Ruminant Nutritionist Janet Kleinschmidt uncovers the feed industry and explains how the industry works.

1. Working with the Feed
Industry

2. Working with the Feed Industry
North America has a very well established feed
industry which plays a vital role in livestock
production.
Many of the services provided by the feed industry
are not readily obvious to most livestock
producers.

3. Working with the Feed Industry

4. Working with the Feed Industry

5. Working with the Feed Industry
 Feed companies source large quantities of
commodity on the futures market at the best
possible price.
 Feed companies test all commodities for their
chemical analyses and make sure they are free from
molds and mycotoxins.
 Most feed companies send all ingredients in for
chemical analysis at least once a week and adjust
their mill data base accordingly.

6. Working with the Feed Industry

7. Working with the Feed Industry
 Feed companies perform feed processing which
would be very difficult to accomplish at the farm
level. For example, pelleting, extruding, roasting,
steam rolling and micronizing.
 Many feed companies will work with individual
producers to set up payment packages that will
reward those who keep their accounts current and
paid. They will also work with producers who are
experiencing financial stress to develop payment
packages within the producer’s means.

8. Working with the Feed Industry
 Feed companies work closely with the legislative
bodies in their respective countries, in Canada it is
the Canadian Feed Inspection Agency (CFIA) to
ensure our livestock feed industry is one of the
safest in the world.
 Feed companies keep “retainer” samples of all
feeds made for 3-6 months.

9. Working with the Feed Industry
 Nutritionists at feed companies will study new
ingredients and feed additives and determine if
they will be of any benefit, either financially or from
an animal health and welfare view point for their
customers.
 Feed company nutritionists are constantly updating
their knowledge by attending conference and
courses. Animal nutrition is a very dynamic field
with new concepts being adopted regularly; this is
particularly true in ruminant nutrition.

10. Working with the Feed Industry
 Feed companies will run “best cost” linear programs
to develop nutrition formulas that are cost effective
but provide the proper nutrition for all species.
Many feed companies will run three different lines
of feed for a given species: one that is as
inexpensive as possible, one that is middle-of the
road, and one that is the “Cadillac” version of a feed
with all of the bells and whistles.
 Most feed companies will work with consulting
nutritionists to manufacture “custom” formulations.

11. Working with the Feed Industry
 Some feed companies have their own forage testing
labs. It imperative to make sure that the lab you
feed company is using is certified.
 Progressive feed company representatives (feed
rep’s) will visit farms regularly and make them
selves acquainted with a producer’s setup and
goals.
 A progressive feed rep will communicate well with
the producer’s veterinarian and other services
providers to ensure a “team” approach with all
other consultants.

12. Working with the Feed Industry
Feed rep’s will also perform the following services:
•
• Forage sampling and testing
• Manure screening and scoring
• Body condition scoring (BCS)
• Penn State shaker box test
• Ration balancing
• “Book” feed for a given period e.g. 3-6 months at a set
price. This is done only under specific circumstances.

13. Working with the Feed Industry

14. Working with the Feed Industry

15. Working with the Feed Industry
Many feed companies will tell you that they will test your
forages for free. NOTHING IS EVER FREE. If you are not
paying “up front” the charge will be hidden in your feed
bill.
There may be an advantage in submitting your forages through
your feed company. Most feed companies negotiate
discounts with forage testing labs because of the volume
of samples they submit annually, so there may be a cost
saving here.
Make sure that the lab your feed company uses in independent
and certified.

16. Working with the Feed Industry

17. What are your legal rights when dealing with the Feed
Industry?
A feed company MUST supply you with a complete list
of ingredients in a feed if such a request is made.
However, they do not have to give you the exact
weights of each ingredient; what they will do is list
the ingredients starting with the largest and ending
with the smallest.
Every time you purchase feed either in bags, bulk or in
a tote, a CFIA (see below) standard tag MUST be
supplied to you by your feed company.

18. What are your legal rights when dealing with the Feed
Industry?

19. What are your legal rights when dealing with the Feed
Industry?

20. What are your legal rights when dealing with the Feed
Industry?
There are certain guide lines outlined in the Canada
Feed Act which specifies the range nutrient
specifications must fall in as guaranteed on the
label.
If you are concerned that what you purchased from
your feed company is not what you received, have
samples taken by a CFIA inspector for testing.