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Feed Testing

FEED TESTING

Feed Testing is a comprehensive category containing everything you need to know about testing your feed. These will enable you to be better informed when looking to buy or sell hay.

Horse grazing on grass

Everything You Need To Know About Potassium and Horses

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Potassium is a mineral that is found in many foods, and it is also necessary for horses. It plays a big role in balancing osmotic pressure, which is essential for cell function. It is also a key component of electrolyte balance, which helps regulate nerve and muscle activity. Neuromuscular excitability,…
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Dairy Cattle Eating Lucerne

How Potassium Affects Dairy Cattle

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
For lactating dairy cattle, potassium is an imperative nutrient that optimizes milk production. The Nutrient Requirements for Dairy Cattle from the National Research Council indicates that extreme potassium deficiency in lactating cows (defined as 0.06% to 0.15% potassium in the diet on a dry matter basis) results in a decrease…
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How Feed Central Visual Gauge Works

The Visual Gauge And How It Works

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Why Is Visual Grade Important?Visual Grade has a very strong correlation to the attractiveness of the hay (for the livestock), that is livestock are much more likely to eat and be attracted to really nice-looking hay. In addition, there is a direct correlation between visual grade and aroma.  Likewise, a…
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Fire Ants & Hay – Here’s what you need to know

Neville Janke
Buying Hay, E-Learning, Feed Testing, Selling Hay

At Feed Central we understand the importance of NOT spreading fire ants when working with hay and other baled products. We also understand how important it is for each of us to play our own part.

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round bales in a row

How To Tell The Quality Of Hay Visually

Neville Janke
Feed Testing, Hay Bales
Why Is Visual Grade Important?Visual Grade has a very strong correlation to the attractiveness of the hay (for the livestock), that is livestock are much more likely to eat and be attracted to really nice-looking hay. In addition, there is a direct correlation between visual grade and aroma.  Likewise, a…
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How To Submit A Feed Sample For Testing

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
How Much Sample Do You Need To Submit? Hay – 200 – 300gSilage/Fresh Sample – 500g – 1kgGrain – 1kgTMR – 1kg How To Take A Sample When feed testing it is important for the collected sample to be representative of the whole product. If the quality of your product…
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hay corer

Hay Corers – What You Need To Know

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
What is the nutritional value of your hay bales? This isn’t something you can just guess by eyeballing it. Rather, farmers rely on a qualified system of measurement (feed test) after utilising a hay corer to take a good, representative sample. What is a hay corer? A hay corer is…
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Soil Nutrition Final Part

Neville Janke
Feed Testing, Video
Join us for the final part in the series of of soil nutrition videos with our Fertiliser Specialist & National Account Manager – Neville Janke. For all your Fertiliser needs consider buying through Feed Central – Check out our Fertiliser CLICK HERE [us_single_image image=”8213″ link=”url:https%3A%2F%2F52.64.21.236%2Fbuy%2Fbuy-fertiliser%2F|||”]
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Soil Nutrition Part 4

Neville Janke
Feed Testing, Video
Join us for part four of soil nutrition with our Fertiliser Specialist & National Account Manager – Neville Janke. For all your Fertiliser needs consider buying through Feed Central – Check out our Fertiliser CLICK HERE
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Soil Nutrition Part 3

Neville Janke
Feed Testing, Video
Join us for part three of soil nutrition with our Fertiliser Specialist & National Account Manager – Neville Janke. For all your Fertiliser needs consider buying through Feed Central – Check out our Fertiliser CLICK HERE
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Soil Nutrition Part 2

Neville Janke
Feed Testing, Video
Join us for part two of soil nutrition with our Fertiliser Specialist & National Account Manager – Neville Janke. For all your Fertiliser needs consider buying through Feed Central – Check out our Fertiliser CLICK HERE
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Soil Nutrition Part 1

Neville Janke
Feed Testing, Video
Join us for part one of soil nutrition with our Fertiliser Specialist & National Account Manager – Neville Janke. For all your Fertiliser needs consider buying through Feed Central – Check out our Fertiliser CLICK HERE
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Hay probes for moisture meters

Hay Testing Probes – What You Need to Know

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
What is the nutrient value of your hay bales? This isn’t something you can just guess by eyeballing it. Rather, farmers will rely on a qualified system of measurement by using a hay testing probe. What is a hay probe? A hay probe is a metal rod that is used…
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How To Interpret Your Feed Test – What The Parameters Really Mean?

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
This article is not intended to be a comprehensive explanation of interpreting your feed test results but aims to provide a ‘snapshot’ of key parameters you should be looking at when understanding the quality of your Hay. Why Feed Test? The quality of the diet is predictive of animal performance.…
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Concerned about your sorghum?

Neville Janke
Feed Testing, Latest News
Nitrate and Prussic Acid occur naturally in plants, however, if plants are damaged or stressed, Nitrate and Prussic Acid can rise, causing toxicity in ruminant animals once eaten. Causes of high Prussic Acid or Nitrate levels include: damage, stress, drought conditions, frost, high nitrogen fertilisers and certain herbicides. Feed Central…
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How To Sample & Test Hay

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
An accurate feed test begins with an accurate sample submitted to the lab for testing. If the quality of your product varies, you may need to have multiple samples tested to better define the quality of your product. How To Test Hay Required sample weights: >300g The best method to…
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Why Do Different Products Test Differently?

