A practical application of a numerical optimization technique in the feedmill industry

The cow model of Meijer describes a mathematical relation between the predicted daily milk production and the corresponding feed intake needed for lactating cows. The milk production is a function of several parameters defined for each cow. Used in least cost calculations of daily rations, an optimization problem is obtained, which consists of one highly non-linear equality constraint, together with several linear inequality constraints. Their number required in the optimization can vary and depends on the user’s choice. The cost function itself gives a linear relation between the prices of the different forages mixed in the optimal blend. The optimization result has been implemented with the aid of Augmented Lagrange Functions with a view to apply the program in the feedmill industry.