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Feed industry is likely to be increasingly affected by various factors starting from production to animal
feeding. Foremost, in order to achieve the maximum level of benefit expected from feed, it must be
willingly consumed by the animal. Many factors affect the consumption of feed and subsequent
digestion in the animal's body. These factors can be changed with human intervention.
1. Factors Affecting Industry in Production Stage.
During the production phase the Feed industry is affected by factors such as soil, climate, fertilization,
harvest time and others.
Soil: Nutrient content on the plant-derived feeds depends on the availability of nutrients in the soil. In
other words, the feed value is affected by the place where plant grow and the extent to which the plant
can take benefit from water and air. As a matter of fact, in some regions, any lack or excess of mineral
components will affect the plant and subsequently the feeding animal. For example, animals fed by
the feed crops growing in the soil with insufficient phosphorus will experience phosphorus deficiency.
Phosphorus fertilization increases the amount of the product as well as the phosphor content of the
plant. Similarly, low content of zinc in the soil, both negatively affect the feed product and feeding
animal. On the other hand, excess of minerals in the soil such as selenium, phosphorus, iodine can
lead to animal poisoning.
Climate: On the other hand, the effect of climate on different feeds is different. Although the grain
feed is less affected by the climate, the effect of the climate on the green feeds is excessive. Climate,
soil and some other factors can cause excessive nitrate accumulation in corn, sorghum and some
other plants. In addition, the rate of nutrients decreases as the water rate of green plants increases
over the periods when precipitation is high. In dry seasons, both the amount of product and mineral
components decreases. However, the content of organic components increases. Cool air during the
development period of the plant decreases the leaf/stem ratio, so the protein content of the plant is
decreased proportionally.
Fertilization: With regular and accurate fertilization, it is possible to obtain high quality feed
ingredients with high nutritional content. Fertilization and irrigation increases the rate of leaf/stem and
therefore has a positive effect on protein content. Fertilization also decreases the negative effect of
the soil composition on the plant. With soil calcification it is possible to increase the amount of plant
nutrients and products. However, incorrect and one-sided fertilization can lead to breakdown of plant
composition and reduction of the feed value. This is because reactions of the plants to the fertilization
are different. For example, fertilization of cereals with unilateral nitrogen fertilizer will reduce protein
levels, because the legume ratio in the mixture is reduced.
Harvest time: During the first exile of green fodder plants their organic substances are in the form of
simple compounds. With plant aging these compounds are converted into large molecular
compounds. Thus nitrogenous compounds, amino acids, amid substances, proteins and simple
sugars turns into starch and cellulose. For this reason, young plants have high protein and low
cellulose content. As the plant matures, the cellulose content and lignification of cell walls increases
and the degree of digestion and hence its nutritional value are reduced. Feed value of grain feed is
not significantly affected by the harvest time. These plants can be harvested beforehand in periods of
shortage or excess rainfalls, illnesses and other anomalies. In such cases, feed value will decline
because of big quantities of compounds in the simple structure.
Other Factors: The rate of growth of plants affects nutrients and feed value. If the rate of
development is slow, mineral and protein content becomes high, so the higher volume of green feed
can be obtained. Animals dont eat the feed willingly that grow in shadow places and meadows.