Creating the perfect mixed ration

摘要

To say a ration is only as good as its ingredients is to be only partly correct -the way the ration is mixed is also important. The now almost-universal use of mixer wagons to provide rations for livestock is the result of two factors: The realisationthere was more income to be had by converting homegrown feed into milk or beef, and that rations could be finely tuned to provide the precise volume and nutrients required. Enter TMR - Total Mixed Rations - a phrase which was soon to be on the lips of all dairy farmers as they became acquainted with the intricacies of creating rations. Today, the industry seems to have settled on two basic designs - vertical auger and horizontal paddle. Horizontal paddles, which rotate at only about 7rpm thanks to a massive gear reduction from the pto, do not have such a big power requirement as vertical augers and use less fuel as a result.