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Feed Bins

alternative practice names:

Upright Grain Bins; Upright Bins

Feed bins store dairy feed ingredients such as cornmeal, soybeans, and other concentrates, keeping them safe from the elements, birds, and rodents, while also minimizing shrinkage during storage. Shrink refers to the loss of resources that never have the potential for economic return, often due to spoilage, contamination, or mismanagement.


Most bins feature an auger unloading system that combines gravity and electric motors to dispense feed into a Total Mixed Ration (TMR) mixer or other delivery vehicles. Ensuring that the auger openings are protected from wind prevents shrink and increases accuracy. Feed bins come in various sizes and can be filled using grain legs, augers, or delivery trucks equipped with augers or blowers, depending on the feed type. The slope and diameter of the unloading augers affect the unloading speed, and larger or multiple bins may require secondary conveyors to direct feed into a single location. This configuration ensures efficient feed distribution while minimizing losses.

When used, in what regions in the U.S. is the practice found: 

Upper Midwest, Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, Southeast, West

FARM SIZE 

When used, typically found on farms of the following sizes:

Under 2500 cows

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Practice Benefits 

Reducing shrink: Feed bins provide excellent protection from wind, precipitation, birds, and rodents. Common estimates suggest that feed shrink may result in losses of 5-30% of the feed purchased by the farm. Reducing shrinkage from 8% to 2% for expensive ingredients like protein mix or ingredients fed at high volumes, such as cornmeal, can result in substantial cost savings (Rapp 2023). 


Improved feed accuracy: The precision of feed unloading can lead to better feed management, reducing waste and enhancing ration consistency. While this doesn’t add a direct cost, it improves feed utilization and operational efficiency.


Labor savings: A well-designed feed bin system can reduce labor costs. Strategically positioned augers allow for more efficient loading of Total Mixed Ration (TMR) batches, often reducing the need for manual labor and equipment operation, such as loaders. This can decrease labor hours and equipment wear over time.


Improved inventory management: Another benefit of using bins is the natural first-in, first-out (FIFO) process in the filling and unloading sequence. New feed deliveries are added to the top of the bin, while older feed is dispensed from the bottom. This helps ensure that feed is consistently rotated, reducing the risk of older ingredients being overlooked. The FIFO method may be advantageous for general inventory management and feed formulation adjustments.


Enhanced biosecurity: Bins securely store feed ingredients to help protect against contamination from birds, rodents, and other pests, which can introduce diseases and compromise feed quality.

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Implementation Insights

Site-specific or Farm-specific requirements 

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  • Feed storage: The utilization of feed bins is often thought of as limited to dairies with fewer than a few thousand cows, only because of the time it takes to transfer large quantities of ingredients into a TMR mixer. However, large augers and load boxes can overcome these limitations, and dairies of all sizes can be found implementing these storage structures. 

  • Scaling feed solutions: The scale of the application will govern various limitations or require additional equipment. For example, ingredients will need to be delivered in a truck with a "stinger" auger for certain applications. Some brokers will consider this out of the question or cost-prohibitive, and there will be applications using bins that include an unloading pit and leg for bulk deliveries. 

Required Capital Expenditures (CapEx)

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  • Feed bins: The bins themselves are a significant initial investment, with costs varying based on size, material, and capacity. Larger or specialized bins may come at a premium.

  • Site preparation: Proper site work is essential to strategically set up the feed bin area. This includes leveling the ground and addressing site elevations to optimize truck delivery and TMR mixer placement. Elevating the truck loading area and situating the TMR mixer below the bin’s discharge point can enhance operational efficiency.

  • Concrete foundation: A sturdy concrete foundation is required to support the feed bins, ensuring stability and long-term durability. The size and number of bins will determine the extent of the concrete work needed.

  • Electrical setup: Electricity is required to power augers and other equipment associated with the unloading process. Depending on the complexity of the setup, electrical infrastructure can add considerable cost.

  • Building/enclosure for augers: Some operations opt to enclose the unloading auger spouts in a building or shed to minimize shrink and protect the equipment from weather. This involves additional construction and materials, further adding to the capital costs.

