Fixing small inefficiencies in feed management
Feeding routines don’t usually fall apart because of one big issue. More often, it’s the small bottlenecks that pile up over time.
An extra trip in and out of the cab. An outdated ration that needs adjusting. A pen count that’s slightly off. Estimating inventory instead of knowing. After a while, it all becomes ‘just part of the job,’ but the reality is those small inefficiencies cost time, add extra steps and, in some cases, lead to incorrect rations, over- or under-feeding ingredients and missed nutritional targets for your herd.
For Derrick Josi at Wilsonview Dairy, mixing multiple rations across multiple pens for 1,500 animals has always required consistency and accuracy. Still, like many feeding routines, there were opportunities to improve his approach.
Making accuracy easier to maintain
What’s changed isn’t the routine itself, but a series of simple improvements that have made feeding easier and more efficient. Since switching to FeedComp, a feed management app, Josi now has all his feed information on a tablet in the loader cab with him. A Bluetooth scale head communicates real-time weights to the tablet, while amounts for the next ingredient and a timer display as he mixes and feeds.
“I can glance down and look right back up,” he said. “It’s actually made me more accurate.”
Josi lives in a part of Oregon where the weather can go from wind to rain in a single afternoon. Low visibility through the loader cab sometimes made it difficult to read the scale head outside, which occasionally resulted in over-adding ingredients. Now that the information is displayed in the loader with him, his mixes are more consistent and accurate.
Why connectivity matters
The flexibility of the program has also changed how he manages feed beyond the loader seat. Ration adjustments that once meant stopping, going inside and pulling things up on a computer can now be made from his phone, wherever he is.
“If I’m on vacation and the guys tell me they’re feeding some silage that’s a little dry, I can adjust the ration right from my phone, so we don’t end up with several hundred pounds of extra feed in the bunks every morning,” Josi explained.
Additionally, by using a cloud-based system, Josi can integrate herd and feed data to streamline workflows and draw powerful insights. Because his system seamlessly connects with DairyComp, pen counts automatically update when cows are moved, ensuring rations adjust accordingly without any manual calculation.
Through this integration, Josi also has access to income over feed cost data whenever he – or his nutritionist, who has been granted access – needs it.
“Because of FeedComp, I know what it costs me to feed every pen every day,” Josi added.
Visibility = control
Josi’s new approach also brought more clarity to something he used to eyeball entirely – feed inventory. Rather than estimating what’s on-hand, Josi now tracks inventory through his feed management software. It automatically updates every feeding, and he has a better handle on when to reorder.
“I always think I know how much I have, and then I look and go, ‘Oh yeah, I can actually make it a couple more days.’ That might mean a load of cottonseed goes on next month’s bill instead of a third load this month, which is a pretty healthy swing in price.”
By having more visibility into feed usage, Josi can better manage cash flow – especially since feed is one of the largest expenses on a dairy farm – and make more informed decisions about where money is going.
At the end of the day, Josi’s goal hasn’t changed. The cows still need a consistent, balanced ration delivered on time, every day. But by smoothing out the small inefficiencies, his daily routine is more efficient and builds greater confidence in his feed investment.
Curious how FeedComp could work on your dairy? Ask your local farm performance consultant about our limited time savings, or fill out the form below.
