Dairy NutritionFeed Components, Total Mixed

Rations, and Calculations

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TMR Calculation

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TMR Lesson

Feed Components Lesson The TMR lesson is a direct

real life application of the feed components lesson – it

discusses what the components are used for.

This is the home slide – it allows you to access the two main parts of this activity and their quizzes. If you feel comfortable with the information, you can jump straight to the quiz.

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Feed Components In this module you will learn:

What the different components to a dairy cow’s feed are Their characteristics (color, texture, etc.) Their uses in the feed ration

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Corn Silage Made by chopping the entire corn plant Fermented Sored in silos or large bunker silo packs Serves as a primary TMR ingredient/component Starts green in color then turns golden yellow after

fermentation.

Left: Fermented corn silageRight: Corn being chopped into corn silage

Haylage Made by chopping alfalfa plants Fermented for use in feed Stored in silos or large bunker packs Another primary feed ingredient Starts light green in color, becomes deep green after

fermentation

Left: the face of a “bunker silo” that most haylage is stored in.Right: A close up of the makeup of haylage

Dry Hay Generally stored in large round or square bales Contributes fiber to the diet as well as many of the nutrients

and benefits of haylage Generally a small component of feed ration

Left: Close up of the makeup of hayRight: Dry hay storage in big round bales.

Additives & Protein Mixes Normally stored and dispensed from large bins Supplement the nutrients of other ingredients Can add fat or proteins (for energy which translates to milk

production) or minerals (this is a style of mineral delivery called force feeding because cattle must ingest them with the feed)

Molasses is sometimes used to help provide quick energy to cattle

Small portion of feed ration

Additives & Protein MixesLeft: Storage and dispensing system for a dry protein mixRight: Storage and dispensing system for molasses

High Moisture Corn Harvested at high moistures and stored in silos (usually

rolled to crack kernel coating before storage and ground upon addition to ration to maximize digestion)

Fermented (improves digestion) Small component of ration Provides protein

Right: A close up of high moisture corn that has been rolled prior to storage/fermentation and milled upon removal from storage. This is the normal order of procedures.

Feed Components Quiz Now that you’ve completed the learning module on feed

components, its time to take the quiz. You must answer at least 4 out of 5 questions right before moving on to TMR and TMR calculation.

Click on the answer you think is correct.

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Question #1: What feed ingredient serves as the base of most rations?

Corn Silage

Dry Hay

Protein Mix

Haylage

Question #2: What is molasses used for in feed rations?

Provide minerals not found

anywhere else

Make the feed more palatable

Help the feed go down easier

Provide Quick Energy

Question #3: What is the process (in order) of storing/preparing high moisture corn?

Harvested, rolled,

fermentedHarvested, milled,

fermented, rolled

Harvested, rolled,

fermented, milledHarvested, milled,

fermented

Question #4: What feed ingredient is shown below?

Molasses

Haylage

Corn Silage

Protein Mix

Question #5: Why do dairy farmers let high moisture corn ferment?

Tastes Better

Easier digestion

Accidental

They don’t

Almost!Try again or move on by choosing the next

question below.

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 1

That’s correct, good job!Move on by choosing the next question below.

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Congratulations! You’ve finished the Feed Components/Ingredients quiz!

If you scored at least 4 out of 5 questions correct, advance to the next slide.

If you got less than a 4 out of 5 click the button below to return to the beginning of the feed components/ingredients module.

Feed Components

Module

TMR Calculations In this module you will learn:

What a TMR is Why they are used on dairy farms How to calculate a TMR given a nutrition needs report

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What is a TMR TMR stands for total mixed ration

Total mixed rations are formulated and blended together to include all forage and grain ingredients, and fed by free choice to cattle.

Bunks generally filled twice a day and cattle are given unlimited access

Nutritionist recommends quantities of each feed ingredient fed

Total Mixed RationsAdvantages

Lower risks of digestive problems

Cattle consume desired amounts of different forages and minerals relative to each other

Accuracy of feed mixing improved

Can use feeds that are unpalatable (don’t taste good) to cattle when fed alone

Reduces labor!

Disadvantages

Investment in mixer and other equipment may be significant

Cows must be grouped into at least two (or more) groups

Rations must be professionally done and and updated frequently

Grazing becomes obsolete and lots of dry hay is difficult to incorporate into the diet

Click on the button below to watch the video, then return to this slide and continue with the learning module

TMR Calculation

Video

TMR Quiz Now that you’ve completed the learning module discussing

Total Mixed Rations and how to calculate them, it’s time to test your knowledge. You must answer 4 out of 5 questions correctly.

