One way to boost your milk check is to improve milk components. If you look at prices paid through the Federal Order system, prices for butterfat and protein have increased significantly over the past year. Chinese research (Wang, et. al.) shows that one way to improve milk protein is to include bypass amino acids in the diet.
Researchers fed rumen-protected methionine, threonine, isoleucine and leucine individually or jointly to cows fed a low-protein diet (12% crude protein). A positive control group was also fed a high protein diet (16% crude protein) without amino acid supplementation. Feeding rumen-protected methionine to cows on the low protein diet improved milk yield and milk protein. Co-supplementation of all four rumen-protected amino acids increased milk and lactose yields to the level of the high protein diet and tended to increase milk protein yield to the low protein diet supplemented with rumen-protected methionine.
“Overall, results of the present study supported the concept that, under the relatively short time of this experiment, supplementing rumen-protected amino acids can lead to increased milk protein yield,” researchers said.
To view an abstract of the research, click here.
