DB—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 1,1984
Partitioning of nutrients is key to dairy
BY DR. NATE SMITH A dairy cow has a tremendously she can normally consume. The maximum milk production, poorer
Director of Dairy Research high requirement for nutrients in result is a period of high stress, breeding efficiency, and more
Ralston Purina Company early lactation, much higher than stress that can result in less than metabolic disorders, such as
Purina introduces dairy feed products
stress with higher concentrations
of nutrients in feeds and feeding
tivities at Checkerboard Square, programs. Such feeding programs,
where the livestock nutrition W e know, will result in a higher
» laboratory was opened more than peak and total lactation milk yield,
■p / ' SO years ago, and at Purina’s Dairy This is because the cow will
Research Center in Gray Summit, respond most efficiently to in-
B \ B Mo. creased nutrients during early
At 1116 Research Center, about lactation. We also know that
325 cows, heifers and calves are minimizing weight loss during
*WJ fed experimental feed in extensive early lactation is critical to
1 ' research studies, and are con- maximum breeding efficiency
’ ' r Bv tinuously monitored for milk (earlier reproductive cycling and
production, milk composition, higher conception rates),
growth, palatability inclinations However, just increasing
and other criteria. energy, protein and other nutrients
W “Our staff and scientific ap- in the ration is not the answer. In
proach to practical feeding trials fact, this often will result in more
keeps us at the forefront of dairy problems, including, for example,
research,” Smith comments, decreased fat test, cows fattening
“When this research bring us to a instead of producing more milk
better understanding of specific and cows going off-feed. The real
nutritional needs, and our answer is better “partitioning of
technology research allows us to nutrients.” This requires a better
put that to use, then we are able to environment in the rumen,
formulate a feed to better meet abomasum and small intestine in
those needs,” he explains. order to produce a better balance
Researchers can and often do of nutrients from digestion. These
toil for years before a truly can then be directed (partitioned)
significant breakthrough is within the cow for more milk, milk
achieved, Smith points out. components (fat, protein, lactose),
“For example, one long-time and for body tissues,
goal has been to identify the Scientists and dairymen have
balance of nutrients, such as long known and said “fiber is
energy, protein and NPN, which not fiber is not fiber is n0t...” What
will achieve the proper par- does this mean? It means that
titioning of nutrients inside a cow’s fiber from one source or feedstuff
body,” Smith says. “Finally, a will not result in the same
major step in reaching that goal digestion and performance as
has been attained in the form of another. Fiber is a general term
Maxi-Tech 40. It was a long time in that includes many different
coming, but like all of our dairy chemical or nutrient components,
research, in terms of what it can do Similarly, energy and crude
for the dairy farmer, it was time protein are general terms, with
well spent.” many chemical compounds or
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Ralston
Purina Company has introduced
four new dairy feed products which
it says are the result of major
breakthroughs in dairy research.
These breakthroughs, says Dr.
Nate Smith, Purina’s director of
dairy research, include the for
mulation of a Purina feed con
centrate that helps deliver
nutrients to the body parts of a cow
where they are most needed, as
well as a top-feeding concentrate
containing high nutrient density
and favorable palatability. Con
venient, weather-proof blocks for
la eta ting cows and a dry cow,
heifer supplement will also be
introduced by Purina, all
developed to improve milk
production and lifetime per
sistency, Smith says.
The technology which went into
these new products Maxi-Tech
40, Hi Octane Top Feed B 37, Hi
Octane Milking Block and Easy
Care Block is the result of years
of research, feeding trials and
practical application, Smith
reports.
Maxi-Tech 40, says Smith, is a
highly effective concentrate that
succeeds in partitioning nutrients
to a cow’s body parts where they
are most needed. Smith describes
the new top-feeding concentrate
Hi Octane Top Feed B 37 as a
highly palatable product that can
reduce weight loss during early
lactation.
Purina’s newest block products,
Smith says, are convenient as well
as efficient. A completely balanced
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milking ration for lactating cows,
the Hi Octane Milking Block
delivers energy, protein, vitamins
and minerals necessary for top
milk production. The Easy Care
Block meets the nutritional needs
of dry cows and heifers.
“The average dairy farmer
could not afford the vast amounts
of time and money necessary for
the kind of thorough, scientific
research that goes into finding the
right combination and levels of
ingredients for a top-performing
feed,” Smith notes. “At Purina we
have the largest staff of research
nutritionists in the commercial
feed industry.”
This staff directs research ac-
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nutrient components capable 0 f
supplying the energy and protein
needs of the cow.
It is the balance of these
chemical or nutrient components
(protein or nitrogen sources, types
and sources of fiber and energy
mineral levels) that is the key to
higher performance rations and
improved partitioning of nutrients
in the lactating cow. This balance i
of nutrients and nitrogen supply
from both feed proteins and non
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Better Rumen
Environment
Maximum digestion of feeds,
and especially roughages, requires
maximum microbial growth and
fermentation in the rumen. If
rumen microbes are limited in
their growth, fiber digestion is
decreased, and the full energy
value of the feed is not available to
the cow. Milk production, as a
result, will be limited. In addition,
acetate production in the rumen
and availability to the cow will be
reduced since it is the major end
product of fiber digestion. Acetate
is the major nutrient used by the
cow in making or synthesizing
milk fat. Therefore, decreased
fiber digestion not only results in
lower milk production, it also
means a drastic decrease in milk
fat.
Maximum growth and digestion
by the rumen microbes, just like
the cow, requires the right en
vironment and balance of nutrients
in the rumen. A major factor in
this balance is the supply of
nitrogen. Fiber-digesting bacteria
(Turn to Page 09)
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