Canola Meal + DDGS = The Protein Match Made in Heaven

December 2013

Two of the most commonly fed and easily accessible protein ingredients for dairy rations are canola meal and corn dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS). The two ingredients are often fed together in a single ration, but little is known about how they should be fed together. Should they be included 50-50 as the protein source? 80-20? At what proportion is milk production optimized? Researchers at University of California, Davis recently completed a research trial that set out to answer those questions, and the results were surprising.

The feeding trial was made up of four pens of 320 high-group cows, at peak lactation. Each group was fed different ratios of a canola meal-DDGS combination, and everything from their milk production to their body condition score was monitored.

At the end of the study, it was determined that feeding canola meal at a rate of 60 percent of crude protein (12 percent of the total ration of dry matter) and 40 percent DDGS was the optimal ratio of canola meal and DDGS.

In fact, at these levels, milk production averaged 104 pounds per day per cow. Also recorded during the study at the 60 percent inclusion rate was an optimal body condition score increase of 0.034 of a unit over 28 days for this group of high-producing cows.

The full research abstract can be viewed here.

Canola meal and DDGS are the match made in heaven when it comes to dairy ration protein sources. To learn more about incorporating canola meal into your ration, talk to your nutritionist or feed company representative.