In the Guadalquivir Valley near Seville (Spain), the forage processing company AGROQUIVIR has implemented EVONIR by Dinamica Generale to improve control of its alfalfa dehydration process and guarantee consistent forage quality for international markets.
AGROQUIVIR was founded in 2001 when four agricultural cooperatives from the Guadalquivir Valley joined forces to create a technologically advanced forage dehydration facility. Over more than two decades, the company has developed into a leading producer of dehydrated forage products, supplying livestock nutrition markets across Europe and Asia.
The company combines agricultural expertise, modern processing technology and strict quality control to produce high-value dehydrated forage products for dairy and beef cattle feeding.
Today AGROQUIVIR operates a large-scale forage processing plant with significant production volumes:
The company processes different forage crops including:
With around 2,600 hectares of alfalfa fields, AGROQUIVIR carefully manages crop harvesting to maintain optimal forage quality, harvesting at less than 10% flowering to preserve maximum protein levels.
Processing plants like AGROQUIVIR handle large volumes of fresh forage every day, making raw material variability a major operational challenge.
According to Antonio Sánchez-Noriega, Production Manager and National Sales Manager, the plant processes approximately 500 tons of forage per day, requiring accurate monitoring of both crop quality and production efficiency.
“We must carefully control the manufacturing process as well as the quality of the incoming crop to produce the best possible forage product.”
To optimize production, the company needed to accurately measure the dry matter (DM) content and nutritional characteristics of incoming forage batches.
This information is critical for two key operational decisions:
Without reliable real-time data, these decisions would rely on estimates and manual sampling.
To solve this challenge, AGROQUIVIR integrated the EVONIR online NIR analyzer from Dinamica Generale into the plant production line in 2017.
EVONIR measures dry matter and nutritional parameters of forage in real time directly on the processing line. The system was installed aftermarket, demonstrating the flexibility of the technology for both new and existing dehydration plants.
The NIR sensor continuously analyzes the average dry matter value for each processed batch, allowing operators to monitor forage quality during production.
A remote display installed in the control room allows plant operators to immediately visualize the dry matter and nutrient values of the forage being processed.
This real-time visibility significantly improves production control and product consistency.
The installation of EVONIR has enabled AGROQUIVIR to achieve several operational improvements:
AGROQUIVIR plans to further integrate NIR technology into the plant automation system.
Upcoming developments include:
These innovations will further improve traceability, energy efficiency and quality control in forage processing.
This case study demonstrates how online NIR sensors like EVONIR can transform traditional forage dehydration plants into data-driven processing facilities.
By measuring dry matter and nutrients in real time, operators can optimize:
For companies processing alfalfa, corn silage and other forage crops, integrating NIR analysis directly into the production line provides a powerful tool for improving both operational efficiency and market value.
Agroquivir – EVONIR for forage processing plant
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