Quality Protein Needed To Sustain High Milk Yields

19/02/13 -- Dairy farmers are faced with an unenviable dilemma. Cows need a supply of high quality bypass protein to sustain high yields but the cost of soya, the more common source of bypass protein in dairy diets is near record levels with prices looking set to remain high. NWF Technical manager Tom Hough says there is an effective, proven solution.

Why do cows need bypass protein?

Rumen bypass protein, usually referred to as MPB or DUP, is an essential component of the diet of high yielding dairy cows. In simple terms, a cow meets her demand for protein from a combination of microbial protein produced in the rumen and from protein sources fed in the diet which pass through the rumen undigested, effectively bypassing the rumen.

Protein demand increases as milk yield rises. While the supply of microbial protein produced increases gradually as yield rises, the proportion of protein required from bypass sources rises more quickly. The higher the yield, the greater the demand for bypass protein. No matter how efficient the rumen is, high yielding cows need an additional source of protein to meet their requirements.

If diets do not contain sufficient bypass protein then cows will not milk to their potential and margins will suffer. The problem is that prices for feeds traditionally used as a source of bypass protein, specifically soya, are at record levels meaning that supplying the necessary protein from usual sources is an expensive business.

The good news is that there is a solution to this problem which not only helps meet the cows’ demands for bypass protein but is more sustainable, cost effective and can be a proven replacement in the diet, something our European neighbours have successfully adopted.

NWF Ultra Pro-R – optimum performance and reduced cost

All protein sources used in dairy diets contain a mix of rumen degradable and rumen bypass protein. The proportion of bypass protein in any feed depends on a range of factors but we now know how to treat protein sources to increase the proportion of bypass protein they contain. In doing so we can boost the value of protein sources at a reduced cost which means you can give your cows the quality nutrients they require at the best available price.

NWF Ultra Pro-R has been developed by our in-house technical team and manufactured at our UFAS registered mill. Our experts have developed a feed manufactured from rapeseed meal which has been treated to reduce the degradability of the protein in the rumen. The quality of the protein is improved without reducing the quality of amino acids supplied.

The result is a product that is an extremely cost-effective source of the quality protein your cows need. NWF Ultra Pro-R has a higher bypass protein content than soya but with a lower price, providing optimum performance and value in the balanced diet.

The table compares NWF Ultra Pro-R with untreated rapeseed and soya. It shows the effect of our unique treatment process on the proportion of bypass protein. Based on current prices, NWF Ultra Pro-R is less than half the price of untreated soya on a cost per unit MPB basis and is the most cost effective source of MPB available in the UK today.

With a winter diet formulated to provide a base diet of M+25 litres to a 250 cow herd, reducing soya in the blend and instead using a mix of soya and NWF Ultra Pro-R could save 10p per cow/day, giving a saving of over £5,000 over the winter months, while ensuring that cows have the quality protein they need to milk to their potential.

To find out more about NWF Ultra Pro-R, talk to your NWF sales specialist or call 0800 756 2787. And don't forget to mention Nogger's Blog when ordering!