The Sorghum TMR Ration Test!!!!!!!!

Here it is folks!!!!👍

[@dboutdoors06]

Our experience is grinding grain fine, cattle will try and sort feed to get grain and that seems to help.

[@btowannab9232]

Ben I think I'm more impressed with the willingness of your neighbor helping you mix a sample load of feed , those kinda of neighbors/friends are almost none existence anymore in my area !!

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Can't disagree! Truly greatful for my surroundings!!!👍👍

[@mikep7810]

Great video Ben. I bet that sorghum smelled really good getting chopped up. Loved seeing those blue silos in the background

[@dboutdoors06]

I am looking at a crop cutter baler, we do tricale and sorghum and it takes a lot of fuel to grind up in our vertical mixer. Great feed! Once you have a vertical mixer you will not give it up. We have a Penta, I am completely satisfied as we do 2 mixes a day and have had it for 7 years!!!! Thanks for video.

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Been looking st those Penta's!! That's impressive!!!!!👍👍

[@jrbpa5775]

Little testing with different rations of all the feed sources you have, such as sorghum, small squares of hay and corn silage and grain. You might be able to come up with a great blend to feed in your cement bunk so your loss is minimal. Great video, thx!!

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Thanks bud!!!👍👍

[@texasgrazer9854]

Iam a little bit behind on this video but we use to do sorghum balage and had trouble with it wrapping around the screws of the mixer and cows would leave a lot of the stems behind, its alot better chopped

[@mrbill4187]

The operators manual on my mixer says no more than fifty percent long stem fodder by volume i beleive. I usually put the round bale in then a dump of corn silage and the dump of silage helps it process faster i think. My mix at the moment for dairy cows is 1500 # alfalfa baleage 550# ground corn 2300# corn silage and 500# protein mix that consists of ddg, soybean meal, and about fifteen other concentrates.

[@veesercattleco.4111]

That's a pricey mix Bill!!!!👍

[@mrbill4187]

@@veesercattleco.4111 Yup, about 250$ a batch to feed 50 dairy cows. Probably a pretty typical small heard ration though. Its why were not making any money at the moment. Lol

[@mrbill4187]

@@veesercattleco.4111 I see people giving advice on brands of mixers so i suppose i will only because im extremeley happy with the one i bought a couple years ago and im a cheap bastard Lol. I got a 350 cf Leo Ag mixer with twelve knives, magnet, and hay catch chain wich keeps the hay from spilling out the top and a good heavy quiet gearbox for 21k brand new. They make the same mixer with lighter patz specs for around 17k. Probably more now becaise of steel tarrifs. There about the only company i have seen that shows a round bale being processed on video from start to finish i could find. There made in monroe wisconsin by a small family shop and i believe you can still buy direct or they got a couple dealers.

[@LiquidAndy]

We run supreme mixers. Great product. Never a problem with them they just plain work. I don't doubt that the meyer mixers are great as well. A smaller mixer would definitely help, dumping grains in first and sorghum last would also help wash it all down. Whatever you choose im sure you will make a good decision. Good luck to you ben.

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Will definitely look into them Jered!!!! Yes, agree with grain first!!👍

[@AgricultureINDIA-91]

Nice video. Great work and well done. Thanks for the video. Have a great day 👍 👍 👍

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Thanks SS!! You to!👍

[@randybedker1584]

You should check out sonne farms channel. They raise black Angus and they do a bull day every year and sell bulls for breeding to other farms. Been doing it for I think twenty two years. They use something new the last few years for scoures seems to work well for them.

[@josephwilcox6502]

Hey ben feed for 2 days.It will make it a bigger load and it will help to shorten length on that sorghum .There beef cows it wont heat to bad.

