Working to improve feed efficiency on dairy farm

Today more than ever, the challenges with regards to profitable dairy production emphasize the importance of quality nutrition.To allow live stock to meet their genetic potential and maximize performance, nutritional expertise to improve feed efficiency is of great significance.

Efficient use of Nitrogen

Nitrogen Use Efficiency(NUE),at the level of a whole farm varies widely and for dairy cows in particular, NUE is also variable, but in anarrower range. In other words, much of the consumed nitrogen is excreted in faeces, urine and milk, placing a heavy cost on farmers and the environment.

Overall dietary crude protein(CP) and protein quality(RDP & UDP)are the most important factors affecting NUE. In NUE,the energy level and the type of starch and sugars in the diet is important. An imbalance of protein and energy reduces ruminal digestive efficiency so with lactating cows, ‘feeding the rumen’ is the key objective of dairy nutrition.

Urea is a small non-charged molecule enabling it to cross the tissue membrane easily. This explains why the amount of ammonia produced in the rumen of a cow is directly proportional to the concentration inureain the blood, which is in turn proportional to the concentration of urea in milk. Therefore, milk urea level isagoodindicatorofbloodandurinary nitrogen levels and of the CP and protein quality in the diet ofcows.

One of the major concerns of excessive ammonia (NH3) in the rumen is digestive disorders. Another serious concern is the potential impairment of reproduction, because urea, ammonia and other such nitrogenous compounds may be toxic to the reproductive tissue, affecting ova, sperm viability and the hormonal balance of a cow. Leguminousgreen fodder can have high levels of rumen degradable protein (RDP) which can lead to excess NH3 in the rumen.

Since much of the consumed nitrogen is excreted in the faeces and urine, the potential to improve nitrogen efficiency through nutrition is significant.One method to counter excess NH3 build up in the rumen is to increase the levels of slower degradable protein in the die to high yielding cows, so as to increase levels of rumenun degradable dietary protein (RUP) in the duo denal protein supply.

With Novatan,Techna has developed a solution to achieve both these objectives. Novatan, a blend of essential oils,reduces the degradationoftheRDPfraction of the CP, whilst simultaneously increasing the microbial protein yield from the rumen to the duo denum.

Novatan offers greater flexibility to manage protein for dairy cows, improvingrumenefficiencyandconsequently,higher milk protein andmilkyield.

Novatan canals obeusedasa tool to reduce the overall dietary CP, safeguarding yield whilst saving on diet cost.
Novatan therefore provides an effective way to balance these without increasing the overall CP of the diet and without the use of additional energy.Typically,the inclusion of Novatan will deliver an additional 10% of DUP (Digestible Undegradable Protein)from the existing diet,making it a verycost-effective source of by- pass protein.
In the same way, Novatan can be used to reformulate concentrate feeds and reach RUP and RDP requirements at a lower cost.

Use of NOVATAN

On Top Trial in India:

Reformulation Trial in India:

Savings through Matrix Value:

Novatan (@1kg/MT) can help to replace 17.8 kg of RUP per MT of feed. This is equivalent to replacing by-pass protein worth approximately Rs 1450 (USD 22.31).

Overall benefits of Novatan:

• Improves the performance of dairy animals by improving the utilization of protein in the diet
• Reduces nitrogenous waste
• Leads to more milk with increased protein content (higher SNF%)
• Reduces urea concentration in the milk
• Limits metabolic disorders
• Controls fertility related challenges arising out of high blood urea level
• Enables significant savings on feed cost whilst optimizing the formulation

Conclusion

In an era of ever-increasing production costs, there is a continuous squeeze on the margins of the primary producer. There exists a critical need to maximize the returns from dairy feeds. Groupe Techna, France,in the process of developing Novatan,have focused on the identification of the specific essential oils with a view to improve the rumen function and diet efficiency and blending them into a uniform formulation. Various trials across the globe has proven the efficacy of Novatan in improving production and feed cost optimization.