The development of feeding standards for cattle

Abstract

At the end of the 17th century autumn slaughtering was the traditional practice in Europe because farmers were then unable to feed many stock through the winter. Consequently, livestock quality remained poor and improvement was practically impossible until such time as the enclosures gave farmers the assurance that their fodder crops would be reserved for their own stock and not be consumed by their neighbours' communally grazed animals. Once systems were devised for growing fodder crops and conserving them for winter use, improvements in size, early maturity and productivity of cattle automatically became possible. During the 18th century, when cattle weights at Smithfield were doubled, the need arose for better systems of feeding and for more knowledge on economic methods of rationing. In particular, farmers wished to know the "replacement" values of feeding-stuffs so that, if one component of the diet became unavailable, it could be replaced by another without affecting the, productivity of the ration.