Rumen8

Download

Rumen8 must be registered to add more than four ingredients to a diet

Requirements

Download the installer

Change log

Version 4.1.4.6 August 2024

• FIXED
• A bug that caused diet ingredients from the Compare tab with a wet weight greater than 99.99kg to not be restored to the current diet.
• AFRC 1993 and NRC 2001 references updated.

Version 4.1.4.5 July 2024

• FIXED
• Copy all diets to the clipboard now includes Compare diets 4, 5 and 6.
• Diets copied to the clipboard now have the peNDF (% DM) row correctly labelled.
• Diets copied to the clipboard now have 2 decimal places for live weight change and the milk component values.
• The NDF calculator in the Feed Editor now returns the correct value if a high NDF percentage is entered while the units are set to percent in the Preferences.

Version 4.1.4.4 April 2024

• FIXED
• The beef Preferences libraries can now be imported and exported without an error occurring.

Version 4.1.4.3 April 2024

• NEW
• The heifer live weight change tool tip on the Dairy tab now shows typical live weight gain and targets for mating and calving.
• A warning has been added if feed aN and bN exceed 1.0.
• A warning has been added if feed bN = 0 and cN > 0.
• A warning has been added if feed peNDF exceeds the NDF content of the feed.
• The beef breed Wagyu has been added.

• CHANGED
• The Diet tab phosphorus warnings in the progress bar tool tip now make it clear the units are g of phosphorus/MJ of dietary ME.
• The live weight change calculator for dairy cows has been updated based on Phillips 2018. It now scales LWC estimates for different cow live weights.
• The dairy cow live weight change tool tip has an updated chart showing live weight change through a lactation for three cows of different live weights.
• The dairy cow live weight change tool tip has an updated table showing the comparison between the Australian (1-8) and Penn State (1-5) BCS systems.
• The heifer live weight target of 94% of mature weight in the live weight change calculator has been reduced to 85% in line with current recommendations.

• FIXED
• When Rumen8 starts with the window no longer visible due to a change of monitors or screen sizes it now reverts to the centre of the primary screen.
• Fixed calculation of $/MJ ME and $/kg CP when feed losses have not been entered by the user.

Version 4.1.3.0 November 2023

• NEW
• Dietary CP% has been added to the MP progress bar on the Diet tab and in Compact mode.

• CHANGED
• The tool tip references are now easier to read and a uniform format.

• FIXED
• The DCAD, NDF and Zoom buttons in the Feed Editor are now disabled when the feed is locked.
• New windows now centre on the parent window if any part of them is not visible.

Version 4.1.2.4 November 2023

• NEW
• Rumen8 now applies a correction factor to increase the MP demand for growing beef animals. This is based on Tedeschi et al. 2015. See the tool tip for the 'Metabolisable protein demand correction factor' in the advanced beef preferences for details.
• Total enteric methane production is now shown on the Diet tab in Standard and Compact mode.
• The MP correction factor in the advanced preferences can now be turned off by setting it to 0.00. See the tool tip for details.
• Dietary NDF as a percentage of live weight is now shown in the tool tip for diet NDF % in Compact mode.

• CHANGED
• The references list has been edited for clarity.
• The beef mode warning that dairy mode should be used when the animal is a dairy breed no longer appears for bulls and steers.
• It is now clearer in the feed editor tool tips that the feed parameters are as a proportion of the total dry matter.

• FIXED
• When the currency symbol is changed in the Preferences the currency in the Compare tab columns 4, 5 & 6 now updates correctly.
• Calculation of the cost per MJ of ME and kg of CP now display 0 or - when there is no cost or no ME or CP content for the feed in the feed detail window and ingredient drop-down menu tool tip.
• The mineral balance tool tip now has the correct units for calcium, magnesium and phosphorus supply and demand on the beef Diet Detail tab when the feed concentration units preference is set to percent.
• The problem updating the Preferences library that resulted in a ‘Report table access error’ has been fixed.
• The methane intensity for dairy heifers and dry cows now shows the correct units (g/kg).
• The methane intensity tool tip in beef mode now correctly states the value displayed is always g methane/kg of live weight change. Lactating beef cows have the methane intensity per unit of milk production shown in the value tool tip.
• Fixed a issue when adding a copy of a preferences library that caused the beef standard reference weights to not be included in the copy.
• Fixed a bug that under some conditions caused an imported feed with a name that already existed in the feed library to not be renamed, resulting in a duplicate feed name error.