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
You may now have your feed testing samples done but why are the samples different? There are many factors which can influence the nutrient profile of a forage, including species and variety, maturity, soil, growing and harvesting conditions. I hope this article helps you understand why different products test so…
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What Is DCAD And Why Is It Important?

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
DCAD stands for Dietary Cation-Anion Difference. DCAD is a particularly important measure that is used when formulating diets for dry, transition and lactating dairy cows. DCAD is the interrelationship of positively charged minerals (cations) and negatively charged minerals (anions) on animal performance. Dietary cations include: Potassium, Sodium, Calcium, and Magnesium.…
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Reasons Why You Should Feed Test Your Pasture?

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
If you thought your pasture was mineral deficient and could be limiting your animal’s production and you could correct it, would you? Here are the reasons why you should feed test your pasture. WITH BRONTE LLOYD FROM NUTRIEN AG SOLUTIONS. Importance Of Feed Testing For Livestock Production Bronte Lloyd (BAgr)…
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Total Fatty Acid Results, Why Are They Important?

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
What Are Fatty Acid Results? Total Fatty Acids (TFA) give a more defined and accurate measurement of fat content in feed and indicate the energy content of a feed source. Why Are Fatty Acids Important? Fatty acids (FA) play an important role in maintaining physiological processes in animals and have…
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NEW Feed Testing Bags!

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
We’ve got NEW Feed Testing Bags! These bags feature: Easy to follow instructions; Durable material; Prepaid postage; Feed Testing form. REQUEST FEED TESTING BAGS! We’re packaging up bundles right now and sending them out. Give us a call (1300 669 429) or send us a message.
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Feed Testing Newsletter – May Edition

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Contributor: Kimberley Detmers (Quality Assurance Coordinator) This newsletter was designed to let you know about the latest news and information coming from our Feed Testing lab, based in Toowoomba Qld. IN THIS EDITION »     New Feed Testing Bag Designs – Out Now! »     In-Store Feed Test Kit Stations Distributed…
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Feed Testing Newsletter – July Edition

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Contributor: Kimberley Detmers (Quality Assurance Coordinator) This newsletter is designed to let you know about the latest news and information coming from our Feed Testing lab, based in Toowoomba Qld. IN THIS EDITION »     Who is Dairy One and why do we use them? »     We’ll introduce you to…
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Feed Testing Newsletter – September Edition

Neville Janke
Feed Testing, Hay Market Reports
Contributor: Kimberley Detmers (Quality Assurance Coordinator) This newsletter is designed to let you know about the latest news and information coming from our Feed Testing lab, based in Toowoomba Qld. IN THIS EDITION »    What’s DCAD and why is it important? »    Why you should be testing your pasture – An…
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Large hay bales being made in paddock

Feed Testing Newsletter – November Edition

Neville Janke
Feed Testing, Latest News
Contributor: Kimberley Detmers (Quality Assurance Coordinator) This newsletter is designed to let you know about the latest news and information coming from our Feed Testing lab, based in Toowoomba Qld. IN THIS EDITION »  New Season, New Product, How To Sample & Test Your Feed. »   Behind The Feed Test: Why…
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PRUSSIC ACID FAQ’S

Neville Janke
Feed Testing, Latest News
What is Prussic Acid Poisoning? Prussic acid, or hydrocyanic acid, is absorbed from digested feed into the cow/sheep where it attaches to haemoglobin, taking the place of oxygen in the blood. This causes following symptoms in the animal: within 15-20 minutes you may see symptoms including staggering, laboured breathing, spasms…
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Nitrate Poisoning FAQ’S

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
What is Nitrate Poisoning? Nitrate is converted to nitrite and absorbed from digested feed into the cow/sheep where it attaches to haemoglobin, taking the place of oxygen in the blood. This causes the following symptoms in the animal: within 15-20 minutes you may see symptoms including staggering, laboured breathing, spasms…
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On Farm Prussic Acid & Nitrate Testing Kit

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
On Farm INSTANT Prussic Acid & Nitrate Testing Kits are now available! Enabling anyone who is concerned about Prussic Acid & Nitrate levels in their crops to test On Farm in a matter of minutes. KIT Contents: 5 x Prussic Acid Test 5 x Nitrate Test Each kit has step by step…
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Protein For Animals And Why It’s Important!

Neville Janke
Feed Testing, Hay Bales
Protein is an extremely important component of your animals feed source. It is required on a daily basis for body condition maintenance, lactation, growth, weight gain and reproduction. Did you know that protein itself has many different components that have different functions once they enter the digestive system. Crude Protein…
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The Best Way To Determine The Mineral Content Of Your Feed?

