Growing Beef Newsletter
December 2024, Volume 15, Issue 6
Pinching Pennies to Save Dollars: Reducing Feed Waste
Denise Schwab, ISU extension beef specialist
Erika Lundy-Woolfolk, ISU extension beef specialist
With winter just around the corner, now is the time to plan your winter feeding program if you haven’t already. The great news for 2025 is that most producers have a good supply of forages in inventory, but that doesn't mean we should just allow the cows full access to hay. With tight profit margins, minimizing feed waste is still very important to the enterprise’s bottom line.
Before we talk about feed waste, we need to discuss the importance of testing the forage supply and balancing a ration based on test results, the cow’s weight, stage of production and environment. Nutrient value of forages varies significantly from ‘book values’, particularly for first cutting hay which makes up nearly half of the annual supply. Instructions on collecting forage samples, certified labs to send the samples to, and interpreting the test results can be found at www.iowabeefcenter.org/forage.html in the Harvest & Storage section. For most hay samples, a simple NIR analysis is adequate, unless you have reason to suspect reduced quality due to being rained on, heat damaged, overly mature, or a unique feedstuff. Once you have results in hand, reach out to your nutritionist or Extension specialist to balance appropriate rations.
Another factor impacting waste is how forage is stored. Bales left outside, uncovered and sitting on the ground are at the highest risk for spoilage and decreased palatability. Options to reduce feed waste are limited based on how you deliver the feed.
Feeding round bales: Feed waste from feeding round bales varies widely, ranging from single digits to over 50% of the bale wasted based on various research data. Some practices that reduce waste from feeding big bales include limiting access, feeding a limited amount of hay per day, using improved bale feeders, and feeding on high and dry areas. The type of bale feeders utilized can significantly reduce the amount of hay wasted. An Oklahoma study summarized results from 4 research projects utilizing different styles of ring feeders. Open style rings resulted in 19-21% feed waste, while adding a solid sheet around the bottom 12-18” of the feeder reduced waste to 10-15%. In addition to the sheeted bottom, a cone to hold the bale off the ground reduced waste even further to as low as 4-9%.
Another option to reduce waste when feeding big bales is to limit the amount of time cows can eat. Typically, a single electric fence around the feeder is sufficient to restrict when cows can feed. Several Purdue studies limited the amount of time cows had access to hay to 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours and showed 37%, 17%, and 4% reduction in hay disappearance (waste) compared to 24-hour access. Their conclusion was that limiting access to 4-8 hours per day resulted in the optimum reduced feed waste without affecting cow performance; however, they also cautioned that feeder space needed to be adequate to allow all cows simultaneous access to the hay.
Bunk feeding: Operations that can bunk feed their cows have more opportunities to reduce feed waste. The primary benefit to grinding the forage base is the flexibility it provides to develop a TMR ration to better match cow requirements, reduce sorting, and incorporate less expensive feedstuffs. Additionally, daily feed deliveries often associated with bunk feeding has shown to reduce feed waste by a third in comparison to providing 3-days’ worth of feed at once.
While bunk feeding results in an estimated 2-10% feed waste, there are some added costs such as processing the forage, daily feed delivery, and a higher equipment cost not to mention the waste associated with wind erosion and wildlife/rodents.
What is the cost savings from reducing hay waste? If the cow herd requires 100 tons of hay at $120/ton or $12,000 per year, and they experience a modest 10% feed waste, they now need 110 tons of hay in inventory at a cost of $13,200 per year. As hay waste increases, the feed bill increases quickly and can have a significant impact on the enterprise’s profit margins. Most herds can quickly pay for bale rings with cones and solid bottoms or make improvements in bunk feeding options by the reduction in the amount of forage needed.
Every management practice to reduce feed waste needs to start with a balanced ration, cows sorted into groups based on age and stage of production, ensure all cows have access to the feed supply, and monitor body condition throughout the feeding period.
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