Method and system for preparing a feed ration based on degree of maceration
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorTIMOTHY J. KRAUS
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of preparing a feed ration for an animal includes determining an initial nutritive value of a forage material, and then macerating the forage material with a mechanical macerator. An actual amount of maceration of the forage material achieved by the mechanical macerator is then determined with a macerator sensor. The initial nutritive value may then be corrected to define a corrected nutritive value that accounts for the change in digestibility of the forage material caused by maceration. A formulation for the feed ration may then be defined or determined based on the corrected nutritive value of the forage material.
Claims20
A method of preparing a feed ration for an animal, the method comprising:
- determining an initial nutritive value of a forage material;
- macerating the forage material with a mechanical macerator;
- determining an actual amount of maceration of the forage material achieved by the mechanical macerator with a macerator sensor;
- and
- defining a formulation for the feed ration based on the actual amount of maceration of the forage material, wherein the formulation for the feed ration defines a percentage of the forage material forming the feed ration and a percentage of another feed material forming the feed ration.
A method of preparing a feed ration for an animal, the method comprising:
- determining an initial nutritive value of a forage material;
- macerating the forage material with a mechanical macerator;
- determining an actual amount of maceration of the forage material achieved by the mechanical macerator with a macerator sensor;
- correcting the initial nutritive value with a ration controller based on the actual amount of maceration to define a corrected nutritive value of the forage material, wherein the corrected nutritive value of the forage material is indicative of a change in digestibility of the forage material caused by maceration of the forage material;
- and
- defining a formulation for the feed ration with the ration controller based on the corrected nutritive value of the forage material, wherein the formulation for the feed ration defines a percentage of the forage material forming the feed ration and a percentage of another feed material forming the feed ration.
A feed ration system comprising:
- a macerator sensor operable to sense data related to an actual amount of maceration of a forage material achieved by a mechanical macerator;
- a ration controller coupled to the macerator sensor, the ration controller including a processor and a memory having a ration algorithm stored thereon, wherein the processor is operable to execute the ration algorithm to:
- receive an input related to an initial nutritive value of the forage material;
- receive the data from the macerator sensor related to the actual amount of maceration of the forage material;
- define a correction for the initial nutritive value based on the actual amount of maceration;
- apply the correction to the initial nutritive value of the forage material to define a corrected nutritive value of the forage material;
- and
- define a formulation for the feed ration based on the corrected nutritive value of the forage material, wherein the formulation for the feed ration defines a forage percentage of the forage material forming the feed ration and a second percentage of another feed material forming the feed ration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.