Reduce the carbon footprint of your dairy ration and boost performance

Why Now?

Producers are facing increased pressure to reduce or remove soya from dairy diets, with imported soya from South America heavily impacting the carbon footprint of the ruminant ration due to Land Use Change (LUC).

This is when vast areas of forest or grassland are destroyed to make way for growing soya crops. Converting this land releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere increasing the greenhouse gas effect.

© AB Agri 2022

Let us help you meet this challenge

NovaPro, a British protein produced from UK grown rape, offers a viable alternative to soya, but with only around 1/7^th of the carbon footprint*.

NovaPro is produced at Yelo’s state-of-the-art rapeseed expelling facility in Warwickshire, where whole rapeseeds are heated and pressed to expel the oil, after which the residual cake is treated, using a unique and safe patented process, with Xylig, a unique xylose rich wood sugar, akin to the ‘kitchen cake baking’ process, which increases the level of rumen bypass protein.

“It replaces the quality bypass protein of soya almost 1:1, but does not fully replace the rumen degradable protein (RDP) due to its lower crude protein content,” says KW Feeds head of technical ruminant Georgie Croxford.

“With mixed forage rations, you may need to supply a source of RDP alongside NovaPro to meet the animal’s metabolisable protein requirement.

British co-products can be used, including Vivergo wheat distillers, Spey syrup, rape and C*Traffordgold.”

Ms Croxford advises that conversely grazing / grass silage-based rations often over-supply crude protein to the animal, leading to expensive protein being wasted and increased nitrogen pollution on farm.

“NovaPro enables the metabolisable protein requirements to be met in these rations without over-supplying crude protein which can help to lower Milk Urea Nitrogen levels (MUN).

“Lower MUN levels support lower ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions and improved fertility,” she says.

Proven performance benefits

NovaPro brings proven performance benefits including improved intakes and milk yield.

Trials run at the University of Nottingham found rations containing NovaPro and wheat distillers produced an additional 1.7 litres of milk per cow per day compared to a soya and rape ration, with no significant effect on milk constituents.

Milk Yield data from University of Nottingham Trial: Evaluation of NovaPro in diets for high-yielding dairy cows, Prof. Phil Garnsworthy  © AB Agri 2022

NovaPro was also named Royal Innovation Award winner by RABDF during last year’s Dairy-Tech event, with the award presented by HRH The Princess Royal in September 2021 at the Princess Royal’s country residence, Gatcombe Park.

© AB Agri 2022

Proven customer benefits

“I started adding NovaPro to the milking cow diet in response to growing carbon footprint concerns in the industry. Adding NovaPro has dropped the blend price but not the milk value. Along with ticking the sustainability box it seems to be a win win!” Richard Hallam, Red Barn Farm, 150 dairy cows

“I would definitely recommend NovaPro. Overall it increased the milk yield over the whole farm. Plus we like that we are supporting British Farmers. It’s a big thumbs up from us.” Richard Salsbury, Thakeham Farms, 225 cows

Proven environmental credentials

“We believe NovaPro can help to support efficient protein utilisation on farm by meeting the needs of high performing cows whilst lowering the environmental footprint of the dairy ration,” says Ms Croxford.

‘’Meeting the metabolisable protein needs of high performing animals, whilst ensuring you are not oversupplying crude protein, can lead to a cost saving on farm and benefits in terms of both the environment and fertility,” she concludes.

* GFLI figure from soya coming into the UK including LUC

* NovaPro figure submitted for review into GFLI branded data