Version 4.1.1.1 November 2023

• NEW
• The ingredient detail window can now stay open while creating a diet. The ingredient displayed can be changed from the within the detail window.
• An ‘Open Recent’ menu option has been added to the File menu to quickly revert to recently opened diets.
• Menu icons have been added to the main window menus.
• The ingredient water has been added to the feed library and can be added to diets. Water cannot be added to a mix.
• The diet dry matter content is now displayed under the ingredient list.
• Diet dry matter percentage has been added to the Diet report.
• The ingredient tool tip and detail window now show the ingredient's cost per MJ of ME and cost per kg of CP.
• The heifer calculator now shows the age of the heifer at the mating or calving date.
• The dairy standard cows can be reset to their default values in the preferences.
• The peNDF value now shows the percentage of NDF that is peNDF in the tool tip in addition to the existing kilograms of peNDF in the diet.
• Feed and mix records can now be locked by the user preventing any parameters except cost and losses from being changed.
• Feed and mix records can now be permanently locked by the library creator preventing any parameters except cost and losses from being changed.
• The number of diets that can be stored on the Compare tab has been increased from three to six.
• When editing a mix in the Feed Editor feeds can be drag and dropped between the feed list and the mix definition.
• The default standard cow parameters for dairy cattle are now shown in the User Guide.
• The default standard reference and birth weights for dual- purpose and beef animals are now shown in the User Guide.
• Feeds can now be easily copied or moved between libraries in the Feed Editor.
• The ingredient amount entry boxes now report the amount in grams in their tool tip. This will be clearer for low weight ingredients such as minerals.
• The Montbeliarde breed added to beef breed choices to allow cross breeds.
• The beef standard reference weights can be changed in the Preferences.
• The beef standard reference weights can be reset to the defaults in the Preferences.
• Finding missing ingredient data is now much easier. If a diet parameter cannot be calculated due to missing values for an ingredient, that ingredient will be listed in the value tool tip.
• If the diet does not reach the minimum ME required to begin calculation the reason will be shown in the diet values tool tips.
• When importing feeds and mixes into the current library, the feeds within a selected mixes can now be selected automatically in the feed list.
• Acid detergent fibre (ADF) has been added as a feed parameter and is now reported for the diet.
• ADF values have been added to the default feed library.
• The scientific name for the feed’s plant species has been added in the Feed Editor.
• Scientific names have been added to the default feed library for many feeds.
• Feeds can now have other names added in the Feed Editor.
• Alternative and other language names have been added to the Rumen8 default feed library for many feeds.
• Feeds can now be searched for using part or all their name, scientific name or other names from within the Feed Editor and the Edit menu.
• When opening a saved diet if ingredients are missing for the current or stored diets Rumen8 now searches for them in the feeds that are not visible and in other libraries. Alternatives are shown to the user so they can replace the missing ingredient in the Feed Editor.
• Reports now also remember the previous report type, number of cows, target DM% and batch weight so when a subsequent report is created the window opens to the last used report type and parameters.
• A peNDF calculator has been added to the Feed Editor. This allows the feed NDF value to be changed and the peNDF value is updated to stay the same proportion of the NDF content.
• A new intake estimate method has been added for dairy cows from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. See the References listed in the About menu for the full reference.
• The main window now opens in the same position it was when Rumen8 was previously closed.
• Rumen8 will now warn the user to use Dairy mode if only dairy breeds are selected in beef mode.
• The User Guide now more clearly explains which feeding standards are the used in beef and dairy modes.
• Enteric methane production for non-lactating dairy animals has been added.

• CHANGED

• The 'optimiser spreadsheet has been updated' message is now clearer that manual set up is not required unless the optimiser fails with an error.
• The cost per MJ and per kg CP columns on the Costs tab now display the cost after losses, not before losses.
• Slide 9 of the tutorial for beef has had 'she' changed to it as it could be referring to a male animal.
• The Feed Editor feed parameters section now displays 0 for costs after losses when cost, losses or DM content are 0 instead of a dash.
• Many of the windows now have window icons that match their menu icons.
• Introductory text in the User Guide now includes other farming systems, not just pasture dominated ones.
• The name 'Kikuyu' changed to 'Kikuyu grass' in the introductory tutorial.
• Report type 'Diet Comparison Report' has (DM) added to clearly distinguish it from the similar (as fed) report.
• On the dairy diet detail tab Ash content has been moved from under the carbohydrate section to down under the more closely related magnesium mineral content.
• The live weight change calculator now states explicitly it is based on the Australian 1-8 body condition score system.
• The option to turn the safety margin off in the dairy advanced preferences has been removed as the feeding standard recommends applying it. It is now always on.
• The dairy Animal menu now refers to standard cows and drying off cows, not animals.
• On the dairy Diet details tab the Maximum DMI% tool tip width has been halved to make it more readable.
• The tool tip for dairy breed has been edited for readability.
• The tool tip for dairy distance walked on the Animal tab has had the distances changed from meters to kilometres to improve readability.
• Slide 6 of the Introduction to Rumen8 tutorial has had the default feed library made explicit to make the ingredient source clearer. Also, as-fed added as an alternative entry to the DM amount box.
• The tool tips for the mix cost and mix ingredients cost in the feed editor have been edited to make it clearer the total cost of the mix must be entered in the mix cost entry box.
• The length of the transition period has been reduced from 28 to 21 days in line with recommended practice. Whether a cow is deemed to be in transition influences the DM intake estimate, mineral requirements, and milk fever calculation.
• The dairy menu option to dry off a cow now sets the days pregnant parameter to day 226. This is the start of the period and is earlier than the previous day 250.
• The dairy menu option to move a cow into transition now sets the days pregnant parameter to day 265. This is the start of the period and is earlier than the previous day 270.
• The Library drop down menus have been made wider to accommodate longer names.
• The 4000-litre standard cow has had its live weight increased to 500, 450, 500 kg for early, mid, and late lactation respectively.
• The tool tip for non-fibrous carbohydrates was edited for readability.
• The production line on the Compare tab now displays milk production for lactating cows and live weight gain for all others. The heading changes based on the type of animal stored.
• The default values for NDF intake as a percentage of liveweight have been changed from 1.1% to cow 1.2%, dry 1.0%, transition 0.8% and heifer 1.0%.
• Resetting the preferences to the defaults now sets the currency to the system currency.
• The Holstein breed has been changed to Type AB as the literature is ambiguous whether it is A or B (it was previously type B). The ME and MP demand calculation have been modified to account for proportion of type A and B in cross bred beef and dual-purpose animals instead of simply A, B or AxB options. Breed type is reported in breed title text tool tip on the beef animal tab.
• The beef optimiser spreadsheet has been updated to include the new beef type AB calculations above.
• Values are now displayed in regional formats. For example, 1200.00 is 1,200.00 in Australia and 1.200,00 in the Netherlands.
• The ingredient intake totals are now always displayed, not only after the diet reaches 75% of the maintenance requirement of the animal.
• When importing feeds and mixes into the current library all the feeds in a selected mix are automatically imported. This is now explained in the mix heading along with how imported feeds may be renamed.
• The NDF tool tip information has been updated and includes the relationship with the newly added ADF value for the diet.
• The dietary kilograms of NDF value has been moved into the NDF% tool tip on the Diet detail tab.
• Typing a value in a numeric input box and pressing the enter/return key no longer makes a ding sound.
• The cow body condition, feed intake and milk production through a lactation graph has been updated in the days in milk tool tip on the Dairy tab.
• The DCAD value tool tip on the Diet Detail tab now always shows the amount of K, Na, S and Cl in the diet. It previously only did this if DCAD could be calculated for the diet.
• The feed costs after losses are now shown even if the losses are 0%.
• The beef recommended levels ranges have been widened for NDF, sugar and starch.
• The tool tip for the dairy standard DMI heading has been rewritten for clarity.
• The tool tip font has been changed to Arial and slightly increased in size to make the text easier to read and the decimal points and commas easier to distinguish.
• Large traffic lights are now visible and grey when no diet has been entered instead of being hidden.
• The 'Days in milk' tool tip has been updated for dairy animals.
• The dairy heifer live weight change calculator has had the tool tip text for 'Mature cow weight' updated.
• The enteric methane tool tips have been updated.
• The Batching report has been modified. When water is added to the mix to lower the dry matter percentage to the target level, the mix will not exceed the batch weight. Previously the water added was in addition to the batch weight.
• The Batching report target dry matter content now has a recommended value range in the tool tip.
• The tool tip for ingredient dry matter and as-fed content has been updated for clarity.
• The corrupted settings error message was expanded to provide better information on how to fix the issue.
• The starch tool tip information has been improved.
• The Training Guide has been removed as it was out of date and has been replaced by the training documentation on the Rumen8 website.
• Urea DM changed to 1000 g/kg.
• Niu (2018) methane reference added to beef mode reference list.
• NRC (2016) reference added to beef mineral demand and warnings reference list.

