Post by katiesdad on Dec 5, 2007 14:51:30 GMT -5
Here is another link for maximizing feedstuffs for your cows.
Feed Stuffs
Someone had mentioned about feeding corn-free grain to cows because a customer was allergic to corn. This article talks about some alternatives.
Bon appetit
Jeff
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“Good cows convert expensive feed to profitable levels of
milk. Their nutrient requirements do not change with the higher
feed prices. Dairy managers and nutritionists must look at
each feed ingredient and decide its nutritional impact and
economic cost. If the ration was ‘right’ last year, it should be
right in 2007 even if the cost is $1.10 per cwt of milk higher,”
so writes nutrition expert Mike Hutjens, extension dairy specialist
at the University of Illinois, Urbana.
Milk prices are nearly double what they were last year. But these
are challenging times for managing the rise in feed costs, now that
corn is no longer the low-cost feedstuff. Looking at feed ingredient
purchases for the coming year, dairy farmers are wondering what
they can do to cheapen their feed costs per cwt. of milk without
sacrificing animal health, performance, production and components.
The nice thing about dairy cows is, they are (believe it or not)
quite flexible. They can utilize a variety of feedstuffs to generate
milk production, so long as the ration is properly balanced and
consistent in meeting their nutritional requirements.
Least-cost (or best-cost) ration formulation, for example, strives
to produce the least expensive diet with a large number of feedstuffs
and/or nutrients. This requires careful sorting through a wide
range of options to arrive at the best ration for the cows.
As feed prices and milk prices fluctuate, remember that a
key factor in dairy farm profitability is ration quality: how well
the nutrient density and quantity and physical characteristics of a
diet meet the cow’s requirements.
Profitable feeding programs start with dry matter intake (DMI).
Within DMI, energy is usually the first limiting nutrient. Energy
intake is typically increased in two ways:
1) By increasing DMI via feeding management, TMR, forage
quality, optimum moisture.
2) By increasing energy concentration per unit of DMI via higher
quality forage, more grain, lower fiber levels, adding fat or oils.
In higher grain markets, we look more closely at how feed
ingredients are used to balance dairy rations.
Energy is supplied by carbohydrates in the form of neutral
detergent fiber (NDF) and non-fiber carbohydrate (NFC). Ration
cost-saving strategies for energy include:
1) Using more high-quality forage, and/or
2) Using more by-product feedstuffs for highly digestible NDF
and NFC.
By-products can be used to replace forage (i.e. whole cottonseed,
corn gluten feed, beet pulp, and soyhulls).
By-product feeds are also available to replace the energy from
corn in the diet, but replacing the starch from corn, is harder.
While studies demonstrate the value of using fermentable carbohydrates
from other feedstuffs as a replacement for grain starch, it is
not logical to think corn can be completely abandoned.
As corn prices rise, alternative feed prices rise also. Substitutes
must be evaluated beyond price per ton, to include the nutritional
value in comparison with the high-priced ingredient it is replacing.
Corn ‘stretchers’ include whole cottonseed (WCS), corn gluten
feed (CGF), dried distillers grains (DDGS), and high fat by-products
(FWBP). Corn inclusion can be reduced by 25 to 35% through
increased forage and by-product use, without sacrificing milk yield
or components. The keys to doing this successfully are:
1) Feed more digestible forage at higher inclusion rates,
2) Use cost-effective by-products that provide energy in theform of NFC and/or digestible NDF, and
3) Maintain good rumen function by balancing rations for forage
NDF and physically effective fiber (chew factor). This is important
because dairy rations that focus on rumen health and efficiency,
drive milk production and at the same time, they feed the rumen
microbial environment to produce energy (VFAs) for the cow.
The cost of a feed ingredient is related to its nutritional
value. Most commodities are priced or ‘indexed’ to the current
market price of the standard feed ingredient they would replace in
the ration. As ingredients ‘compete’ for a place in a ration, the cost
of a feed ingredient must be connected to its nutrient content.
Smart buying decisions rely on critical calculations, which can be
more complicated for ration energy than for protein.
For example, corn and grain sorghum have similar amounts
of protein, but each pound of corn has .93 megacalories of net
energy, whereas each pound of grain sorghum has only .84
megacalories, or about 10% less. With this number in mind, the
top price to pay for sorghum (in this example) would be about
90% of the price of corn.
On the protein side, corn at $140/ton is obviously less expensive
than soybean meal at $350/ton. But corn is only 9% crude protein,
so each point of protein is worth $140 ÷ 9%, or $15.55.