[@bryonhigginson6261]

My suggestion to take the guess work out of your tmr ration is to find a feed company that has a good reputation, they will test your feedstuffs that you have available and build you a ration, my choice of companies would be Agri~King they have top notch Doctors and nutritionist, and they will work with your local feedmill

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Sent the sample in yesterday!👍👍

[@chrisjones9780]

I would add corn silage to it as well....and maybe try and break up bales some with loader makes it a lot easier on the mixer

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Yes, agree Chris!!👍👍

[@tedkahler9738]

same thoughts as before beef cattle need cracked grain fine grain digests to fast for them..... Test feeds you have available to you THEN make your ration and tweak it to get your feeds used up you have. Testing feeds first will really help get the correct rations for each group of cattle as they will not all be the same. Batch was way to small for that mixer would have had much better luck if it was a larger batch... Demoed one one time and man worked great but had to get the screw thing covered up before it really started to work GREAT. Any thoughts on the stuff i pm'ed you?

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Agree with all Ted! Still looking into it!!👍👍👍👍👍

[@aaronwilton6531]

We have a single screw jaylor it’s works great but we have been using it this winter to mix one bale of old oats and peas with one new bale of alfalfa/Timothy silage. It does a great job last year we had corn silage and we were mixing one bale of oats and peas with 4 buckets of corn silage witch would be like 1300 pound bale and 2000 pounds of corn. Cows loved it but they are beef cows and we had udder problems and too fat of cows

[@gwc3721]

Trefoil is a great forage. Takes moist ground well.

[@veesercattleco.4111]

This small TMR mix weighed in at 1,900 lbs!?!?!

[@buffranchAB]

Yes those bales are a good 1500-1550lbs for sure, I am sure you will get a good potion going, be nice mixing in the Meyer F470, big enough for small and somewhat larger rations

[@nathanlink5999]

We run a penta 4120 single screw and sorghum bales grinds up nice but we also put wet distiller gains in after to help hold it do in the knifes

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Will look into that Nathan!!👍👍

[@jeffjefferson3364]

Looks like a nice mix. The sorghum looks much better when the bale is processed like that I think. Hay mixed well through it. Grain maybe add it in in the beginning? I've ran a diet feeder for a lot of years both single screw and double, vertical and horizontal, and also a paddle. Paddle feeders are terrible with bales they won't process whole bales it'll actually destroy most models dropping in a whole bale, but they are fantastic at mixing, much better and faster than vertical tub feeders as a rule.

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Agree with all Adam!!! 👍👍👍

[@jeffjefferson3364]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXTWm51shpaGfJY this is a video of a Keenan paddle feeder it has an optional extra fitted to handle whole silage bales. I've zero personal experience with this system. I've used the Keenan before it was a 140 classic, quick to mix and absolutely brilliant produces a fluffy mix no balling. Used primarily hi-spec paddle feeders which are good but can't process whole bales and can ball and lump the feed a bit.

[@davemork3538]

Watching this video reminds me of myself when I was looking at mixers. If I was to do it again I would not buy one. The price of mixers now days is to high to get a return on your money on a smaller beef operation. Plus u need somewhere to feed preferably drive by feeding. You also have to think about where u will be driving to feed. The mixers are heavy when loaded and from what I've seen on videos you dont have a big enough tractor take it off gravel or concrete. We run around 175 Angus cow calf to finish and with buying a good used one I still haven't gotten a return on mine after 5 years. Now after 5 years its showing a lot of wear. Just my from my experience I would just keep doing what you been doing. Your cattle look good.

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Ughhh!! 175 cow/calf, used TMR & haven't gotten a ROI??? I'm not sure I can make sense of that Dave? How do you figure??

[@davemork3538]

@@veesercattleco.4111 our steers and young stock might grow a little better. But didn't see that much difference. As for the mama cows they dont need the feed mixed unless your mixing corn fodder and corn gluten together. Our mama cows dont get any extra grain but whats in our corn silage, it's just not needed. Our Growing and finishing cattle are getting grain. Tmr is more for dairy cattle, you can use them for beef but it's not needed. I'd rather spend money on good genetics and let the genetics grow better cattle. Again this is just what I've seen. Not trying shoot down your ideas or plans of using a tmr.

[@davemork3538]

Check out cowcamp87. He raises a lot of cattle. Look at his July Q and A answers. He talks about feeding steers. He also feeds fodder, gluten, hay, and sorghum to his cows

[@user-zu2bw7ig5v]

The wagon is a bit big for a small mix like that when you fill it up it mixes better.