Click on the answer you think is correct.

Before you begin, make sure you have scrap paper, a writing utensil, and a calculator.

Advance to the next slide to begin, good luck!

Question #1: A dairy herd is currently feeding approximately 6,000 pounds TMR twice a day to a group of newly fresh cows. The current

ration contains 3,500 pounds of corn silage. Due to a heat wave sweeping the Midwest, consumption decreases by 2,000 pounds/per day. How much corn silage will the farmer’s new TMR batch contain?

2,800 lbs

3,400 lbs

2,900 lbs

3,000 lbs

Question #2: Toll Tail Dairy milks about 450 cows divided among 5 pens based on how recently they have calved. Pen 1 is receiving 4,000 lbs/day, pens 2 and 3 are receiving 12,000 lbs/day, pen 4 is

receiving 10,800 lbs/day, and pen 5 is receiving 7,600 lbs/day. How much high moisture corn will be used during the afternoon feeding if it is 10 % of the TMR ration for pen 1, 15% of the TMR for pens 2 and 3,

and 13% of the TMR for pens 4 and 5?

3,176 lbs

3,144 lbs

3,000 lbs

3,244 lbs

Question #3: Lewis Century Stock Farms is considering increasing the amount of protein mix and the amount of wet molasses used in

their TMR ration. Currently protein mix makes up 10% and molasses makes up 5% of their 20,000 pound batches. How much more would be used if they increased molasses from 5% to 7% and protein mix

from 10% to 20%

+2000 lbs of protein mix and +400 lbs of

molasses

+600 lbs of molasses and +2200 lbs of

protein mix

+1800 lbs of protein mix and +500 lbs of

molasses

+2000 lbs of molasses and +400 lbs of

protein mix

Question #4: You are a dairy farmer and have just been given a new ration from your nutritionist. Given that the batch will total 17,000

pounds and include 10% high moisture corn, 10% protein mix, 5% dry hay, 25% haylage, 35% corn silage, and 5% molasses, what are your

results?

High Moisture Corn – 2,000 lbs Protein Mix – 2,000 lbsDry Hay – 500 lbsHaylage – 7,000 lbsCorn Silage – 5,000 lbsMolasses – 500 lbs

High Moisture Corn – 850 lbs Protein Mix – 850 lbsDry Hay – 1,700 lbsHaylage – 5,950 lbsCorn Silage – 4,250 lbsMolasses – 1,700 lbs

High Moisture Corn – 1,700 lbs Protein Mix – 1,700 lbs Dry Hay – 850 lbs Haylage – 4,250 lbsCorn Silage – 5,950 lbsMolasses – 850 lbs

High Moisture Corn – 1,500 lbs Protein Mix – 1,500 lbs Dry Hay – 1,000 lbsHaylage – 5,000 lbsCorn Silage – 7,000 lbsMolasses – 1,000

Question #5: Perkins Twin Creek Farms is experiencing a decrease in feed intake due to the cold temperatures that have set in this week. They had been feeding 10,000 pounds of Total Mixed Ration to their

newly fresh cows per day 40% of this ration is haylage. Now that they are feeding 9,000 pounds of TMR to these cows per day, how much

less haylage are they using?

450 lbs

300 lbs

400 lbs

500 lbs

Almost!Try again or move on by choosing the next

question below.

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 1

That’s correct, good job!Move on by choosing the next question below.

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Congratulations! You’ve finished the TMR and TMR Calculation quiz!

If you scored at least 4 out of 5 questions correct, advance to the next slide.

If you got less than a 4 out of 5 click the button below to return to the beginning of the TRM and TMR Calculation module.

TMR and Calculation

Module

You Made It! Congratulations on successfully completing and mastering

two of the course standards.

You now have a broader knowledge of feed ingredients and components that farmers use how farmer calculate the amount of each of ingredient to feed

their cattle in a total mixed ration.

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ResourcesLinn, J. (2013) Feeding Total Mixed Rations. Retrieved from http://www1.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/dairy/feed%2Dand%2Dnutrition/feeding%2Dtotal%2Dmixed%2Drations/

All Pictures taken at Perkins Twin Creek Farms Inc on a personal camera

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