With evolving dairy industry in India, the focus is steadily shifting from conventional feeding practices to more scientific, data-driven approaches. With rising feed costs, increasing pressure on productivity, and the need to improve reproductive efficiency, precision nutrition is emerging as a game changer for dairy farmers and feed manufacturers alike.
In an e-interaction, Dr Manish Pathak, a seasoned industry expert from Carus Laboratories shared insights into the evolving dynamics of dairy nutrition, the growing importance of amino acid balancing, and how technology-driven solutions—including AI—are shaping the future of the sector. The discussion also highlights practical strategies to address on-ground challenges such as heat stress, fragmented farm structures, and the need for sustainable profitability.
Could you briefly share your professional journey and elaborate on your current role?
With over 11 years of experience in the livestock and dairy nutrition sector, my journey has been focused on integrating technical expertise with commercial strategy. I began my career with a strong emphasis on precision nutrition, feed formulation, and amino acid balancing, and gradually transitioned into techno-commercial leadership roles.
Currently, as General Manager at Carus Laboratories, I oversee strategic marketing and business development. My role involves delivering performance-driven, cost-optimised nutritional solutions for dairy producers and feed manufacturers. Our core focus is on precision dairy nutrition—enabling farmers to enhance milk yield and reproductive efficiency while maintaining profitability.
With over a decade of experience in the livestock sector, how do you view the industry structure and key farmer challenges?
The livestock industry in India and South Asia remains highly fragmented, with a significant proportion of smallholder farmers. Unlike Western markets, herd sizes are smaller, and decision-making is often driven by cost considerations rather than data-led nutritional planning.
Key challenges include:
- Fluctuating feed costs
- Limited awareness of precision nutrition
- Mineral deficiencies leading to reproductive and metabolic disorders
- Heat stress management
- Inconsistent milk pricing structures
Farmers often prioritise short-term milk output over long-term herd health and reproductive efficiency. The need of the hour is a balanced nutritional approach that supports both productivity and fertility.
Precision nutrition and amino acid balancing are relatively new concepts in India. What benefits do they offer?
Precision nutrition focuses on feeding animals according to their actual nutritional requirements rather than relying on assumptions. Amino acid balancing plays a key role in this approach by optimising limiting amino acids such as methionine and lysine, instead of simply increasing crude protein levels. This leads to multiple benefits, including improved milk protein percentage, enhanced nitrogen utilisation, reduced feed cost per litre of milk, lower metabolic stress, and better reproductive performance. Rather than increasing protein indiscriminately, the emphasis shifts toward improving protein efficiency, resulting in superior milk quality, greater cost efficiency, and improved environmental sustainability.
With summer approaching, what nutritional strategies can help mitigate heat stress?
Heat stress is one of the most significant, yet often underestimated, factors affecting dairy productivity. Effective nutritional strategies to mitigate its impact include increasing dietary energy density, maintaining electrolyte balance through DCAD management, supplementing rumen-protected amino acids, providing adequate antioxidant support, and ensuring optimal mineral balance. Additionally, adjusting feeding schedules to cooler hours of the day can help sustain feed intake. Maintaining rumen health is particularly critical during summer, as intake typically declines, making precision nutrition even more important under such conditions.
What is the ideal feeding strategy for medium- to high-performing dairy farms?
An effective feeding programme should be closely aligned with the animal’s stage of lactation to ensure optimal productivity and health outcomes. During early lactation (0–70 days), the primary focus should be on minimising negative energy balance, supporting metabolic stability through rumen-protected amino acids, ensuring proper DCAD management, and maintaining an optimal body condition score of 2.75 to 3.25.
In mid-lactation, the objective shifts toward sustaining peak milk production by optimising the protein-to-energy ratio while closely monitoring fertility parameters. As cows move into late lactation, feeding strategies should aim to prepare them for the dry period while preventing over-conditioning.
The dry period itself is critical and requires controlled energy intake, effective DCAD balancing, and a strong mineral programme, with particular emphasis on transition cow management. Overall, feeding strategies must be carefully aligned with both production targets and reproductive goals to achieve long-term herd performance and profitability.
How does Carus differentiate itself in a highly competitive nutritional market?
While the market offers a wide range of products, meaningful differentiation remains limited. Strength in this space lies in adopting science-based formulations, precise nutrient balancing, and a clear focus on nutrient bioavailability rather than mere inclusion levels. Equally important are cost-optimised ration design and robust technical advisory support. The emphasis is increasingly shifting from product offerings to delivering measurable, outcome-driven solutions that enhance milk yield, improve milk composition, and support overall reproductive performance.
How is Carus integrating AI-driven innovations into its approach?
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming dairy management, with increasing adoption of data-driven nutrition models, ration optimisation tools, and predictive performance analytics. The integration of AI enables more precise feed formulation, improved nutrient efficiency, better prediction of production trends, and more informed decision-making at the farm level. Looking ahead, the future of dairy nutrition will depend on effectively combining field expertise with digital intelligence to drive sustainable and efficient outcomes.
What is your message for feed manufacturers?
The future of dairy nutrition lies in precision rather than volume. Feed manufacturers need to shift their focus toward the use of highly bioavailable mineral sources, effective amino acid balancing, and the adoption of rumen-protected technologies, supported by strong scientific validation. Equally important is the emphasis on enhancing long-term farmer profitability. The objective should not be to increase input costs, but to maximise returns per rupee invested. Ultimately, when farmers prosper, the entire industry grows.
