Bought-in feeds

When buying grain / concentrates, fodder and other supplements, you have choices. Actively manage bought feed quality, supply and price risks, or leave things to chance and expose your business to the impacts of flawed buying decisions.

Please note – the links below are pdfs, they may take a few seconds to open.

Planning & budgeting

Manage feed quality, supply & price risks	3 step approach to buying feed, tips for success
Plan for profit: feed budgeting	Develop a monthly feed budget, allow for waste
Plan for profit: what can you afford?	Estimate your 'break-even' and 'target' feed prices
Don't gamble with feed quality	Buying on value, not price
Nutritional values of common feeds	Look up tables

Feed lab testing

Feed lab testing	Collect a feed sample for analysis
Feed labs servicing the dairy industry	List of labs & links to websites
Rapid feed lab testing	RAPID feed analysis pilot service in Victoria
Understand feed lab results	Turn feed lab results into action on your farm

Feed markets

Buying grain in the world market	Price volatility, set a strategy
Buying fodder in a domestic market	Hay price influences, relationships, fodder buffer
Grain & hay market information	Grain & Hay Report
Dairy feeding 2010 - updates	Grain & hay feeding rates on farm & insights

Feed buying methods

A dairy farmer's guide to buying grain	Understand grain contracts
Feed agreements/contracts	Confirm in writing, grain lingo & quality grades
Formalising a feed agreement/contract	GTA Contract information form
Vendor declaration - Grain	GTA Grain commodity vendor declaration form
Vendor declaration - Fodder	AFIA Fodder vendor declaration form
What feed buying method best suits you?	Direct farm to farm, via broker or third party?
From price taker to price maker	Using forward contracts, rise & fall contracts
Futures contracts and other derivatives	Manage price risk when you can't fix a price
Dairy feeding 2010 - updates	Feed buying methods used by farmers & insights

Feed wastage

Feed wastage - overview	Trade offs, ways to reduce, payback calculations
Feed wastage - study	Summary report on study of 50 farms

Online tools

Feed report tool: Understand feed lab results, turn them into actions on your farm.
MISTRO feed budget: Looking for a feed budgeting tool? Consider MISTRO.

Case studies

Dairy Australia’s Grains2Milk program addresses the risks associated with buying feed. As part of the program, more than 40 ‘Buying feed Workshops’ have been run across Australia. 750 farmers participated, with some great results:

Kirsti & Stuart Keightley learnt a more ‘business-like’ approach to buying feed

Cindy & Mick Robinson will utilise feed analysis results when buying feed, especially grain.

David Parkinson believes the relationship between farmer and grain supplier is critical.