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Feed Center

alternative practice names:

Centralized Feed Mixing

A dairy feed center is a centralized hub for feed storage, mixing, and delivery equipment that optimizes operational efficiency, protects feed from environmental elements, improves measurement accuracy, and reduces spoilage. These centers can integrate various technologies and design elements to enhance performance:


  • Feed bays: Feed centers often include large, enclosed bays designed to hold entire truckloads of ingredients. These covered bays minimize spoilage and nutrient losses by protecting feed from wind, rain, and pests such as birds. Facilities equipped for bulk deliveries also benefit from volume discounts and reduced freight costs.

  • Levels and ramps: To improve mixing efficiency, feed centers often feature lower levels for mixer parking or ramps for loaders, which reduce the time and energy required to transfer ingredients into mixers. 

  • Silage staging: Locating silage bays near the mixing area can streamline silage pile defacing, further improving overall efficiency.

  • Stationary Total Mixed Ration (TMR) mixers: Centralized mixing allows TMR to be delivered to cow housing via larger trucks, eliminating the need for the mixer to drive to each pen. Stationary TMR mixers can be powered electrically, reducing energy consumption compared to diesel-powered mixers.

  • Automated handling systems: Micro ingredient tanks and liquid tanks close to stationary mixers facilitate automation, reducing human error and improving feed accuracy.

  • Roofed feed centers: Indoor feed centers, particularly on large dairies, house feed mixing equipment and storage in a sheltered environment. This design improves efficiency by centralizing feed preparation and delivery while offering enhanced protection from the elements.

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

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

FARM SIZE 

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

Over 500 cows

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Practice Benefits 

Labor efficiency: A well-designed feed center can significantly improve labor efficiency by optimizing the layout and proximity of feed storage to cow housing areas. By reducing the number of stops and minimizing the distance ingredients need to be transported during the mixing and feeding process, feed centers lower the time, equipment, and labor required while enhancing the consistency of feed delivery.


Reduced shrinkage: Feed centers protect ingredients from wind, precipitation, and pests, helping to reduce feed losses to spoilage. This reduction in shrinkage can be economically beneficial, as feed is typically the largest cost on a dairy farm. While up to 20% of feed losses can occur from harvest to feed out, a well-managed feed center can reduce shrink to below 10%, and often to less than 5% (Harner et al. 2007).

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Implementation Insights

Site-specific or Farm-specific requirements 

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In most cases, there are no specific site or farm requirements.

Required Capital Expenditures (CapEx)

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  • Construction of feed bays: Building enclosed and covered feed bays reduces feed loss and can lower long-term costs by minimizing spoilage. Larger operations may need additional capital investment for these bays to accommodate bulk deliveries. 

  • Equipment investment: Capital costs for stationary TMR mixers, micro ingredient tanks, and liquid tanks, which help automate feed handling and improve precision. These systems require initial investment but provide efficiency gains over time.

  • Energy and equipment costs: While stationary feed mixers can improve efficiency, they also require a significant initial investment. Additionally, transitioning from diesel to electric-powered mixers can reduce energy consumption, but the installation of necessary electrical infrastructure may involve upfront capital expenditures.

  • Automation considerations: Automated handling systems for low-inclusion-rate ingredients and liquid feeds can improve precision and reduce labor costs. However, the complexity and cost of these systems require careful planning to ensure a return on investment.

Required Operational Expenditures (OpEx)

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  • Maintenance and labor: The intent of a well-designed feed center should be to lower operating expenses and improve efficiency and job safety. In almost every case, new expense categories should be offset by reductions in other costs. Equipment maintenance may replace labor hours, and electricity may replace diesel fuel, but operating expenses should decrease with improved efficiency and decreased feed shrink.

Implementation Considerations

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  • Design and layout: The feed center’s design needs to accommodate large delivery trucks, providing adequate space for unloading and ingredient movement. More space is required if trucks need to back into bays rather than unload onto a slab. Inadequate space can slow down the feed-loading process, impacting operational efficiency.

