Soy replacement in dairy ration

[sarahshoemaker]

What would you all replace soy with? We have two people in the house who can't tolerate soy, and I think they are reacting to the soy in the dairy ration. We can get custom mixes, but everyone we've talked to looks at us bug-eyed when we say we don't want the soy. So what would you all do in this situation.

I can get oats locally and probably barley starting this summer and would like to use this for the base. What could we add to this to be a balanced ration?

Thanks for any and all responses and ideas.

[shawnab]

Organic dairies in our area are using organic Canola meal and/or field peas.

Good alfalfa is a good protein source as well.

[thezillas]

Ours is a mix of 1/3 oats, 1/3 black oil sunflower seed, and 1/3 barley or wheat. As mentioned, alfalfa is also a good substitute.

[posspix]

Cynthia (thezillas), is your recipe for the entire dairy ration or just for the soy replacement part?

Thanks, Janet (posspix)

[thezillas]

No, that's the bulk of the ration. The feed mill also adds in minerals, vitamin ADE, etc.

[farmerdeb]

I make my own mix for our one Jersey. About the same as mentioned above.....equal parts steam rolled oats and steam rolled barley with BOSS and cotton hull added in. She gets about 3 lb a day with a bit of dry molasses, minerals and about 2 cups alfalfa pellets. Also free choice loose mineral and loose salt, whatever good quality alfalfa/grass hay she wants and good grass pasture 24/7. (she eats very little of the hay) It's my intention to order kelp but haven't gotten to it. She is an 8-9 year old and has held her condition very well on that. I have nothing in the way of research to say this is the best feed.......it's just worked well for her and what is available to me. We aren't interested in the highest production but she does ok on OAD 1 1/2+ gal 11 mo into lactation. Lots of cream.

[wacowgirl]

Sprouting any grain will make it higher in protein. You might try that. Take a look at the sprouting/fodder threads stickied at the top here.

[Selden]

I am interested to read that organic dairies are feeding canola meal.

Isn't canola meal actually ground rape seed? (My understanding is that "canola" was originally an advertising name for "Canadian oil, low acid" made from rape seed... "rape oil" not being very marketable.)

Seriously, I thought rape seed was indigestible or nearly poisonous?

[shawnab]

Here's something I found about canola meal:

Canola meal is produced from canola seed following oil extraction. Canola seed is traditionally produced by crushing and solvent extraction processes common in the oilseed processing industry. The process usually includes seed cleaning, seed preconditioning and flaking, seed cooking, mechanical oil extraction through crushing, solvent extraction of the press cake, desolventizing and toasting (Hickling, 2001). In some cases, “gums” or the remaining phospholipid material removed during canola processing and the acidulated soapstocks may be added back to the canola meal prior to marketing the meal. This has two purposes; it serves as a way to market the residual materials produced during oil extraction and refining, and it serves as a method to increase energy density and reduce the dustiness of the meal (Hickling, 2001).

Sounds highly processed. However, it is apparently "certified organic" and "soy free".....which is marketable?

I hadn't heard that rapeseed was indigestible, but I have heard very bad things about Canola oil.

I would LOVE to see field peas become a more readily available feed. From what I read, peas require little processing (no roasting, extracting, etc) and don't have the same phyto-estrogens that soy does.