Feed Ingredients
The main ingredients used in commercially prepared feed are the feed grains, which include corn, soybeans, sorghum, oats, and barley. Corn production was valued at nearly $25 billion in 2003, while soybean production was valued at $17.5 billion. Roughly 66 percent of sorghum production, which was valued at $965 million in 2003, is used as livestock feed. Approximately 60 percent of barley production, which totaled 227 million bushels (4,610,000 metric tons) and was valued at $765 million in 2003, is used as livestock feed. Annual oat production in 2003 was valued at $218 million.
The sale and manufacture of premixes is an industry within an industry. Pre-mixes are comprised of micro-ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, chemical preservatives, antibiotics, fermentation products, and other essential ingredients that are purchased from pre-mix companies, usually in sacked form, for blending into commercial rations. Because of the availability of these products, a farmer who uses his own grain can formulate his own rations and be assured that his animals are getting the recommended levels of minerals and vitamins.
Feed Formulation
The role of the nutritionist is to calculate a ration that fits the nutritional requirements for the least cost. This is known as a "least-cost ration," and is the ultimate goal of all livestock nutritionists. There are thousands of professional nutritionists working for livestock feed suppliers, poultry feed manufacturers, feedlots, and poultry raising operations who spend a great deal of their time determining the needs of each animal during different phases of its productive life cycle. Nutritionists use the most sophisticated computer hardware and software to make these calculations on a daily basis. Nutritionists either are employed in-house or work as consultants.
Least-cost feed formulation
The practice of ingredient interchange, known as "least-cost feed formulation," is widely practiced within the commercial feed industry. When the cost of one ingredient increases, a lower cost ingredient may be used as a substitute in order to produce a lower cost feed, providing the customer with the most economical feed for animal production. It is widely know, however, that laboratory feeds are fed to animals raised for breeding and research, not for animals used to produce food such as meat, milk and egg.
Fixed formulation
Extensive ingredient research has proven, beyond a doubt, that a formula produced under 'Fixed Formulation', without credence to ingredient variability, will result in unknown and sometimes radical changes in nutrient levels. PMI® does produce non-laboratory products under Fixed Formulation. These are primarily economy minded formulated feeds that can be safely fed for production purposes to the beef, swine and dairy industries. The finished product testing on these products from season to season proves ingredient variability can change the nutritional composition of an animal feed.
Feed Manufacture
The job of the feed manufacturer is to buy the commodities and blend them in the feed mill according to the specifications outlined by the nutritionist. There is little room for error because, if the ration is not apportioned correctly, lowered animal production and diminished outward appearance can occur.
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