Ukrainian feed manufactures adapt to power outages

Power outages in recent months make operations of feed mills in Ukraine challenging, Victor Kot, technical director of the consulting firm Sey Dobro told a local publication Kurkul, adding that the best way now to avoid production disruptions is to purchase diesel generator with an 80-kWh starting capacity.

Planned power outages

Despite attempts to repair damaged civilian infrastructure after repeated Russian strikes, the Ukrainian authorities have been forced to introduce planned power outages to prevent the country’s remaining energy infrastructure from being overloaded. In December, the Ukrainian authorities said over 50% of energy users in the country had seen their electricity supply cut off.

In case of emergencies, it would be best for feed manufacturers to have a 30% reserve in power generation and make sufficient stocks of diesel fuel, he suggested.

“A properly selected generator will allow the company to reach the standard production capacity. Additionally, you can take measures to cut down energy consumption. For example, to provide a soft startup of the equipment. Thus, the load on the generator will rise gradually,” he said.

Conserving day-time power for livestock production

Currently, not to overload the energy network, most farmers have switched to manufacturing feed at night. During the day, they give priority to ventilation and heating of poultry and pig houses and to power refrigerators with finished products, Kot disclosed.

Simplifying livestock feed recipes

In addition, farmers could save some energy by better planning feed production. For example, they are advised to simplify feed recipes by using fewer ingredients where possible. Several farmers could join their forces in feed production.

“It will also be justified and perhaps cheaper to produce compound feed in a mobile plant. For example, Buschhoff offers feed mills with a capacity of up to 20 tonnes per hour placed on a truck chassis. You can, for example, unite with the surrounding farms, purchase this unit and provide yourself with compound feed,” Kot said.

Equip operations with stabilisers

All Ukrainian farms are also advised to take care of the battery pack for the control computer so that the equipment continues to operate when the power is turned off. To avoid damage to equipment by power surges, which remains possible in case of damage to the energy grid, Kot said that farmers need to equip their operations with stabilisers.