This NebFact has information on livestock feed moisture

Grant, Rick

Rasby, Richard J.

English

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Historical Materials from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Extension 1996 NF96-270 Handling Feed Moisture in Ration Formulation and Inventory Control Richard J. Rasby University of Nebraska--Lincoln, rrasby1@unl.edu Rick Grant Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/extensionhist  Part of the Agriculture Commons, and the Curriculum and Instruction Commons Rasby, Richard J. and Grant, Rick, "NF96-270 Handling Feed Moisture in Ration Formulation and Inventory Control" (1996). Historical Materials from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. 161. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/extensionhist/161 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Extension at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Historical Materials from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Nebraska Cooperative Extension NF 96-270Handling Feed Moisture in Ration  Formulation and Inventory Control Rick Rasby, Beef Specialist Rick Grant, Dairy Specialist  Nutritional quality control begins with knowing and adjusting for variations in the moisture content of feed ingredients. Moisture variations in feeds are almost always of more importance than variations in protein, mineral, and energy. Inventory control is affected by moisture content of feeds. Some feeds on hand are constantly changing in moisture content, and these changes frequently lead to financial losses when a price adjustment is not made for moisturegains or losses.  Two pieces of equipment are essential in coping with moisture variation in feeds: a tester capable of determining moisture content of all feeds used at the lot; and a scale for weighing all feed purchased and fed. Either of these without the other is of limited use in obtaining good nutritional quality control and inventory management.  Variation in Moisture Content Corn silage usually contains 50-75 percent moisture, thus 10 pounds¹ of corn silage contains between 2½-5 pounds of dry matter, a variation of 100 percent. A steer eating 20 pounds of 15.5 percent moisture corn would only have to eat 18.8 pounds of 10 percent moisture corn to obtain the same nutrients. If 15.5 percent and 10 percent moisture corn cost the same, the latter would result in a cost reduction of a little over 6 percent. Some cattle feeders have spent thousands of dollars for processing equipment that improves the value of grain by a similar proportion. Six percent is about equal to the total benefit in feedlot performance from using antibiotics, Vitamin A, and trace mineral mixtures.  The moisture content of commodities must be considered when handling inventories and purchasing feeds. If, for example, one supply of hay costs $50/ton at 15 percent moisture and another supply was available at 10 percent moisture, the second supply would be worth $52.94/ton, all other things being equal. Many feeders have bought hay without even knowing the moisture content. Inventory losses of up to 15 percent due to moisture change are not uncommon during the first 30 days of storage on baled alfalfa hay. If the feeder both buys and sells on the basis of dry matter, his losses in inventory are then limited to a true loss of material, not moisture fluctuation. Formulate on a Standard Moisture BasisGood nutritional quality control is impossible without formulating on a standard moisture basis. The preferred standard is zero moisture or 100 percent dry matter. The National Research Council has adopted this system. The mathematics of balancing a ration and adjusting for its "as fed" composition are easy to manipulate.  When nutritional composition is given on a dry basis, conversion back to an "as is" basis is very easy. If, for example, No. 2 corn has 10 percent protein on a dry basis and a feeder has 30 percent moisture corn, protein on an "as is" basis can be estimated by multiplying dry matter percent of the feed times the value in the Feed Composition Table (0.70 x 10 = 7.0 percent protein on an "as is" basis). This technique is very useful for feeds such as silages where it would be impractical to print nutrient composition tables for all possible moisture percentages.  