NASCalf Feed Blends

Hello, and welcome to this NASCalf tutorial. In this video, we’ll walk through how to create a feed blend using multiple ingredients. Let’s get started.

A blend is simply a mixture of two or more ingredients—potentially from different feed categories—that are combined and fed as a single ingredient. Blends can include liquid feeds, such as custom milk replacers, or dry feeds like calf starters, grain mixes, or total mixed rations (TMRs). Once created, the blend is saved in your local feed library and can be used in any ration within the program. This makes the blend utility a powerful tool for building realistic feeding programs.

To create a blend, go to Manage Feeds and select Make a Blend (or use Ctrl+B). This opens the Feed Blend window. Here, you can adjust the layout, select which nutrients to display, and choose how many ingredients to include—up to a maximum of 20. In this example, we’ll create a simple dry TMR using two ingredients: a calf starter and a forage.

First, select your ingredients. For the first feed, choose a calf starter from the calf grain category. For the second, select a forage—such as oat hay. You can adjust the nutrient profiles if needed to match your actual feeds. Next, enter the amounts in the “grams fed” column. For a 90:10 mix of concentrate to forage, you can enter values like 90 and 10, or 900 and 100—any ratio that reflects the desired proportions. The program will automatically calculate the final nutrient composition of the blend.

Once the blend is defined, assign it to a feed category and give it a name. For example, we might call this one “Dry TMR 90:10.” Click OK to save, and the blend will be added to your feed library. You can then select it like any other ingredient when building rations.

That’s all there is to creating a feed blend in NASCalf. With this tool, you can build a wide range of customized feeds to match your management program.

Thanks for watching, and be sure to explore other NASCalf tutorials to get the most out of the program.