WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.120
When we talk about selecting feeds and evaluating feeds it's important to be

00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:10.560
able to understand and read the labels that come with these manufactured feeds

00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:15.160
or pellets or whatever you might have. Nearly all of them have the same flow

00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:20.720
and it's kind of a regulated aspect as well from labeling, but the first thing

00:00:20.720 --> 00:00:24.800
they'll normally always have on the label is the crude protein content and

00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:29.920
that's a guaranteed analysis normally it'll be that or perhaps a little higher

00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:36.320
sometimes but for the most part these are formulated to be at or somewhere

00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:41.800
around that guaranteed level. If you notice on this tag it's listed as a

00:00:41.800 --> 00:00:47.680
minimum of 12% based on ingredient cost or whatever it may actually be cheaper

00:00:47.680 --> 00:00:51.840
for them to formulate a feed that might be a little higher than that in protein

00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:57.400
and still meet the other label requirements. Next is listed crude fat

00:00:57.400 --> 00:01:04.320
it's also listed as a minimum. In this particular one it's a 3% fat which is

00:01:04.320 --> 00:01:10.160
kind of a normal range on fat content in a lot of feeds. Once again it can range

00:01:10.160 --> 00:01:14.140
and vary from if they're using rice bran or whatever it may actually elevate the

00:01:14.140 --> 00:01:19.320
fat level in a ration above that. In beef cattle nutrition that's not really a

00:01:19.320 --> 00:01:23.960
problem when we get into issues in equine nutrition and elevated fat

00:01:23.960 --> 00:01:27.680
contents and some other things may come into play a little more but we'd like to

00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:33.440
know at least what that minimum level is. Next is a measure of fiber content for

00:01:33.440 --> 00:01:41.080
crude fiber maximum level of in this particular feed of 13% that refers to

00:01:41.080 --> 00:01:46.880
the ingredients that go in and it's somewhat confusing now because of wheat

00:01:46.880 --> 00:01:52.320
meds, soybean hulls that have a fiber content that's not just indigestible

00:01:52.320 --> 00:01:57.240
fiber so we really need to then once we look at the fiber content on a feed we

00:01:57.240 --> 00:02:00.640
also have to refer to the ingredients to know exactly what that's going to mean

00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:05.720
from an energy standpoint. Back before we started using a lot of those feeds the

00:02:05.720 --> 00:02:09.880
fiber content was a really good indicator of overall energy value of

00:02:09.880 --> 00:02:15.000
that feed now it's going to be probably lower than what the actual energy value

00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:21.440
might be in some of the feedstuffs. Once we have the protein fat and fiber the

00:02:21.440 --> 00:02:26.120
next thing to be listed in there would be the mineral content of these, calcium

00:02:26.120 --> 00:02:30.520
they'll normally have a minimum and maximum level of calcium listed on the

00:02:30.520 --> 00:02:37.040
tag, phosphorus, salt content, potassium and vitamin content on these particular

00:02:37.040 --> 00:02:42.040
feeds. So those are the ones that would be listed here on the label as you look

00:02:42.040 --> 00:02:46.720
down through here the crude protein, fat, fiber. Once again those are indications

00:02:46.720 --> 00:02:54.000
of what the formulation guarantees as a minimum and maximum level. Below that on the feed tag

00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:59.720
you'll have the ingredient list and there's not as much restriction perhaps

00:02:59.720 --> 00:03:04.600
in that as would be in the actual formulation and calculation but it will normally list

00:03:04.600 --> 00:03:11.960
the main ingredients first, grain products being descriptive in some of

00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:17.680
these feeds. If it's all corn based ration it might have corn listed but it'll have grain

00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:22.120
products, molasses products, roughage products and they can be from varying

00:03:22.120 --> 00:03:26.520
sources that allows a lot of flexibility in the manufacturing of feeds to where you're

00:03:26.520 --> 00:03:30.640
not limited to changing your label every time you change ingredients in the

00:03:30.640 --> 00:03:34.960
formulation of a feed and once again the unique ability of the cow to take

00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:41.000
various feedstuffs and convert them into a meat product or milk product is

00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:44.840
something that is really advantageous to the industry so it doesn't really

00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:49.640
matter what those particular products are that go into that ration as long as

00:03:49.640 --> 00:03:53.440
these crude protein, fiber and fat levels are met.