The most powerful part of a ration isn’t a feed ingredient—it’s data. A dairy’s data can include feed analysis, production metrics, animal behavior and activity, along with the additional metrics that sustain a dairy farm.  

Cargill is committed to helping producers collect and use their data to make economic decisions that benefit their short-term and long-term goals. This is made possible with Cargill’s nutrition software, dairy MAX.  

Cargill’s team of specialists and nutritionists use the dairy MAX software to formulate diets for your entire herd: calves, heifers, lactating cows, dry cows, and beef cattle. We balance with your home-grown forages and purchased feeds—what they cost and their nutrient quality—and match that to your herd’s performance goals.

Beyond feedstuffs, dairy MAX also includes entries for data from: 

• Calf Audits 
• Cow Collars 
• EZ Feed  
• Farm Watch 
• Feeder Audits
• Heat Abatement Audits 
• Inventories 
• Parlor Metrics 
• TMR Audits 

Here is an example for how data is used to manage nutrient variation based on feed samples and update rations within dairy MAX in real time:

1. The dairy MAX software receives your farm’s live data. 
2. It applies control charting which routinely checks the variation of nutrients. 
3. If everything is running within preset limits set by you and your nutritionist, the system keeps running automatically. 
4. When something drifts outside of those limits, like a protein source changes quality or an ingredient is delivering less energy than expected, the system logs an error and alerts Cargill to review.

This approach allows us to refine and adjust diets in real time, not just at the next visit. It helps support consistent nutrient delivery to the cows despite the natural fluctuations in feed ingredients or environmental conditions. 

The result? A ration that’s not just well-balanced on paper, but adjusted to current pricing, your herd’s health, and your farm’s changing environment and inputs.

Learn more about dairy MAX from a producer and contact us here to get in touch with a Cargill consultant.