How Can Dairy Farmers Minimize Their Feed Costs While Boosting Milk Fat Content?

In recent years, there has been a surge in demand for milk protein and butterfat in the U.S. While farmers can use fat supplements to increase milk fat, this option increases feed costs. Pioneer® brand Plenish® high oleic soybeans are proven to help provide both higher milk fat in dairy cows and lower feed costs to dairy farmers.

Linoleic acid, which is found in high amounts in common dairy feeds such as corn silage, corn grain and commodity soybeans, is the primary cause of milk fat depression in dairy cows. Plenish high oleic soybeans replace most of that linoleic acid with oleic fatty acid to maximize milk fat production.

“There is a three-prong effect from Plenish high oleic soybeans,” said Kevin Putnam, Pioneer Dairy Specialist. “They provide increased milk fat production, reduced ration cost and improvedfeed efficiency.”

• Increased milk fat production: The higher oleic fatty acid level compared to commodity soybeans not only increases milk fat concentration through less linoleic acid content, but also has no negative effects on intake, yield or milk protein production.
• Reduced ration cost: By growing Plenish high oleic soybeans on-farm, dairy farmers canminimize their off-farm feed costs. In some cases, growing Plenish high oleic soybeans has reduced ration costs by over $1 per head per day for dairy operations.
• Improved feed efficiency: Researchers at Michigan State University found dairy rations that contained high levels of roasted Plenish high oleic soybeans increased Energy Corrected Milk by 7.5 lb. with a decline of 1.6 lb. per day in dry matter intake, demonstrating a 10% improvement in feed efficiency.

Dairy farmers also need to consider whether to roast or not to roast. Soybean roasting is a common practice to prevent oil rancidity and improve palatability.

“Roasting Plenish high oleic soybeans doubles the amount of rumen bypass protein and helpsbreak down trypsin inhibitor and urease enzyme. With roasting, urea would not be available for dairy farmers to use in their rations,” Putnam said. “If roasting is not possible, it is recommended to feed dairy cattle quartered beans rather than whole.”

Plenish high oleic soybeans benefit dairy farmers from both sides of the equation. They mitigate the risk of milk fat depression and can increase milk fat by increasing preformed and de novo fatty acids in milk, which can lead to higher milk prices for dairy farmers and increased returned on investment.