  • Operational workflow: The placement of commodity bays, mixers, and silage storage relative to the feed center can affect labor and equipment efficiency. A poor layout can result in longer transport times, increasing labor costs and reducing overall operational efficiency.

  • Sizing: Bays can significantly enhance feed center efficiency, but only when integrated into a comprehensive feed management strategy. For example, utilizing large bays allows dairy operations to take advantage of bulk purchasing and volume discounts, which can lower overall feed costs. However, to maximize these benefits, it is essential to carefully manage storage conditions to prevent spoilage. Prolonged storage without proper protection from moisture, pests, or temperature fluctuations can lead to nutrient degradation and spoilage, negating the cost savings achieved through bulk buying.

Financial Considerations and Revenue Streams

PROFIT POTENTIAL

Shrinkage can lead to substantial financial losses, but enhancing feed storage and mixing processes can mitigate these losses. By improving storage conditions and ensuring more effective mixing, you can reduce waste and spoilage, lower costs for concentrates and other ingredients, and achieve more consistent rations. This, in turn, enhances animal health and productivity, leading to increased milk production. Such investments often yield a rapid return on investment due to the combined benefits of reduced feed costs and higher yields. 


FEDERAL CONSERVATION FUNDING

There may be an opportunity for partial cost sharing if the construction of a feed center simultaneously allows the power source for the feed mixer to be switched from diesel to electric or if the construction of a feed center can mitigate water quality issues.

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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 feed centers, the practice has been shown to significantly reduce total farm shrink,¹ 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 (GHGs) generated from feed production, transportation, and processing. This indirect reduction in resource use contributes to lowering a farm’s overall GHG emissions and improves sustainability.


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¹ Shrink is defined by Dutton (1998) as “the percentage of feed on a farm that is not accounted for by the rations consumed by the animals for which it is intended.” Shrink can occur due to a variety of factors, including wind, wildlife (such as birds and rodents), and moisture leading to spoilage. Brouk (2009) expanded this definition by adding other contributors to shrink, such as errors in delivery weight, feed discarded due to contamination, feed dispersed by tires and vehicle tracking, and inaccuracies during the mixing process. These losses may represent 5-30% of the feed purchased by the farm (Brouk 2009).

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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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A dairy feed center is a centralized hub for feed storage, mixing, and delivery equipment that optimizes operational efficiency, protects feed from environmental elements, improves measurement accuracy, and reduces spoilage. These centers can integrate various technologies and design elements to enhance performance:


  • Feed bays: Feed centers often include large, enclosed bays designed to hold entire truckloads of ingredients. These covered bays minimize spoilage and nutrient losses by protecting feed from wind, rain, and pests such as birds. Facilities equipped for bulk deliveries also benefit from volume discounts and reduced freight costs.

  • Levels and ramps: To improve mixing efficiency, feed centers often feature lower levels for mixer parking or ramps for loaders, which reduce the time and energy required to transfer ingredients into mixers. 

  • Silage staging: Locating silage bays near the mixing area can streamline silage pile defacing, further improving overall efficiency.

  • Stationary Total Mixed Ration (TMR) mixers: Centralized mixing allows TMR to be delivered to cow housing via larger trucks, eliminating the need for the mixer to drive to each pen. Stationary TMR mixers can be powered electrically, reducing energy consumption compared to diesel-powered mixers.

  • Automated handling systems: Micro ingredient tanks and liquid tanks close to stationary mixers facilitate automation, reducing human error and improving feed accuracy.

  • Roofed feed centers: Indoor feed centers, particularly on large dairies, house feed mixing equipment and storage in a sheltered environment. This design improves efficiency by centralizing feed preparation and delivery while offering enhanced protection from the elements.

Practices and technologies

Feed Center

alternative practice name:

Centralized Feed Mixing