Compound feed
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Compound feeds are feedstuffs that are blended from various raw materials and additives. These blends are formulated according to the specific requirements of the target animal. They are manufactured by feed compounders as meal type, pellets or crumbles.
Compound feeds can be complete feeds that provide all the daily required nutrients, concentrates that provide a part of the ration (protein, energy) or supplements that only provide additional micro-nutrients such as minerals and vitamins.
According to the American Feed Industry Association, as much as $20 billion worth of feed ingredients are purchased each year. These products range from grain mixes to orange rinds to beet pulps. The feed industry is one of the most competitive businesses in the agricultural sector and is by far the largest purchaser of U.S. corn, feed grains, and soybean meal. Tens of thousands of farmers with feed mills on their own farms are able to compete with huge conglomerates with national distribution. Feed crops generated $23.2 billion in cash receipts on U.S. farms in 2001. At the same time, farmers spent a total of $24.5 billion on feed that year.
Around 600 million tons of feed are produced annually around the world
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[edit] History of Commercial Feeds
The beginning of industrial scale production of animal feeds can be traced back to the late 1800s, this is around the time that advance in human and animal nutrition was able to identify the benefits of a balance diet, and the importance that role that the processing of certain raw materials played in this. Corn gluten feed was first manufactured in 1882, while leading world feed producer "Purina feeds" was established in 1894 by William H. Danforth."Cargill" which was mainly dealing in grains from it's beginnings in 1865, started to deal in feed at about 1884.
The feed industry expanded rapidly in the first quarter of the 1900's with "Purina" expanding it's operations into Canada, and opened it's first feed mill in 1927 (Which is still in operation).
In 1928 the feed industry was revolutionized by the introduction of the first pelleted feeds - "Purina Checkers"
[edit] History of the feed industry in the UK
Port Mills: In the UK from 1910-1960 the bulk of feed manufacturing was being done near main deep sea ports; where cheap cereals and maize was being imported from the USA, where proximity to flour mills was close (wheatfeed a residue from flour milling was and still is used as a feed ingredient), and the close proximity to oilseed crushing plants (which also relied on imported ingredients - vegetable oil seeds), where the by-product of oilseed crushing (the 'cake' was used for it's protein and energy in animal feed rations. These feed mills were huge businesses with very large output and employed in excess of 1,000 employees. Fom the ports the main form of distribution was via rail, dropped of at wayside or branch stations for collection by the local merchants.
Country mill 1960 - 1985 is known as the era of the country mill. After the Second War, post government stressed on the importance of britain becoming self sufficient and this policy resulted in the demise of the port mills, with them being replaced by the country mill. By the late 1950's the large port mills with their huge labor force were becoming uneconomic to run, with aging equipment and expensive transportation costs. In addition to this home grown cereals were becoming much more readily available, with country based manufacturers being located in the close vicinity to the farmer customers, the first feed mills in the country were establish in the late 1960's. Around the start of the 1970's 16 country mills had been built replace all but 2 of the 23 port mills that had been in operation.
By the late 1970's the feed industry in Britain was probably enjoying it's best period, with the increasingly affluent population able to eat more meat, milk and eggs, feed was in high demand. By the mid 1980's however, oversupply had become evident, especially in the dairy industry. With the imposition of milk production quotas in 1985, the feed industry was hit very hard with the virtual removal of 1 million tones of dairy feed overnight. This resulted in the clsure and amalgamation of a number of mill. Since then mills have continue to optimize operations to the extent that the configuration of mill;s today, reflects well with the current demand patterns for feed.
[edit] Feed Ingredients
The main ingredients used in commercially prepared feed are the feed grains, which include corn, soybeans, sorghum, oats, and barley. Corn production was valued at nearly $25 billion in 2003, while soybean production was valued at $17.5 billion. Roughly 66 percent of sorghum production, which was valued at $965 million in 2003, is used as livestock feed. Approximately 60 percent of barley production, which totaled 227 million bushels and was valued at $765 million in 2003, is used as livestock feed. Annual oat production in 2003 was valued at $218 million.
The sale and manufacture of pre-mixes is an industry within an industry. Pre-mixes are comprised of micro-ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, chemical preservatives, antibiotics, fermentation products, and other essential ingredients that are purchased from pre-mix companies, usually in sacked form, for blending into commercial rations. Because of the availability of these products, a farmer who uses his own grain can formulate his own rations and be assured that his animals are getting the recommended levels of minerals and vitamins.
[edit] Feed Formulation
The role of the nutritionist is to calculate a ration that fits the nutritional requirements for the least cost. This is known as a "least-cost ration," and is the ultimate goal of all livestock nutritionists. There are thousands of professional nutritionists working for livestock feed suppliers, poultry feed manufacturers, feedlots, and poultry raising operations who spend a great deal of their time determining the needs of each animal during different phases of its productive life cycle. Nutritionists use the most sophisticated computer hardware and software to make these calculations on a daily basis. Nutritionists either are employed in-house or work as consultants.
[edit] LEAST-COST FORMULATION
The practice of ingredient interchange, known as "least-cost formulation," is widely practiced within the commercial feed industry. When the cost of one ingredient increases, a lower cost ingredient may be used as a substitute in order to produce a lower cost feed, providing the customer with the most economical feed for animal production. It is widely know, however, that laboratory feeds are fed to animals raised for breeding and research, not for animals used to produce food such as meat, milk and eggs.
[edit] FIXED FORMULATION
Fixed Formulation - Extensive ingredient research has proven, beyond a doubt, that a formula produced under 'Fixed Formulation', without credence to ingredient variability, will result in unknown and sometimes radical changes in nutrient levels. PMI® does produce non-laboratory products under Fixed Formulation. These are primarily economy minded formulated feeds that can be safely fed for production purposes to the beef, swine and dairy industries. The finished product testing on these products from season to season proves ingredient variability can change the nutritional composition of an animal feed.
[edit] Feed Manufacture
The job of the feed manufacturer is to buy the commodities and blend them in the feed mill according to the specifications outlined by the nutritionist. There is little room for error because, if the ration is not apportioned correctly, lowered animal production and diminished outward appearance can occur.
[edit] Industry Leaders
Leading companies involved in prepared feeds production in the early 2000s included ConAgra Inc., an Omaha, Nebraska-based firm; and Cargill, Incorporated, a diversified company that was the nation's top exporter of grain. In 1998 Ralston Purina Company, based in St. Louis, Missouri, formed Agribrands International, Inc. to control its international animal feed and agricultural products division. Agribrands produced feed and other products for livestock in markets outside of the United States and had about 75 facilities operating in 16 countries. In 2001 it was acquired by Cargill.
Other significant industry players included Conti Group Companies, Inc., the world's leading cattle feeder; CHS Inc. (previously known as Cenex Harvest States Cooperative), which was primarily involved in grain trading; and Farmland Industries, Inc., the leading agricultural cooperative in the United States. Farmland was a worldwide exporter of products, such as grain. In May of 2002, however, the firm declared bankruptcy. The following year Smithfield Foods Inc. acquired most of Farmland's assets.
