WHAT YOUR FEED STORE WANTS YOU TO KNOW
Feed stores have been part of our local economy for many years, although you may not have been aware of them before having horses. They may be small independent stores run by families with an agricultural background, or large box stores that are part of a nationwide chain. In this article we’ll look at your small local feed store and give you a little insight into the horse feed business.
Your local small feed store is grateful for your business. In this age of almost instant gratification, internet ordering, and big box stores, small businesses depend on you to keep their doors open and to retain their employees. You’ve probably heard this statistic before: it’s estimated that when you spend money with a local small business, over 60 cents of each dollar stays in your community. That means that your local business can keep your friends and neighbors employed, support local organizations and sports (including horse events), and support your local economy, including schools, parks, and roads. Big box stores contribute only about 40 cents of every dollar to your local economy. The rest of your dollar leaves the state.
Local feed stores typically have at least one person (usually more) who have horse experience and can answer your questions about different feeds. They can be a great source of advice and are happy to talk horse with you. If you are looking for a specific supplement or piece of equipment, they will try to find it. Because they are vested in their community, they want to make sure their customers are happy.
Small local feed stores may not have as much product on hand, but it tends to be fresher. Most small stores order directly from the feed mill and receive their bags within a week. Big box stores tend to order in large quantities and warehouse their products at distribution points, then ship to stores as needed. It may not be a big deal in the winter, but a difference of a couple of weeks can mean a deterioration in quality during a hot and humid summer.
Obviously, I’m strongly in favor of shopping local small businesses, and I hope you are too.
In return, there are some things that you can do to help your local store. First and foremost is to know what you are feeding your horses. When you walk into the store, you should be able to specify the feed you want by name.
Feeds have a company name and a proper name. Some examples are Triple Crown Senior, Pro Elite Senior, and Cavalor Fiberforce. Some also have a product line name, such as Nutrena Safechoice Senior, Legends CarbCare Senior, or Blue Seal Sentinel SR. Many feed stores carry product from more than one company so if you ask for Senior, you may find yourself playing a game of twenty questions. The clerks aren’t trying to frustrate you, they are just trying to make sure that you go home with the right feed. The same will happen if you ask for “horse pellets” or “horse sweet feed.” There are dozens of choices. It matters to your horse’s gut that you get the same feed and not jump around to different feeds…unless you intend to make a change in your feeding program. (Remember that you should take two weeks or more to switch feeds.)
But, you may be thinking, when I go to the store, Junior knows what I want so I don’t have to remember. Well yes, you do have to remember. It’s your responsibility, not Junior’s. What if he is not available or has retired? Who will know what you feed your horse? And what if your friend or non-horsey spouse is picking up feed for you? They need to be able to ask for the correct product.
That’s not a problem, you may think, because I’d recognize the bag. Here is another thing your feed store wants you to know: bags change. The colors change, the horse on the front changes, and the design changes. If you go home with the wrong feed because you said that you want the yellow bag and it’s now blue, it’s not the store’s fault. Keep this in mind too if you go to a store where you pull your own bag off the shelf.
If you can’t say for sure what your horse is eating, take a good look at the bag and write down the name. Then remember to take it with you to the feed store. While you are there, ask for a business card and write the name of your feed on the back. Then tuck it into your wallet and leave it there. When your non-horsey spouse is tasked with picking up your feed, hand over the card. It will have the feed information and the location of your local store.
Let’s talk about inventory for a moment. Local feed stores are concerned with keeping their product fresh, so they order as much feed as they think they will need to cover all their customers until the next ordering cycle. Some cycles are weekly (for the most frequently used products) or every other week, or maybe once every four or six weeks. It all depends on the number of customers using the products and how quickly they sell through. No store wants to stockpile large amounts of feed that won’t move for months, because as the feed ages, it isn’t as palatable and can attract rats to the warehouse. (You shouldn’t stockpile several months’ worth of feed in your barn for the same reasons.) Ordering is a constant guessing game. What does this mean for you? It can happen that your store runs out of your feed because someone bought more than their usual number of bags, or new customers have started using the same feed that you use, or the store in the next town is closed for a holiday weekend…any number of reasons. The important point here is that you should not wait until you are completely out of feed before you head to the store.
