CowdemyRumenFIG. 08Applied12 min
Reading carbohydrates & energy
Separate starch, sugars, NFC, fat, and calculated energy values—then connect concentration with digestibility and fermentation rate.
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Specific test vs calculated basket
Starch
- Measured carbohydrate fraction
- Does not include all NFC
NFC
- Calculated by difference
- Includes starch plus other components
Starch and NFC are not synonyms.
Field notes on this focus
- Note 01NFC is not starchStarch is one measured carbohydrate fraction; NFC is a calculated basket containing several non-NDF components.4 min · 2026-09-17
- Note 02Starch amount is not starch useThe starch percentage cannot show whether kernels were processed, fermented, digested, or lost in manure.4 min · 2026-09-17
Also touches this focus
- Note 01Energy on the report is a model outputRoutine NEL and TDN values are usually calculated from chemistry and assumptions, not collected as direct substances from the sample.4 min · 2026-09-17
- Note 02Empty bunks are starch eventsCows that wait, then eat fast, drop pH even when the printed diet never changed.3 min · 2026-09-07
- Note 03Cud chewing is the cheapest rumen sensorRumination is how the cow rebuilds particle size and pumps saliva bicarbonate into the vat. If she stops, the buffer stops.3 min · 2026-09-07
- Note 04Reading milk fat as a rumen alarmA falling fat test is often the first cheap signal that fermentation has shifted, not that the cow forgot how to make fat.3 min · 2026-09-07
Sources
- Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle, 8th revised edition — NASEM (2021)
- Understanding and Using a Feed Analysis Report — University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension
- Understanding and Significance of Forage Results — Dairy One Forage Laboratory
- From Feed to Milk: Understanding Rumen Function — Penn State Extension
Plate credit
Stomach figure adapted from the public-domain 1905 plate Interior of a cow (The Household Physician; Wikimedia Commons) and standard ruminant-stomach teaching figures. Educational only.
Not a veterinary diagnosis, prescription, or ration formula.