Abstract: Pasture grass and legume seeds are protected with an outer coating of insoluble fatty acid salts. The coated seeds are fed to ruminants and bypass their digestive tract. When the coated seeds exit the digestive tract in the manure, they provide ranchers a no-till broadcast technique to easily reseed or improve pasture forage. Legume seeds are preferably coated twice, first with Rhizobia and then with the insoluble fatty acid salts. The Rhizobia coating will improve the legume rate of growth. Alternatively, discreet particles of Rhizobia can be coated with insoluble fatty acid salts and fed to the ruminants along with coated legume seeds.

Abstract: Pasture grass and legume seeds are protected with an outer coating of insoluble fatty acid salts. The coated seeds are fed to ruminants and bypass their digestive tract. When the coated seeds exit the digestive tract in the manure, they provide ranchers a no-till broadcast technique to easily reseed or improve pasture forage. Legume seeds are preferably coated twice, first with Rhizobia and then with the insoluble fatty acid salts. The Rhizobia coating will improve the legume rate of growth. Alternatively, discreet particles of Rhizobia can be coated with insoluble fatty acid salts and fed to the ruminants along with coated legume seeds.

Abstract: An improved feed block is produced by a novel process in which a fluid mixture comprising molasses, additives and other nutrients is produced into a dehydration vessel operating under a partial vacuum. The fluid mixture is heated to a temperature less than about 130° F. and agitated within the dehydration vessel to drive water from the fluid mixture. The water vapor is cooled, condensed and removed from the dehydration vessel to a condensate collector where the amount of water removed can be measured to determine the degree of dehydration. Once an appropriate amount of water has been removed, the dehydrated fluid mixture is produced from the dehydration vessel, formed into block shapes and cooled to form feed blocks. The resulting feed blocks are high in nutritional value because the low temperature dehydration process prevents the nutrients from being thermally destroyed.

Abstract: An improved feed block provides discrete portions of mineral supplement and feed supplement in the same feed block. The mineral supplement is provided as an inner package that is surrounded by a shell of feed supplement such as a dehydrated molasses feed supplement. By so providing the two different supplements, the amount of consumption of each can be accurately controlled. Moreover, different feed blocks can be tailored depending on the desired ratio between the two different supplements.

Abstract: An improved molasses feed block is provided that is water resistant, non-porous, hard and vitreous. Said feed block is generally manufactured by the following method. A fluid feed composition is provided comprising molasses, unsaturated free fatty acids and an amount of a bivalent base sufficient to saponify said fatty acids into an insoluble soap to enhance the water resistance of said feed block. Lecithin is also added to reduce the stickiness of said composition. A nutritionally compatible acid or base is added to maintain the pH of said composition between about 6.2 to about 6.8 to reduce swelling in said feed block. A dry meal flour is added to provide nutritional values to said feed block and to reduce the swelling of said feed block by reducing its temperature.