• FIXED
• A bug that caused the mineral supply value to not show as a dash when one of the ingredients was missing the mineral content value has been fixed.
• Feed comments over 2 lines no longer overwrite the mix definition in the Feed Library report.
• The feed parameter Chlorine was incorrectly labelled Chloride in some parts of Rumen8.
• A bug in the PE NDF calculation in the beef and dairy optimiser spreadsheets has been fixed.
• A bug in the ME demand calculation for mature type A animal growth in the beef optimiser spreadsheet has been fixed.
• The column heading for the Equivalent units on the dairy Price tab is no longer truncated if the currency has three characters, for example KES.
• Resetting the preferences to the defaults no longer causes an error.
• The MP detail window was incorrectly displaying a MP correction amount when in beef mode. This was not being used in the demand calculation and was only a display problem.
• The beef optimiser no longer incorrectly applies a safety margin in some cases.
• The diet dry matter content is no longer displayed in the incorrect location in Compact mode.
• The Forage:Concentrate ratio on the Diet Detail tab now displays a dash instead of 0:100 when the diet performance is not calculated when intake is much lower than the maintenance demand of the animal.
• The excess protein milk yield/live weight change value now displays a dash when the diet performance is not calculated when intake is much lower than the maintenance demand of the animal.
• The income tool tip when in compact mode no longer incorrectly states the income was from milk for beef cows that were not dual purpose.
• The cow live weight change calculator now gives the user an error message when no diet has been loaded.
• The diet cost per MJ of ME and per cow per day now do not display cents when they are turned off in the preferences.
• The heifer calculator herd's mature cow weight text tool tip no displays more information instead of the heading twice.
• The heifer calculator weigh date text has been fixed.
• A bug that caused the Compact mode Income tool tip to not update when changing Beef animal type has been fixed.
• The beef FCR value tool tip is no longer is incorrectly displayed when switching back to Dairy mode.
• Imported feeds that are the same as existing feeds but are to be imported regardless are now renamed correctly.
• Fixed a bug in the $Feed/$Gain calculation for beef animals with prices based on carcase weight.
• Fixed a bug that displayed the current DMI value on the Optimiser tab in red when it should have been black.
• Beef automatic milk yield is now 0 when days since calving is 0 as the cow is assumed to be dry, not just calved.
• Bug that resulted in beef breeds not being included in the breed drop-down menus after breeds added and removed in certain sequences.

Version 4.0.3.2 September 2022

• NEW
• Added a ‘FAQ’ menu to the Help menu that takes opens the new frequently asked questions page on the website.
• The registration window now has a link to the registration page on the website if Rumen8 is not registered.
• The Jersey breed has been added to the list of beef breeds to allow jersey crosses.
• The dairy DCAD tooltip now displays the sodium, potassium, chloride and sulphur concentrations in the diet.
• The RDP and UDP (%CP) values on the Diet Detail tab now have the total grams of RDP/UDP and the percentage of DMI value in the tool tip.

• CHANGED
• The optimiser has been separated for beef and dairy diets reducing solving time and improving accuracy of the optimised diets.
• The tool tip for the General AFRC DMI estimation method has been edited for clarity.
• The MP Detail window excess protein cost tool tips have been edited to make it clearer this is net ME.
• The ME Detail window Em tool tip has been edited to make it clear it includes the activity allowance for dairy animals (it doesn't include it for beef animals).
• Minor changes to the About and Splash windows.
• Minor changes to the introductory tutorial.
• The tool tip for dairy breed has been expanded to give more guidance on choosing between the 3 options.
• The DCAD calculator is now available if one of the sodium, potassium, chloride or sulphur values are 0. The user is warned to check them.

• FIXED
• The optimiser spreadsheets can now repair the Solver installation when the VBA reference is missing.
• The DCAD value on the ingredient detail window was truncating the value when it was more than 4 digits.
• If the recommended levels are set to automatic on the Diet detail tab they now change correctly when a new diet is opened.

