Research Objective

• Determine the best level to include the solvent-extracted canola (ie. canola meal that has the least amount of moisture) in early lactation dairy cow feeds to:
  • Decrease CH4 emissions
  • Decrease nitrogen excretion
  • Improve milk performance
  • Improve milk efficiency
• Determine carbon footprint of milk produced from cows fed canola meal rather than soybean meal in both Eastern and Western production systems.

Project Description

Currently soybean meal is the current protein source for animal nutrition (71%) in early lactation dairy cows compared to canola meal (12%). In comparison, canola meal has three times more neutral detergent fiber than soybean meal, but less crude protein so the levels of canola meal that should be included in the diet have not yet been determined. The reason canola meal can be a better protein source is because it is less expensive, has been shown to increase DMI, has a high protein quality, and can actually increase milk production and protein content. Twelve Holstein cows will be fed diets with varying levels of solvent-extracted canola meal (10%, 20%, 30%) and then measured to see how this diet changes the previously mentioned factors. As well, decreasing CH4 emissions and nitrogen excretions are important for the carbon footprint of milk, and canola meal can potentially help with this. To determine the GHG emissions for cows fed canola meal, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) must be conducted to determine all aspects of GHG emissions on the farm. Cows that are fed with varying levels of canola meal will be assessed for their difference in carbon footprints versus the standard soybean meal diet.