Articles on feed formulation, nutrition and OptiFormula.
What happens to the formula when the corn price jumps 15 percent on a Monday morning? Using a small broiler ration, we look at what least-cost formulation achieves in a feed mill and how to read its result.
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When a supplier offers a discount on sunflower meal, you can know which price would actually make a difference. We explain shadow prices, ranges and the reading mistakes we see most often, with an example.
When the dry matter of a freshly opened silage face drops after rain, the ration on paper and the ration in the bunk drift apart. Using a cow giving 30 litres a day, we go through dry matter, energy, fiber and cost step by step.
Changing the formula at every price move wears out production, and never changing it costs money. We explain how price ranges tell you when a new solve is worth it.
A formula can only be as good as what you know about the ingredients. We show with an example what happens when new-crop corn comes in below the table protein, and how to carry NIR and lab results into the matrix in practice.
More phases lower feed cost, but every new phase adds work at the mill and on the farm. We run the numbers on adding a fourth phase with a small example and explain why switching feeds by amount eaten works better than switching by day.
When cracked eggs rise as the flock ages, the answer is not always more calcium. We explain with an example why intake should be counted in grams rather than percent, why limestone particle size matters and why phosphorus comes down with age.
Matrix values from the enzyme supplier cut formula cost noticeably, but using all of them at full value is risky. We work out the phytase saving with an example and explain how dose and substrate change the matrix value.
Premix is the smallest item in the formula, yet it carries almost all of the vitamins and trace elements. We look at the carrier's nutrient value, mixing uniformity and vitamin losses with an example.
When a cheap ingredient arrives in limited quantity, the first formula solved grabs it. We work out the monthly difference of solving a mill's feeds together with a simple example and explain what the shadow price of a stock limit tells purchasing.
Sending a well-priced lot of an ingredient to the nearest mill feels natural, but it is not always the most profitable route. We show with an example how the allocation changes when freight and the value at each mill are considered together.
Buying cheap ingredients at harvest is tempting, but silo space, storage and financing costs limit the gain. With a four-month example we look at how much stock makes sense for which month, and what happens when price forecasts change.
A TMR is loaded by fresh weight, but the cow is fed on dry matter. We work out what a drop of a few points in silage dry matter does to milk and rumen health, and cover on-farm dry matter testing and silage face management.
After a wet harvest, the mycotoxin risk in incoming corn goes up. We explain with an example why sampling is hard, where rapid tests fall short and which feeds a lot below the legal limits can be directed to.
A feedlot's result is measured not by the price per tonne of the ration but by the cost of a kilogram of live weight gain. We show with an example why a ration that costs more per day can be more profitable, and look at the step-up to concentrate and rumen health.
In the last weeks of pregnancy, energy needs climb fast while room in the rumen shrinks. We work out with an example why twin-bearing ewes need a ration of their own, and touch on key differences between sheep and goats, copper above all.
Buffalo milk is far richer in fat and energy than cow milk. We work out with an example why a ration built from dairy cow tables can leave a buffalo short, and look at fibre digestion, heat and seasonal breeding in buffalo.
In aquafeed, fish meal and fish oil set the price, and the feed conversion ratio sets the result. We look with an example at digestibility, amino acid balance and how the feed behaves in water when moving to plant sources.
A high-energy food is eaten in smaller amounts, so every bite must carry more nutrients. We explain with an example why FEDIAF values should be read per unit of energy and how the equation you use for metabolisable energy changes the result.
A formula solved on metabolisable energy makes fibrous by-products look more valuable and fat less valuable than they are. We show with an example how moving to net energy changes ingredient choice and why the lysine to energy ratio matters.
Excess protein and phosphorus in a ration are both money and an environmental load. We work out nitrogen use efficiency with an example, show the yearly effect of cutting protein by one point and explain why methane should be read per kilogram of milk.
The least-cost formula sometimes means brittle pellets and lots of fines, and the poultry house pays for it. We explain with an example how to bring the binding quality of ingredients into the formula and what fines do to feed conversion.
The most expensive decision in a formula is sometimes a constraint set years ago whose reason has been forgotten. With examples, we look at how shadow prices reveal the cost of habitual limits, at mix-ups between as-fed and dry matter, and at cases where no formula can be found.
The calendar should not decide when a calf is weaned. The starter the calf eats should. We explain what a good starter looks like and work out the arithmetic of weaning a week earlier.
Milk fever, ketosis and displaced abomasum often start in the ration before calving. We work out the cation-anion balance of a close-up ration with an example and look at intake and body condition after calving.
A falling fat test while milk yield holds is usually a problem that starts in the rumen. We work out what the drop costs with an example and go through the likely causes in fibre, starch, unsaturated fats and feeding routine.
Subacute rumen acidosis often shows no signs, yet it quietly takes its share of milk yield and hoof health. We explain with an example why you need to look beyond the forage ratio at particle size, sorting and rumination time.
Sunflower meal, rapeseed meal, DDGS and pulses can partly replace soybean meal, but each comes at a price. We work out the net saving of cutting soybean meal by five points in a broiler feed with an example.
Comparing the price per tonne of ingredients with the price of commercial feed always makes mixing your own look profitable. We do the full sum for a 200-cow farm, including equipment, labour, shrink, analysis and working capital.
Grinding and pelleting make up most of a feed mill's energy use, and that use changes with the formula. We work out kilowatt-hours per tonne with an example and explain how to think about formula decisions together with energy cost.
Every additive comes with a promise, but each item added to the formula is a cost per tonne. We explain how to work out the smallest effect an additive needs to pay for itself, why additive effects do not add up and how to run a trial in the field.
Daily feed cost per cow says nothing good or bad on its own. We work out income over feed cost and feed cost per litre with an example and explain why dry cows and heifers belong in the sum too.
In many cows that show no heat or fail to conceive, the problem lies in energy balance, excess protein or a mineral shortfall. We work out the cost of extra days open with an example and go step by step through how the ration affects fertility.