[@user-zu2bw7ig5v]

As I continued to watch the video I realized he said the same thing lol.

[@delbertwhite2017]

I've done sorghum with a round baler and you should have all your knives in it will mix up a whole lot better

[@chuckstevenson2929]

Another great informative video Ken.

[@briangriebel2832]

You just need to fill the mixer a little fuller and it will do a lot better job chopping and mixing. But looks great Ben. These videos are very interesting!!

[@happyacres7699]

I think that maybe you should have either mixed a double batch or once you got the mix broken up then switch to high gear to finish up.

[@dustinadams9136]

Great video Ben, really like what I'm seeing with this new feed!

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Thanks Dustin!! It's pretty exciting huh!!!👍👍

[@Ethanj387]

I would say a round bale of dry hay would be much better than 2 small squares. However I know for a fact that a sorghum round and a dry hay round would not fit in the tmr ur aiming for. Maybe half a dry round bale? Adding in the same amount of silage u feed daily would help too I think. Idk just spitballing here ben. Looking foreward to the vid of u feeding this out and nutritionist results!!!

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Thanks Ethan!!! TMR feeding will be strictly reserved for the feeders I keep back during the winter for spring sales. Taking the route of adding in small squares as we make lots of them!👍

[@bristolzick1421]

Ben your baler is a crop cutter isn't it? If doing tmr I'd definitely use all 15 knives. I bale for a nieghbor who uses a tmr and using all knives, just on grass haylage cuts his mixing time in half if not more. We cut all of our sorghum with the knives, the bales will fall apart when you dump it in.

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Yes I do Bristol. This Sorguhm scared the hell out of me & didn't set them??? Next year I will!👍

[@gwolframe]

you have a point watched a video on the qaulity for sorgum it has very high feed qaulity cant remember what it was but very interesting it said the dryer it is the better

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Yes, the 2nd crop will be much better!!👍

[@alextugahirwa1920]

Great work.

[@TheFarmingLife]

Excellent video. I was wondering about the minerals. How do you get those to the cattle. That mix would have been awesome with about eight hundred pounds of corn silage. I always get excited about mixing feed with a TMR to come up with the Perfect Blend. Have a great evening

[@TheFarmingLife]

I guess you know that we do run a beef cattle operation we do have a Jay Lor TMR mixer. That mix would have been perfect with one bale of your dry hay 250 lb of your grain Mix with minerals. 800 lb of corn silage. I don't have all the answers but I've been mixing feed for a while and I like the results with a TMR mix. When dealing with high moisture feed adding dry matter is not a big deal cattle like a uniform mix and do very good on it. Thanks for the video

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Thanks Eric!! As we speak, minerals are a free choice in all the yards. Yes, haven't been this excited in a long time!! Yes, I do believe corn Silage would be a great addition!👍👍

[@pablocampoz2362]

Nice video buen video saludos desde mexico.. Blessings.

[@williamsigle8912]

Hey Ben great video Good Neighbor looks like has a large farm how many cows do they milk? For this time of year your neighbor's bunks look awful empty for this time of year

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Yes, great neighbors!!! Believe they are over 300 milked. They also have a beef operation & keep back ALL of thier calves!! Yes, Harvest wasn't the greatest this year, but silos are all full too!!👍👍

[@buffranchAB]

Again another great informative movie! Ben couple questions, if I'm not prying, which county are you situated in? or closest town or village? about how far from Green Bay? I take it you're a packers fan and not a Lions fan. I as well a Packers fan from the Favre days, became fan in '92, same colour as our edmonton eskimos, we had terrible second half and fell out of the playoffs

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Hey Buff!! I'm in Menominee County & just west of a town called Escanaba. Yes, a true Packers fan but not s lot of room to brag these days!!??!?👍

[@TheGhostOfLuciasClay]

One thing with sorghum it's never as dry as you think it is. I've chopped and bagged it a couple times and found that to make silage you almost have to do the same as making dry hay....let lay a day or two and rake over and probably lay another day or so. I'm sure you concluded the same, that mixer was to big for that size mix and whichever brand you go with you'll have good results with one mixing near capacity.

