Why As-Is Values Are Lying to You (And How Dry Matter Basis Fixes It) Learn why as-is NIR values change with moisture and how dry matter basis gives you the real picture for feed, grain, and food analysis. <p>I've seen it dozens of times. A feed mill runs protein on their corn silage, gets 8.2% — and their nutritionist calls asking why the value dropped from last month's 9.1%. Same corn. Different moisture. Different number. That's the as-is trap.</p> <p>If you're reading NIR results on an as-is basis and not tracking moisture alongside every analyte, you're making decisions based on incomplete information. Let me break down exactly why this matters and what to do about it.</p> <p>As-is values — also called fresh weight or wet weight basis — report the nutrient content of your sample exactly as it arrived. If your corn silage comes in at 65% moisture, your protein value of 8.2% is calculated relative to that entire wet mass, moisture and all.</p> <h2>What "As-Is" Actually Means</h2> <h2>What Dry Matter Basis Means</h2> ← Back to NIR Spectroscopy Blog