Tag: Residual feed intake

Across different fields, a single term can have drastically different meanings; the concepts of **feed and residual** are prime examples, applying to everything from agricultural economics to financial analysis and livestock breeding. The specific context is crucial for correctly interpreting these terms, as their definitions vary widely depending on the industry or application.

According to agricultural research, feed costs can account for 60–70% of total production expenses in livestock operations. Optimizing feed efficiency is therefore a major goal, and understanding what is the residual feed intake (RFI) is key to this process. RFI is a modern metric that measures an animal's feed efficiency independent of its body weight and growth rate, providing a more precise tool for genetic selection.