Precision nutrition solution

Precision nutrition is aimed at making the herd healthier and more productive. Photo by Daneka Hill

Dairying in Australia presents unique challenges, and nutritionists as well as dairy farmers have had to continuously evolve with new solutions to overcome these challenges.

Jefo has been partnering with the dairy industry for years as a global and leading animal health and nutrition company, with an expertise in rumen protection technology for precision nutrition.

Rumen-protected B vitamin blends have been used successfully as precision nutritional solutions in several leading dairy farms across the globe for many years.

So, implementing the concept of precision nutrition on your dairy farm will make your herd healthier and more productive, returning a higher economic benefit and making your life easier.

The meta-analysis study

To further demonstrate the benefits of precision nutrition, late last year Jefo published a meta-analysis that assessed the lactational performance of dairy cows receiving a rumen-protected B vitamin blend consisting of folic acid, B12, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid and biotin.

The meta-analysis combined 50 commercial trials across eight countries (including Australia) and included 6483 Holstein cows averaging 159 days in milk and an average lactation of 2.2.

The rumen-protected B vitamin blend was fed at three grams per cow per day under a varying feeding and management conditions.

The study showed that cows supplemented with the rumen-protected B vitamin blend responded positively with improved milk yield (extra 0.9 litre per cow per day); milk fat and milk protein yield also improved by 0.04kg and 0.033kg, respectively.

An Australian study has shown that cows with rumen-protected B vitamins were producing more protein, more fat and more milk. Photo by Sophie Baldwin

The Australian study

More recently, Jefo concluded a study on a commercial dairy farm in East Gippsland, Victoria.

The study involved 360 cows, randomly divided into two groups (side by side), balanced by age, production and breed.

One group received standard commercial lead feed from 21 days before calving, and standard commercial supplement post-calving (Control); the other group (Treatment) received similar pre-calving and post-calving supplements but with added rumen-protected B vitamin blend pre-calving (folic acid, B12 and riboflavin plus choline) and post-calving (folic acid, B12, biotin, pantothenic acid and pyridoxine).

Post-calving, cows were grazed together and fed silage/hay as a group but received the experimental feed only when they were being milked at the dairy.

The study measured blood ketones within the first 10 days post-calving to assess the risk of ketosis; herd testing was conducted every six weeks to measure individual cow’s milk yield and milk components (fat and protein); breeding records were collected to assess reproductive performance.

Results showed that when compared to control, cows supplemented with rumen-protected B vitamins had lower concentration of beta-hydroxybutyric acid (28 per cent less); had 70 per cent less cows with BHBA higher than the threshold of 1.2mMol/litre for subclinical ketosis; produced seven per cent more milk (adjusted for energy), 10 per cent more fat yield and five per cent more protein yield.

Preliminary analysis also indicated that 100 days pregnancy rate improved by seven per cent in cows that received B vitamin supplementation.

Modern dairy cows and B vitamins

These two studies demonstrate the fact that modern dairy cows are likely to respond positively to the inclusion of B vitamins when it is in a rumen-protected form, and that B vitamins synthesis by rumen microbes are likely to be inadequate to support optimal performance.

The B vitamins, as nutrients required in small quantities, support various metabolic processes in the liver, and are involved in energy metabolism and glucose production.

They also play a significant role in maintaining a healthy liver by preventing or reducing fat accumulation — a healthy liver is a healthy and productive cow.

A healthy liver will drive dry matter intake and reduce the extent and severity of negative energy balance, which is associated with transition diseases and low milk production.

B vitamins need to be rumen-protected

It is important to note that B vitamins are readily degraded in the rumen, so to be effective, they must be supplemented in a rumen-protected form to make sure they are effectively delivered to support the needs of the cow.

Rumen protection of B vitamins offers significant advantages over intramuscular injections or feeding high doses of unprotected vitamins by being more cost-effective, environmentally sustainable and labour efficient, making life easier for the cow and the farmer.

Based on the published meta-analysis and the recent side-by-side study in Australia, a potential economic return from supplementing dairy cows with rumen-protected B vitamin blend can be conservatively estimated to be $200 per cow per year.

Supplementation with rumen-protected B vitamins can help to improve the health of your cows, while giving your herd the opportunity to perform and reproduce well, thus making dairying a lot easier towards achieving your goals.

Contact your nutritionist, veterinarian or Jefo directly to start down the path of precision nutrition.