All farmers will tell you that mixing feed correctly is extremely important. To those who are not involved in the agriculture industry this may not seem like a big issue. After all, the animal is going to be eating exactly the same feed, so why does it matter how it is mixed? This is an understandable viewpoint. However, it is not the case. The feed needs to be mixed thoroughly otherwise the animal will not consume the right volume of nutrients. This then has the knock on effect of really hindering the quality of yield and beef produced as a result.
Of course farmers are assessed based on the quality they provide. Supermarkets, restaurants and alike only want the best of the best. This is even more so the case in the current day and age whereby more scrutiny is placed on quality than ever before. This stemmed from the horsemeat scandal. Of course that was not the fault of the farmer. However, it has led to people being extremely careful with their meat selection and only buying high quality. The only way farmers can deliver milk and beef of a top level is to provide their animal with the perfect mix of nutrients. Getting this balance right is of upmost importance.
So, what is the key to getting the nutrients right? Essentially it is all about the physical composition of the ration. Diet feeders are utilised in order to ensure the feed is mixed consistently. This is imperative to guarantee that the feed is distributed evenly across the stock, otherwise some animals would be getting all the nutrients whilst others would be getting none. Thus, you can see why a diet feeder is considered to be such an important piece of farming machinery. Practically all farmers utilise these in the modern day as the benefits are vast.
In fact, let’s look at this machinery in a little bit more detail. What do they actually do for the farmer? Of course they have the main function of actually mixing a concentrated supply with a forage feed. However, this is not all they do. They also make the farmers’ life a lot easier because they have the capacity to then distribute the rations directly to the livestock. Furthermore, they have the capacity to efficiently transfer feed from the storage space to the feeding shed. Therefore, they take care of the complete process. This provides farmers with a much higher level of efficiency.
If you are looking to purchase a diet feeder then there are several things you need to bear in mind aside from the usual, such as cost. You should be look for a feeder boasting a mixer that guarantees the feed has a physical structure which is perfect for the rumen. You also need a mixer that makes a light open mix and provides a good mix of particle size as well. Keep these points in mind and you are assured to find the perfect diet feeder for you.
Keira Rose is a qualified freelance journalist. She specialises in business and has recently done an extensive report on the farming industry which includes information on the cost of diet feeders and other machinery.
