Check out our Oat Processing Video on YouTube!
Cleaner Oats are Better Oats
Have you ever wondered why oat
bags are labeled as 50 pounds instead of 20 coffee cans? After
all, isn’t a coffee can the universal feeding dose of the
horseman? The quality of Woody’s feed is, of course, a primary
consideration in establishing a performance feeding program… but
it’s not the only concern. Uniformity is very
important, since most horsemen do, indeed, feed by volume.
For example, a slight variation in weight per bushel can
decrease the energy of the product by 25%!
At Woody’s, we have the art of
producing clean, ultra- consistent oats down to an exact
science. When local farmers bring their oats, it must undergo
rigorous quality testing before it’s unloaded. If it meets
quality standards, it is unloaded into a separate leg of the
elevator, one specifically for oats. It’s run through a series
of magnets to catch metal dust that may have been left after the
mechanical combining process at the field level. Next, it’s
clipped to remove the ends and loose hulls, which also increases
the test weight, decreases fiber and increases the energy
content. The oats is then moved through a scalper to rid it of
sticks and stalks before it is passed through two different
cleaners that remove dust, chaff, weed seeds, and odd sized
grain kernels. No one cleaner is perfect on its own, so by the
time Woody’s oats is through the cleaning process, it is cleaned
five times through a seven step process. After the second
clipping, the oats is not only uniform and consistent in test
weight, but also has uniformity in each kernel! It is important
that the dust is sucked from the oats while it is in suspension,
as a static charge causes dust to stick to the grain when it’s
stagnant. Eliminating the dust reduces the risk of allergies
and respiratory issues in the horse, and we know a horse that
can’t breathe, can’t run. The grain runs carefully through ten
different machines and another set of magnets right before it’s
bagged.
Let’s look at a comparison of the
nutritional profiles between a bushel of good quality 40# oats,
which is the standard raw product at Woody’s, and the cleaned,
finished product. The significant nutritional differences
between the raw oats and the cleaned oats is surprising!
|
|
Raw Product |
Finished Product |
Oat Stubs |
Oat Screening |
|
Test Weight |
40# |
48# |
46# |
17# |
|
Protein |
12.95% |
13.78% |
13.91% |
10.98% |
|
Crude Fiber |
10.36% |
8.33% |
8.12% |
26.98% |
|
Fat |
4.44% |
5.91% |
4.59% |
2.42% |
|
TDN* |
69.02% |
71.94% |
70.42% |
56.77% |
*Total digestible nutrients
Finished product summary
|
Test Weight
increase |
16.6% higher |
|
Protein |
6.00% higher |
|
Fiber |
19.60% lower |
|
Fat |
24.88% higher |
|
TDN |
4.06% higher |
A bushel is similar to a coffee can in that it is a measure of
volume. You can use the summary table to imagine what your
horse will actually consume if you are feeding raw oats OR lower
quality cleaned oats compared to the triple cleaned and clipped
oats from Woody’s. A considerable increase in nutrient profile
and weight equals a considerable increase in your horse’s health
and a nice boost to your pocketbook!
Similarly, Woody’s sweet feeds,
sweet grains and sweet grain blends are all blends of the
finest, heaviest, processed number one premium oats, steam
rolled barley, wheat and corn flakes combined with pure cane
molasses. Even our molasses is mixed right here at Woody’s to
ensure a high-quality, consistent and safe product.
Uniform, plump, white, protein
rich oats from a long, cool growing season; clean, dry air and
meticulous attention to quality control goes in to every bag of
Woody’s Performance Horse Feeds. They are precision products
for winning!
The Value of Beet Pulp in Woody’s Performance
Horse Feeds
Beet pulp
is a roughage that is high in digestible fiber, and has a taste
that is naturally appealing to horses. It is easily chewed, and
provided in a form that is much less dusty than hay. The high
fiber quality of beet pulp slows the rate of digestion, allowing
the stomach acids to work on digesting the feed, rather than
irritating the lining of the stomach. For this reason, Woody’s
Beet Pulp based feeds are well suited to ulcer-prone horses. In
addition, the complete and easy digestion allows for a slower
rate of passage, which exercises the function of a health
digestive tract, including the cecum and the large intestine.
Similarly, the slower rate of passage allows the body to more
completely absorb and utilize the balanced vitamin and mineral
package included in Woody’s Feeds. You’ll notice added
benefits, in that your horses stay full longer; have even blood
sugar levels and strong, reliable energy. Beet pulp swells with
water to provide a reservoir to replace sweat lost during
periods of prolonged exercise in high heat and humidity.
Another exciting benefit of beet pulp is that, in addition to
being an excellent source of easily digestible fiber, it holds
an equivalent amount of energy as oats!
Beet pulp
feeds help foals and broodmares, too. It’s excellent for
helping foals adjust to eating roughage, assisting with adequate
growth and healthy weight levels during the transition from milk
to solid feeds. Beet pulp allows broodmares the ability to be
on full feed and maintain proper body condition without the high
bulk associated with poorer quality hay diets.
All beet
pulp feeds are not created equal. In order for beet pulp to be
effective, it must be fed at levels which permit a balance of
all dietary fiber intakes. Most horse feed tags make it very
hard to determine if the level of beet pulp in the feed is at
the correct level and balanced correctly with other
ingredients. In addition, the balance of fiber is almost
impossible to determine… obviously dried up sticks are not the
ideal source of balanced fiber. Woody’s Performance Horse
Feeds put the priorities of horse nutrition in the right order.
No games are played with our beet pulp levels. You will get the
amounts of beet pulp which enhance our goal for optimally
balanced starch levels.
Woody’s can
help you with the balancing act of providing proper nutrition,
allowing the horse’s genetic potential to be expressed as the
complete and sound athlete that it was bred to be, while at the
same time giving the equine athlete the nutrients necessary to
stay sound and competitive for years to come!
