Agriculture Victoria livestock industry development officer Hannah Manning said comparing the quality and price of different fodder can be confusing.
“Feed tests done properly are the only way to know what you’re getting and if it will meet your livestock requirements,” Dr Manning said.
“A feed test provides information on the energy and protein levels of feed. These are important values to understand for the maintenance, production and growth of different classes of livestock.
“A feed test can seem daunting but if you break it down and work your way through the major components, you’ll gain an important understanding of the feed quality and know if that meets your animals’ demands.
“Along with energy and protein, fibre is an important factor to understand because that can limit how much an animal can eat.”
Dr Manning said when livestock overeat fibre, their digestion rate slows down causing them to leave supplementary feed in the paddock and miss out on getting enough nutrients, leading to weight loss.
“A feed test also allows for accurate comparison of different feed costs,” she said.
“Feed testing requires working out the cost per kilogram of dry matter and then calculating the cost per unit of energy.”
Agriculture Victoria recently held a webinar on buying, selling and feeding out fodder. Watch the recording at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NClirPw8-M
More information about understanding feed tests and working out the cost of feeds can be found at: https://www.feedinglivestock.vic.gov.au/
For more information about dry seasonal conditions, call 136 186 or visit: www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons
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