Farmers have to ensure producing milk is profitable! In recent times, farmers who are faced with rising cost will understandably demand the highest possible price for the milk they produce. With that being said, the money paid to farmers is only half the equation when it comes to maximising profits while sustaining the dairy farm. The other half of the equation comes down to the cost as agriculture raw materials become scarcer and more expensive.
Agriculture feed is expensive in general and the cost is expected to rise. Take the price of wheat for example, it has more than doubled in the past few years and the cost of milk performance feed has risen by almost 50%. These will have a dramatic effect on the milk production as according to the analysis of some German farms, the feed costs account for some 70-80% of the total direct cost. However, the nutrition of dairy cow is still very important and must not be ignored. Ruminants have a very complex digestive system. Impaired health and a loss of performance will definitely occur if the price of the individual components of the feed ration were the only yardstick.
Increasing the efficiency of feed
The best course of action is of course to make smart decisions regarding the ration in order to increase the efficacy of feed. What this means is essentially choosing components which are largely transformed directly into performance without impairing the efficacy of other types of feed. For the case of dairy cattle, it is primarily the energy sources that have to be considered. For high yielding dairy cows, it is utterly important that they are supplied with proper nutrition during the first phase of lactation. As a general rule of thumb, they expend more energy on producing milk than they can take in with their regular feed. Hence, if the cows are given unsuitable sources of energy or sub-optimal amount of energy, the result may be metabolic disorders involving long term loss of performance. This will drastically affect the profitability of the farm.
Palm Fat (Vegetable Fat) as a source of energy!
There are currently many different types of fats that are used as an additional source of energy to feed dairy cows. With that being said, not all are suitable or optimum as they do not meet the requirements of a ration for ruminants. Influx Lipids offer two very high energy fat powders made from fractionated palm fat (pure vegetable fat), namely PalmFat S100 and Boost. They are naturally rumen-stable and reach the small intestine unchanged. They are available to the dairy cattle as a very efficient source of energy while at the same time offering the farmers the possibility of supplying the cows with a form of energy that suits the animal and its performance and is economical into the bargain.
What is Palm Fat (Powder)? Palm Fat powder is made of selected fractions of palm oil (pure vegetable fat) without trans fatty acid, rich in C-16 (palmitic acid) that is very useful to dairy cows. It is a concentrate of totally digestible rumen undegradable energy. It does not interfere with the rumen activity of the cow. It is a free flowing powder/granule of the highest quality vegetable fat with a minimum melting point of 56°C. When the cow digests the palm fat powder, it is able to bypass the rumen and gets digested in the lower guts due to its high melting point. Hence, it is called rumen bypass fat, also known as rumen protected fat. The energy is used with maximum efficiency without any sort of wastage.
Functional Properties of Palm Fat Powder
Cost-effective energy source
Pure vegetable fat fraction
Perfect in rumen bypass
No influence on the rumen microorganisms
No association due to lower rumen PH
No hydrogenation and free of trans fatty acid
Being able to improve pellet quality
Practical Benefits of Palm Fat Powder
Improving milk fat percentage and milk quality
Minimising body weight loss and maintaining body condition
Increase fertility, lifetime productivity and length of life, and shortening calving interval
Reducing risk of ketosis
Enhance quality of beef cattle meat
Improve quality of pellets
Increasing weight gain
Alleviating impact of heat stress