The trade group recently released its 2015 liquid feed tonnage report, derived from data it received from 11 manufacturers.
The publication documents the change in production from 2013 through 2014. The information is collected each spring by the AFIA for liquid feed output from the previous two years.
The report offers a “snapshot” of production patterns and is based on work previously undertaken by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), a spokesperson for the US trade group told FeedNavigator.
Challenges in obtaining the information led to the termination of such USDA’s reporting.
“This survey provides important statistical information of the liquid feed industry and attempts to recognize trends and documents the growth of liquid supplements in specific areas,” said the AFIA spokesperson said. “Solid data regarding the various segments of the feed industry is critical when AFIA offers comments on proposed regulations from various regulatory agencies.”
Overall numbers
The total amounts of liquid feed manufactured increased by more than 20,000 tons or about 1%, said the AFIA, as the tonnage generated jumped from 1.885m tons in 2013 to about 1.9m tons in 2014.
The survey report detailed results for five different feed manufacturing segments – beef feedlots, dairy rations, range supplements, feed mill blends and blocks.
The majority of the growth was in range supplement and in the beef feedlot sector. Dairy rations and blocks experienced modest declines, while feed mill blends experienced a 4% reduction in production from 2013, said the trade group’s report.
Dairy saw the smallest drop in production, as the amount of liquid feed manufactured in 2013 was about 571,635 tons and the next year’s was about 557,417 tons, AFIA reported.
Blocks saw a decline of about 7,441 tons, said the industry body. The overall amounts slid from roughly 252,000 tons in 2013 to about 245,000 tons in 2014.
Feed mill blends had the largest production drop, found the association, in that the quantity of liquid feed manufactured for that sector fell by 7,116 tons from 195,223 tons in 2013 to 188,107 tons in 2014.
Beef feedlot production improved by about 21,157 tons or by 5%, AFIA reported. The total amounts for the sector moved from about 467,000 tons of liquid feed in 2013 to about 488,000 in 2014.
Range supplements saw the largest improvement with 7% growth, or an increase of 28,007 tons, the US feed association said.
Overall usage by sector
However, the changes to the amount of liquid feed produced in the different sectors did not greatly alter the overall usage by sector, reported the AFIA.
In both 2013 and 2014 the dairy rations comprised the largest sector, at 30% and 29% of the overall production respectively, the association said.
Beef feedlot’s portion of overall manufacture grew — it moved from 25% to 26% of the total.
Range supplementation also increased, bumping from 21% to 22% of the total production, AFIA officials said. And, both blocks and feed mill blends stayed the same at 13% and 10%, respectively, of the overall tons of liquid feed manufactured.