Feed testing is probably one of the more important things you can do for your cows

Dec 21, 2022

Producers taking part in the Foraging into the Future Conference were reminded about the importance of feed testing.

The nutrient content of feed will vary from year to year, field to field, species, climate conditions, fertilization, stage of maturity
when it was cut and processed, as well as storage management.

In order to balance rations for livestock it's key to know exactly what you're working with.

Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist Adriane Good says this is where a feed test can help.

"When we look at feed tests the things you're going to look for are crude protein and energy. There's a lot of different ways energy is measured, probably the easiest one for the average producer is total digestible nutrients (TDN). Then you're going to take a look at vitamins and minerals. Vitamins aren't going to be present on a feed test, but a lot of the minerals are. We just want to make sure we've got enough minerals, but also not too much of some."

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.