Version 4.0.2.0 June 2022

• NEW
• Added a ‘New’ option in the File menu to start a new diet.
• The excess dietary protein reference (Tyrrell and Reid 1965) has been added to the reference list.
• The dairy Diet detail and MP Detail window Excess protein value now has the two components of that value shown in the tool tip.
• The dairy excess protein section on the Diet detail tab now displays total excess protein in addition to the forgone production estimate.
• The dairy excess protein section on the Diet detail tab now displays forgone live weight gain if the animal is not a lactating cow.
• Control right click on an ingredient number to set the amount to 0.00kg.
• Day of lactation and Days in milk are disabled when they are not relevant for the selected animal on the animal tab.
• Increasing the size of the Rumen8 window on high resolution displays using Windows settings added to the Getting started section of the User Guide.

• CHANGED
• The beef Diet detail tab now displays the excess protein in the diet along with forgone production (milk or live weight gain) similar to dairy mode.
• The tool tip for the General AFRC DMI estimation method has been edited for clarity.

• FIXED
• An error in the calculation of the potential milk yield forgone due to excess protein in the diet has been fixed. This will result in reduced estimates of milk loss.
• Minor edits in the User Guide.
• The beef excess protein warning no longer appears when no ingredients have been added to the diet.
• A bug that prevented changing beef cow type after starting in dairy mode and then opening a previously saved beef diet.

Version 4.0.1.0 April 2022

• NEW
• Beef breed Fleckvieh added.

• CHANGED
• Expansion of the tool tip text for beef cow DMI method to include dual-purpose cows.
• Beef animal live weight at sale entry box increment reduced to 1kg from 5kg.

• FIXED
• A validation error that meant save files with Belgium Blue cows could not be opened.
• A bug that caused automatic milk yield calculation for beef cows to be incorrect for the first diet calculated by Rumen8.
• Minor edits in the User Guide.
• Tool tip spelling errors.
• The first beef payment price at slaughter when paid by carcase weight now calculates correctly after opening a new diet.
• The first beef payment price sometimes did not save after changing payment type.

Version 4.0.0.17 March 2022

• CHANGED
• The diet opening error message now refers to animals, not cows.

• FIXED
• A validation error that occurs when opening a diet with DMI estimation set to AFRC has been fixed.

Version 4.0.0.16 March 2022

• FIXED
• When opening a diet and changing back to the feed and preference libraries used to create it, Rumen8 now refreshes the menu and display correctly.

Version 4.0.0.15 March 2022

• FIXED
• An error causing diet files with empty compare stores to not open has been fixed.

Version 4.0.0.14 March 2022

• CHANGED
• The main window can no longer be maximised.

• FIXED
• Several User Guide screen shots have been updated.
• Fixed opening diet files with very high feed costs per tonne.

Version 4.0.0.13 March 2022

• NEW
• Feed, Preference and Prices libraries have been simplified. Users with multiple libraries can now easily manage them within Rumen8.
• The Optimiser spreadsheet setup has been simplified. It now only requires one setting in Excel changed to grant Rumen8 access.
• The feeds now have links to additional nutrition information on the Feedipedia website where available. You can find them in the ingredient detail window.
• A tutorial for new users now runs when Rumen8 is opened for the first time. It is also available from the Help menu.
• Rumen pH is now estimated on the Diet Detail tab. This can be turned on in the Preferences and is currently experimental so use it with caution.

• CHANGED
• Effective NDF (eNDF) has been renamed physically effective NDF (peNDF).
• Physically effective NDF is no longer expressed as a percentage of the NDF dry matter content. It is now a percentage of the total diet dry matter content. Old feed libraries will be converted automatically when they are imported.
  Remember to adjust your recommended levels values for peNDF in Preferences.

Version 3.7.3.4 April 2022

• CHANGED
• Expansion of the tool tip text for beef cow DMI method to include dual-purpose cows.
• Beef animal live weight at sale entry box increment reduced to 1kg from 5kg.

• FIXED
• A validation error that meant save files with Belgium Blue cows could not be opened.
• A bug that caused automatic milk yield calculation for beef cows to be incorrect for the first diet calculated by Rumen8
• Tool tip spelling errors.
• The first beef payment price at slaughter when paid by carcase weight now calculates correctly after opening a new diet.
• The first beef payment price sometimes did not save after changing payment type.

Version 3.7.3.3 March 2022

• CHANGED
• NDF intake check when opening a diet file now checks all beef animals, not just cows.

• FIXED
• When switching to dairy compact mode the milk price now changes to prices 1.

Version 3.7.3.2 November 2021

• FIXED
• A bug that prevented the update of a saved diet file from version 2 to 3.
• A bug that caused an error at start up reading the beef sale dates when the Windows language was set to Dutch.

Version 3.7.3.1 September 2021

• NEW
• Belgium Blue has been added to the beef breed list.

• CHANGED
• The Animal tab farm terrain tool tip graphic updated with new activity ME demands.
• Vertical movement for flat, undulating and steep farm terrain has been increased to 25, 85 and 175 m/km respectively from fixed heights to better represent real-world heights walked.
• The ME detail window no longer displays the headings for fasting metabolism (F) and feeding level correction (Cl) when in beef mode.
• The reference to cow changed to animal on the Animal tab number of cows and the Compare tab when restoring.
• Standard live weights have been updated for Boran, Devon, Hereford, Holstein, Nguni and Red Poll breeds. These can be seen in the breed tool tip.

• FIXED
• The recommended levels active set number now saves just for the selected industry.
• Activity allowance ME calculation adjusted to reflect a correction in the AFRC feeding standard.
• Spelling errors in beef DMI General AFRC tool tip.
• The units in the beef CP warning tool tip have been changed to % instead of the previously incorrect g/kg.
• Initialisation error that prevented Rumen8 starting on some Windows 7 computers.
• The Diet tab can now be disabled via the Preferences when in beef mode.

