Animal Nutrition

Use Total Nutrient Content to Compare Feeds

SoyPlus product

Have you noticed the cost of feed ingredients lately? Surprisingly, it is not just protein supplements that carry a high cost, but energy from feed-grade fats and oils does too. Whether that fat is of animal origin, a manufactured source of rumen protected fat, whole oil seeds and oil seed products or corn milling products, the cost of energy is high. But, if you consider the energy that oil contained in SoyPlus contributes to the diet, you’ll find it to be very favorably priced compared to other sources. 

When comparing feed ingredients, some folks fail to account for the value of the superior energy content of SoyPlus. Feed ingredients should be evaluated on their total nutrient profile, not just one or two nutrients. For an ingredient like SoyPlus, which contains about 6% oil, which is roughly 5% more oil than solvent extracted soybean meal products, that means SoyPlus has more metabolizable energy than solvent extracted products. Although the protein content of SoyPlus is slightly lower than some other bypass soy products, its superior energy content more than offsets that difference in cost per unit of protein when you consider all the nutrients SoyPlus delivers.

When you evaluate the whole nutrient package in this manner, the total value of nutrients delivered by SoyPlus allows you to meet the cows’ protein and energy requirements at a lower total cost than with other, individual sources of protein and energy.