Feed Storage Module

What does it do?

The Feed Module’s primary purpose is to serve as an inventory of purchased and farm-grown feed. Feed is added via purchase (Animal Module) and from on-farm harvest (Crop and Soil Module). Feed is removed when it is fed out in the Animal Module. In addition, stored feed quantity and quality changes are simulated over the duration of storage depending on crop type, crop quality, user-specified storage conditions, and ambient weather conditions.

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What inputs do I need?

• Feed ingredients and % dry matter

  • Forages.

  • Concentrates.

  • Minerals.

• Feed cost 

• Milk reduction maximum and tolerance

How does it work?

The production of harvested animal feed is dependent on season, weather, and farm management. In most cases, this means that feed is produced in large quantities when growing conditions are suitable and must be preserved to meet daily animal feed requirements. Microbial spoilage of wet feed products rapidly degrades their nutritional quality and can harm livestock that consume spoiled feed. Viable, cost-effective methods of preservation depend on the crop type and weather, but practically are limited to drying feed beyond the ability to support microbial growth and fermenting feed in the absence of oxygen to produce acid and reduce pH to inhibit spoilage. Feed Storage functions are primarily based on those in the Integrated Farm Systems Model but modified to accommodate a daily time-step and remove explicit spatial components.

What outputs can I expect?

Key outputs of interest include: 

• Production

  • Dry matter intake by feed ingredient.

  • Total dry matter intake by animal class.

• Environmental

  • Feed emissions for purchased feed.