Version 3.7.2.2 August 2021

• FIXED
• Beef excess MP warning now correctly displays when excess is greater than 10%, not for any excess.
• Milk price warning when opening a diet file now switches price set correctly when requested.
• Removing all ingredients now displays a dash for methane and beef feed efficiency measures.
• Beef income per day now displays a dash when there is no diet data.

Version 3.7.2.1 August 2021

• CHANGED
• Mineral supply and demand tool tips have been edited for clarity.
• High magnesium tool tip warnings have been removed for transition cows as their diet supply limit is higher at 4.5 g/kg DMI.

• FIXED
• The diet report was reporting DCAD incorrectly.
• Feed costs tab calculation of cost per MJ ME and per kg CP now works for diet ingredients that were entered on an as fed basis.

Version 3.7.2.0 July 2021

• NEW
• Feed costs tab now displays cost per MJ and per kilogram of crude protein for each ingredient.

• CHANGED
• Maximising the main window has been disabled.
• Start-up debug logging extended until user takes control.

• FIXED
• The tool tip in the Preferences for milk components as mass/mass was incorrectly showing the mass/volume text.
• The tool tip in the Preferences for the 5% safety margin incorrectly showed ME and MP when the Feed into Milk cow protein model was in use.
• For some regions an error occurred when getting the region list from the Windows operating system.
• A validation error for the recommended levels parameter FeedEfficiencyMSMax was incorrectly displayed for some .rm8 files when opened.

Version 3.7.1.0 July 2021

• NEW
• Beef breed tool tips now show the breed type (A or B) in addition to the standard reference weight (SRW) and standard birth weight (SBW).

• CHANGED
• Beef breeds Ankole, Boran and Texas Longhorn have been changed to Type A from Type B breed type.
• The beef live weight change calculator is no longer available for lactating cows and dual-purpose cows as it is not suitable for these animals while producing milk.
• Live weight loss for lactating cows or dual-purpose cows does not result in a negative income from gain. Other animal types and dry cows losing weight will reduce the margin with a negative income from gain.
• The tool tip text for beef live weight change has been expanded to better explain how gender, breed type and stage of maturity influence it. Alternative text has been provided for lactating cows and dual-purpose cows.

• FIXED
• The 5% safety margin was incorrectly being applied to the MP demand when using the FiM dairy cow model.
• Changing the cow model would sometimes revert to AFRC if FiM was selected and the correction factor was already 1.00.
• The Feed as a % of income recommended levels traffic light now correctly shows red when over and yellow when under the recommended range instead of the reverse.
• The Compare tab margin units now correctly show /head/d for beef cattle.
• The check for updates menu option now does check for an update.

Version 3.7.0.12 June 2021

• NEW
• Rumen8 can now be used with beef cattle! Users can switch between Dairy and Beef in the File menu.
  The beef nutrition model includes six classes of beef cattle (unmated and mated heifers, steers, bulls, beef cows and dual-purpose beef/dairy cows) with a choice from dozens of cattle breeds and their crosses (B. taurus as well as B. indicus breeds).
• Added net ME demand parameters for growth (Eg) and maintenance + production (Emp) to the ME Detail form.
• The feed library 'User', 'Default' and 'Shared' feed library flags open the folder containing the feed library file in Windows Explorer when clicked.
• The main window flags above the bottom strip for user feed library, shared feed library & milk price file open the folder containing the file in Windows Explorer when clicked.
• Rumen8 now displays an hourglass mouse pointer when optimising, exiting preferences or loading a diet file.
• Warnings for low phosphorus and high magnesium in the diet have been added.

• CHANGED
• Faster start up as validation data is no longer held in database files read from disk.
• The fat corrected milk equation has been improved as it takes into account milk protein and lactose. Dairy feed intake using the NRC method will vary slightly from previous versions.
• The advanced preferences no longer show the Preferences.db3 file name. Instead, a 'Default' or 'User' flag similar to the feed library is shown with details in the tool tip.
• The milk prices file expanded panel no longer shows the MilkPrices.db3 file name. Instead, a 'Default' or 'User' flag similar to the feed library is shown with details in the tool tip.
• The reports font has been updated from the depreciated Arial Unicode MS to Arial.
• The feed editor tabs have been renamed to better describe their function.
• The feed editor tabs have been reordered so the frequently used tab (feeds) is in the left most position.
• The height walked per day for flat, undulating and steep terrain farms has been revised up to 25, 85 and 175 metres respectively.

• FIXED
• Reports with DMI% now correctly switch between estimation methods.
• The Optimiser DMI seed values are now used correctly.

Version 3.6.1.1 December 2020

• NEW
• The Kingdom of the Netherlands logo has been added to the Acknowledgements page.
• The Acknowledgements, References and EULA windows can be closed by pressing the escape key.

• CHANGED
• The optimiser setup instructions in the User Guide have been updated and improved to make the process clearer.

• FIXED
• The calculation of net energy for milk production was slightly underestimating the ME demand.
• Windows should no longer open off the top of the screen.
• Preferences no longer fails on start for some users when a custom currency is selected.

Version 3.6.1.0 September 2020

• NEW
• Feed and mix comments can now be edited in a larger window in the feed editor.
• Feed and mix comments can be viewed in a larger window in the component detail window. URLs are blue and when clicked open in the default browser.
• Feed and mixes in the feed editor lists can be double clicked on to edit.

• CHANGED
• The optimiser setup instructions in the User Guide have been updated and improved to make the process clearer.

• FIXED
• Preferences cow NDF intake percent now correctly saves to 1 decimal place.
• Preferences heifer NDF intake percent now saves.
• The milk prices check when opening a diet file no longer offers to switch to another price when in Compact mode.

