High oleic soybeans valued in dairy feed

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — High oleic soybeans are gaining in popularity as an alternative feed ingredient on dairy farms.

“There have been multiple university studies published that show Plenish can increase milk fat and potentially decrease ration cost based on what’s already going in for oleic feed sources,” said Pioneer Field Agronomist Jonathan Rotz. “We always like to advise talking to your nutritionist to see if it would work on your farm, as well.”

The high oleic and low linoleic content of these soybeans allows for higher dietary inclusion levels than commodity soybeans, according to agronomists at Pioneer.

“Plenish has this low linoleic content that is more like our palm oils and other feedstuffs we would typically include in our rations,” Rotz said. “With the high costs of oleic feed sources currently, more folks are interested in looking at Plenish.”

Corn silage is still the primary forage choice for dairy farmers due to its high tonnage, nutritional qualities and cost-effectiveness.

Although the silage has low fat content, it contains a significant amount of linoleic acid.

When included in large amounts, corn silage can add to the ruminal polyunsaturated fatty acid load, which has been linked to decreased milk fat percentage, according to Pioneer.