Feed Companies Ripping Us Off!

[A1baz]

I changed feed companies in the summer after receiving some sub-standard feed. I wouldn't have been to bothered had the company taken the complaint seriously but they didn't. After using the new supplier for a few months, I noticed milk disappearing. I'd gone from some cows giving over 60L to none giving over 40L. I spoke to the rep and he changed a few things but to no real avail. He mentioned poorer quality silage this year but we opened the clamp 6 weeks before we switched cake when everything was ticketyboo.

I eventually decided it must be the feed and sent a sample of 38% meal and 18% cake for wet chemical analysis. Surprise, surprise the meal came back at 35.7 and the cake 16.6. I did that maths and in order to make the ration up to the advertised protein level, I need to feed an extra £0.24/h/d of the meal. Obviously unimpressed I spoke to the rep and was told the feeds are within tolerance.

After checking the legal requirements, he's right. An 18% feed can be as low as 15.75% and a 38% meal can be a low as 35%. I did the maths on these numbers as well and that would cost me an extra £0.40/h/d. Apparently there are around 1.85m cows in the UK. That means feed companies are LEGALLY aloud to cost uk dairy farmers over £270m a year by selling sub-standard rations within the legal tolerance.

So legally, there's nothing I can do except walk, however in future I will be sending random samples off for analysis to ensure the feed companies are closer to the mark. I suggest everyone considers doing the same.

 

[betweenthelines]

Not defending the feed companies but I suspect there's fairly big variances in raw materials.

But they also alter the "recipes" for compounds on an almost daily basis.

 

[ollie989898]

There are sizeable variances in loads of raw materials. Were you going to offer to pay more if the materials were actually coming back 2% over in terms of crude protein?

I used to regularly sample multiple raw materials and send them off monthly (I had to regularly sample materials and send them for salmonella monitoring purposes so it made sense to have them tested for other things also) to get their crude protein contents back. They would be all over the place. I remember rapemeal, in particular seemed to vary happily around 33-36% for no reason whatsoever.

The key difference in any raw material is its digestibility. You can formulate two diets of equal ME and CP values but one will be much cheaper than the other because of differences that would only show up were they both tested for NGCD.

So no, you aren't being scammed and no, feed companies are not all crooks.

The formulation of compounds, in particular, has another factor to consider and that is how readily the materials will pellet once they are ground, mixed and pressed. High cereal inclusions are renowned for this as they just don't want to pellet worth a damn. A blend or meal may be more optimal for these.

 

[ollie989898]

Not defending the feed companies but I suspect there's fairly big variances in raw materials.

But they also alter the "recipes" for compounds on an almost daily basis.

Not all companies change their formulations daily- some are fixed formulators.

 

[upnortheast]

Been happening since Adam was a lad.
Been using our current supplier for a number of years as they supply fixed formulations. Not what they think they can get away with

 

[soapsud]

We've bought 22% protein feed before. I don't know anyone who'd buy in by the tonnage, get it analysed and then alter the daily ration to get the nutritional balance right! Good luck.

 

[Wesley]

Unless you’re feeding really high rates I can’t imagine that would be the only cause for lost milk. If its that much of an issue (but within their allowed tolerances) the only option you’ve got is to buy straights & start home mixing…but remember to get the straights tested & they can vary too. A bit like a silage analysis, just because its grass doesn’t mean it will all feed the same.

 

[ollie989898]

We've bought 22% protein feed before. I don't know anyone who'd buy in by the tonnage, get it analysed and then alter the daily ration to get the nutritional balance right! Good luck.

Some buying groups will specify a particular fixed formulation for their customers and then randomly sample delivered loads and pay for them to be analysed. It's just part of their service I guess.

What farmers should be doing is sampling their grass/forages regularly and adjusting the dairy cake/blend etc protein composition to suit as you can save a lot of money this way (and loading your cows with too much protein isn't good for their health long term).