Version 3.6.0.2 August 2020

• NEW
• The Optimiser tab now has diet parameters next to constraint ranges that highlight red when they are out of range and active.
• The Optimiser tab has a new button allowing the user to choose from the recommended level ranges for common optimiser parameters.
• You can now create a mix from the current diet from the Edit menu.
• Standard cow definitions can now be modified in the preferences.
• Recommended levels automatic switching can now be based on days pregnant in addition to day of lactation.
• A feeds and mixes report is available from the feed editor.
• Word search and jump to page has been added to the report preview.
• MilkPrices.db3 and Preferences.db3 library files can now be located in any folder. Controls for new and opening existing library files are in preferences and the Milk prices tab.
• If the current MilkPrices.db3 or Preferences.db3 library files are missing they can be replaced or located during start up.
• File menu 'Open with libraries' and 'Save as with libraries' have been added allowing a folder to contain all library files and a rm8 file and be opened and saved with one click.
• Reports are now able to be exported in multiple formats.

• CHANGED
• Standard cows no longer update the farm terrain or distance walked animal parameters.
• The recommended levels selection buttons on the Diet detail tab now have tool tips that show the current ranges for day of lactation and days pregnant ranges when active.
• Menu text is now capitalised correctly.
• The preferences tool tip detail setting no longer has the option for none. Tool tips contain too much information to be turned off completely.
• The extended tool tips now stay open longer.
• The standard cow default parameters have been updated.
• Feed efficiency $ Milk / $ Feed now has 3 decimal places.
• Feed cost $/ME MJ and feed efficiency $ Milk/ $ Feed still display one decimal place even when the ‘Display cents’ preference is turned off.

• FIXED
• The import feed file was not being closed correctly if it was opened and then the import cancelled by the user.
• The day of lactation calculator on the Animal tab now allows 500-day lactations.

Version 3.5.1.1 May 2020

• Fixed
• The tool tips on the main window have been restored.
• Some tool tips have been reworded for clarity.

Version 3.5.1.0 February 2020

• NEW
• Mineral demand for dry and transition/close-up cows is now based on Lean and Degaris Transition Cow Management (2010).
• Supply and demand of minerals is now expressed as percent or g/kg of dry matter intake in the value tool tip.
• A DCAD calculator is now available in the feed editor.
• The term close-up is used instead of transition outside of Australia and New Zealand.

• CHANGED
• The icons for the 3 calculator buttons on the Animal tab have been changed.
• The transition period has been lengthened from 21 to 28 days in line with Lean and Degaris Transition Cow Management (2010).
• The dry matter intake estimate now shows a green traffic light or progress bar asymmetrically, so it is green earlier when the cow is not fully fed.
• The feed editor's 'Add New' feed button has been removed to encourage users to only modify a copy of an existing feed. Hold the shift key down to access the 'Add New' functionality.
• Selecting a standard cow no longer changes the DMI method or the number of cows in the herd.
• The general preferences standard tool tips level tool tip made clearer.
• The DMI 'standard' method renamed to 'conventional' on Animal tab and general preferences.
• Optimiser spreadsheet logo updated and some cosmetic changes.

• FIXED
• When adding a new feed all the required radio buttons show red as not set, not just management category.
• The feed editor feeds Add Copy button tool tip fixed.
• The tab order on the feed editor feed parameters now works correctly.
• A few spelling errors fixed.

Version 3.5.0.2 November 2019

• NEW
• Milk price volume discount can now be negative allowing a volume payment.
• NDF from forage, eNDF, starch, sugar, NFC, F:C, ash and fat now report total quantity of kilograms dry matter in the tool tip of the percentage value.
• If a read only shared feed library cannot be upgraded it now reports the library author when informing the user.

• CHANGED
• References to milk solids or MS changed to fat+protein or FP outside of Australia and New Zealand for clarity.
• Minimum starch recommended level reduced to 0 from 10%.
• Default cow modified to be more representative of a mid-lactation animal. Days pregnant is now 70 and days in milk 150.
• Some tool tips improved for clarity.
• Units added to feed efficiency recommended levels so clearer.

• FIXED
• Bug introduced in previous update that prevented recommended levels day of lactation parameter saving fixed.
• Definition of eNDF abbreviation in the user guide and help corrected.

Version 3.5.0.0 October 2019

• NEW
• Added ‘Compact’ mode that restores the simplicity of Rumen8 version 2.
• The feed editor menu option now has a keyboard shortcut Control-F.
• The optimiser has an additional fourth ingredient amount fed constraint.
• The optimiser now allows any ingredient amount fed to be constrained.
• The feed editor can now import a CSV file with all the diet parameters.
• Mix feed percentages can now be entered on an ‘as fed’ basis.

• CHANGED
• Margin over feed costs (MOFC) has been renamed Margin above feed costs (MAFC) on the Diet report for countries other than Australia and New Zealand.
• Rumen8 version 2 diet save files are now opened via the File Open menu option and the File Import menu choice has been removed.
• The optimiser ingredient amount fed constraints are set with entry boxes, not a slider.
• The Optimiser ‘kilograms of concentrate’ constraint has been reduced to 1 decimal place.
• The End User License Agreement (EULA) has changed and must be accepted to use Rumen8.
• Cosmetic changes for the Splash and About windows.
• Added an Acknowledgements window available from the About window.

• FIXED
• A Forage:Concentrate ratio of 0:100 now correctly causes a warning on the Diet tab.
• Particle size class and protein type are now correctly reported in the diet ingredient tool tip.

Version 3.4.0.1 July 2019

• CHANGED
• Rumen8 will now open with an empty feed library.

• FIXED
• Mixes with missing feeds no longer prevent Rumen8 from starting. You will be warning and asked to fix or delete the mix in the feed editor.
• Mixes with feeds with a missing cost no longer prevent Rumen8 from starting.
• Fixed the feed editor so a feed name warning was not incorrectly carried over to the next feed in rare circumstances.

Version 3.4.0.0 July 2019

• NEW
• A second feed library can be used alongside the usual default or user feed library. This library is intended for teams and cannot be edited.
• A warning appears on the Optimiser tab if any of the diet ingredients have no cost.

