WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD News) — More dairy producers are looking at high-oleic soybeans as a way to boost feed efficiency.
As they gain popularity, Extension dairy outreach specialist Katelyn Goldsmith said soybean growers have several factors to consider before planting them.
“Whenever people are considering planting and using these beans, I recommend they take a step and really think about all of the things they need to consider with these beans. Things like stewardship practices, who’s gonna roast these beans, they need to be roasted somewhere, and how I plan on feeding them, or even the agronomics of them can be different.”
Goldsmith said high-oleic soybeans have become more popular on dairy operations over the last several years.
“High-oleic soybeans have kind of started to become more popular on dairies within the last, I would say, five years. People are feeding a lot more of these, and we’re seeing more of them be fed. They have the benefit of the oleic fat compared to a conventional bean, has some more linoleic fat, which can have issues with milk fat, but when we have these high-oleic soybeans, we have less linoleic fat, more oleic fat, and we can see some milk fat benefits.”
Goldsmith recommends bringing in a trusted advisor before making any changes to crops.
