Ron Gill - Cattle Nutrition - Reading a Feed Label

When we talk about selecting feeds and evaluating feeds it's important to be

able to understand and read the labels that come with these manufactured feeds

or pellets or whatever you might have. Nearly all of them have the same flow

and it's kind of a regulated aspect as well from labeling, but the first thing

they'll normally always have on the label is the crude protein content and

that's a guaranteed analysis normally it'll be that or perhaps a little higher

sometimes but for the most part these are formulated to be at or somewhere

around that guaranteed level. If you notice on this tag it's listed as a

minimum of 12% based on ingredient cost or whatever it may actually be cheaper

for them to formulate a feed that might be a little higher than that in protein

and still meet the other label requirements. Next is listed crude fat

it's also listed as a minimum. In this particular one it's a 3% fat which is

kind of a normal range on fat content in a lot of feeds. Once again it can range

and vary from if they're using rice bran or whatever it may actually elevate the

fat level in a ration above that. In beef cattle nutrition that's not really a

problem when we get into issues in equine nutrition and elevated fat

contents and some other things may come into play a little more but we'd like to

know at least what that minimum level is. Next is a measure of fiber content for

crude fiber maximum level of in this particular feed of 13% that refers to

the ingredients that go in and it's somewhat confusing now because of wheat

meds, soybean hulls that have a fiber content that's not just indigestible

fiber so we really need to then once we look at the fiber content on a feed we

also have to refer to the ingredients to know exactly what that's going to mean

from an energy standpoint. Back before we started using a lot of those feeds the

fiber content was a really good indicator of overall energy value of

that feed now it's going to be probably lower than what the actual energy value

might be in some of the feedstuffs. Once we have the protein fat and fiber the

next thing to be listed in there would be the mineral content of these, calcium

they'll normally have a minimum and maximum level of calcium listed on the

tag, phosphorus, salt content, potassium and vitamin content on these particular

feeds. So those are the ones that would be listed here on the label as you look

down through here the crude protein, fat, fiber. Once again those are indications

of what the formulation guarantees as a minimum and maximum level. Below that on the feed tag

you'll have the ingredient list and there's not as much restriction perhaps

in that as would be in the actual formulation and calculation but it will normally list

the main ingredients first, grain products being descriptive in some of

these feeds. If it's all corn based ration it might have corn listed but it'll have grain

products, molasses products, roughage products and they can be from varying

sources that allows a lot of flexibility in the manufacturing of feeds to where you're

not limited to changing your label every time you change ingredients in the

formulation of a feed and once again the unique ability of the cow to take

various feedstuffs and convert them into a meat product or milk product is

something that is really advantageous to the industry so it doesn't really

matter what those particular products are that go into that ration as long as

these crude protein, fiber and fat levels are met.