Formulation of Rations A feeder or nutritionist should formulate the ration on a dry basis. When feed samples are sent to laboratories for analysis it is their usual procedure to show the chemical analysis both "as received" and on an oven dry basis. Conversion from a dry formula to an "as fed" basis is illustrated in Table I-A. To determine how many pounds of "as fed" feed are required to supply the equivalent dry matter, divide the dry matter required by the dry matter content of the specific feed.  Formula Readjustment Is Often Necessary If the silage and high moisture corn dry matter content changes (for example, in Table I-A to 55 and 24 percent respectively), you should readjust your ration as illustrated in Table I-B.  Compare the pounds of "as fed" feed required to make 100 pounds of dry ration in Tables I-A and I-B. By moving the decimal one place to the left it can be seen that a steer eating 10 pounds of dry matter would have to eat 29 pounds of the ration in Table I-A and only 21 pounds of the one in Table I-B to get the same nutrients.  Table I-A. Conversion of a feeding formula from a moisture-free to an "as fed" basis.FeedDry Formula(%)As Fed Dry Matter (%)Pounds of "asfed" needed tomake 100 lbs. of dry rationAs Fed Formula (%) Corn 5 ÷ .80 = 6.25 ÷ 293.06 = 2.13Silage 90 ÷ .32 = 281.25 ÷ 293.06 = 95.97Supplement 5 ÷ .90 = 5.56 ÷ 293.06 = 1.90293.06 100.00Table I-B. Readjustment of a feeding formula to an "as fed" basis.Moisture Changes Cause Imbalances Assume you are mixing your ration properly, requiring 1.90 percent supplement on an "as fed" basis (as illustrated in Table I-A). Now assume that the moisture of the silage and corn changed as in Table I-B. If you do not readjust the feeding formula, a serious shortage of protein could result. In this case, the cattle would receive 72.5 percent as much supplement as they should have because the mixing formula was not recalculated.  Serious nutritional errors can be caused by moisture variation in feeds that are potentially variable in moisture content. Failure to formulate on a uniform dry matter basis and to make corrections when needed is a major cause of problems in feeding high moisture feedstuffs.  Moisture Is Important When Buying Feeds Relative value (dry matter purchased) when paying for corn on a 15.5 percent moisture basis while actually receiving corn of another moisture is illustrated in Table II. If you are receiving 19 percent moisture corn and paying for 15.5 percent, you are receiving 95.9 percent of the dry matter you bought. If corn is delivered with 10 percent moisture, and you are paying on a 15.5 percent moisture basis, you are receiving 106.5 percent of what you purchased.  When evaluating feed purchases, you should never lose sight of how much water you are forced to buy. For example, if you assume that corn and wheat have equal nutritional characteristics per unit of dry matter, the trading basis (15.5 percent moisture for U.S. No. 2 corn and usually about 8-10 percent moisture for wheat) is much more significant than any nutritional difference found in the two grains.  FeedDry Formula(%)As Fed Dry Matter (%)Pounds of "asfed" needed tomake 100 lbs. of dry rationAs Fed Formula (%) Corn 5 ÷ .76 = 6.76 ÷ 212.32 = 3.18Silage 90 ÷ .45 = 200.00 ÷ 212.32 = 94.20Supplement 5 ÷ .90 = 5.56 ÷ 212.32 = 2.62212.32 100.00Table II. Relative value of U.S. No. 2 corn (15.5 percent moisture) as affected by changes in moisture. Moisture %DM Basis MultiplierMoisture %DM Basis MultiplierMoisture%DM Basis Multiplier0 1.1834 18 .9704 28 .85219 1.0769 19 .9586 29 .840210 1.0651 20 .9467 30 .828411 1.0533 21 .9349 31 .8166¹To convert to metrics, multiply pounds by 0.45 to find kilograms, and tons by 0.9 to find metric tons.  File NF270 under: BEEF A-3, Feeding and Nutrition Issued June 1996  Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Elbert C. Dickey, Director of Cooperative Extension, University of Nebraska, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.  University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension educational programs abide with the non-discrimination policies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture. 12 1.0414 22 .9231 32 .804713 1.0296 23 .9112 33 .792914 1.0178 24 .8994 34 .781115 1.0059 25 .8876 35 .769116 .9941 26 .8757 36 .757417 .9822 27 .8639If 15.5 percent moisture corn is the purchase basis, it will require 1.1834 units of "as fed" corn to make 1 unit of dry matter.

