We have a lot going on in March!
We have a pretty full month of possibilities in March for AMTS users and Nutritionist Webinar listeners. We begin the month with a patch release, feedbank update, and the opportunity to trial the new and improved Advanced Optimizer. Our Thursdays will be consumed by a couple of webinars and a program use training. Additionally, Lynn, Tom, and I—still not traveling, have been working on various projects and activities with groups and distributors around the world.
Patch Release and AMTS Commercial Feedbank Update
The patch release actually took place late last week. Those of you running the program got a notice on opening that there was a newer version of the program available and were asked if you wanted to update. Now, we know that you all HATE to update. We get it, sometimes the update seems to make things work worse, sometimes you feel very comfortable with how things are working and your understanding of program flow, you have to call IT, and sometimes you just don’t have time for this! Honestly, I delayed updating my program because I was in the middle of a project and did not want to mess with the program. That, and my internet was really slow. By-the-way, if you are suffering from a slow internet, it might seem like the patch is not working. Give it time, go refresh your coffee, it will eventually start the download. Mine did, I thought it would not work and I would need to do a complete install instead, but it did. Really it was only a minute but, you know…
Also, if you are still needing to contact IT because you do not have admin status on your computer (pretty common with company computers), go back and read the blog about how Alex took away Admin Requirements. If you do a complete install, you will not have to click through that mildly irritating and somewhat alarming notice that asks if you trust AMTS.
There is an update to some feeds in the AMTS Commercial Feedbank. Previously, we did a blog that showed the various ways to download Feedbank updates–and why you should. These updates are a result of our specialty feed suppliers webpage and input form. We had a post about it in January. Going forward, we will be having planned feedbank releases twice yearly. There are 13 updated or new feeds in the AMTS Commercial Feedbank. They are:
| *Essentiom (Update) | *Jefo Lactation VB (Update) |
| *Exceller Meal (Update) | Jefo RECI BEEF (New Product) |
| Integral A+ (New Feed—Name change from Intergal) | *Jefo Transition VB (Update) |
| *Jefo Biotin 2% (Update) | *Jefo Vicomb (Update) |
| Jefo Bovinat RECI (New Feed) | *Jefo Vicomb P+ (Update) |
| *Jefo Choline 24% (Update) | *NexPro Protein Ingredient (Update) |
| Jefo Dairynat CALCIFAT (New Feed) |
After the feedbank has been released, you will get a notification that there has been an update to the Commercial Feed Library and asking if you would like to download. Click Yes. If you, in your frenzy to just get into the program, click right past that notification, you can use a different method to download the feedbanks. The video below shows how to download the current AMTS Feedbank from the program.
Webinars and Special Trainings
We will be hosting a plethora (well, three, actually) of webinars and regional trainings this month. Our March 11 The Nutritionist regular webinar will feature Dr Phil Cardoso of the University of Illinois talking about Feeding for Caw and calf success: a behind the scenes look. This should be fun! Phil is a marvelous speaker to work with and he was pretty excited for the recording tools we sent. I can’t wait to see his video!
Our second webinar will kick off our Sheep Nutritionist special series with Massoud Aoun, director of Idena in France. In addition to his responsibilities there, Massoud carries a lifetime of formulating and working with sheep in France. His talk will give us some background on different production sheep breeds and formulating in intensive production systems. His will be the first of three webinars focused on formulating for sheep. The March 18 webinar will be followed by Dr Philippe Hassoun, a researcher with INRAE—his topic milking sheep, April 15. We will conclude with John Winchell, from Alltech, May 20. John will bring the information learned in the first two talks, combine it with his experience using the Small Ruminants model here in the US, and give us some formulation walk throughs.
Email to sign up for any of these excellent webinars. To see the rest of The Nutritionist Roster, view the 2021 webpage.
Finally, Lynn and I will be working with our Russian Distributor, Vadim Bakhchevnikov to do a program use training March 25, 6:00 AM EDT—Vadim will facilitate in Russian. If anyone reading this in Russia would like more information, contact Vadim.
Advanced Optimizer Trial for Licensed and Trial Users!
Finally, we are excited to offer a free trial of the new, improved Advanced Optimizer for the Month of March. I wrote about it when we released version 4.16 in December, Tom remains just as pleased with the results as he was when he helped record this tutorial video. It really is a good video that not only demonstrates the Advanced Optimizer but also delves into some of Tom’s tips for formulating and setting up the recipe screen. We want you to try it out! For the next 31 days you will have access to the Advanced Optimizer tab on your recipe screen. You can also take advantage of this promotion if you are just trialing the program. When you download the 30-day trial, you receive an automated email that includes a license key. If you want to access the Advanced Optimizer special promotion, you must activate your trial! That is all there is to it! For those of you part-way through the 30-day trial period, you will not have as long to play with it. You can contact us to see if we will extend your trial period.