Recommendations for feed preparation and distribution technologies used on cattle farms: a technological chart approach

Modern cattle farms face a shortage of optimal integrated solutions for selecting the most efficient feed preparation and distribution technologies, as well as a lack of well-founded recommendations for their implementation. The study therefore aimed to develop recommendations for choosing the optimal cattle feed preparation and distribution technology based on the criterion of minimizing operating costs. The costs were calculated using technological charts of the continuous production line for feed preparation and distribution on farms with a population of up to 1,500 heads or more. Three technological options were considered: Option 1 – a basic machine configuration with a trailed mixer; Option 2 – a configuration with a robotic feed preparation unit; Option 3 – cattle feeding technology with a selfpropelled mixer. The evaluation took into account the following parameters: machine brands, functions performed, number of units involved, mixer hopper capacity, number of animals serviced per equipment unit per cycle, dosing uniformity, installed power, type of power unit, and number of maintenance personnel. A mathematical model of the continuous feed preparation and distribution line for cattle farms was developed using Microsoft Excel. This model enabled the calculation of technical and economic indicators for feed preparation and distribution technologies based on technological charts. The technological chart of the feed preparation and distribution process used on dairy cattle farms encompasses operating costs, capital investments, and labor costs for all three basic feeding technologies. The lowest operating costs (direct costs) – 404.83 rubles per ton – were recorded for cattle feeding technology with a self-propelled mixer (Option 3). The proposed recommendations, along with the application software designed as a simulation system, will enable specialists to calculate the possible consequences of their decisions through direct computer interaction, analyze the results, and select the most suitable option for the facility being designed.

1. Lobachevskiy Ya.P., Dorokhov A.S. Digital technologies and robotic devices in the agriculture. Agricultural Machinery and Technologies. 2021;15(4):6-10. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22314/2073-7599-2021-15-4-6-10

2. Anishchenko A.N., Shutykov A.A. Problems of implementation of the Russian Food Security Doctrine. Food Policy and Security. 2021;8(1):9-22. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.18334/ppib.8.1.111777

3. Bulgakov A., Bulgakova D., Motovilov K. et all. Features of feeding complete feed mixtures to a milking herd under tie-up housing. Vestnik Altayskogo gosudarstvennogo agrarnogo universiteta. 2024;7:42-49. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.53083/1996-4277-2024-237-7-42-49

4. Nikitin E.A. Technological analysis of systems of preparation of feed mixtures for cattle. Innovatsii v selskom khozyaystve. 2019;2:53-61. (In Russ.)

5. Stolyarova O.A. Reshetkina, Yu.V. Development of the feed base of dairy cattle breeding. Sursky Vestnik. 2022;3:96-99. (In Russ.)

6. Mikhaylichenko S.M. Kupreenko, A.I. Automation of feeding rations’ cooking and distributing on cattle farms. Machinery and Technologies in Livestock. 2023;1(49):11-19. (In Russ.)

7. Tsench Yu.S. Scientific and technological potential as the main factor for agricultural mechanization development. Agricultural Machinery and Technologies. 2022;16(2):4-13. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22314/2073-7599-2022-16-2-4-13

8. Bulatov S.Yu., Zykin A.A., Nechaev V.N. et all. Model of feed preparation in the conditions of small farms.Machinery and equipment for rural areas. 2023;4:26-30. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.33267/2072-9642-2023-4-26-30

9. Morozov N.M. Directions of technical progress in the mechanization and automation of animal husbandry and the effectiveness of their application. Machinery and Equipment for Rural Area. 2022;12(306):2-5. (In Russ.)

10. Nikitin E.A., Kirsanov V.V., Samarin G.N. et. all. Improving the technology of feed distribution on dairy farms for cattle. Agricultural Science Euro-North-East. 2024;25(5):938-948. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.30766/2072-9081.2024.25.5.938-948

11. Frolov V.Yu., Rytov K.P. Improving the technological process of mixing concentrated feeds. Effektivnoe zhivotnovodstvo. 2023;3(185):70. (In Russ.)

12. Kosolapov V.M., Shevtsov A.V., Milev A.D. Strategy for the development of feed mixers for livestock farms. Vestnik Vserossiyskogo nauchno-issledovatelskogo instituta mekhanizatsii zhivotnovodstva. 2015;3:129-134. (In Russ.)

13. Samarin G.N., Vasilyev A.N., Dorokhov A.S. et al. Optimization of power and economic indexes of a farm for the maintenance of cattle. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. 2020;1072:679-689. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33585-4_66