Producing or purchasing feed usually accounts for more than 50 % of costs in organic monogastrics production. Growing and manufacturing on-farm feedstuffs can therefore be an important way to reduce costs for farmers. The ration design of organic feed not only takes economic criteria into account, but also ecological and ethical criteria. It therefore differs from the conventional approach and must be specially designed for organic conditions.

To guarantee an efficient feed, farmers need to:

• Know the nutritional value of organic feedstuffs and animal requirements
• Calculate the nutritional balance between feedstuffs to provide a diet that meets the needs of the animals

Database and calculation tools can provide very important information and services to help the farmers achieve this.