Science Meets Software in Landmark Collaboration Between Feed Management Systems and Central Valley Nutritional Associates, LLC

New Solution is Industry First for Dairy Ration Formulators Who Need a Robust Nutrition Model with Amino Acid Balancing but in a Highly Customizable, Personalized Package

BROOKLYN CENTER, MN, July 16, 2012—In response to worldwide demand, Feed Management Systems, Inc. (FMS) said in an announcement today that it has collaborated with Central Valley Nutritional Associates, LLC (CVNA) to develop a combined software solution for dairy nutritionists, consultants and salespeople that effectively addresses a longstanding challenge they face in balancing rations to meet amino acid requirements.

The solution combines the flexibility of FMS' industry-leading Feed Ration BalancerTm (FRBTm) with the modeling capabilities of CVNA's Formulate2 Core Components© to create a novel software solution that provides dairy formulators with the capabilities they want and need. The new FRBTm with Formulate2 Core Components© enables formulators to create branded, customized dairy cattle rations based on a nutrition model that delivers balanced diets incorporating accurate amino acid requirements. These diets do not require the excessive manual 'tweaking' so common with modeling software, thus eliminating hassles and saving time.

Until now, dairy ration formulators often have had to work with ration formulation software containing rigid, hard-to-use nutrition models in packages that are difficult to customize. Consistently, formulators have said they need a nutrition model that they can personalize but that also delivers rapid, accurate diets that don't need excessive tweaking.

Dr. John Foley, FMS' formulation portfolio manager, said that "With FRBTm with Formulate2 Core Components©, the ration is solved in one quick pass no more guessing and tweaking."

A Dynamic User Experience with the New FRBTm2.0

FRBTm with Formulate2 Core Components© incorporates the new Feed Ration BalancerTm 2.0 which builds on a strong, multi-species foundation to deliver a new, dynamic user experience that includes flexible customization and personalization options, familiar navigation controls, and enhanced reporting capabilities. And, it provides a competitive edge to feed manufacturers and consultants who brand and customize their business and their feed.

FRBTm with Formulate2 Core Components© is user-friendly, packed with nutritional data and able to create real diets for dairy cattle that meet nutritional requirements set by the user. Most significantly, this is the first easy-to-use software solution that incorporates the preeminent work on amino acid nutrition for dairy cattle performed by the NRC 2001 committee. That work was done under the direction of Dr. Schwab along with others who collaborated on the NRC 2001 AA sub-model. Dr. Schwab is recognized nationally and internationally for his research on amino acid nutrition of dairy cattle. During the last 10 years, he has made over 140 presentations at dairy nutrition conferences and workshops around the world on the application of advances in amino acid and protein nutrition of dairy cows. Dr. Schwab is Professor Emeritus of Animal Sciences at the University of New Hampshire and is widely recognized as a leading expert on dairy cattle nutrition.

According to Dr. Foley, "This really is about science meeting software. At FMS, we're about software development. In FRBTm, we offer a highly-customizable infra-structure, but we don't want to be the ones to provide the nutrient requirement equations and ingredient libraries. That's outside the scope of our business. CVNA, on the other hand, is in the business of dairy nutrition consulting and they developed Formulate2© to ensure that they could deliver superior cow performance to their dairy clients. By combining FRB'sTm user-friendly new interface and personalization features with CVNA's unique way of delivering results from the amino acid model and NRC data, feed manufacturers and consultants can easily create their own branded, customized diets that meet established nutritional guidelines for dairy cattle. What's especially exciting is that this solution is focused on helping dairy nutritionists get their work done quickly and accurately, something our market research indicated as an urgent need," he explained.

CVNA has developed a reputation among animal nutritionists as both a leading-edge dairy consulting firm and a respected developer of nutrition modeling software, services, and training. The company will provide its "Conference Room to Parlor" training program and consultation to help ensure that FRBTm with Formulate2 Core Components© customers understand the data they are using and how to use that data to formulate high performance dairy rations.

About Feed Management SystemsTm, Inc.

Feed Management Systems, Inc. (FMS) is the global leader in software solutions and services that connect animal producers, feed manufacturers and feed dealers to the critical information, people and resources they need to make more profitable business decisions. Since 1986, FMS has been dedicated exclusively to the animal feed industry. FMS is the only company that provides totally integrated information and global connectivity, enabling customers to manage complex business processes in real-time wherever they live, work and travel. With FMS solutions, customers can optimize their operations, formulation, manufacturing and purchasing power to produce the highest quality animal feed at the lowest total cost. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Cargill, Incorporated, FMS is a Microsoft Business Solutions Gold Certified Partner. For more information, visit: http://www.feedsys.com.

About Central Valley Nutritional Associates, LLC

Central Valley Nutritional Associates, LLC (CVNA) began developing NRC model specific formulation software in 1986 to answer the needs of its consulting practice. Today, through innovation and integration, CVNA is dedicated to bringing the full power of the NRC 2001 Dairy Model to nutritionists, consultants and producers around the world. The Formulate2 Core Component Suite© provides a truly robust, fully NRC compliant, one-step optimization process in company with an AA and MP Calculator; the first NRC compliant tool to generate fully model-accurate MP- Lys and MP-Met gram requirements for dairy animals and the first to provide for model compliant re-factoring of the NRC 2001 MP requirement. In addition, the Calculator provides a model compliant method to adjust NRC predictions of MCP yield to account for feeding strategies, DFMs and other products, technologies and circumstances that have an impact on rumen microbial output.

These tools were "born in the field" and have compiled a proven track record in our consulting practice since the release of the NRC 2001 version of Formulate2© in March of 2006. This powerful toolset allows users to easily and quickly tap into the true power of the NRC 2001 model. The ultimate beneficiaries of these advanced capabilities are the surrogate mothers of mankind - the dairy cattle of the world, and those who devote their lives to their management and care.