Mix 30 High Energy Liquid Feed

By Kerre Clark

                Fall is here and winter is not far behind and it’s time to start considering how you are going to get your cattle through the winter.  Many livestock producers may have an abundant amount of hay stored away, some may have some stockpiled grass, and others have decided to just buy hay as they need it.  This is fine, but what about a supplement for your cattle when your forage/hay source is lacking in necessary nutrients that your cattle need every day and even more so during the winter to keep them healthy?  A couple years ago my family started using a liquid feed supplement for our beef cattle on pasture.  We started in the summer and fed to cow/calf pairs on pasture and continued during the winter and still feed it today.  We were able to see a difference within a few weeks of giving this to the cattle that they began to have a slicker hair coat and filled out better.  Over the winter was a good source of energy when no grass was available and were only on hay.  This liquid feed is called Mix 30, a high energy liquid feed.

                Mix 30 is a liquid feed produced by Agridyne LLC.  It is a high energy protein supplement with a 16% protein.  It is made from a blend of soy based products and corn.  It can be utilized by all ruminants at free choice, which includes beef and dairy cattle, goats, sheep, bison, deer and elk to name a few. 

                Mix 30 can be distinguished from other liquid feeds because it contains a mix of natural and non-protein nitrogen sources (NPN).  According to the Mix 30 website, this is what makes it such a unique protein source supplement and also makes the feed more sensible and resourceful than just having one source for protein.  Carbohydrates in Mix 30 come from the fermentation of starch from corn grain.  It contains low starch levels, which makes it an excellent feed source for feeding out cattle.  The carbs are also highly recommended when utilizing forage based operations because it works with the microbes in the rumen.  The feed also contains vegetable fat and the fact that fat has 2.25 times more energy than carbohydrates makes it a key factor in the makeup of this supplement.  It has a 10% fat, which can help provide a great source of energy for any ruminant.  The blend also contains trace minerals and vitamins that complete this high energy liquid supplement.

                After realizing what a good product we had found to use in our operation, we now see other farmers using it in theirs as well, for dairy, goats and finishing calves.  Through more research on Mix 30’s website, I found that it is as mentioned before a good source for all ruminants, but appears that it would be most beneficial in dairy cattle from calves to bulls and milking cows.  For bottle/bucket calves it is recommended to mix a small amount right in with the milk and feed to the calves.  When it comes time for weaning calves off the bottle they could be fed this feed then as well, or in a beef operation it helped reduce stress on the calves because they were already used to the feed and would continue eating.   When growing heifers and bulls it has made rations more palatable and in turn the cattle eat more and had fewer health issues.  In milking cows, it was said to also be used as a ration additive and also helped cow’s breed back easier.  Another factor that makes Mix 30 a good supplement is that it has a natural fly repellant.  The source has not been identified, but in the development process it was noted that flies did not really like it and thus it can help keep flies off of your animals. 

                Mix 30 is typically sold by the gallon (1 gallon Mix 30= ~9.15 pounds) and we are about to buy it for approximately a dollar a gallon.  We also feed it in open stock tanks or some use the lick wheels.  This makes for an inexpensive and convenient protein supplement that can be feed to variety of ruminants year round.  This could be the answer you are looking for this winter.

Source(s):

Agridyne LLC. "Mix 30 Liquid Feed." Mix 30 - The High Energy Liquid Cattle Feed  Supplement. Agridyne LLC, 2010. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://www.mix30.com/>.