This is our new 4-Bale Pickup or Tractor Pull EZ Ration Processor. It has touch screen controls for both the Kubota motor and the EZ Ration Processor. It combines versatility with mobility. It pulls like a gooseneck horse trailer with same trailer plug-in for tail lights, brake, and turn signals. It can also be pull by virtually any tractor with a gooseneck ball attachment on the tree point. They come standard with a grain (or cube) bin allowing for the blending of two different roughages and a grain or cubes. If you are spread out and need to feed everything better, cheaper, and quicker, here you go. With the grain bin you can create cost efficient growing rations for weaned calves and replacement heifers and still feed a roughage ration of a whole different blend to your running aged cows. Like all EZ Ration Processors, it can blend two different types of hay/feed in any desired ratio.
On the right floor chain, we have a pretty good quality alfalfa bale, costing $170 a ton. On the left floor chain, we have a $65 a ton Cornstalk bale.
We are blending these 1/3 to 2/3. The Cornstalk floor chain is set on 100% and the Alfalfa floor chain is set on 50%.
If we met all the dry matter requirements in strait alfalfa it would be a big overkill, both cost wise and nutritionally. If we were to feed just the cornstalks, the cows (or bulls in this case) would probably slowly starve to death, or at the very least go backwards on condition, but the blend of 1/3 to 2/3 is going to be considerably better and it will create and average per ton feed cost of $100 (which is also a lot better).
You can see in the windrow we have a pretty good blend of Alfalfa and Cornstalks and in a petty desirable particle size or stem length. Nutritional science will tell you that you can reduce your tonnage requirements by 25% to 30% if you process it similar to this and I can testify to the fact that we have repeatably seen it on our ranch that you will reduce the amount you have to feed by 25% to 30% when you process it.
When you reduce your tonnage cost from $170 to $100 by blending 1/3 $100 Alfalfa to 2/3 $65 Cornstalks and then reduce that tonnage requirement by another 25% to 30% by processing it, that is over a 50% reduction in your feed cost dollar. That is a pretty big deal and now it can all be down with an EZ Ration Processor that you can pull with your Pickup.