• CHANGED
• Open and save folder paths are now remembered between sessions.
• Feed library file names have been added to the User Feed Library flag on the main window.
• The optimiser constraints for concentrate and ingredient 1, 2 and 3 can now be set to 2 decimal places.
• Better warning messages when a diet ingredient is missing from the feed library.
• A flag appears on the main window showing when a currency divisor has been set in the Preferences.
• The feed editor select tab layout has been improved.

• FIXED
• Changing the name of an existing feed now updates any parent mixes correctly.
• The prompt window now displays the correct store number when restoring a diet.

Version 3.3.0.6 May 2019

• Fixed a bug that allowed entry of a milk price just over the maximum 999/L.
• Fixed a bug that increased milk prices in the save file.

Version 3.3.0.5 May 2019

• Fixed a bug that prevented dry matter content being calculated for some mixes due to a rounding error.

Version 3.3.0.4 May 2019

• Fixed a bug that incorrectly calculated the mix dry matter cost if the cost on an ‘as fed’ basis was entered.
• Fixed a bug that allowed a new mix to be saved with no name.

Version 3.3.0.3 April 2019

• IMPORTANT CHANGE
• Protein demand by the cow is now calculated using the ‘Feed into Milk’ standard. Rumen8 will change to this method automatically when it starts for the first time. Using the previous AFRC method is not recommended but can be selected in the Advanced Preferences.

• NEW
• The cow protein demand model has been updated to the ‘Feed into Milk’ standard.
• The currency now defaults to the system symbol and can be changed in the Preferences.
• Currency cents can be turned off in the Preferences.
• Diet ingredients can be dragged from the ingredient number and dropped on another ingredient number or name to swap the position of the two ingredients.
• When importing feeds and mixes you can now choose to use feeds already in the feed library if they have the same parameters (other than the name).
• Multiple feeds and mixes can be deleted at once in the feed editor.
• The cost of feed ingredients is displayed in the mix editor.
• Enteric methane production has been added to the diet copy/paste function.

• CHANGED
• Improved sort buttons layout in the feed editor.
• Feed lists update more quickly in the feed editor.
• Import and export feeds now prevents you from exporting to or importing from the current feed library.

• FIXED
• Silage ‘Feed protein type’ may be incorrectly classed as ‘Grass silage’ instead of ‘Other silage’ when editing.
  Note: Rumen8 will correct all the provided non-grass silages on start-up. User created feeds will also be corrected if their name is the same as the Rumen8 provided feed with the addition of a suffix.
  Please check all silages to ensure feed protein type is correct.
• The methane intensity units now change correctly based on milk units.
• Feed import settings and folder paths are now remembered between sessions.
• Bug fixed that allowed feed or mix edit after import without feed or mix selected.

Version 3.2.3.0 February 2019

• NEW
• Enteric methane intensity and total production equations have been added to the diet detail tab.
• Diet ingredients weight as fed is now appended to data copied to the clipboard by the Edit->Copy menus allowing it to be pasted into other applications.
• Total fat in the diet is now reported in the fat % tool tip on the Diet detail tab.

Version 3.2.2.5 February 2019

• NEW
• Active recommended levels are now shown in the tool tips for the small traffic lights on the Animal tab and the constraint range text on the Optimiser tab.

• FIXED
• Optimiser update message links to the correct section of the User Guide.
• Optimiser updater improved.
• Missing feed library file message now exits correctly if the user chooses no new file.
• Diet comparison reports can now be saved to PDF files.
• Diet comparison reports no longer display 0’s for empty compare diets.
• Numerous minor cosmetic improvements.

Version 3.2.2.3 January 2019

• NEW
• NDF intake potential can be set individually for cows, dries, transition cows and heifers in the Preferences.
• Standard intake potential now has user preferences for dry and transition cows.
• Dry matter intake for NDF on the Diet Detail tab now shows the target quantity in the tool tip.
• Recommended levels sets in the Preferences can now be linked to a cow days in milk range and will change sets automatically. Switching between automatic and manual selection of recommended levels can be done on the Diet Detail tab via a new A/M button.
• When opening a saved diet you will be warned if the intake potential parameters have changed since the diet was saved. This is on by default in the Preferences.
• When opening a saved diet you can be warned if the milk price has changed since the diet was saved. This is off by default in the Preferences.
• The Split Herd tab can now be hidden in the Preferences if you don’t have split calving herds.
• DCAD has been added to the diet report.
• The start up window now shows a progress bar while Rumen8 loads.
• The Diet tab progress bars and percentage values now show actual values in the tool tip.

• CHANGED
• Intake potential estimation methods renamed to Standard and NDF.
• Intake potential method is now a property of the cow and set on the Animal tab, not a preference setting applied to all animals.
• The NDF recommended level maximum has been increased from 50 to 70%
• The Advanced Preferences value for net weight gain energy requirement has been changed from 19 to 22 MJ/kg liveweight gain if the values for net weight gain and loss are still the defaults. This is the result of updated literature search.
• Forage:Concentrate ratio now reports 0:100 or 100:0 instead of – if the diet is all one type.
• Milk price components ‘Volume’ discount has been renamed ‘Discount’ and units change with the milk units preference.
• The optimiser parameter sliders have been widened to make them easier to set accurately.
• Total solids ratio renamed to Fat to Protein ratio to be clearer for international users.

• FIXED
• The Organic matter tool tip now correctly shows – when no diet is loaded.
• The Diet tab now returns to the correct location if it is hidden and then turned back on.
• Recommended levels for NDF from forage as a percentage of liveweight now save correctly.
• A bug in the MilkPrice.db3 upgrade routine that caused an occasional failure during the upgrade has been fixed.
• Feed costs in the Diet detail window now display correctly when greater than $9999.
• Feed as a percent of income now displays percentages greater than 100.

