Grain Quality Resources for Dairy and Beef Cattle

Managing Feed Quality is Key for Optimizing Feed Efficiency

With today’s skyrocketing corn, soybean, fat and oil prices, judicious management of feed costs is more critical than ever. The problem is the cost of a feed ingredient may not accurately reflect quality, nutritional value or return on investment. Profit-robbers in feed – molds, mycotoxins, oxidation and more – may be stealing valuable nutrients from feed, thereby reducing your animal’s efficiency, and negatively impacting your operation’s bottom-line.

5 Tips for Making High Quality Flaked Corn

To optimize performance in cattle, maximizing the surface area of grain to rumen microbes is a critical first step. Before grain is fed to cattle the grain is commonly steam flaked. Steam flaking is the process of added increased moisture and heat over time to soften the grain before passing thru the rolls. Steam flaking increases the surface area of the grain, improves starch digestibility and ultimately enhances ruminant performance. 

Don't Let it Go to Waste: 10 Tips for Long-Term Grain Storage

If you asked any farmer, they would agree that harvest is one of the best times of the year. Nothing brings that overwhelming feeling of satisfaction quite like watching the combine hopper fill with the fruits of their labor. During this time of "harvest celebration" it may be easy for one to think all the work is done. However, when it comes to maintaining the quality of grain after harvest, the work hasn't even started.