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
We are often asked whether it is best to determine the mineral content of feed via NIR or wet chemistry analysis. While NIR is a fast, effective and reliable way to determine the nutritional content of feed, it is not the most effective to determine mineral content. This is due…
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Why You Need To Get Nutrition Right

Neville Janke
Buying Hay, Feed Testing, Selling Hay
Australia is a country that experiences many weather extremes from drought to flooding rains. The 16/17 cereal growing and harvest season brought with it wet conditions and huge yields for crops for the southern states whereas the next next 17/18 harvest seasons sees new conditions / challenges ahead, especially with…
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Understanding A Soil Test

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Feed Central have put together this document with FertPro’s assistance to help you understand your Soil Test results. Feed Central can supply you with all your Fertiliser needs to assist your soil in all ways possible! Range coming soon! Please below to download this document. If you have any questions…
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Winter Is Coming – Protein Hay Is Needed

Neville Janke
Feed Testing, Hay Bales
Winter is coming! Don’t delay your purchase of Feed. Quality Feed is always the flavour and will sell fast, get in first before you miss out. Protein hay is in desperately short supply so talk to us about forward contracting Lucerne hay to potential buyers that is already made and…
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Why Is Protein Important?

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
It’s important to know the levels in protein feed, due to the fact that different types of animals require different amounts of protein when you take into account factors such as their breed, weight and productions level (eg. reproduction or lactation). By knowing the protein levels in a feed you…
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It’s Time To Think About Retesting Your Silage!

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Silage continues to change during the fermentation process and this in turn changes the nutritional content. It might be time to think about Retesting Your Silage so that you can make adjustments to your feed rations if necessary. Digestibility of starch can change and often increases over time in stored…
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On Farm Stored Grain Testing

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
With a bumper grain harvest this year and the continuing growth of on farm stored grain. It’s becoming increasingly more important to know what the nutritional value is of your grain. There are markets looking for this information, information that can give you a competitive selling advantage. When it comes…
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Where Do Our Feed Testing Calibrations Come From?

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Feed Central is affiliated with Dairy One. Dairy One is a farmer owned cooperative that is based in the USA and was established in 1974. It is governed by a board of 17 American dairy farmers and aims ‘To create and deliver data and information which will be used to…
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Cow & Pig Feed Tests

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Did you know that cows and pigs have different ways of digesting the food that they eat? Cows and sheep are known as ruminants which means that they have four components (rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum) in their digestive tract. Whereas, pigs and chickens have a simple stomach and are…
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Feed Testing GOPRO

Neville Janke
Feed Testing, Video
Check out the Feed Testing process done at Feed Central. click here for FEED TESTING today
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Why Should You Feed Test?

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Quality is at the core of our business and we believe it should be at the core of your operation. If you are selling or buying fodder then here are some reasons why you should do a Feed Test: To determine the nutritional value of your feed To determine the…
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How To Sample Your Pasture

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Feed test results are only as good as the sample submitted! You can only make the right decision if you have all the information.   There are a few important reasons to test your pasture: Is my pasture good enough to feed my stock? Is my pasture as good as I…
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What NUTRITIONAL Value Makes A Good Quality Hay?

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
The 2616/17 hay season is nearly upon us! Have you ever wondered what nutritional values make up good quality hay? Below are some figures showing the low, high and average figures for different types of hay tested within 2015/16 season at Feed Central laboratories.     Depending on what class…
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Stephen Page from Feed Central doing silage core sample

Core Samples VS Grab Samples

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
There are two samples that we receive here at our Feed Central labs to be tested and these are Core Samples and Grab Samples. The sample you send in to be feed tested can effect the outcome of the results. Core Samples Uniform stalk lengthRepresentative of entire bale and paddockReduce…
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The Importance Of Carbohydrates In Feed

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Carbohydrates are an important energy source for your livestock so it’s important that you know how much source of Carbohydrates In Feed. Carbohydrates are made up of units of sugar, starch, cellulose and lignin. They play many important roles within the body such as providing the energy necessary for muscular…
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Learn More About Crude Protein

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
You might be interested to know that the crude protein levels of a feed are not determined solely by the quantity of true protein that the feed contains, but also by determining the amount of nitrogen-containing substances. This is due to the fact that when nitrogen-containing substances enter the rumen,…
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The Importance Of Fibre In Feed

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Have you ever wondered the Importance Of Fibre does? Fibre is an energy source that is a vital component of a ruminant’s diet. It makes sure that cows chew and produce saliva which in turn makes sure that their rumen stays healthy and keeps functioning. Saliva acts as a buffer…
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How Digestible is your Feed

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Digestibility is a very important factor of determining the quality of your feed and is directly related to productivity. There are several forms of digestibility that must be considered, as seen in figure 1, and these include: Gross Energy (GE) is a measure of the total amount of energy that…
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5 Different Minerals

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Did you know that our express feed test also tests for 5 different minerals? It is important to monitor the minerals that your feed contains due to the fact that they are essential nutrients and are important for maintaining specific functions and balances within the body. The following minerals are…
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What’s the Intake Potential And Digestibility Of Your Feed

Neville Janke
Feed Testing
Have you ever wondered what the intake potential and digestibility of your feed is? The relative Value (RFV) of your feed is a measure of how well your stuff will be consumed and also how well is likely to be digested. It is calculated from the levels of Neutral Detergent…
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