Ration Balancing Makes for Efficient Feed Management

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.

“Feed experts point out that a little time and a few dollars spent planning can mean the difference between satisfactory performance on minimum feed or thin cows, poor calves, low fertility and/or wasted feed resources,” Buettner said. “Adding the vitamin, mineral and protein supplements and grain necessary to meet, but not exceed, nutrient requirements lowers production costs by optimizing performance and feed efficiency.”

Producers are advised to talk to a livestock nutritionist for advice on balancing rations to meet the needs of their cattle and using feeds to their best advantage.

“It’s important that they use good quality feed from calving to breeding in order to get the cow to cycle and breed back as soon as possible,” Buettner stated.

The fact sheet suggests that having their product checked at a feed testing laboratory is the surest way for producers to determine the quality of their feed. “There are a number of labs in Saskatchewan and across the Prairies that provide a full range of feed testing packages, analyzing things like crude protein, fibre (estimation of energy and intake), minerals and possible toxic substances,” she noted.

However, the accuracy of the technical analysis will only be as good as the accuracy of the sampling procedure, so it is important that producers take care in the collection process to ensure that the sample is representative of the entire lot.

“There are recommended procedures for collecting and shipping samples of grain, ground-mixed rations, supplements, hay, silage and water,” Buettner said. “The fact sheet contains a list of guidelines that should give producers a general idea of the common handling requirements, but specific instructions are usually available from the labs themselves, or from the provincial Agriculture Knowledge Centre.”

FACS is a membership-based, non-profit organization that represents the livestock industry in advancing responsible welfare, care and handling practices in agriculture. It endeavours to raise producer awareness of the economic and ethical benefits of animal welfare and helps consumers achieve a greater understanding of animal care issues.