Ruminant Nutritionist Volunteer Expert

VOLUNTEER EXPERT SCOPE OF WORK

Assessment of Dietary Requirements of Dairy Cattle and Formulation of Feed Rations to Meet Identified Nutritional Requirements

Location of Assignment: Sri Lanka

Proposed Level of Effort: about 8 weeks

Anticipated Start Date: November 1, 2022

Anticipated End Date: December 31, 2022

Objectives of the Assignment:

The objective of this activity is to assess nutritional feed deficiencies of animals on selected farms as per their dietary requirements at different stages of the lactation cycle. Based on the findings, the volunteer expert will formulate several feed rations to help farm management reach and sustain full milk productivity potential.

Background:

The International Executive Service Corps (IESC) is a US based nonprofit that creates and expands economic opportunities, helping to lift those we support out of poverty. We believe that helping enterprises grow is the most sustainable way for communities to have access to jobs and for families and people to have opportunities for a better quality of life. We have helped businesses in a variety of sectors, including agriculture, create or save more than 1.5 million jobs in 137 countries across the world. Our major funders today are the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), among others.

Sri Lanka’s dairy sector is currently not reaching its productivity and economic potential. This is primarily due to farmers not implementing best practices in dairy management resulting in low productivity and poor animal health, the lack of a sufficient amount of quality feed available which is subject to seasonal variation, inefficient management and utilization of available resources for livestock production, and limited extension services which lead to poor linkages between technology sources, such as research centers, and end users.

To address these challenges, the Market-Oriented Dairy (MOD) Project, implemented by IESC is executing several initiatives with both public and private institutions towards increasing milk production and improving farm productivity and fresh milk quality.

Problem Statement:

The productivity and economic contribution of the dairy sector in Sri Lanka is significantly below its potential. This is primarily due to industry constraints that include:

• insufficient amount of feed and seasonal variation in the availability of quality feed,
• poor animal health,
• inefficient management and utilization of available resources for livestock production, and
• limited extension services which lead to poor linkages between technology sources such as research centers and end users.

Among these constraints, the scarcity of high-quality feed combined with improper (inadequate and unbalanced) feed management is considered a major impediment for increasing livestock productivity.

Based on the findings from an assessment report prepared by faculty members at the University of Florida, significant knowledge gaps exist in animal nutrition among dairy producers. In addition, the concept of nutrient-balanced diet formulation is lacking, resulting in inadequate levels of nutrients supplied to dairy cows.

MOD is proposing to obtain the services of an experienced Volunteer Ruminant/Livestock Nutritionist who is current on best practices to assist MOD partner large farms to develop a range of high-quality rations that will help reach animal productivity potential.

Approach:

The volunteer ruminant nutritionist will visit several large farms to obtain a firsthand understanding of existing ration formulation practices. He/She will then work with farm management for about three to four weeks per farm, training, monitoring and guiding farm management on improved ration formulation and feed management.

The Volunteer Expert will also conduct a general seminar to industry stakeholders with the MOD project on the importance of animal nutrition and methods of addressing any gaps.

Tasks:

• Acquire a good understanding of nutrient requirements at different physiological stages of dairy cattle including growth, pregnancy, and lactation
• Assess the quantity and quality of feed required at different physiological stages and determine nutritional feed gaps of dairy cattle on farms
• Formulate rations for dairy cattle in various physiological stages in their lactation cycle with special emphasis on increasing milk yields
• Assist in the analysis of nutritional values of proposed feed concentrate ingredients
• Conduct a general seminar for industry stakeholders on the importance of nutritional feeding and milk production

Deliverables:

• A brief assessment report on nutrient requirements and specific nutritional gaps and recommendations on a farm
• Guidelines on ration formulation and the use of silage for increasing milk production, to include a discussion on quantity and quality
• Seminar for the industry on general findings and recommendation to address the gaps if any
• A brief trip report including findings and recommendations

Level of Effort:

The assignment will commence on/about early November and will continue through December 31 of 2022.

The level of effort for the assignment is about eight weeks, which includes work and travel days. Approximately spending about three to four weeks on a farm.

Reporting Relationship:

The Nutrition Volunteer Expert will report to the Project Director of the MOD Project and will work closely with Milk Productivity Specialist and others as required.

Administration and Logistics:

The MOD Project Office in Colombo will provide hotel accommodations for the volunteer when in Colombo. All accommodations including meals will be provided by the respective partner when visiting farms and other public and private sector officials, as well as when working with the partner on the farm. Accommodation will be paid for by the project when the volunteer is not with the project partner. He/she must have his/her own computer and all reports to be submitted using Microsoft Office. Volunteer airfare to and from Sri Lanka will be purchased by the project and a per diem will be provided to the volunteer based on US Department of State per diem rates.

Qualifications:

• Extensive experience in feed formulation for dairy cattle at a commercial level
• Up to date on nutrition management methods and ration formulation
• An undergraduate university degree in animal science with a focus on ruminant and livestock nutrition preferred
• Good knowledge of ruminant nutrition physiology and the feed resources nutritive value and utilization techniques
• Prior experience working in the dairy sector- ideally hands-on on a large farm
• Ability to work effectively in cross-cultural contexts
• Prior experience working in a developing country context is preferable
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills in English, including writing reports
• Ability to address issues, challenges, questions, and concerns in a professional, respectful, logical, and timely manner.