Interpreting Forage Analysis

Feed test results are of little value unless they are understood and used. Results can
be used to: (1) balance rations, (2) improve future crop management if present
forage is of unsatisfactory quality, and (3) determine equitable prices for feedstuffs
based on nutritive value.
Results of analysis are expressed on an "as-received" and on a "100% dry matter
(DM)" basis. The as-received basis includes the water or moisture the feed contains.
Nutrients expressed on this basis represent the nutrient content of the feed when it
was received at the lab.
Dry matter basis means all moisture has been removed. The nutrient concentration
is that which is contained in the dry matter portion of the feed. Values reported on a
dry matter basis are always larger than the as-received values. To convert from an
as-received to a dry matter basis, use the following formula:
Nutrient (as received basis / %DM) x 100 = Nutrient (DM basis)
For example, if a sample of haylage (55% DM) contains 11.0% crude protein on an
as-received basis, it contains 20.0% protein on a dry matter basis:
(11.0% crude protein / 55% DM) x 100 = 20% crude protein
Moisture. Moisture is the amount of water in the feed. Percent moisture = 100 - %
DM.
Dry Matter (DM). Dry matter is the amount of dry matter in the feed. It is the
percentage of feed that is not water. Percent DM = 100 - % moisture. A sample of
haylage with 55% dry matter contains 45% water.
Crude Protein (CP). Crude protein is termed "crude" because it is not a direct
measurement of protein but a measurement of the total nitrogen in the feed (Nitrogen
x 6.25 = crude protein). Crude protein includes true protein and non-protein nitrogen
(NPN) such as urea nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen.
The crude protein value provides no information about amino acid composition,
availability of protein, or the amount which will bypass the rumen.
Acid Detergent Fiber Crude Protein (ADFCP). Excessive moisture in hays or too
little moisture in haylages may result in heating, caramelization or browning of the
forage. Heat damaged forages are characterized by a brown to black color and a
sweet caramel-tobacco aroma. Some proteins become bound during the heating
process, making them indigestible or poorly digested by animals. These bound
proteins are measured as acid detergent fiber crude protein.
Palatability is often increased because sugars become condensed and turn to syrup
during heating. Even though animals are consuming this sweet smelling forage,
animals performance can be negatively affected.
Acid Detergent Fiber Crude Protein/Crude Protein Ratio (ADFCP/CP).
ADFCP/CP is the ratio of acid detergent fiber crude protein to crude protein
expressed as a percent. This ratio is used to evaluate the extent of heat damage.
When the ADFCP/CP ratio is greater than 14% it indicates that the harvest and/or
storage conditions were less than ideal and excessive heating occurred.
ADFCP/CP Ratio = (ADFCP / CP) x 100
Adjusted Crude Protein (ACP). Adjusted crude protein is the amount of crude
protein after correction for bound protein. ACP should be used to balance rations
rather than CP if the ADFCP/CP ratio exceeds 14% as outlined below:
Ratio Less than 14%: Normal forage. Use crude protein value for ration
calculations.
ACP = CP
Ratio From 14 to 20%: Protein is partially adjusted. Use ACP rather than crude
protein for ration calculations.
ACP = CP - [Ratio - 7 x CP] / 100
Ratio More than 20%: Use ACP rather than crude protein for ration calculations.
ACP = CP - ADFCP
Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF). ADF consists primarily of cellulose, lignin, and acid
detergent fiber crude protein. It is closely related to indigestibility of forages and is
the major factor in calculating energy content of feeds. The lower the ADF the more
energy the feed contains and the more digestible it will be.
Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF). The total fiber content of a forage is contained in
the NDF or cell wall. This fraction contains cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and acid
detergent crude protein.
NDF gives the best estimate of the total fiber content of a feed and is closely related
to feed intake. As NDF values increase, total feed intake will decrease. Grasses will
contain more NDF than legumes at a comparable stage of maturity.
Minerals. Calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K)
values are expressed as a percentage of each in the feed.
Net Energy for Lactation (NEl). Net energy for lactation or (NEl) is the term used
by the NRC (National Research Council) for assessing the energy requirements and
feed values for lactating cows. NEl is usually expressed as megacalories per pound
(Mcal/lb) or megacalories per kilogram (Mcal/kg).
Net Energy for Maintenance (NEm) and Net Energy for Gain (NEg). The net
energy system used by NRC for beef cattle assigns two energy values (NE m and
NEg) to each feedstuff and similarly subdivides animal requirements for energy. Feed
energy is used less efficiently for depositing new body tissue than for maintaining
existing body tissue. NEm is the net energy value of feeds for maintenance. NE g is
the net energy value of feeds for the deposition of body tissue, growth, or gain. Both
NEm and NEg are needed to express the total energy needs of growing cattle. They
are usually expressed as megacalories per pound (Mcal/lb) on SDSU lab reports,
and can also be expressed as megacalories per kilogram (Mcal/kg).
Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN). TDN represents the sum of digestible crude
protein, digestible carbohydrates and digestible fat. Fat is multiplied by 2.25 to
compensate for its higher energy content. Since feeds are utilized differently by
different species, percent TDN on a feed is different for each species.
In general TDN is highly correlated with digestible dry matter (DDM) and digestible
energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME). TDN is generally estimated by the
laboratory from the ADF or NDF content of feeds.
Digestible Dry Matter (DDM). DDM is an estimate of the total digestibility of a
legume, legume/grass or grass forage, hay or haylage. DDM is calculated from ADF
values and can replace TDN. The more ADF a feed contains, the lower the DDM
value will be.
DDM% = 88.9 - (0.779 X ADF%)
Dry Matter Intake (DMI). DMI is an estimate of the amount of feed an animal will
consume in percent of body weight. DMI is calculated using NDF. The more NDF a
forage contains, the less of it an animal can consume.
Research indicates maximum feed intake occurs when NDF is 1.2 pounds per 100
pounds of body weight. Forages should comprise a minimum of 75% of the NDF in
the ration.
DMI (maximum forage intake) is estimated from NDF as follows:
DMI (% of body weight) = 120/NDF%
Relative Feed Value (RFV). RFV is an index used to rank hays or haylages based
on a calculation of Dry Matter Digestibility (DDM) and Dry Matter Intake (DMI).
Digestibility and intake are estimated from ADF and NDF analyses respectively. The
number derived from the RFV calculation has no units and is used only as an index
to compare different quality hays and/or haylages. Crude protein is not a factor. A
forage with an RFV of 100 contains 41% ADF and 53% NDF. The formula for RFV
is as follows:
RFV = (DDM x DMI) / 1.29