NF96-270 Handling Feed Moisture in Ration Formulation and Inventory Control

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
Historical Materials from University of 
Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Extension 
1996 
NF96-270 Handling Feed Moisture in Ration Formulation and 
Inventory Control 
Richard J. Rasby 
University of Nebraska--Lincoln, rrasby1@unl.edu 
Rick Grant 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/extensionhist 
 Part of the Agriculture Commons, and the Curriculum and Instruction Commons 
Rasby, Richard J. and Grant, Rick, "NF96-270 Handling Feed Moisture in Ration Formulation and Inventory 
Control" (1996). Historical Materials from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. 161. 
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/extensionhist/161 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Extension at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - 
Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Historical Materials from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension by an 
authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 
Nebraska Cooperative Extension NF 96-270
Handling Feed Moisture in Ration  
Formulation and Inventory Control 
Rick Rasby, Beef Specialist 
Rick Grant, Dairy Specialist  
Nutritional quality control begins with knowing and adjusting for variations in the moisture content of 
feed ingredients. Moisture variations in feeds are almost always of more importance than variations in 
protein, mineral, and energy. Inventory control is affected by moisture content of feeds. Some feeds on 
hand are constantly changing in moisture content, and these changes frequently lead to financial losses 
when a price adjustment is not made for moisturegains or losses.  
Two pieces of equipment are essential in coping with moisture variation in feeds: a tester capable of 
determining moisture content of all feeds used at the lot; and a scale for weighing all feed purchased and 
fed. Either of these without the other is of limited use in obtaining good nutritional quality control and 
inventory management.  
Variation in Moisture Content 
Corn silage usually contains 50-75 percent moisture, thus 10 pounds¹ of corn silage contains between 
2½-5 pounds of dry matter, a variation of 100 percent. A steer eating 20 pounds of 15.5 percent moisture 
corn would only have to eat 18.8 pounds of 10 percent moisture corn to obtain the same nutrients. If 
15.5 percent and 10 percent moisture corn cost the same, the latter would result in a cost reduction of a 
little over 6 percent. Some cattle feeders have spent thousands of dollars for processing equipment that 
improves the value of grain by a similar proportion. Six percent is about equal to the total benefit in 
feedlot performance from using antibiotics, Vitamin A, and trace mineral mixtures.  
The moisture content of commodities must be considered when handling inventories and purchasing 
feeds. If, for example, one supply of hay costs $50/ton at 15 percent moisture and another supply was 
available at 10 percent moisture, the second supply would be worth $52.94/ton, all other things being 
equal. Many feeders have bought hay without even knowing the moisture content. Inventory losses of up 
to 15 percent due to moisture change are not uncommon during the first 30 days of storage on baled 
alfalfa hay. If the feeder both buys and sells on the basis of dry matter, his losses in inventory are then 
limited to a true loss of material, not moisture fluctuation. 
Formulate on a Standard Moisture Basis
Good nutritional quality control is impossible without formulating on a standard moisture basis. The 
preferred standard is zero moisture or 100 percent dry matter. The National Research Council has 
adopted this system. The mathematics of balancing a ration and adjusting for its "as fed" composition 
are easy to manipulate.  
When nutritional composition is given on a dry basis, conversion back to an "as is" basis is very easy. If, 
for example, No. 2 corn has 10 percent protein on a dry basis and a feeder has 30 percent moisture corn, 
protein on an "as is" basis can be estimated by multiplying dry matter percent of the feed times the value 
in the Feed Composition Table (0.70 x 10 = 7.0 percent protein on an "as is" basis). This technique is 
very useful for feeds such as silages where it would be impractical to print nutrient composition tables 
for all possible moisture percentages.  
Formulation of Rations 
A feeder or nutritionist should formulate the ration on a dry basis. When feed samples are sent to 
