Learning how to read a feed test report and understanding the nutritional parameters for hay and straw is pivotal in understanding the quality of your batch.
For the Fodder Link team feed test reports help to determine where a batch fits within the market, aiding in marketing and selling. Therefore, we test all batches of hay to offer as much advantage in the market as we can. Our feed test reports are set out in an easy-to-understand layout, with five sections, including batch information, nutrient parameters, dry basis results, comparison statistics and feed test terms and definitions, and 9 key nutritional parameters.
Batch Information
The batch information is listed across the top of each report, listing batch details to identify which batch of hay the results are relevant for. This will cover the Fodder Link batch number, the commodity and species, your grower reference and details around testing day and mode of testing.
Nutrient Parameters
Our feed test list 35 nutritional parameters that are tested for, but there are 9 main parameters that are our main reference for the overall quality of the product. These 9 parameters include moisture, metabolisable energy (ME), crude protein, water soluble carbohydrates (WSC), acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), relative feed value (RFV), relative feed quality (RFQ), and ash.
Moisture shows the amount of water in a sample of hay, a result over 12% moisture indicates that the line of hay could have a higher-than-normal moisture content.
ME is measured as Mj/kg of dry matter. This tells the energy available to be used by an animal from a feed source, this can be used as maintenance energy, energy for weight gain, milk production or pregnancy.
Crude protein is made up of true protein and non-protein nitrogen, both can be used by cattle in the rumen, but non-protein nitrogen requires more energy to be effectively utilized. Crude Protein must be in balance with ME to be efficiently used, if not this can lead to digestion in efficiencies.
WSC is a measure of sugar in the hay which considers some fractans, providing a large amount of energy to the rumen and animal. A cereal hay will be a lot higher in WSC than a legume hay.
ADF is one of two measure of fibre and can be referred to as acid detergent fibre. ADF is the least digestible part of the plant made up of cellulose, lignin, and insoluble nitrogen. ADF is used in early ration balancing programs to calculate energy values and is an important factor in RFV calculations.
NDF is the other measure of fibre. NDF is the fibrous bulk of the plant, which contains hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin. NDF is important for calculating RFV, RFQ and nearly all modern energy calculations. Generally, hay with a lower NDF and ADF are less mature crops and considered high quality.
RFV and RFQ are both calculations that use various nutrient parameters to tell us about the overall quality of the hay. RFV is calculated directly from ADF and NDF, while RFQ also uses measures of protein, ash, and fibre digestibility. For both RFV and RFQ a result of 100 would be considered average.
The final parameter we look at is the ash content. This is a measure of the inorganic matter in the hay, including minerals and soil contamination. A certain amount of ash is normal but elevated levels indicate soil contamination, ash has zero energy value and negatively impacts hay quality.
It is important to remember that results will differ between species of hay. What is considered a good quality of one species of hay will differ from another species.
Dry Basis Results
The dry basis results are the results for the line of hay that was tested telling us everything we need to know about the batch of hay, the reporting unit for each is listed beside the parameter tested.
Comparision Statistics
The comparison statistics list the 60-day and 4-year average (Sorghum hay will only display the 4-year average) for the variety to hay that was tested. These comparison statistics are a rolling average, made up of global data collated by Rock River laboratories from across all their laboratories. Providing an understanding of the quality of the hay tested when compared of other batches of the same species tested for the stated period.
Feed Test Terms and Definitions
Every Fodder Link feed test contains in depth terms and definitions for each parameter tested for. This can be found on page 4 and 5 of your feed tests and is reliable resource when trying to better understand all the parameters listed on the feed test report.
For more information on why we feed test, check out this link: Why Feed Test? – Fodderlink
