In recent years, farmers everywhere have been hit by one common problem: feed prices keep climbing. Corn, soybean meal, and other key ingredients have become more expensive, and that cost goes straight into livestock production. For small and medium farmers, it’s a serious challenge, since feed often takes 60–70% of total expenses. When prices rise, profit margins shrink quickly.
So, what options do farmers really have?

Why Feed Is Getting More Expensive

• Tighter supply of raw materials – Global demand for corn and soybean meal is strong, while weather and transport issues make supply less stable.
• Higher energy costs – Processing and shipping feed ingredients cost more.
• Growing demand – As livestock production expands, the need for feed keeps rising.
  These pressures together make it unlikely that feed prices will drop sharply anytime soon.

Practical Ways Farmers Can Respond

Adjust the formula wisely

Sticking only to ready-made commercial feed leaves you vulnerable to price swings. By adjusting formulas, part of the expensive ingredients can be replaced with cheaper alternatives, as long as nutrition is kept in balance.

• Wheat or cassava can replace part of the corn.
• Rapeseed meal or cottonseed meal can replace some soybean meal.
• By-products like rice bran or distillers’ grains can be used if available locally.

The key is balance—cutting costs without hurting growth or production.

Make your own feed

Many farmers have started using a feed pellet machine to process their own feed. Mixing maize, soybean meal, and bran, then pressing them into pellets has a few clear benefits:

• Local ingredients make costs more predictable.
• Nutrition can be adjusted for different growth stages.
• Pellets reduce waste because chickens and livestock eat them more evenly.

For small and mid-sized farms, this approach is becoming a practical way to reduce dependence on expensive compound feed.

Buy in bulk or through groups

One farmer alone has little bargaining power. But when farmers join cooperatives or buy in bulk, they can negotiate better prices and avoid some of the middleman costs.
For small and mid-sized farms, this approach is becoming a practical way to reduce dependence on expensive compound feed.

Improve management to reduce waste

Feed savings don’t just come from what goes into the formula. They also come from how feed is stored and used:

• Keep feed dry to avoid mold.
• Control portions to prevent overfeeding.
• Pair good feed with strong health management, so nutrients are used efficiently.

Rising feed costs are not something farmers can wait out. The more practical choice is to adapt: find ways to make feed more affordable without sacrificing quality. Whether it’s changing formulas, producing pellets on the farm, or working together to buy feed, every step that improves control helps farmers protect their bottom line in an uncertain market.