events such as webinars are becoming increasingly popular: Smartbow, topfarmplan & many more are leading the way, the Digital Agriculture Network is launching digital workshops for farmers and agribusiness and the SKW Piesteritz field day is also going virtual. Finally, in February 2021, we will experience the DLG’s first completely digital Eurotier trade fair.
The digital farm visit?
What Sano announced online has quietly happened for many: Feeding advisors working completely digitally from home. Even before Corona, many feeding advisors often work from home or on the road – paper printouts, telephone arrangements and offline programs are the order of the day (decentralized customer data storage – a horror since GDPR).
During the coronavirus lockdown, farm visits are initially becoming rare or are being dropped altogether, with feeding advice shifting mainly to telephone advice and quick Whatsapps. Many also rely on video chats for advice to at least maintain the feeling of personal contact. Not only the big winners of the coronavirus crisis, such as online retailers or streaming services, can benefit from this change in shared communication, but also farmers and advisors:
Farmers
Feed advisors
Less appointments with sales staff in the yard More time for day-to-day business Faster advice and problem solving, as consultants can sometimes be reached more quickly Less paperwork, as much is handed over digitally
Less “unproductive” travel time and therefore better accessibility in some cases Saving on travel costs for company visits Serving more customers
Digital communication is becoming the key phrase for the entire industry to overcome isolation. Even the best digital solution cannot replace personal on-site consultation, but it is a useful addition to make collaboration more efficient and easier when you are not on site.
The experience of our customers during Corona
As fodjan brings farmers and advisors together on one platform, both are looking at the same database online. We would like to share the experiences that our customers have had with this during the coronavirus period with you here. Since the start of the lockdown in March 2020, our customers – whether farmers or feed consultants – have increasingly told us how helpful it was to be able to quickly exchange information on a common database.
An example: Farmer and advisor work together in fodjan – one via laptop, one via app on the phone. The new silage analysis automatically enters fodjan via the interface and both are notified. The advisor adjusts the ration and quickly discusses it with the farmer by phone or video chat and shared screen. The farmer sees the finished ration directly in fodjan or receives it exported from fodjan as a PDF by e-mail from his advisor. In this way, many things can be clarified even without a farm visit or, since the resumption of the first farm visits, these can be efficiently prepared and followed up. A digital success, right?
Much more simple, good, digital networking is needed
Even though corona has caused us a lot of suffering worldwide, the effects have also brought opportunities. The world and the agricultural sector have once again become more aware of how much digital communication holds us together in these times. And many of us will no longer want to do without some of the advantages of digital working methods. So let’s continue to work on digital added value to create the best possible basis for decision-making for the farmer of the future.
What does it take?
Networking with automatic data flows that can be set up quickly (data compatibility)
Willingness to communicate and network on all sides / opening of interfaces for the benefit of the farmer / transparency
Central data storage that is consistent (cloud solutions)
Intelligent evaluations that offer added value
Solutions that can do the following: Multi-user, multi-device, online & offline (until mobile internet is available everywhere)
Uncompromising compliance with data protection rights
We at fodjan are already working hard on this.
Join us and follow us into the digital future of feeding:
We are part of the 3-year BLE innovation project ReMissionDairy for efficient dairy cow feeding.
These are the goals of ReMissionDairy
In view of global structural developments and climate change, strategies to increase production efficiency and minimize climate and environmental impacts are being called for in agriculture, particularly in animal production. The joint project ReMissionDairy is responding to this appeal: With the help of innovative feed controlling and management, feeding efficiency is to be increased and methane emissions from dairy farming reduced. The aim of ReMissionDairy is therefore to set up a web platform that supports feeding strategies to reduce methane and nitrogen emissions and thus increase efficiency in dairy farming.
The planned innovative web platform is intended to serve as a basis for independent feed controlling and management on the farm and to provide current key efficiency figures. In this way, ReMissionDairy supports farmers throughout Germany in making information-based management decisions at animal group and herd level. Optimization measures can be planned and implemented in a targeted manner, taking animal health aspects into account. In this way, production efficiency can be sustainably increased on an individual farm basis and the environmental impact of the individual farm can be reduced.
Precise feeding data will be collected and evaluated over two years on 30 pilot farms, which will receive intensive support as part of a feeding consultation. The data on feeding is combined with data from the milk performance test and milk quality test as well as other animal-related data. The cow’s energy status and methane emissions are estimated on the basis of milk MIR spectra. The results from the calculation of performance, emission and feeding parameters are used to calculate potential savings. In this way, the ReMissionDairy web platform can support farmers and feed consultants in increasing feed efficiency.
The project team
ReMissionDairy is a joint project in which experts from science and industry contribute their know-how and experience. The project team comprises the following partners: Vereinigte Informationssysteme Tierhaltung w. V. (vit), Deutscher Verband für Leistungs- und Qualitätsprüfungen e. V. (DLQ), Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, the state control associations in Baden-Württemberg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony and Weser-Ems as well as the two companies agrosom and us, fodjan.
Translating scientific findings into agricultural practice often fails because the link between the two areas is missing and there is no implementation. This is often not easy even in Europe, but it is even more difficult in developing countries, for example in Africa. However, digitalization offers many opportunities to break new ground here. Prof. Dr. Uta Dickhöfer and her team at the Department of Animal Nutrition and Pasture Management in the Tropics and Subtropics at the University of Hohenheim have recognized this opportunity and have set themselves the goal of improving dairy cattle feeding in Africa by putting their research results directly “in the hands” of farmers with the help of smartphones.
Dairy farms in Africa
Dairy farmer with his cows in Kenya
Small and medium-sized dairy farms play an important role in the supply of milk and dairy products and as a source of income for millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa. The farms usually keep 1-15 dairy cows of local breeds or their crosses with exotic dairy breeds such as Holstein or Jersey cattle. Depending on the season, feeding is based on pasture fodder, cultivated forage grasses, crop residues (e.g. straw and leaves from cultivated plants) and purchased concentrates. In particular, the lack of basic feed and its low feed value, but also a lack of knowledge about feeding and the use of concentrates adapted to the animals’ needs, limit the health and performance of the animals and thus the profitability of dairy farming. We therefore want to provide farmers with a digital decision-making tool that they can use to obtain information about their feed and improve the feeding of their animals.
Start of the tropical project
Feed in Kenya – mainly grass and bushes
In the first stage of development, the feed evaluation model was adapted with requirement values for energy and protein of the locally used dairy cattle breeds under local husbandry conditions. Another important data basis is the feed database. Here, information on the feed value of important tropical basic and concentrated feeds from previous studies in the field, as well as from scientific publications and publicly accessible overview tables, was compiled in a database.
This is where our collaboration began. From the existing knowledge and given data, fodjan developed a customized app version for Hohenheim’s tropical project. This first prototype was tested in practice for three months in Kenya by a Master’s student at the university. She presented the app to local dairy farmers, calculated rations and collected many ideas for the next development steps. Everyone involved was pleasantly surprised by the sheer level of interest shown by the farmers and organizations.
We are therefore looking forward to further cooperation.
