The advantage of soybeans in dairy feed

By Brianna Smith

Soybeans have long been a dependable part of dairy cattle rations, offering protein, energy and flexibility for nutritionists balancing diets for high-producing cows. Now, high oleic soybeans are creating new opportunities for dairy producers by offering a fatty acid profile that may better support rumen function, milk components and milk production.

Corwin Holtz, owner of Comsen Dairy Consultation and a longtime dairy nutritionist, said soybeans can be used in several forms in dairy diets, including solvent extracted soybean meal, mechanically extracted expeller meal, extruded full fat soybeans and whole soybeans (roasted or raw).

 “There’s a lot of variation across the soybean world relative to how we put diets together for dairy cattle,” Holtz said.

Soybean meal remains a major protein source in many dairy rations. Expeller meal can provide more bypass protein, while extruded products and whole soybeans add both protein and fat. Holtz said he has fed conventional roasted soybeans for years, often at 2 to 4 pounds per cow per day, with positive results.… Continue reading