Meanwhile, the soybean meal has 44% crude protein, so each point
of protein is worth $350 ÷ 44%, or only $7.95. When evaluated on
the basis of protein, soybean meal is the better value.
On the energy side, when corn is $4/bu ($143/ton), the energy
(total digestible nutrients) cost per unit is 9 cents. The energy cost
per unit is an equivalent 9 cents when distillers grains and hominy
are $140 per ton, whole cottonseed is $155 per ton and corn gluten
feed is $135 per ton. At times, corn may be more expensive per
ton, but the energy cost may be nearly equal.
Consider feeding characteristics, especially the dry matter
of wet feedstuffs. Consider DMI: how much the cows will eat of
this ration. DMI is the key to maximizing milk production without
losing body condition, especially for early lactation cows. Rule of
thumb: each pound of additional dry matter intake promotes an
extra 2 to 2.5 pounds of milk.
Feed cost can be analyzed on a per cow per day basis and per
cwt. of milk produced basis. Ration quality affects feed cost on a
per-cwt of milk produced basis because it affects nutrient density
and feed intake.
When ration quality and feed intake are both maximized,
feed cost per cow is higher, but feed cost per cwt. of milk is
actually lower. Cows on the high quality ration bring more dollars
to the farm to pay the rest of the expenses.
At the start of the 2007 harvest season, ration scenarios for
the coming year assumed $4/bu. corn and $8/bu. beans. At this
writing, mid-way through September, beans are flirting with $10,
and corn is trading just under $4. Aside from standard ingredient
prices, alternative feedstuffs purchasing decisions will depend on
individual factors, like:
1) Am I short or long on silage?
2) Can I store and handle this commodity?
3) How will the ingredient affect my nutrient management (i.e.
phosphorus is more concentrated in CGF and DDGS feeds)?
4) How stable or variable is this ingredient in the ration?
Strategies will vary from farm to farm, and the true test is
how efficiently your cows convert the feed to milk. The bottom
line will be to optimize efficiency by maximizing rumen environment
and using available resources to feed high quality rations.
Working with your AB nutritionist, figures for available
commodities can be plugged into different rations to see what
can work best on your farm, with your forages, and taking into
consideration your feeding management and storage capabilities.
link verified: 10.06.10
Feed Stuffs
Someone had mentioned about feeding corn-free grain to cows because a customer was allergic to corn. This article talks about some alternatives.
Bon appetit
Jeff
******************************************************
******************************************************
“Good cows convert expensive feed to profitable levels of
milk. Their nutrient requirements do not change with the higher
feed prices. Dairy managers and nutritionists must look at
each feed ingredient and decide its nutritional impact and
economic cost. If the ration was ‘right’ last year, it should be
right in 2007 even if the cost is $1.10 per cwt of milk higher,”
so writes nutrition expert Mike Hutjens, extension dairy specialist
at the University of Illinois, Urbana.
Milk prices are nearly double what they were last year. But these
are challenging times for managing the rise in feed costs, now that
corn is no longer the low-cost feedstuff. Looking at feed ingredient
purchases for the coming year, dairy farmers are wondering what
they can do to cheapen their feed costs per cwt. of milk without
sacrificing animal health, performance, production and components.
The nice thing about dairy cows is, they are (believe it or not)
quite flexible. They can utilize a variety of feedstuffs to generate
milk production, so long as the ration is properly balanced and
consistent in meeting their nutritional requirements.
Least-cost (or best-cost) ration formulation, for example, strives
to produce the least expensive diet with a large number of feedstuffs
and/or nutrients. This requires careful sorting through a wide
range of options to arrive at the best ration for the cows.
As feed prices and milk prices fluctuate, remember that a
key factor in dairy farm profitability is ration quality: how well
the nutrient density and quantity and physical characteristics of a
diet meet the cow’s requirements.
Profitable feeding programs start with dry matter intake (DMI).
Within DMI, energy is usually the first limiting nutrient. Energy
intake is typically increased in two ways:
1) By increasing DMI via feeding management, TMR, forage
quality, optimum moisture.
2) By increasing energy concentration per unit of DMI via higher
quality forage, more grain, lower fiber levels, adding fat or oils.
In higher grain markets, we look more closely at how feed
ingredients are used to balance dairy rations.
Energy is supplied by carbohydrates in the form of neutral
detergent fiber (NDF) and non-fiber carbohydrate (NFC). Ration
cost-saving strategies for energy include:
1) Using more high-quality forage, and/or
2) Using more by-product feedstuffs for highly digestible NDF
and NFC.
