Back to basics: Precision while mixing total mixed rations and its impact on milking performance

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Dairy Nutrition
• Agricultural Engineering

Background:

• Accurate feed formulation and mixing are crucial for dairy cow performance.
• Variations in ingredient inclusion in total mixed ration (TMR) can impact nutrient delivery and animal productivity.
• Understanding the relationship between TMR mixing quality and milk yield is essential for optimizing feeding strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of total mixed ration (TMR) mixing quality on dairy cow performance.
• To quantify the divergence between expected and actual ingredient amounts in TMR loads.
• To determine the correlation between TMR mixing errors and milk yield in large dairy herds.

Main Methods:

• Data from approximately 19,000 cows across 21 farms were collected daily between 2020 and 2022.
• Milk yield and TMR mixing details (ingredient amounts) were recorded using a feeding and management system.
• Mixing divergences were calculated as percentages of expected amounts for various ingredient categories.

Main Results:

• The average total TMR mixing divergence was 1.52%, indicating a general tendency for excess ingredients.
• Energy grains, hays, and protein sources were frequently mixed in excessive amounts, while some ingredients like nongrain silages and minerals were under-mixed.
• Divergence in TMR mixing showed a weak, quadratic correlation with milk yield (R² = 0.04).

Conclusions:

• Mixing errors in TMR are common, with a tendency towards over-mixing certain ingredients like energy grains and hays.
• While the correlation is weak, minimizing TMR mixing errors may offer potential benefits for dairy cow milk production.
• Further research could explore specific ingredient divergences and their precise impact on different aspects of dairy cow performance.