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Diet Reformulation Strategies: Protein Balancing

alternative practice names:

Precision Feeding to Reduce Nitrogen and Phosphorus Excretion; Amino Acid Balancing

In current dairy production systems, approximately 25% of dietary nitrogen is captured in milk, with the remainder excreted in urine and feces (Arriola et al., 2014). To enhance nitrogen use efficiency and reduce nitrogen excretion, cattle rations can be reformulated by fine-tuning the crude protein (CP) levels to align more closely with the animals' nutritional demands.


This approach primarily involves reducing the overall CP content in the diet while ensuring that essential amino acids, particularly lysine and methionine, are adequately supplied to support optimal milk production and animal health. Diet reformulation often entails substituting high-protein ingredients with lower-protein alternatives and carefully balancing the diet to maintain sufficient levels of rumen-degradable protein (RDP). In high-producing dairy cattle, diets containing 15.5-16.0% crude protein can achieve productive outcomes when balanced with the appropriate types and sources of protein (Arriola et al., 2014).


Implementing this reformulation process requires precise feed management, including regular monitoring of ingredient nutrient composition and continual diet adjustments based on ongoing nutrient analysis. This level of precision is necessary to maintain the delicate balance of protein and amino acids required for efficient nitrogen use and high dairy productivity.

When used, in what regions in the U.S. is the practice found: 

Northwest, West, Upper Midwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast

FARM SIZE 

When used, typically found on farms of the following sizes:

All Sizes

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Practice Benefits 

Improved profitability: By reducing excessive protein in dairy cattle diets, farmers can achieve a net reduction in feed costs, leading to improved income over feed costs and overall profitability. This approach optimizes the use of feed resources, making the operation more cost-effective.


Enhanced feed efficiency: Feeding cattle protein levels that closely match their nutrient requirements leads to more efficient nutrient utilization for productive purposes. Research shows that balancing diets for essential amino acids like methionine, lysine, and histidine can significantly improve lactation performance. This amino acid balancing technique boosts nitrogen efficiency and enhances milk protein output. In some cases, amino acid balancing has increased energy-corrected milk production by up to 10% (Arriola et al., 2014).


Reduced nitrogen excretion: Lowering the crude protein in dairy cattle diets significantly reduces nitrogen excretion through urine and feces. For example, when Edouard et al. (2015) compared the urine of cows fed a low CP diet with those on a high CP diet, they found that nitrogen excretion in urine was reduced by nearly fourfold on the CP diet, while the urinary urea nitrogen concentration decreased eightfold. For farmers facing regulatory pressure to reduce nitrogen leaching and runoff, this practice offers a viable solution to meet environmental standards while maintaining productivity. This decrease in nitrogen excretion means less land is needed for manure application, making nutrient management more efficient.


Lower ammonia emissions: Less nitrogen excretion reduces ammonia production associated with urine coming with feces on barn floors, thereby improving air quality. Schrade et al. (2023) documented that a low CP diet reduced concentrations of ammonia in barns by 46%.

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Implementation Insights

Site-specific or Farm-specific requirements 

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In most cases, there are no specific site or farm requirements.

Required Capital Expenditures (CapEx)

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  • Regrouping cattle for optimal nutrient management: In some cases, removing excessive protein in diets may require farmers to consider regrouping cattle based on their nutrient requirements and productivity. The ability to regroup cattle into new pens may result in a modest capital investment.

  • Commodity ingredient purchase and storage: Producers may consider purchasing and storing individual commodity ingredients (i.e., corn grain, soybean meal) rather than purchasing in a more complete feed mix. This improves the flexibility of the feed management program and allows for different diets that better align with animal needs.

Required Operational Expenditures (OpEx)

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  • Increased feed costs: Farmers may need to replace inexpensive, protein-rich byproducts like brewers grain, which are commonly used in dairy rations. As dietary protein levels are optimized to closely match the nitrogen requirement of dairy cattle, reliance on these cost-effective byproducts must decrease, potentially leading to higher feed costs.

  • Purchase of additives: Farmers might need expensive protected amino acids to balance low-protein diets. These amino acids ensure that animals' nutritional needs are met without compromising milk production.

  • Nutritional balance considerations: It is crucial to ensure that the lower protein diet remains nutritionally adequate, which may involve additional costs related to precise feed formulation and testing.

Implementation Considerations

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  • Feed management precision: Implementing lower CP diets requires a higher level of precision in feed management. Variability in forage quality and daily feeding practices can introduce risks to animal performance. Consistent and accurate mixing and frequent monitoring of forage dry matter are crucial to maintaining diet consistency.

  • Amino acid balancing: A critical challenge in reducing CP is ensuring that the lower protein diets are adequately balanced for essential amino acids. This often requires advanced ration formulation techniques and may necessitate the use of protected amino acids or other feed additives, which can introduce additional complexity and cost.

  • Adaption period: Cows may require long adaptation periods to adjust to low CP diets. Initial responses to diet changes might not reflect long-term outcomes. This necessitates careful monitoring over extended periods to fully understand the impact of low CP diets, complicating the implementation of such dietary changes in practice.

  • Monitoring and adjustment: Regular monitoring of milk urea nitrogen (MUN) levels and other indicators is essential to ensure that the reduced CP diets do not negatively impact milk production or animal health. This ongoing monitoring may require additional labor and expertise.

