ADF: farm glossary
ADF means acid detergent fibre. This measured plant cell-wall fraction consists mainly of cellulose and lignin. It is commonly reported as a percentage of dry matter and appears alongside NDF in forage analyses. A feed’s contribution to the ration’s ADF is calculated from its ADF value and the amount of dry matter included.
Compiled from open-access scientific sources.
A farm example
Illustrative calculation: 3 kg of hay dry matter at 35% ADF supplies 1.05 kg of ADF. ADF describes a different analytical fibre fraction from NDF, which also includes hemicellulose.
Everyday use
HerdMobile feed profiles show ADF where values are available. The figure helps describe the selected ingredient alongside its other nutrients when the daily ration is prepared.
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.
