Newsletter

The following table provides the most recent soybean supply and use information published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While the 2016 soybean crop is still subject to some change based on the harvest, there are trends. Average soybean yields and total production are at an all-time high resulting in more soybeans being available for crush and/or export. Soybean yields are estimated at 50.6 bushels per acre which supports a total soybean production value of 4,201 million bushels. The increased domestic soybean meal production increases the volume of soybean meal available for use by the feed industry and for export sales. The 2016/17 projected values for acres harvested, soybean yield, total production and soybean meal use are impressive.

The objective of this High-Oleic Soybean Use by Dairy Cows study was to investigate the effect of three soybean sources differing in fatty acid profile and processing method on productivity, milk composition, and enteric CH4 emission in lactating dairy cows. The soybean sources were: extruded conventional soybean meal (SBM; 48% CP and 8.7% ether extract; 22% oleic acid), extruded Plenish® (DuPont Pioneer, Johnston, IA), a high-oleic acid variety SBM (51.4% and 8.4%, respectively; 75% oleic acid), and whole, heated Plenish® soybeans (40.0% and 20.2%, respectively). The study involved 15 Holstein cows in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design experiment with 3, 28-day periods. The inclusion rate of the three soybean sources in the diet was (all data are on DM basis): 17.1, 17.1, and 7.4%, diets CESBM, PESBM, and WHPSB, respectively, providing 1.4 to 1.5% soybean oil. The rest of the dietary ingredients were: corn silage, 41%; alfalfa haylage, 16%; grass hay/straw mix, 4%; ground corn grain, 10%; cottonseed hulls, 4%; molasses, 4.9%; and a mineral/ vitamin premix, 3%.

The results indicated that compared with the conventional extruded soybean meal treatment, the Plenish® diets tended to increase (P = 0.09) DMI (27.1, 27.8, and 27.8 kg/d, CESBM, PESBM, and WHPSB, respectively). Milk yield was not affected (P= 0.10) by treatment (average of 42.2 kg/d). The Plenish® diets increased (P <0.01) milk fat content (3.55, 3.74, and 3.76%) and decreased feed efficiency (P <0.001) compared with CESBM (1.50 and 1.51 vs. 1.57 kg/kg, respectively). Treatments had no effect (P= 0.13) on enteric CH4 (average of 463 g/d, SEM = 29.7) or CO2 (average of 12,113 g/d, SEM = 241.5) emissions and methane emission yield (16.6 to 17.2 g/kg DMI).

The diets had a marked effect on milk fatty acid profile.  Generally, the Plenish® diets increased (P < 0.01) mono-unsaturated and cis-9 18:1 and decreased (P<£ 0.01) poly-unsaturated, total trans-, and conjugated linoleic fatty acids concentrations in milk fat.

To summarize, compared with conventional extruded SBM, the Plenish® soybean treatments had no effect on milk yield, increased milk fat concentration, decreased feed efficiency, and modified milk fatty acid profile in a manner expected from the greater concentration of oleic acid in Plenish® soybean oil.

Feeding Crude Glycerin to Lambs: Crude glycerin is a byproduct of biodiesel production that represents a potential ingredient for use in animal nutrition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of diets containing different levels of crude glycerin on nutrient intake in male lambs. Four castrated male lambs weighing about 25kg were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. The experiment was divided in 4 periods of 13 days. The lambs were fed a basal diet (50:50 forage to concentrate) consisting of chopped hay, ground corn, soybean meal, urea and a mineral and vitamin premix, Crude glycerin was added to the basal diet at either 0, 5, 10 or 15% of diet dry matter. Diets were made isocaloric and isonitrogenous by the addition of ground corn and urea, respectively.

Results indicated that the inclusion of crude glycerin influenced the intake of nutrients (P < 0.01). The highest theoretical nutrient intake in kilograms per day was between 3.81 and 5.14% glycerol inclusion. The researchers concluded crude glycerin, when fed to lambs in a 50:50 forage-to-concentrate diet, can be included up to 5.14% of diet DM without negatively affecting the nutrient intake.

The objective of this Canola Meal Use-Dairy experiment was to compare performance of early lactation dairy cows fed diets formulated with canola meal (CM) or soybean meal (SBM) as the main protein source at either a high (HI; 17.6%) or low (LO; 15.4%) crude protein concentration. Seventy-nine Holstein cows were blocked by calving date and maintained the same treatment for 16 weeks. Diets were formulated to contain 39.6% corn silage, 15.4% alfalfa silage, and 45% concentrate mix on a dry weight (DM) basis. Canola meal was included at 19.4 and 11.9% DM, whereas SBM was included at 14.5 and 8.9% DM due to differences in crude protein levels of the oilseed meal. Cows fed CM diets had milk yield compared with cows fed SBM (55.7 vs. 51.2 kg/d; P < 0.01) and dry matter intake (25.8 vs. 25.0 kg/d; P = 0.09). The source of crude protein did not affect milk fat, protein, lactose, or total solids percentage. Decreasing dietary crude protein in the ration increased milk fat (4.09 vs. 3.90%; P < 0.05) and total solids (12.8 vs. 12.5%; P = 0.07). These data suggest milk yield and feed efficiency can be improved in early lactation with the inclusion of CM. (Reviewers note-the decision in selecting the oilseed protein becomes one of reviewing differences in meal prices, composition and availability).

The Canola Meal-Lactating Sows study’s aim was to determine the effects of high canola meal inclusion levels in sow lactation diets on nutrient digestibility, reproductive performance, milk composite on and piglet performance. Forty five sows were randomly assigned to a corn soybean meal control diet with 0, 15, and 30% canola meal (Diet A, B and C, respectively). All diets were formulated to be similar in standardized ileal digestible amino acids and NE, and were formulated to meet or exceed NRC (2012) nutrient recommendations for lactating sows with an average post-farrowing BW of 210 kg, an expected average BW loss of 5.8 kg, and an expected piglet ADG of 230 g.

