## Dairy Nutrition Self-Assessment

  ------------------------------- ----------- ------------ ----------- ------------ -----------
  **Feeding Practices**           Reduces N   Reduces      Reduces     Is this      Is this a
                                  Excretion   phosphorus   Purchased   option       viable
                                              Excretion    Feed Used   currently    option for
                                                                       used on your future
                                                                       operation?   adoption?

  · Group cattle by milk          ****       ****                    **Yes or     **Yes or
  production or lactation stage                                        No**         No**
  and formulate multiple rations                                                    

  · Feed ration with % P of 0.49%             ****                    **Yes or     **Yes or
  for fresh cows (first 3 weeks)                                       No**         No**

  · Feed ration with % P of                   ****                    **Yes or     **Yes or
  0.28%-0.41% for early to                                             No**         No**
  mid-lactation cows                                                                

  · Feed ration with 17% CP and   ****                                **Yes or     **Yes or
  40% RUP for fresh cows                                               No**         No**

  · Feed ration with 16%-18% CP   ****                                **Yes or     **Yes or
  and 36%-38% RUP for early to                                         No**         No**
  mid-lactation cows                                                                

  · Feed ration with 14% CP and   ****                                **Yes or     **Yes or
  30% RUP for late lactation cows                                      No**         No**

  · Improve quality of home-grown                          ****       **Yes or     **Yes or
  feeds                                                                No**         No**

  · Increase dry matter intake    ****                    ****       **Yes or     **Yes or
                                                                       No**         No**

  · Monitor MUN (should be        ****                                **Yes or     **Yes or
  between 12 and 18 mg/dl)                                             No**         No**

  · Blend legume and corn silage  ****                                **Yes or     **Yes or
  in ration to meet protein                                            No**         No**
  requirements                                                                      

  · Test all forages and feed     ****       ****        ****       **Yes or     **Yes or
  ingredients and adjust rations                                       No**         No**
  accordingly                                                                       
  ------------------------------- ----------- ------------ ----------- ------------ -----------

CP=crude protein; RUP=rumen undegradable protein (given as % of total
CP); MUN=milk urea nitrogen.

Information in this section was modified from Livestock and Poultry
Environmental Stewardship Program, Lesson 12, Feeding Dairy Cows to
Reduce Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Excretion into the
Environment, by Rick Grant of University of Nebraska.

## 

## Beef nutrition self-assessment

+------------------------------+------+------+------+-------+-------+
| **Feeding Practices**        | Red  | Red  | Red  | Is    | Is    |
|                              | uces | uces | uces | this  | this  |
|                              | N    | ph   | P    | o     | a     |
|                              | E    | osph | urch | ption | v     |
|                              | xcre | orus | ased | curr  | iable |
|                              | tion | E    | Feed | ently | o     |
|                              |      | xcre | Used | used  | ption |
|                              |      | tion |      | on    | for   |
|                              |      |      |      | your  | f     |
|                              |      |      |      | opera | uture |
|                              |      |      |      | tion? | adop  |
|                              |      |      |      |       | tion? |
+------------------------------+------+------+------+-------+-------+
| · Group cattle by weight and | *    | *    |      | **Yes | **Yes |
| class and formulate multiple | *** | *** |      | or    | or    |
| rations                      |      |      |      | No**  | No**  |
+------------------------------+------+------+------+-------+-------+
| · Feed ration 11-12% CP, 29% | *    |      |      | **Yes | **Yes |
| RUP for growing/finishing    | *** |      |      | or    | or    |
|                              |      |      |      | No**  | No**  |
+------------------------------+------+------+------+-------+-------+
| · Feed phosphorus according  |      | *    |      | **Yes | **Yes |
| to Average Daily Gain:       |      | *** |      | or    | or    |
|                              |      |      |      | No**  | No**  |
| .5 lb = .12%; .75 lb = .14%; |      |      |      |       |       |
| 1.0 lb = .16%; 1.5 lb =      |      |      |      |       |       |
| .17%; 2.0 lb = .18%; 2.5 lb  |      |      |      |       |       |
| = .21%; 3.0 lb = .24%; 3.5   |      |      |      |       |       |
| lb = .28%; 4.0 lb = .34%     |      |      |      |       |       |
+------------------------------+------+------+------+-------+-------+
| · Feed ration with 9% CP and | *    |      |      | **Yes | **Yes |
| 30% RUP for late lactation   | *** |      |      | or    | or    |
| cows and phosphorus content  |      |      |      | No**  | No**  |
| = .12 - .21% depending on    |      |      |      |       |       |
| stage of life                |      |      |      |       |       |
+------------------------------+------+------+------+-------+-------+
| · Improve quality of         | *    | *    | *    | **Yes | **Yes |
| home-grown feeds             | *** | *** | *** | or    | or    |
|                              |      |      |      | No**  | No**  |
+------------------------------+------+------+------+-------+-------+
| · Increase dry matter intake | *    |      | *    | **Yes | **Yes |
|                              | *** |      | *** | or    | or    |
|                              |      |      |      | No**  | No**  |
+------------------------------+------+------+------+-------+-------+
| · Blend legume and corn      | *    |      |      | **Yes | **Yes |
| silage in ration to meet     | *** |      |      | or    | or    |
| protein requirements         |      |      |      | No**  | No**  |
+------------------------------+------+------+------+-------+-------+
| · Test all forages and feed  | *    | *    | *    | **Yes | **Yes |
| ingredients and adjust       | *** | *** | *** | or    | or    |
| rations accordingly          |      |      |      | No**  | No**  |
+------------------------------+------+------+------+-------+-------+

