Skip to main content

A Smart Way to Beat the Cattle Feed Protein Challenge

Responsibly sourcing efficient cattle feed protein is vital to the overall sustainability of any dairy or beef operation. Protein is pivotal to production.

This blog explores the major aspects that farming producers need to know to navigate the protein challenge – one of the biggest agri-food challenges of the decade. 

Here’s the breakdown:

  1. The cattle feed protein situation

  2. The 3 types of cattle feed protein

  3. A deep dive into soyabean protein

  4. Getting cattle feed protein under control


1. The cattle feed protein situation 

For centuries, the principal role of a farmer has been to cultivate plants and raise animals to sustain the human population. And for generations, farmers have done this in volatile and challenging conditions.

The additional challenge facing today’s generation of farmers is meeting the rising demand to feed a growing population while also contributing to environmental sustainability. Protein is front and centre of this challenge. 

According to the United Nations, the world population is expected to grow to around 9.7 billion by 2050. At the same time, the Food and Agriculture Organisation seeks to halve agri-food nitrogen waste by 2030

It might be difficult to comprehend that around 70–95% of protein in ruminant diets is currently excreted in manure and urine. This is, however, a performance factor that the sector is starting to gain more control over.

Many UK farms are starting to reduce their dependency on more “conventional” protein sources — such as soya — by growing more at home and buying-in more responsibly sourced alternatives. During this transition to more responsible protein sources, it’s crucial that farms maintain protein utilisation simultaneously, so that performance isn’t impacted. 

But what if we could source a more environmentally responsible cattle feed protein, while also improving protein utilisation and performance on farm? 


2. The 3 types of cattle feed protein 

  How it works What it does Where to get it (UK)
Rumen-degradable protein 
(RDP)
Protein that is broken down by microbes into nitrogen in the rumen Supplies nitrogen / ammonia for rumen fermentation and fibre digestion
  • Soyabean meal
  • Rapeseed meal
  • Forages, i.e., grass silage
  • Legumes, i.e., clover
  • Brewers grains
Rumen-undegradable protein 
(RUP)
Protein that escapes rumen degradation and is digested in the small intestine Supplies amino acids essential for various metabolic pathways
  • Protected soya
  • Distillers grains
  • Protected rapeseed meal
Non-protein nitrogen 
(NPN)
Non-protein compounds converted by rumen microbes into microbial protein Like RDP, supplies nitrogen / ammonia for rumen fermentation and fibre digestion
  • Urea 
  • Treated cereals
  • Optigen®

 

 


3. A deep dive into soyabean protein 

In 2015, soya represented two-thirds of the total world output of protein feedstuffs. Despite the pursuit of alternatives in more recent years, data validates that soya production continues to grow. This signifies that, as things stand, protein alternatives are helping to meet the increasing demands, rather than replacing soya.  

Source: Our World in Data

 

The types of soya:

  • Soyabean meal is the by-product of the extraction of soybean oil. Several processes exist, resulting in different end products.

  • Soya hulls are a by-product obtained during the dehulling of soya beans, offering digestible fibre, with average protein and reasonable energy levels.

  • HiPro soya does not have the hulls blended back in, and is therefore lower in fibre but higher in protein than soya meal.

  • Protected soya is soyabean meal that has been treated to improve the level of digestible undegradable protein (DUP).

While it cannot be denied that soyabean products supply cattle with the high-quality protein required for digestion, metabolism and performance, soya does not come without its drawbacks.

Soya cannot be grown in the UK, which poses a risk to our feed protein security. There’s also the issue around environmental impact, as growing soya requires a lot of energy. And then there’s the wide-open door for unpredictable price fluctuations, compromising margin from feed with but a moment’s notice.


4. Getting cattle feed protein under control 

The two things farmers can take control of at home, to some degree, are self-sufficiency and efficiency. By this, we mean:

  • How much protein can we grow at home, self-sufficiently?

  • How much protein can cattle convert into feed, efficiently? 

Today, we’re focussed on improving protein conversion efficiency.

Non-protein nitrogen (NPN) is fast becoming a standard rather than an alternative to more traditional protein sources like soya. Similarly to rumen-degradable protein (RDP) sources, NPN compounds are converted by rumen microbes into microbial protein for rumen fermentation and fibre digestion. 

NPN can be more efficient than RDP in achieving this, provided the source offers a controlled release in the rumen. A too-rapid release increases waste and poses a risk of toxicity.

Clinical signs of NPN toxicity include:

  • Disorientation

  • Aggressiveness

  • Abdominal pain and bloat

  • Increased respiratory difficulty

  • Muscular tremors

  • Rapid death

Unlike urea or even fat-coated urea, Optigen® from Alltech is constructed to gradually degrade in the rumen over time, offering the controlled and consistent ammonia release that is vital to feed efficiency and safety. 
 

Maintaining a consistent supply of ammonia in the rumen, as shown in the above graph, is essential in supporting the efficacy of fibre-digesting bacteria in the rumen, as well as 30% of the starch-digesting bacteria. 

By doing this, Optigen helps maximise rumen function and output. This can be quantified through a dung sieve analysis, whereby we can observe reduced levels of undigested fibre passing through the system without being converted into milk/meat output. 
 

Dung sieve analysis results pictured left to right – top sieve, middle sieve and bottom sieve. The sample taken from a cow group on Optigen highlights more feed matter in the bottom manure sieve and less in the top sieve, indicating better utilisation of fibre and improved digestion of the ration.

Significantly, Optigen has been scrutinised by 94 papers and experiments, with some highlight outcomes including: 

  • Increased fibre digestion by 27%1

  • Increased liveweight gain by 8% in beef cattle2

  • Improved feed efficiency by 3% in dairy cows3

  • Improved feed efficiency by 8% in beef cattle2

  • Reduced soybean meal usage by 21%3 

Other benefits:

  • Concentrated, so it’s easy to store 

  • Consistently priced

  • GMO-free

 

In summary

You don’t have to make the tough choice between a cattle feed protein source that’s high in value or one that’s highly sustainable. Thanks to Optigen, you — and your cows — can have both. 

Just 100g of Optigen NPN can replace up to 1kg of vegetable protein or 750g of soya. Up to 150g of Optigen can be fed to replace more vegetable protein.

As Optigen is more compact than these sources of protein, when included in a ration it leaves extra space in the rumen for more starch and forage, driving efficiency and productivity even further.
 

For more information, get in touch with Alltech team.


References: 

1 (Sinclair, 2008)
2 (Salami et al., 2020)
3 (Salami et al., 2021)

Loading...