 

[A1baz]

Some buying groups will specify a particular fixed formulation for their customers and then randomly sample delivered loads and pay for them to be analysed. It's just part of their service I guess.

What farmers should be doing is sampling their grass/forages regularly and adjusting the dairy cake/blend etc protein composition to suit as you can save a lot of money this way (and loading your cows with too much protein isn't good for their health long term).

This is the main reason I tested the feed. The buying group I used to purchase through happened to publish some test data commending one supplier that always produced an accurate ration and another that did not.
I don’t doubt there will be differences in ingredients but some still manage to produce an accurate ration while some others will definitely see it as an opportunity to take the pi$$

 

[A1baz]

We've bought 22% protein feed before. I don't know anyone who'd buy in by the tonnage, get it analysed and then alter the daily ration to get the nutritional balance right! Good luck.

Wasn’t quite suggesting that. Just think it’s worth checking the odd load per year to make sure you’re using a feed company who is able to produce an accurate ration.

 

[Mc115reed]

Feed company’s been ripping us off for years why you suprised? not remember when cake was £400+ a ton no they were blaming the cost of buying cereals and the price of fuel… then the price of cereals and the price of fuel came down and the price of cake stayed where it was and is now the new normal

 

[soapsud]

Wasn’t quite suggesting that. Just think it’s worth checking the odd load per year to make sure you’re using a feed company who is able to produce an accurate ration.

Nor I you. I was just meaning you can't up the amount to compensate for lack of percentage goodness

Nor was I meaning you could reduce the gram per beast per day with 2% more protein ration - like Ollie said, if grass flushing is a bit dilute and going straight through 'em with all this rain?

 

[matthew]

As well as the bag / load tolerances, there's also the not so small matter of what the cow can digest and use.
Many ingredients are great on paper but no use whatsoever to a high yielding dairy animal.

You really need a top notch nutritionalist to break down ingredients, and a then fixed formulation contract to match your home grown forages. And still mention batch testing.

 

[pappuller]

I changed feed companies in the summer after receiving some sub-standard feed. I wouldn't have been to bothered had the company taken the complaint seriously but they didn't. After using the new supplier for a few months, I noticed milk disappearing. I'd gone from some cows giving over 60L to none giving over 40L. I spoke to the rep and he changed a few things but to no real avail. He mentioned poorer quality silage this year but we opened the clamp 6 weeks before we switched cake when everything was ticketyboo.

I eventually decided it must be the feed and sent a sample of 38% meal and 18% cake for wet chemical analysis. Surprise, surprise the meal came back at 35.7 and the cake 16.6. I did that maths and in order to make the ration up to the advertised protein level, I need to feed an extra £0.24/h/d of the meal. Obviously unimpressed I spoke to the rep and was told the feeds are within tolerance.

After checking the legal requirements, he's right. An 18% feed can be as low as 15.75% and a 38% meal can be a low as 35%. I did the maths on these numbers as well and that would cost me an extra £0.40/h/d. Apparently there are around 1.85m cows in the UK. That means feed companies are LEGALLY aloud to cost uk dairy farmers over £270m a year by selling sub-standard rations within the legal tolerance.

So legally, there's nothing I can do except walk, however in future I will be sending random samples off for analysis to ensure the feed companies are closer to the mark. I suggest everyone considers doing the same.

the spec on the feed ticket can be made up by so many different ingredients, some better than others

 

[matthew]

the spec on the feed ticket can be made up by so many different ingredients, some better than others

Spot on.

I have experienced some real high quality (on the bag) dairy ration. But the cows dropped in milk, lameness increased, acidosis was a problem, as was fertility.

Deeper investigation revealed the inclusion of .Canadian feather meal, sawdust and other high protein but indigestible fillers, glued together with various oils.

Indigestible Organic Matter (IOM) is crucial in any examination of diet, including high levels of VFAs in silages.

I would add that this experience was several years ago. Not to say similar least cost formulations aren’t snuck in now though.