Ration Balancing Makes for Efficient Feed Management
GLOBE - Cattle use feed most efficiently when the nutrients in the daily rations match their daily requirements, commonly referred to as a “balanced ration.”Producers can’t simply “eyeball” feed value, but they sometimes use traditional or “book values” to estimate feed quality against their cows’ nutritional needs.
While these guides can be useful, the quality of individual feed supplies can vary widely from the average. Not knowing the exact nutritional value of feeds can lead to underfeeding or overfeeding, both of which cost money.
In order to help producers deal with these challenges, the Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan (FACS) has devoted one of its many “Cattle FACS” fact sheets to the subjects of feed testing and ration balancing.
“The information we provide to producers through these fact sheets has been developed by committees of cattle care experts with specific knowledge in each of the topic areas covered,” said the council’s Executive Director Adele Buettner. “FACS offered to co-ordinate the effort, produce the material and make it as widely available to producers as possible.”
The information on ration balancing suggests that nutrient content of feeds can fluctuate from year to year for many reasons, such as differences in growing conditions, the stage of maturity at which the crops were cut and collected, and the methods of harvest, storage and processing. Roughage mixtures of unknown proportions, or use of unusual feedstuffs or screenings, increase the need for precise information. Furthermore, testing for nitrates, moulds, mycotoxins or other anti-nutritive factors can also prevent problems in the cows’ diet.