Version 3.2.1.2 December 2018

• Fixed bug that displayed the equivalent milk prices incorrectly for dry cows.
• Fixed a bug that reset the heifer weight to 40kg occasionally.

Version 3.2.1.1 November 2018

• Fixed a bug that prevented Rumen8 from prompting to save when quitting with unsaved changes.

Version 3.2.1.0 November 2018

• NEW
• New diet comparison report added.
• Warnings added to the diet ingredients if the maximum feeding rate is exceeded.
• A fifth set of recommended levels added along with an off option. Now allows parameter ranges for early, mid & late lactation plus dry and transition herds.
• Maximum milk price increased to $9999.99.
• Diet ash content/organic matter content tool tip added to the Diet Detail tab.

• CHANGED
• Milk price now changes to cents per kilogram when the milk units are kilograms.
• Cow live weight change body condition score calculator revised and includes Penn State 1-5 system.
• Penn State body condition score system added to the live weight change tool tip.

• FIXED
• Fixed a bug that prevented some diet costs saving.

Version 3.2.0.1 August 2018

• CHANGED
• Feed costs are no longer displayed if any diet ingredient is missing its cost.

• FIXED
• Fixed a bug in the calculation of the $Milk/$Feed efficiency parameter.

Version 3.2.0.0 June 2018

• NEW
• Heifer mineral requirement added.
• Standard cows with 2000, 3000 & 4000 litre lactations added.
• Restoring a stored diet now has the option to also restore the animal.
• Maximum feed cost has been increased to $9999999/tonne.
• The herd margin will now display negative margins.
• Shift clicking a diet ingredient number will remove that ingredient.

• Provided grams of MP/litre of milk table in the tooltip for true protein concentration on the Animal tab.
• Added MP efficiency coefficients to the MP Detail window.

• CHANGED
• Feed editor import cancel button changed to Skip All to make the function clearer.
• Added tool tips to the Feed editor import CSV buttons.
• Changed the Import, Diet menu text to make it’s function clearer.
• Pasted forage:concentrate ratio increased to 2 decimal places and the title is clearer.
• The report disclaimer entry box style now matches others.
• Calculated ingredient amount (wet from entered dry matter and vice versa) now rounded to 2 decimal places to prevent rounding inconsistencies.
• Expanded the explanation for excess protein removal cost tooltip and changed units to KJ/g N.
• Expanded the excess protein forgone milk explanation in the tool tip.
• Improved wording of save default animal dialog box.
• Improved wording in the User Feed Library flag tooltip.
• Improved wording for menu option to move dry cow into transition herd.

• FIXED
• Fixed a bug that prevented the eNDF recommended levels traffic light from working.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the Forage:Concentrate recommended levels traffic light from turning off when no diet was loaded.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the recommended DCAD levels being updated to the 2017 values.
• Fixed a bug that prevented restoring the Split Herd diet in some circumstances.
• Fixed a bug that blanked wet cost when dry matter cost was entered as 0 and vice versa in feed and mix editor.
• Fixed calculation of the non-entered cost when the dry matter of the mix is changed and the mix is complete.
• Numerous internal updates to allow easier maintenance and future updates.

Version 3.1.2.0 May 2018

• NEW
• Added the NDF intake as a percent of liveweight to the Max DMI NDF% value on the Diet Detail tab.

• CHANGED
• Improved the heifer protein demand calculation by replacing the default 1.25 adjustment with a correction factor based on liveweight (Tedeschi 2015). This will increase heifer protein demand.
• Expanded tooltip information in Preferences for MP requirement adjustment and NDF intake as a percent of liveweight.

Version 3.1.1.4 April 2018

• Fixed a bug that prevented ingredient 10 restoring correctly from the Compare tab.
• Fixed a calculation error on the Diet report for ingredient mineral supply. Thanks to David H. for reporting this.
• Fixed the calculation of mix mineral absorption rates.

Version 3.1.1.3 March 2018

• NEW

• Added dry matter intake as a percentage of cow liveweight to the Diet detail tab.
• Added tool tips to the Milk price tab headings.

• CHANGED
• The Diet report now allows negative margin over feed costs and larger dollar values.
• The minimise and maximise controls have been restored to the main windows.

• FIXED
• Fixed a mix cost bug that prevented fresh weight costs being entered. Thanks to Glenys H. for reporting this.
• Fixed bug where preference validation values were not being read from the file correctly.

Version 3.1.1.2 March 2018

• Fixed occasional bug when importing an old diet file after a failed attempt to import a non-Rumen8 csv file.
• Improved milk prices database upgrade process.

Version 3.1.1.1 March 2018

• NEW
• Additional information about the Metabolisable Protein Correction Factor added to the User Guide, Help and Advanced preferences tooltip.

• FIXED
• Fixed a bug when importing a v2 feed library.
• Fixed bug when exporting mixes.

Version 3.1.1.0 March 2018

• NEW
• Diet, Batch and Feeding reports can be printed or saved as PDFs from the File menu (reports require the SAP runtime software to be installed, see Getting Started in the User Guide for details).
• Easily share feeds and mixes by exporting and importing them from the Feed Editor Selection tab.
• Combine separate diets for split herds in the new Split herd tab.
• Define up to 10 milk price sets in the Milk Price tab.
• Create diets for heifers by selecting a heifer in the Breed & Maturity drop-down menu.
• Calculate the target growth rate for heifer herds with the calculator on the Animal tab.
• Suggest cow live weight change with the calculator on the Animal tab.
• Estimate the additional liveweight change required to increase body condition score in the cow live weight change calculator.
• Milk fever risk is estimated for transition cow diets on the Diet Detail tab.
• There is now a warning on the Diet tab if a monitored parameter on the Diet Detail tab is out of the recommended range.

• CHANGED
• Animal parameters can be entered directly on the Animal tab in addition to using the sliders.
• The updated User Guide is now available from the Help menu, the F1 key or the help button (?) in the window title bar.