By-products can be used to replace forage (i.e. whole cottonseed,
corn gluten feed, beet pulp, and soyhulls).
By-product feeds are also available to replace the energy from
corn in the diet, but replacing the starch from corn, is harder.
While studies demonstrate the value of using fermentable carbohydrates
from other feedstuffs as a replacement for grain starch, it is
not logical to think corn can be completely abandoned.
As corn prices rise, alternative feed prices rise also. Substitutes
must be evaluated beyond price per ton, to include the nutritional
value in comparison with the high-priced ingredient it is replacing.
Corn ‘stretchers’ include whole cottonseed (WCS), corn gluten
feed (CGF), dried distillers grains (DDGS), and high fat by-products
(FWBP). Corn inclusion can be reduced by 25 to 35% through
increased forage and by-product use, without sacrificing milk yield
or components. The keys to doing this successfully are:
1) Feed more digestible forage at higher inclusion rates,
2) Use cost-effective by-products that provide energy in theform of NFC and/or digestible NDF, and
3) Maintain good rumen function by balancing rations for forage
NDF and physically effective fiber (chew factor). This is important
because dairy rations that focus on rumen health and efficiency,
drive milk production and at the same time, they feed the rumen
microbial environment to produce energy (VFAs) for the cow.
The cost of a feed ingredient is related to its nutritional
value. Most commodities are priced or ‘indexed’ to the current
market price of the standard feed ingredient they would replace in
the ration. As ingredients ‘compete’ for a place in a ration, the cost
of a feed ingredient must be connected to its nutrient content.
Smart buying decisions rely on critical calculations, which can be
more complicated for ration energy than for protein.
For example, corn and grain sorghum have similar amounts
of protein, but each pound of corn has .93 megacalories of net
energy, whereas each pound of grain sorghum has only .84
megacalories, or about 10% less. With this number in mind, the
top price to pay for sorghum (in this example) would be about
90% of the price of corn.
On the protein side, corn at $140/ton is obviously less expensive
than soybean meal at $350/ton. But corn is only 9% crude protein,
so each point of protein is worth $140 ÷ 9%, or $15.55.
Meanwhile, the soybean meal has 44% crude protein, so each point
of protein is worth $350 ÷ 44%, or only $7.95. When evaluated on
the basis of protein, soybean meal is the better value.
On the energy side, when corn is $4/bu ($143/ton), the energy
(total digestible nutrients) cost per unit is 9 cents. The energy cost
per unit is an equivalent 9 cents when distillers grains and hominy
are $140 per ton, whole cottonseed is $155 per ton and corn gluten
feed is $135 per ton. At times, corn may be more expensive per
ton, but the energy cost may be nearly equal.
Consider feeding characteristics, especially the dry matter
of wet feedstuffs. Consider DMI: how much the cows will eat of
this ration. DMI is the key to maximizing milk production without
losing body condition, especially for early lactation cows. Rule of
thumb: each pound of additional dry matter intake promotes an
extra 2 to 2.5 pounds of milk.
Feed cost can be analyzed on a per cow per day basis and per
cwt. of milk produced basis. Ration quality affects feed cost on a
per-cwt of milk produced basis because it affects nutrient density
and feed intake.
When ration quality and feed intake are both maximized,
feed cost per cow is higher, but feed cost per cwt. of milk is
actually lower. Cows on the high quality ration bring more dollars
to the farm to pay the rest of the expenses.
At the start of the 2007 harvest season, ration scenarios for
the coming year assumed $4/bu. corn and $8/bu. beans. At this
writing, mid-way through September, beans are flirting with $10,
and corn is trading just under $4. Aside from standard ingredient
prices, alternative feedstuffs purchasing decisions will depend on
individual factors, like:
1) Am I short or long on silage?
2) Can I store and handle this commodity?
3) How will the ingredient affect my nutrient management (i.e.
phosphorus is more concentrated in CGF and DDGS feeds)?
4) How stable or variable is this ingredient in the ration?
Strategies will vary from farm to farm, and the true test is
how efficiently your cows convert the feed to milk. The bottom
line will be to optimize efficiency by maximizing rumen environment
and using available resources to feed high quality rations.
Working with your AB nutritionist, figures for available
commodities can be plugged into different rations to see what
can work best on your farm, with your forages, and taking into
consideration your feeding management and storage capabilities.
link verified: 10.06.10
