Now you see it . . . and now you don't. Just like that, feed that was once available for your herd can be lost due to mold, pests, weather conditions and human error.

Feed losses, known as shrink, often happen slowly over time. We may not notice the impact shrink has on feed inventories on a daily basis, but that does not mean these losses should be ignored.

"We cannot forget shrink," said David Greene, a Dairy Field Technical Specialist with Diamond V. "That's money spent that you don't get value from."

Some measurable losses can occur during the TMR mixing process. At the 2015 GPS Dairy Forum, Greene shared the following recommendations to maximize efficiency and minimize shrink when mixing feed:

1. Have all ingredients in the feed center when making loads. This reduces travel time and losses from feed spilled or blown away by the wind while in transit.
   
   
   
2. Use the type of mixing system -whether that is a stationary mixer, a pull type mixer or something else -that best fits your operation's needs
   
   
   
3. Design your feed center so that the loading area is lower than the loader travel area.
   
   
   
4. Size the TMR mixer to match your needs. "That is key," noted Greene. "Bigger is not always better."
   
   
   
5. Mix and deliver full loads whenever possible. Again, this reduces the number of necessary trips.
   
   
   
6. Use feeding software to the fullest to mix the most accurate rations and manage feed inventories.

Greene believes that 4 to 5 percent shrink is a reasonable goal for all dairies. "We're not there as an industry," he explained, "and we can't get down to zero, but we can get down to 4 percent. I am confident we can."

The first step to minimizing feed loss is to recognize that it is there and start taking action to alleviate it.

"When you start focusing on something, you'll start seeing it get better and better," said Greene. By concentrating on shrink, you may be surprised at how quickly you can cut the amount of feed lost on your dairy.

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The author is an associate editor and covers animal health, dairy housing and equipment, and nutrient management. She grew up on a dairy farm near Plymouth, Wis., and previously served as a University of Wisconsin agricultural extension agent. She received a master's degree from North Carolina State University and a bachelor's from University of Wisconsin-Madison.