US - There’s a big difference between coarse grind and fine grind, and it’s not just in our morning coffee. When it comes to grinding grain for livestock feed, especially swine, digestibility and efficiency are influenced by how large the grain particles are. Typically, the finer the grind the better —up to a point.New research by Kansas State University shows commercial laboratories and livestock producers who run their own analyses on grain-particle size can reduce the time it takes to check a sample from 15 minutes down to 10 minutes and get the same result by making a couple of changes to the process.“Grain accounts for a major component and cost in livestock diets,” said Charles Stark, associate professor in K-State’s Department of Grain Science and Industry. The particle size of ground grain influences feed digestibility, feed efficiency, how well it mixes and how well it can be pelleted, so periodic particle-size evaluation is a necessary part of quality feed manufacturing.

　　粗磨与细磨之间有着天壤之别，而且这种不同不仅仅局限于我们的早间咖啡。当谈到牲畜饲料的谷物研磨时，特别是生猪，它的消化率与收益率正被谷物尺寸的大小所影响。通常，谷物研磨越细越好-在一定程度上。根据美国堪萨斯州立大学进行的一项新研究显示，商业实验室和畜牧养殖者在对谷物颗粒进行分析时是能够缩短样品检查时间的，不论在此过程中做任何改变，都不会影响到最终结果，并将15分钟缩减至10分钟。堪萨斯州立大学谷物科学与工业系的助理教授Charles Stark说：“谷物是牲畜饮食中饲料成本和成分的主要组成部分。农作物的颗粒尺寸影响着饲料消化率、饲料转化效率和谷物的混合以及压制效果，所以定期评估颗粒尺寸对饲料生产质量是必需的。”