Decision Tools
The Forage Value Adjustment Tool
Productivity of dairy cattle is heavily influenced by the digestibility of fiber in the forages they consume, and laboratory analysis now make it possible to quantify differences in fiber digestibility among forage sources. The Forage Value Adjustment Tool allows dairy producers and nutritionists to adjust the economic value of forages to account for neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD). The spreadsheet may be freely downloaded for use.
Feeding Program Assessment Scoresheet
MSU Extension has developed this tool to help formalize a comprehensive assessment of dairy farm feeding programs in support of delivering optimal diets to cattle, using equipment and people efficiently, and minimizing wasted feed (shrink). The attached sheet lists 104 areas of assessment, grouped by typical location on a farm. Each assessed factor is assigned a score from 1 to 5 (5 = gold standard practice) and scores can be summarized by category to help identify the most critical areas for improvement. The document is designed for easy printing and for use to integrate multiple assessments by entering scores on the spreadsheet.
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