There’s an exciting new product in the world of dairy cattle feed that is helping farmers increase milk fat content. RMS’s Luke Zebroski recently sat down with Dr. Adam Krull, senior nutritionist at Pioneer, to talk about the company’s high oleic Plenish® soybeans.
A simple shift in fatty acid content in these new soybeans from Pioneer has shown great promise in studies. Roasted soybeans feed has long been used as a dairy cattle supplement, but this new product has outstanding results for milk fat.
What’s the Difference Between Conventional and High Oleic Soybeans?
Pioneer’s Plenish® brand is a high oleic soybean. Developed about 15 years ago for the human food industry, high oleic soybeans differ from conventional commercial soybeans in their oil profile. For the food industry, these soybeans have been shown to produce an oil that lasts longer and gives a better product when foods are fried in it.
Pioneer developed the Plenish® soybean by deactivating a gene that makes a specific enzyme, blocking its production. The enzyme converts oleic acid to linoleic acid. This small change means that Plenish® soybeans are exactly like conventional soybeans except that they have a higher proportion of oleic acid and a lower proportion of linoleic acid.
Why Are Farmers Including High Oleic Soybeans in Dairy Cattle Feed?
This small shift in the composition of the fatty acids makes Plenish® soybeans an exciting new product for dairy farmers. Many dairy farms supplement feed with soybeans, but this is limited by the amount of linoleic acid in the beans. According to Dr. Krull:
“Linoleic acid is a fatty acid in dairy cows that causes some problems. It’s toxic to cow’s rumen, and too much of it lowers the milk fat in dairy cows.”
Several university trials have shown that Plenish® soybeans in dairy cattle feed increase fat content due to their fatty acid profile with less linoleic acid and more oleic acid.
The studies, reported around 2019, were timely. They came out at a time when butterfat prices were high and the costs of other supplemental fats for the dairy cattle diet were also high. A soybean that could deliver higher butterfat content at a lower price was ideal.
What Is the Best Particle Size for Milling High Oleic Soybeans?
Because supplementing with high oleic soybeans is new, there is no definitive answer to an ideal particle size. Conventional soybeans are typically just roughly cracked. They cannot be milled more finely because it exposes cattle too rapidly to linoleic acid.
According to Dr. Krull, “What we found is that this oleic is much safer in the rumen, and so we can get by with a smaller particle size. A lot of the university research was done around 700 to 800 microns.”
While more specific testing will be done on the subject, experts currently suggest trying a particle size somewhere between 400 and 800 microns.
It’s important that feed mills and farmers working with high oleic soybeans realize that the ideal size might vary depending on the herd or other elements present in the feed. The current size range balances rumen bypass protein, which increases by grinding to a smaller particle but decreases if the particle size is too fine.
What Type of Milling Equipment Is Best?
Although researchers have yet to determine the ideal particle size for this supplemental feed, what is certain is that the mill used will make a difference. As a new product, a lot of the high oleic soybeans in use are being ground by whatever type of mill a farm or feed mill has available.
A roller mill is definitely the best equipment for hitting the target particle range with the greatest consistency and uniform distribution. A hammer mill just can’t provide the same uniformity in particle size.
What poses a bigger challenge to most farms or mills turning to Plenish® soybeans are roasting and segregation. The beans must be roasted, but it’s not a simple process. It requires specialized equipment and a careful process to get the product right.
Segregation is important because these new beans need to be kept out of the commodity stream. Although they are perfectly safe and approved for export, Plenish® soybeans must be kept segregated from conventional soybeans because of their different oil profile.
The Future of High Oleic Soybeans in Dairy Feed
According to Dr. Krull, “If you could go out to the marketplace and just buy Plenish® soybeans that are roasted and processed, every dairy in the U.S. would buy them. They’re absolutely a great feed stuff.” Their use should continue to rise, but there are currently a few logistical issues getting in the way:
- Soybeans cannot be grown everywhere, so a manufacturing and distribution system must be built to get Plenish® soybeans to where farmers can benefit from them.
- Right now, experts are seeing some mills and also farmers setting up their own operations for growing and processing high oleic soybeans. Unfortunately, the costs of entry are high, so it might take some time for operations to grow.
- Another hindrance has been weed control, but this problem will be solved soon. Pioneer has now made their Enlist E3® technology available in Plenish® so farmers get the benefits of flexible weed control. The technology gives the soybean plants tolerance to several common herbicides.
Mills and farmers looking to start using Plenish® soybeans can reach out to Pioneer for guidance on equipment and processes. RMS Roller-Grinder can help set up the right mill for getting the right size range after the beans have been roasted. Contact us today to learn how we can help optimize your livestock feed.