  • Auger systems and conveyors: The purchase and installation of auger systems for unloading feed from the bins is another significant cost. If multiple bins are used, secondary conveyors may be required to streamline the feed delivery process.

Required Operational Expenditures (OpEx)

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  • Maintenance for motors and belts: Minimal but regular maintenance is required to ensure the smooth operation of motors and belts. This includes lubrication, cleaning, and occasional replacement of worn-out parts.

  • Auger operation costs: While auger systems are simple to operate, ongoing electricity costs will power the augers and any other associated equipment. These can vary depending on usage frequency and the system's energy efficiency.

Implementation Considerations

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  • Cleaning: Feed ingredients containing fats and oils may occasionally cake onto augers or bin walls, requiring periodic cleaning. Experienced feed brokers or bin technicians can offer specialized solutions for clearing buildup.

  • Bin sizes and types: Bins of this type come in many different sizes and can be filled using a grain leg, auger, or by delivery trucks equipped with augers or blowers depending on the ingredient. The slope and diameter of the unloading augers affects unloading speed. Bins that are too large or too numerous cannot always be configured to unload into a single location without secondary conveyors.

  • Integration with feed delivery software: To enhance system efficiency, it may be helpful to consider integrating feed bins with feed delivery software or using tools like laser bin level sensors, moisture detectors, auger runtime monitors, weight scales, and remote auger control systems. Incorporating these technologies can optimize feed management and improve accuracy. Additional design considerations may be necessary when implementing such features, such as installing WiFi connections, electrical upgrades, or modifying the bin setup to accommodate these systems. 

Financial Considerations and Revenue Streams

FEDERAL CONSERVATION FUNDING

There may be an opportunity for partial cost sharing on feed bin installation when electric auger motors will displace diesel-powered loaders.


FINANCIAL RESOURCES, TOOLS, AND CASE STUDIES

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Environmental Impacts

MAY REDUCE FARM GREENHOUSE GAS FOOTPRINT

Although there is currently limited scientific research directly evaluating the environmental impact of switching from feed bays to feed bins,¹ the practice has been shown to significantly reduce total farm shrink,² often by a substantial margin. By decreasing feed waste, farms can reduce the need for additional feed purchases and production, which lowers the associated environmental footprint, including the greenhouse gases generated from feed production, transportation, and processing. This indirect reduction in resource use contributes to lowering a farm’s overall greenhouse gas emissions and improves sustainability.


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¹ Research by Rapp (2023) showed that upright bins in this study had an average of 3.06% total shrink compared to 3-sided commodity bays, which had an average of 8.06% total shrink. 

² Feed shrink is caused by many factors, including delivery weight errors, wind, birds, rodents, tires, tracked feed, cattle tossing feed, silage bunker losses, feed refusals, bunk heating and spoilage, moisture losses, mixing errors, scale accuracy, and water damage. These losses may represent 5-30% of the feed purchased by the farm (Brouk 2010).

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Alignment with FARM Program

This practice is not included in the FARM program.

Contents

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We're always eager to update the website with the latest research, implementation insights, financial case studies, and emerging practices. Use the link above to share your insights. 

We're always eager to update the website with the latest research, implementation insights, financial case studies, and emerging practices. Use the link above to share your insights. 

Contents

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Practice Overview

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Practical Insights.png
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Research Results.png
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Feed bins store dairy feed ingredients such as cornmeal, soybeans, and other concentrates, keeping them safe from the elements, birds, and rodents, while also minimizing shrinkage during storage. Shrink refers to the loss of resources that never have the potential for economic return, often due to spoilage, contamination, or mismanagement.


Most bins feature an auger unloading system that combines gravity and electric motors to dispense feed into a Total Mixed Ration (TMR) mixer or other delivery vehicles. Ensuring that the auger openings are protected from wind prevents shrink and increases accuracy. Feed bins come in various sizes and can be filled using grain legs, augers, or delivery trucks equipped with augers or blowers, depending on the feed type. The slope and diameter of the unloading augers affect the unloading speed, and larger or multiple bins may require secondary conveyors to direct feed into a single location. This configuration ensures efficient feed distribution while minimizing losses.

Practices and technologies

Feed Bins

alternative practice name:

Upright Grain Bins; Upright Bins