[@rogerwilson9361]

Ben that looks like a good ration but like you said the TMR was little to big for the test but it worked well enough to get a sample.

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Roger that Roger!!!👍👍

[@rogerwilson9361]

@@veesercattleco.4111 That's me lol

[@robindegner8487]

Not going to promote a certain brand but for your size I would suggest a single screw. Not a fair test because that mixer is so big. Lots of good brands, patz Penta supreme Jay lor they all work.

[@DPCCGM]

In my experience, single screws and round bales are not a good fit. Smaller twins work better all around but obviously upfront cost is an issue. In the long run I think twin screws are more economical.

[@veesercattleco.4111]

I'm thinking the same fellas! Smaller "400" twin screw? Hoping to demo one in the early fall next year!👍

[@geoffhirsh2402]

Total absorption will be greater with ground grains. Less whole grains in the manure.😎

[@bryanplummer9393]

Hey Ben, just a bit of info, I've mixed over 15000 batches of TMR in my life, i have used a lot of different mixers, a smaller one will work so much better for you, the fuller the mixer the better it will mix, so do ur homework on how much feed you want to mix in a batch before you buy one of ur own!! As far as the way ur corn is ground, the finer it is ground the better ur cows will absorb the nutients!! Any questions feel free to ask!! Take care!!

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Thanks Bryan!!! Agree with all!!👍

[@waveoflight]

I know nothing about silage, if the sorhum was not as stringie or shorter strings would that be better?

[@johngourley741]

Couple more bales of hay and you will have a one ton mix. Worked out well for you.

[@ryckmanangusranch4349]

Wow that's a lot from 1 bale etc. Cant wait to see what the results are.-Tom

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Me too Tom!!!! Yeah, that was 1,900 lbs!?!?!?👍👍

[@blaneheinrich5743]

Great video Ben

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Thanks Blane!👍

[@PennsylvaniaFarming]

I was told course ground grain because it floats in the rumen

[@haggardfarms9577]

The tmr looks good we have the same size mixer u my went to look at a single screw mixer

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Wouldn't a nice small double do better??👍

[@haggardfarms9577]

Yeah it would

[@johnwarren-649]

In my experience the course grains do better in the tmr mixers

[@veesercattleco.4111]

I'm really torn on that subject right now John!! I see all of those fine grain particles mixed in with the entire product!! I guess it's all about digestion?👍👍

[@FarmingFixingFabricating]

The Harvestores

[@Rmc456]

Was thinking that mixer was too big for one bale

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Very correct Rich!👍

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

If you're going to keep making this baylage are you eventually going to move to a round baler with a pre cutter?

[@veesercattleco.4111]

I actually have one Jon. I was to scared to set the knives to be honest with ya?? Next year they are going to be set at 50% minimum.👍

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Ha! Massey had one they were demoing. They would leave half the knives down run the first half the day on eight knives and then while the bails rapping they just hit a thing on the control box and drop them knives and raise the other knives. Then you could finish out the day with fresh knives. Don't know if everybody is like that but there's a pretty slick system

[@RandWFarmstead-TonyWalsh]

What is tree foil?

[@johnhatt1219]

How are getting the tmr back to the farm in what are you going transport it in

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Hey John! I came back with a feeder wagon & loaded it up.👍👍

[@johnhatt1219]

@@veesercattleco.4111 U could have filmed it lol thnks

[@travisperry7985]

Dryer sorghum and a bale shreadder

[@chaseallen9707]

Where are you guys based out off what state

[@ericsvenson4971]

Ben look at a single screw Patzs

[@veesercattleco.4111]

Big believer in Patz!!!! Single screw....why?👍

[@ericsvenson4971]

@@veesercattleco.4111 We milk cows had a 420 cubic foot mixer 1200 model. We make round bales and squares of baleage. That mixer mixed everyday for 7 year 2 to 5 batchs a day never had a problem. Held its trade value and was a great machine. We liked the front unload like the one u used to mix ur practice batch. One of ur 6400 s would be able to maybe run the patz mixer they do take some power. Have a good day.

[@veesercattleco.4111]

That is truly impressive!!!!👍👍👍👍

[@PlanetMojo]

First.