Agrinutrition category director Bianca Meijerink. “We have been developing feed additives for years now based on mar- ket needs and practical research. Our motto is: ‘Farmers are the scientists’. They prove that our products work and keep them on the market.”
Additives for environmental demands According to Jan Speerstra, owner of Speerstra Feed Ingredi- ents, additives can help farmers meet ever-stricter environ- mental demands. They can also help in reaching better return on investment. “We keep speaking of ‘additives’ when, in fact, they are additional animal feed. Using the rumen bypass ami- no acids lysine and methionine, more methionine and lysine are made available to the cow at a gut level. This improves the nitrogen efficiency and decreases nitrogen excretion. Dairy farmers can thus feed less protein without compromising on milk or protein levels.”
Rumen bypass amino and fatty acids Speerstra is very positive about feeding rumen bypass amino and fatty acids to dairy cows. “In pig and poultry farming, synthetic amino acids in feed are already used with consider- able success. Feeding cows based on which specific amino and fatty acids they need concentrates the ration, improves nitrogen efficiency, decreases methane emissions and con- tributes to more well-balanced milk fat. We are not yet ready for this in the Netherlands. In the United States, however, they have been working with this for a longer period.” Feed additives are not cheap. Prices vary from € 125 to € 500 per 100kg. “You cannot compare these prices with those of regular feed,” says Eric Heemskerk, director at Ingenieursbu- reau Heemskerk. “They are used in very small quantities and they can save a lot on other expensive sources of protein, such as soy or rapeseed.”
Controlling rumen processes is crucial for proper protein use
Optimising the rumen function “By properly feeding a cow, you actually feed the rumen bac- teria,” says John Vonk, product developer at Ingenieursbureau Heemskerk. The company sells a slow-release rumen nitrogen in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. “By keeping the amount of urea in the rumen constant and minimal, you syn- chronise the protein and carbohydrate supply, which makes rumen bacteria grow better – especially the bacteria digest- ing cellular walls, making the cow digest the ration better. If there is enough available energy, the cow uses the feed
protein better.” The minimal dosage of 100g/cow/day can re- place 600–1,000g of protein-rich feed, such as soy or rapeseed meal, and it decreases nitrogen excretion by at least 2.5%. “Controlling rumen processes is crucial for proper protein use,” says Speerstra. “The rumen is responsible for about 70% of a cow’s protein supply. The composition of a microbial pro- tein, formed in the rumen, is the most suitable for a cow to convert into milk protein. Essential oils inhibit the activity of hyper-ammonia producing bacteria and the digestion of pro- tein in the rumen. This increases protein use and decreases ammonia emissions.”
Additional energy at gut level Rumen bypass fats yield additional energy at a gut level and the energy–protein balance in the ration. “This improves pro- tein use,” says Robert Meijer, manager marketing and com- munication ruminants at ForFarmers. He emphasises that protein surplus in the cow rumen, especially from fresh grass and grass silage, forms the biggest nitrogen loss. “Proper ru- men function and proper coordination of energy and protein in the rumen is priority number one for high nitrogen use. Make sure you have the proper composition of roughage, by-products and additional concentrates, so the total ration fits and protein from roughage and regular feed is maximally used.” Meijer also thinks that more room is needed to feed ad- ditional forage maize in rations that are rich in grass and that feed additives may contribute to improving nitrogen use.
ForFarmers conducts research into additives that hold practi- cal promise based on scientific research. Meijer does not want to say which ones. “We test the effect of additives under Dutch circumstances,” he says. “Specific buffers, yeasts and B vitamins can further improve rumen fermentation, because they stimulate bacteria that break down cell walls. These bac- teria in particular capture much protein surplus from grass silage and therefore considerably improve protein use.”
For the full article “Influencing rumen microbes” and tips to decrease ammonia emissions, visit
www.dairyglobal.net
▶ DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 8, No. 1, 2021 33
Dairy farmer Henk van der Veen from
Surhuizum uses slow-release urea and Proti- spar by Speer- stra Feed Ingre- dients. This is 30% cheaper than additional rapeseed.
PHOTO: ANNE VAN DER WOUDE
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