Analysis of Economic Feed Value of Commercial Compound Feeds for Hanwoo on the Basis of thier Nutritional Value

For the maximum profit, one of the most important decisions to make by the Hanwoo producers is to choose compound feeds for their Hanwoo among a number of commercial products in the market. It is, however, a difficult task due to lack of information and a tool for assessing the value of these compound feeds. This study was conducted to evaluate and compare the economic value of commercial compound feeds for Hanwoo based on their nutritional value. A total of 20 different products (four stages of Hanwoo x five major feed mill companies in Korea) were obtained at the same time and analyzed for their nutrients content. The economic value of each compound feed was caluculated on the basis of the unit costs of nutrients estimated by different methods. We found large variations in the nutrients content between the compound feeds for different stages as well as between those from different companies. Among the stages, the largest variation was observed in the products for finishers between the companies. The economic values of the compound feeds based on the costs of nutrients varied by the stage and by the company; however, the extent of variation in the economic values was less than that in the suggested retail prices of the products. There were also large variations in the ratios of the economic value based on nutritional value to the suggested retail price among the products by both the stage and the company. These results implied that there were differences in the nutrient constraints and feed ingredients used for formulating rations among the companies; therefore, the Hanwoo producers need to consider these differences before making a decision of purchasing compound feeds. The methodology presented in this study should be useful for evaluating the economic value of compound feeds for Hanwoo based on their nutritional value and provide the Hanwoo producers with a decision making tool for choosing compound feeds.