How To Improve Feed Efficiency

Lick Blocks For Every Stage Of Growth

SweetPro supplements can reduce your feed requirements by 25% as shown in university studies on feed costs research. That means you'll save not only in cost of feed, but also in feed handling and storage. If your livestock are range fed, using SweetPro lick blocks will allow you to handle 25% more livestock on the same land.

Two key factors in improving your feed efficiency are selecting the proper SweetPro block and assessing the feed value of your forage. The Illinois Agronomy Handbooks provide some information below, and we offer our guide for matching cattle size and forage conditions with the optimum SweetPro supplement block.

For all livestock, you may also want to visit our page on How To Select The Right Product. For beef and dairy cattle, here are some helpful hints:

Relative Feed Value (RFV) of Forages

Prime – over 151
Premium – 125 to 150
Good – 103 to 124
Fair – 87 to 102
Poor – 75 to 86
Reject – 74 and below

Forage quality is impacted greatly by stage of maturity. As forage crops mature the nutritive value declines. With increasing maturity, the acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) increases and crude protein (CP) decreases. Relative feed value (RFV) is an index that reflects the fiber fractions, which dictate potential digestible dry matter feed intake. The higher the RFV, the higher quality feed value is obtained from the forage. RFV ranks forages relative to the digestible dry matter intake of full bloom alfalfa (RFV of 100, ADF of 41, and NDF of 53). RFV declines (number gets smaller) with maturity..... Illinois Agronomy Handbooks.

Beef and Dairy Cattle

250 to 450 lbs • Kaf Starter • Also for receiving stressed stockers

400 to 650 lbs • Kaf Kandi • Also used on cows in lush pasture

650 to 1,000 lbs • SweetPro 16 • Most versatile tub, great for heifers

1,000 to 1,400 lbs • FiberMate 18 • When forage quality is fair to good

1,000 to 1,450+ lbs • FiberMate 20 • When forage quality is poor

1,000 to 1,450+ lbs • FiberMate 28 • When forage quality is very poor

1,000 to 1,450+ lbs • Magnum • When forage quality is very poor or quantity is limited

400 to 1,000 lbs • Pasture Ranger • For grazing alfalfa and wheat pastures

• Pasture MP • For dairy and beef cattle on green grass in the summer months

• DiatoMate • For first calf heifers, brood cows, stocker cattle

• DiatoMate II • For brood cows, stocker cows, stocker cattle

1,000 to 1,450+ lbs • Dry Cow • Anionic dairy dry cow and beef breeder

• BackGrounder • For backgrounding and grass finishing

• Mineral EX • With extra vitamins, minerals and ProBiotein

• Fresh Start • For dairy and beef lactation and finishing rations, and to help get your show animals to the winner's circle


800-327-9222 toll free  •  701-549-3450 phone  •  701-549-3440 fax