A Checklist to Reducing Feed Cost
There are several strategies or tools you can use to find and realize lower feed cost on your farm. Finding ways to lower feed cost is also something your nutritionist or dairy consultant can be a great asset for. They can help you gain valuable insight on the multiple areas that contribute to feed cost. And better yet, they can make it specific to your farm’s goals.
Useful tools for lowering feed cost:
- Feed sampling and lab result interpretation
- Ration balancing (least cost)
- Nutrient and additive profiling
- Discussing forage quality and kernel processing
- Calculating component efficiency
- Conducting inventory calculation
- Total Mixed Ration (TMR) audit
- Penn State Evaluation tool
The good news is you and your team can successfully implement on-farm management tactics to lower your feed cost. Here is a checklist to help you review your farm’s feed management. For the protocols you leave unchecked, consider its pros and cons, while also considering the return on investment (ROI). (This is where your nutritionist or dairy consultant can do some valuable work for you.)
- Consistently test forage and ingredients dry matter (DM), and especially when weather changes
- Adjust for correct cow numbers per group at each mixing
- Manage refusals and calculate weigh back at feed bunk clean out daily
- Calculate accurate daily Dry Matter Intake (DMI)
- Schedule pushups to maximize intake (every 30 mins for 2 hours after feeding and then every hour)
- Evaluate ingredient shrink monthly (wind, rain, birds, rodents, spills, equipment tracks, molds/spoilage, etc.)
- Calibrate your TMR mixer quarterly
- Evaluate storage (bunk face management, piles covered, packing)
- Create a forage record analysis log to evaluate and improve forage quality
- Evaluate equipment used (bucket size, plastic management, etc.)
- Follow the commodity markets continually and grasp potential booking opportunities
Click the button below to print this checklist. You can also talk with a local Cargill Dairy Focus Consultant about finding more ways to lower your feed cost.