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A pelleted ration designed for horses

Compound feeds are feedstuffs that are blended from various raw materials and additives. These blends are formulated according to the specific requirements of the target animal. They are manufactured by feed compounders as meal type pellets or crumbles.

Compound feeds can be complete feeds that provide all the daily required nutrients concentrates that provide a part of the ration or supplements that only provide additional micro-nutrients such as minerals and vitamins.

According to the American Feed Industry Association as much as 20 billion worth of feed ingredients are purchased each year. These products range from grain mixes to orange rinds to beet pulps. The feed industry is one of the most competitive businesses in the agricultural sector and is by far the largest purchaser of U.S. corn feed grains and soybean meal. Tens of thousands of farmers with feed mills on their own farms are able to compete with huge conglomerates with national distribution. Feed crops generated 23.2 billion in cash receipts on U.S. farms in 2001. At the same time farmers spent a total of 24.5 billion on feed that year.

Around 600 million tons of feed are produced annually around the world