laboratories for analysis it is their usual procedure to show the chemical analysis both "as received" and 
on an oven dry basis. Conversion from a dry formula to an "as fed" basis is illustrated in Table I-A. To 
determine how many pounds of "as fed" feed are required to supply the equivalent dry matter, divide the 
dry matter required by the dry matter content of the specific feed.  
Formula Readjustment Is Often Necessary 
If the silage and high moisture corn dry matter content changes (for example, in Table I-A to 55 and 24 
percent respectively), you should readjust your ration as illustrated in Table I-B.  
Compare the pounds of "as fed" feed required to make 100 pounds of dry ration in Tables I-A and I-B. 
By moving the decimal one place to the left it can be seen that a steer eating 10 pounds of dry matter 
would have to eat 29 pounds of the ration in Table I-A and only 21 pounds of the one in Table I-B to get 
the same nutrients.  
Table I-A. Conversion of a feeding formula from a moisture-free to an "as 
fed" basis.
Feed
Dry 
Formula
(%)
As Fed 
Dry 
Matter 
(%)
Pounds of "as
fed" needed to
make 100 lbs. 
of dry ration
As Fed 
Formula 
(%) 
Corn 5 ÷ .80 = 6.25 ÷ 293.06 = 2.13
Silage 90 ÷ .32 = 281.25 ÷ 293.06 = 95.97
Supplement 5 ÷ .90 = 5.56 ÷ 293.06 = 1.90
293.06 100.00
Table I-B. Readjustment of a feeding formula to an "as fed" basis.
Moisture Changes Cause Imbalances 
Assume you are mixing your ration properly, requiring 1.90 percent supplement on an "as fed" basis (as 
illustrated in Table I-A). Now assume that the moisture of the silage and corn changed as in Table I-B. If 
you do not readjust the feeding formula, a serious shortage of protein could result. In this case, the cattle 
would receive 72.5 percent as much supplement as they should have because the mixing formula was 
not recalculated.  
Serious nutritional errors can be caused by moisture variation in feeds that are potentially variable in 
moisture content. Failure to formulate on a uniform dry matter basis and to make corrections when 
needed is a major cause of problems in feeding high moisture feedstuffs.  
Moisture Is Important When Buying Feeds 
Relative value (dry matter purchased) when paying for corn on a 15.5 percent moisture basis while 
actually receiving corn of another moisture is illustrated in Table II. If you are receiving 19 percent 
moisture corn and paying for 15.5 percent, you are receiving 95.9 percent of the dry matter you bought. 
If corn is delivered with 10 percent moisture, and you are paying on a 15.5 percent moisture basis, you 
are receiving 106.5 percent of what you purchased.  
When evaluating feed purchases, you should never lose sight of how much water you are forced to buy. 
For example, if you assume that corn and wheat have equal nutritional characteristics per unit of dry 
matter, the trading basis (15.5 percent moisture for U.S. No. 2 corn and usually about 8-10 percent 
moisture for wheat) is much more significant than any nutritional difference found in the two grains.  
Feed
Dry 
Formula
(%)
As Fed 
Dry 
Matter 
(%)
Pounds of "as
fed" needed to
make 100 lbs. 
of dry ration
As Fed 
Formula 
(%) 
Corn 5 ÷ .76 = 6.76 ÷ 212.32 = 3.18
Silage 90 ÷ .45 = 200.00 ÷ 212.32 = 94.20
Supplement 5 ÷ .90 = 5.56 ÷ 212.32 = 2.62
212.32 100.00
Table II. Relative value of U.S. No. 2 corn (15.5 percent moisture) as 
affected by changes in moisture. 
Moisture 
%
DM Basis 
Multiplier
Moisture 
%
DM Basis 
Multiplier
Moisture
%
DM Basis 
Multiplier
0 1.1834 18 .9704 28 .8521
9 1.0769 19 .9586 29 .8402
10 1.0651 20 .9467 30 .8284
11 1.0533 21 .9349 31 .8166
¹To convert to metrics, multiply pounds by 0.45 to find kilograms, and tons by 0.9 to find metric tons.  
File NF270 under: BEEF 
A-3, Feeding and Nutrition 
Issued June 1996  
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation 
with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Elbert C. Dickey, Director of Cooperative Extension, 
University of Nebraska, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.  
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension educational programs abide with the non-discrimination 
policies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture. 
12 1.0414 22 .9231 32 .8047
13 1.0296 23 .9112 33 .7929
14 1.0178 24 .8994 34 .7811
15 1.0059 25 .8876 35 .7691
16 .9941 26 .8757 36 .7574
17 .9822 27 .8639
If 15.5 percent moisture corn is the purchase basis, it will require 1.1834 units of "as fed" 
corn to make 1 unit of dry matter.


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NF96-270 Handling Feed Moisture in Ration Formulation and Inventory Control

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