CP=crude protein; RUP=rumen undegradable protein (given as % of total
CP).

Information in this section was modified from Livestock and Poultry
Environmental Stewardship Program, Lesson 10, Reducing Pig Waste and
Odor Through Nutritional Means, by Theo van Kempen of North Carolina
State University.

## Pig nutrition self-assessment

  ----------------------------------- --------- --------- --------- ----------- ----------
  **Feeding Practices**               Reduces N Reduces P Reduces   Do you      Will you
                                      Content   Content   Air       currently   consider
                                      of Manure of Manure Quality   practice?   for
                                                          Effects               future?

  · install feeders/feed systems      ****     ****               **Yes or    **Yes or
  designed to minimize feed waste                                   No**        No**

  · adjust and clean feeders          ****     ****               **Yes or    **Yes or
  frequently                                                        No**        No**

  · use pelleted feeds                ****     ****     ****     **Yes or    **Yes or
                                                                    No**        No**

  · formulate feeds based on          ****     ****     ****     **Yes or    **Yes or
  digestible nutrients rather than                                  No**        No**
  totals                                                                        

  · select feed ingredients that have ****     ****     ****     **Yes or    **Yes or
  high digestibility                                                No**        No**

  · grind coarse feed ingredients to  ****     ****               **Yes or    **Yes or
  a uniformly fine particle size                                    No**        No**

  · add phytase to the feed                     ****               **Yes or    **Yes or
                                                                    No**        No**

  · add fiber-degrading enzymes to    ****               ****     **Yes or    **Yes or
  the feed                                                          No**        No**

  · select ingredients that are low   ****     ****     ****     **Yes or    **Yes or
  in fiber (NDF and ADF)                                            No**        No**

  · select ingredients that are low   ****                         **Yes or    **Yes or
  in trypsin inhibitors                                             No**        No**

  · include disposal costs in         ****     ****     ****     **Yes or    **Yes or
  economics of nutrition decisions                                  No**        No**

  · implement phase feeding and       ****     ****     ****     **Yes or    **Yes or
  split-sex feeding                                                 No**        No**

  · determine the nutritional value   ****     ****     ****     **Yes or    **Yes or
  of each batch of an ingredient                                    No**        No**

  · properly weigh and mix            ****     ****               **Yes or    **Yes or
  ingredients                                                       No**        No**

  · reduce protein in the diet by     ****               ****     **Yes or    **Yes or
  matching amino acid requirements                                  No**        No**

  · add urine-acidifying compounds to                     ****     **Yes or    **Yes or
  the feed                                                          No**        No**

  · avoid excess sulfur-containing                        ****     **Yes or    **Yes or
  mineral sources                                                   No**        No**

  · use efficient water nipples, cups                     ****     **Yes or    **Yes or
  under drinkers, wet-dry, or liquid                                No**        No**
  feeders and fix water leaks                                                   
  immediately                                                                   
  ----------------------------------- --------- --------- --------- ----------- ----------

Modified from Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship Program,
Lesson 10, Reducing Pig Waste and Odor Through Nutritional Means; Theo
van Kempen