Good hay quality makes cents and sense. Understand the quality of the feed you produce on your farm. Work with a livestock nutritionist to increase profits & decrease feed uncertainties.
The proper nutrition of beef cattle is a key component of a successful production system. Raising livestock by efficiently feeding a well-balanced diet can be developed by working closely with your local feed nutritionist.
Steps to Take to Have Your Feed Analyzed
The initial step to take in creating a working relationship with a livestock nutritionist is to contact your local feed store. Request a specialist in the type of livestock you raise ie: beef or sheep.
A skilled individual will coordinate a convenient time to visit your farm to obtain multiple samples of your hay and corn silage produced on your farm or purchased off-farm.
Samples will be sent to a lab for analysis.
Reports will be generated by the lab showing the feed quality. This allows discussions and planning sessions to occur with your nutritionist.
These planning sessions create the opportunities to establish specific feeding plans based on your feed available. Supplements and minerals will be included in these discussions to ensure a well-balanced diet is established.
What’s ideal in this approach is that the needs of the livestock during various stages is incorporated which increases efficiencies. Livestock plans are developed by identifying what each animal should be fed by weight, daily. This increases your efficiency with feeding and decreases odds of over-feeding.
Analyzing Our Feed Makes Cents.
Check out out video showing how easy it is to collect a sample of your feed.
Analyzing with your hay quality increases your cents.
Another main advantage of analyzing your feed quality is that it may in fact reduce the quantity of feed provided to your livestock. Once a daily feeding plan is developed, you can confidently supply only what is required. This decreases waste, increases inventory and allows you to plan accordingly for the upcoming planting season. These factors ultimately improve your cents.