We all know that real life happens while you are busy making other plans and sometimes you run out. If the feed store is out too, there are options. Most commercial feeds can be matched up with a product in another company’s feed line, so you may find yourself going home with something that is just slightly different. A knowledgeable employee can help you make a choice. It’s important to note that the more feed your horse consumes, the greater the chance of digestive upset when you put something new in his bucket. If your horse has any allergies to feed, you should check the ingredients.
If you anticipate using more or less feed due to changes in your barn, your store would appreciate knowing this. Maybe you have five boarders coming in for the winter, or you decided to stop boarding- a head’s up to your feed store will help them to adjust their orders accordingly so your feed is there- and fresh- when you need it. And if you ask them to special order a specific product, you should keep in constant contact to give them plenty of lead time before you need more (or decide to stop using it.)
This brings up a subject that is very important to your store but probably unknown to you. It’s a lot of work and commitment for a feed store to start carrying a new company’s products. The mills don’t just deliver a bag or two, or a pallet or two, they expect and require feed stores to order several tons at a time. Most feed companies protect the buying area around their dealers by not allowing other dealers within so many miles. Before a store commits financially to taking on a new feed company, they want to make sure they will be able to sell the products. That means that they need customers who will buy it from them, not the store that is twenty miles away. If they can’t sell it, they can’t recoup the money they have invested in it, and it’s like having money sitting on the shelf that can’t be used. The feed eventually will go rancid and will attract bugs and rodents. If your local store seems unwilling to work with you to bring in ABC’s line of feed, it’s not that they don’t want to do business with you, it’s that it is too risky for them.
When it comes to horse feed, you get what you pay for. If you opt for the cheap feed, you shouldn’t expect a horsey version of caviar. And if you expect world-class performance from your horses, you won’t get it by feeding the cheap feed. If you feel that your feed isn’t doing what you expect, talk with someone at the feed store. They can help you determine if you are feeding what your horse needs in terms of amount, ingredients, and performance. Remember that they are going to ask you how many pounds your horse eats, not how many coffee cans, and be prepared to answer with detailed info. If they can’t answer your questions, small feed stores are in direct contact with the reps from the feed companies, and they can put you in touch with equine nutritionists who can help you.
Horse feed is like groceries. The prices change, just not weekly. The price is determined in part by the cost of the ingredients, the cost of labor, the cost to maintain feed mills and facilities, and the cost of fuel and energy. Currently the nation’s trucking industry is having difficulty, so that adds to the cost too. Some feed manufacturers have a MAP or minimum advertised price, which means that your store has to sell their product for at least the price that is set by the manufacturer. If you find that your senior feed is a dollar more this week than it was last week, it’s not the feed store trying to empty your wallet. It’s due to factors outside their control.
Your local feed store wants to know if you get bad feed. Bring it back to the store with the original bag and tag, so they can track down the problem. Every bag should have a lot number and a manufacture date on either the bag tag or stamped directly on the bag. There are many reasons why a bag of feed can be bad. It may be a problem that happens at the mill, it could have gotten wet during transport, or it could be a seldom-used product that has been on the shelf too long. If you just bring back a sample of the feed, that doesn’t give much information. By bringing back the bag and tag, the store can determine when and where the feed was manufactured, and they can then track down the source of the problem. They can check their inventory for outdated feed, determine if there is a storage problem, and contact the mill if it is a manufacturing problem. Most small feed stores are happy to replace your bag too.
Finally, let’s consider delivery. Some stores charge a fee and some don’t. Delivery is never really free- there is the cost of the employee(s) who are doing the driving and heavy lifting, the cost of fuel, insurance, and repairs on the vehicle. If a store tells you that delivery is free, it isn’t. The cost is built into the price of the products that you- and other customers- are buying. If your store charges a fee, it’s not pure profit. It’s paying for the truck to drive to your barn and for the employee to get it into your barn and for all the other employees who have a part in making sure that your horses have something to eat.
By the way, your delivery driver wants you to know that it’s really important that your driveway is accessible and that they can get to your barn safely- that means you must get out there and shovel the snow and move the stuff out of the aisle!
In summary, your small locally owned feed store is thankful for your business and is willing to help you. In return, you can do your part by knowing what your horse eats, keeping your store in the loop if your needs are going to drastically change, being aware of the larger economic picture, and keeping your farm safe and accessible for your delivery person. And the most important thing? I can’t say it enough…know the name of the feed that your horse is eating!