Results of this experiment showed no treatment effects for the higher levels of canola meal on feed intake, sow body weight and backfat change, weaning to estrous interval, piglet mortality, piglet average daily gains, or the sow’s milk composition among dietary treatments (P > 0.10). However, the apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter, gross energy, crude protein and phosphorus declined (P < 0.05) with increasing levels of canola meal inclusion. The researchers concluded that inclusion of up to 30% canola meal in lactation diet can support satisfactory sow and litter performance.

A 5-week Soybean Meal Use-Aquaculture  feeding trial was conducted to examine the effect of γ-ray irradiation on the inclusion of soybean meal (SBM) and soy protein concentrate (SPC) in diets of juvenile golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus). One diet containing 320 g/kg fish meal served as a reference (C), and another four diets were formulated with 75% of the fish meal replaced by soybean meal (SBM), soy protein concentrate (SPC), SBM irradiated with γ-ray at 30 kGy (SBM30) or SPC irradiated with γ-ray at 30 kGy (SPC30). The weight gain was higher in fish fed diets SBM30 and SPC30 than in fish fed diets SBM and SPC, respectively, whereas fish consumed more diet SBM30 than diets SBM, SPC or SPC30. No significant differences were found in feed conversion ratio, nitrogen retention efficiency, phosphorus retention efficiency, condition factors, hepatosomatic index, body composition, waste outputs of nitrogen and phosphorus either between fish fed diets SBM and SBM30 or between fish fed diets SPC and SPC30. Macromolecular proteins in SBM and SPC were degraded, whereas the contents of peptides with molecular weight ‹6.5 kDa were increased by γ-ray irradiation. This study reveals that γ-ray irradiation can improve the performance of SBM and SPC as a fish meal substitute in the golden pompano diet.

Improving Soybean Meal Utilization with Enzymes: Plant-based feed ingredients typically contain remnants of dietary fibers [DF; non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and lignin] that have various anti-nutritive effects in carnivorous fish. Exogenous enzymes have been shown to improve the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of plant-based diets presumably by assisting in the breakdown of NSP. This study examined the effects on NSP degradation when supplementing β-glucanase, xylanase, protease or a mix of the three enzymes to an extruded, juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) diet containing 344 g/kg dehulled, solvent-extracted soybean meal (SBM). The NSP content in the non-supplemented control diet and in fecal samples from the dietary treatment groups was analyzed to determine the recovery/apparent digestibility of cellulose and total non-cellulosic polysaccharide (T-NCP) sugar monomers. The enzymes had significant, positive effects at the pH range and temperature prevailing in the gastrointestinal tract: β-glucanase improved the ADC of mannose, galactose and uronic acids; xylanase and protease improved the ADC of xylose; and protease furthermore improved the ADC of mannose and uronic acids. There were no negative effects when supplementing all three enzymes together. In conclusion, exogenous enzymes may potentially be applied to fish feed containing soybean meal, assisting in the breakdown of NSP and alleviating some of the anti-nutritive effects.

J. Dalsgaard and co-workers. 2016. Supplementing enzymes to extruded, soybean-based diet improves breakdown of non-starch polysaccharides in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Aquaculture Nutrition 22 (2): 419-426.

A total of 15 Landrace × Yorkshire crossbred sows and their litters were used in a study to evaluate the efficacy of cellulase supplementation on the production performance of sows and piglets. Pigs were randomly allocated into one of three treatments with five replicates per treatment. The dietary treatments were as follows: (1) control (corn-soybean meal-based control); (2) control+ 0.05% cellulase); and (3) control + 0.10% cellulase). The supplementation of cellulase had no effect (P › 0.05) on body weight and feed intake of lactating sows. At weaning, back fat thickness loss decreased (P = 0.04) linearly in the enzyme treatments. The average daily gain (ADG) of piglets increased with the increase in the level of supplemented enzyme. Dry matter and nitrogen digestibility increased linear (P = 0.01) in lactating sows fed enzyme-supplemented diets compared with the control treatment. In conclusion, it is suggested that cellulase supplementation to corn-soybean meal based diet exerts beneficial effects to sows in reducing their back fat thickness loss at weaning, improved nutrient digestibility, and helped to improve the pig gains.

Santi D. Upadhaya, Sang In Lee and In Ho Kim. 2016. Effects of cellulase supplementation to corn soybean meal-based diet on the performance of sows and their piglets. Animal Science Journal 87(7): 904-910.

Soybean meal (SBM) is by far the most popular protein source used for feeding livestock. The objective of the present study was to test the efficacy of supplementation of b-mannanase in diets containing de-hulled or conventional hulled SBM (44% and 48%) in addition to evaluating the interactive effects of SBM and enzyme on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal microflora, and noxious gas emission in weanling pigs. A total of 140 crossbred pigs with an initial weigh of about 6 kg were randomly allotted in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, with feed consisting of hulled or de-hulled SBM with or without 0.05% b-mannanase. The four treatments were replicated seven times with five pigs per pen.

In this study, pigs fed diets containing 0.05% b-mannanase had greater BW, ADG, G:F, and ADFI compared to pigs fed diets without b-mannanase, however, the differences were not statistically significant. Supplementing with b-mannanase had positive effects on nutrient digestibilities (dry matter, nitrogen, energy and phosphorus), on feed efficiency, and for reducing E. coli population in weanling pigs.

B. Balasubramanian and co-workers. 2016. Effects of dietary b-mannanase supplementation with soybean meal in the performances in weanling pigs. J. Animal Sci. 84: E-Suppl. 5, Abstract 921.