  • Potential for nutrient imbalances:  Lowering CP without carefully balancing other nutrients can lead to deficiencies or imbalances, affecting overall cow health and productivity. Reducing CP also affects other components of the diet, such as non-forage neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and energy content, which need to be carefully managed to avoid unintended adverse effects (Barros et al., 2017).

  • Reduced milk yield risks: Dairy producers may hesitate to adopt lower CP diets due to the perceived risk of decreased milk production. This reluctance can be exacerbated by a lack of experience or data from comparable herds and concerns about the consistency of forage quality and feeding practices. Lowering CP in diets can reduce milk yield, especially when CP is reduced below certain thresholds (e.g., below 15.5% CP for milk yield) (Barros et al., 2017). However, there is an increasingly large body of evidence showing that crude protein can be lowered on many farms without compromising yield (Leonardi et al., 2003; Bach et al., 2000; Wattiaux & Karg, 2004; Recktenwald & VanAmburgh, 2006).

Financial Considerations and Revenue Streams

There are no federal cost-share programs or conservation funding for this practice.

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Environmental Impacts

REDUCES FARM GREENHOUSE GAS FOOTPRINT

Reducing CP in dairy cow diets lowers nitrogen excretion, which may reduce ammonia¹ and nitrous oxide emissions from manure during handling, storage,² and land application.³ However, this dietary adjustment can lead to increased methane emissions due to higher concentrations of fermentable carbohydrates in the diet.⁴ Also, low-CP diets must be carefully formulated to meet the animal's energy, metabolizable protein, and amino acid requirements otherwise, there is a risk of decreased animal performance, which could negate the environmental benefits of reduced nitrogen excretion.⁵ 


See research highlights below:

  • The overall impact of lower crude protein diets on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may vary; some studies reported decreased N₂O emissions but increased CH₄ emissions due to lower protein content in manure (Arriaga et al., 2010).

  • Külling et al. (2001) reported decreased N₂O emissions during simulated manure storage of manure from dairy cows fed low-protein diets. Still, the dietary protein content did not affect the total GHG emissions (due to increased CH₄ emissions from the low-protein manure).


IMPROVES WATER QUALITY

Lowering the CP content in dairy diets reduces nitrogen excretion, particularly in urine, which decreases the nitrogen concentration of manure. A lower manure-nitrogen concentration can be beneficial on farms where nitrate runoff and leaching are a concern. 


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¹ Urinary N, primarily from high-CP diets, is the primary source of NH₃ volatilization from manure. This volatilized NH₃ can be re-deposited on soil and later converted into N₂O, contributing to GHG emissions (Schrade et al., 2023).

² Agle et al. (2010) found that decreased N intake leads to lower N levels in manure (feces and urine) and decreased NH₃ accumulation in animal housing. 

³ Reducing N concentration in manure may lower N₂O emissions from manure-amended soils (Luo et al., 2010). 

Lowering dietary CP concentration can increase the concentration of fermentable carbohydrates in the diet, which may lead to higher CH₄ production per kilogram of digested organic matter. This trade-off must be considered when adjusting dietary N to reduce NH₃ and N₂O emissions from manure (Külling et al., 2001; Hristov, 2013).  

⁵ Severely reducing dietary protein to lower emissions can lead to decreased microbial protein synthesis in the rumen and lower overall animal productivity (Hristov, 2013).

REFerences

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Alignment with FARM Program

FARM Environmental Stewardship (ES) V2-V3 Alignment

FARM ES uses information about rations to calculate greenhouse gas emissions intensity, including enteric methane. The platform focuses on the lactating herd ration, with the option to enter details on rations for other animal classes. FARM ES Version 3 has the ability to run custom 'what-if' scenarios where users can change various inputs, including ration information, to determine the impact on farm emissions.


FARM Animal Care (AC) V5 Alignment

The FARM Animal Care program requires that all age groups of animals have consistent access to sufficient feed to support their maintenance, health, and growth.

Contents

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We're always eager to update the website with the latest research, implementation insights, financial case studies, and emerging practices. Use the link above to share your insights. 

We're always eager to update the website with the latest research, implementation insights, financial case studies, and emerging practices. Use the link above to share your insights. 

Contents

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Practice Overview

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Practical Insights.png
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Research Results.png
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In current dairy production systems, approximately 25% of dietary nitrogen is captured in milk, with the remainder excreted in urine and feces (Arriola et al., 2014). To enhance nitrogen use efficiency and reduce nitrogen excretion, cattle rations can be reformulated by fine-tuning the crude protein (CP) levels to align more closely with the animals' nutritional demands.


This approach primarily involves reducing the overall CP content in the diet while ensuring that essential amino acids, particularly lysine and methionine, are adequately supplied to support optimal milk production and animal health. Diet reformulation often entails substituting high-protein ingredients with lower-protein alternatives and carefully balancing the diet to maintain sufficient levels of rumen-degradable protein (RDP). In high-producing dairy cattle, diets containing 15.5-16.0% crude protein can achieve productive outcomes when balanced with the appropriate types and sources of protein (Arriola et al., 2014).


Implementing this reformulation process requires precise feed management, including regular monitoring of ingredient nutrient composition and continual diet adjustments based on ongoing nutrient analysis. This level of precision is necessary to maintain the delicate balance of protein and amino acids required for efficient nitrogen use and high dairy productivity.

Practices and technologies

Diet Reformulation Strategies: Protein Balancing

alternative practice name:

Precision Feeding to Reduce Nitrogen and Phosphorus Excretion; Amino Acid Balancing