Feed price spikes: reworking the ration to control cost
When feed prices surge, reworking the ration around cheaper agro-industrial co-products protects your margin. Judge corn distillers grains, wheat bran and beet pulp by what each unit of energy and protein costs, not by the price per bag. Try substitute feed mixes in HerdMobile to keep milk yield up while cutting the daily feed bill.
Compiled from open-access scientific sources.
How should you compare alternative feeds when prices jump?
Compare feeds by the cost of each megacalorie of net energy and each kilogram of crude protein, not by the bag price. When corn and barley prices climb, agro-industrial co-products offer real savings. Corn distillers dried grains (DDGS) carry 28 to 30 percent crude protein, much of it bypass protein, while dried sugar beet pulp supplies highly digestible fibre with net energy close to grain. Replacing 20 to 30 percent of the grain with sugar beet pulp or corn gluten feed keeps milk yield up and lowers the risk of acidosis in early-lactation cows.
How do you bring in alternative feeds without losing milk?
Bring replacement co-products in gradually over five to seven days so the rumen microbes can adjust. Keep distillers grains to 15 to 20 percent of total ration dry matter, because the extra fat can push milk fat down. NASEM dairy guidelines stress keeping effective forage fibre above 20 percent of total dry matter whenever you change the energy sources in the concentrate. Weigh feed refusals and watch daily tank volume while the change goes through. Buy by-products from suppliers you trust, so moisture and feed value stay steady while prices swing through the season.
How does HerdMobile find the least-cost ration?
Enter local prices and your own lab analysis for alternative feeds in the HerdMobile feed library. HerdMobile then works out the cheapest ration from your feeds that still meets protein, energy and mineral needs, so expensive grain gives way to cheaper co-products. The cost per cow per day updates on your phone straight away. Log new feed deliveries and supplier invoices as feed purchases and expenses, and your feed stock and farm accounts stay up to date. When grain prices swing, you see exactly what each ration costs, even without signal.
Questions from the farm
Which co-products best replace expensive corn and barley?
Sugar beet pulp, corn distillers grains (DDGS) and wheat bran supply energy and digestible fibre at a lower cost.
How quickly can you switch the herd onto new feeds?
Make the change gradually over five to seven days so the rumen microbes adapt without upset.
How does HerdMobile help when feed prices swing?
HerdMobile finds the cheapest ration from your feeds, shows the new cost per head per day and keeps your feed purchases on your phone.
How HerdMobile helps
Bring your animals, feed stocks and farm accounts together on your Android phone. HerdMobile keeps your daily work moving offline: record events, compare feed quantities and follow sales and payments in one place. Use your own feeds and herd information to prepare a ration, then keep a backup file under your control.
