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Chocolate isn’t just for Valentine’s Day at Miller Dairy in Hutchinson, Kan.

Since 2008, Orville and Mary Jane Miller have fed their cows and heifers four pounds of chocolate each day, which they receive from a local candy factory. Their livestock also feeds on soy byproducts, taco shells and refried beans from local plants.

As corn and ethanol prices continue to affect producers’ bottom line, the Millers aren’t the only ones turning to alternative feed and byproduct feedstuffs to keep a tighter rein on their wallets. From beet pulp and brewers’ dried grains to distillers and waste candy, these types of replacers have become the norm in dairy cattle diets.

However, with mounting consumer concern about the safety of food, plus increased scrutiny from animal rights organizations, many are questioning the difference in milk between cows fed alternative feed versus those fed no grain or byproducts.

a sweet alternative

Sean Cornelius

Producers think outside the box to feed their cows

story by Kara Petrovic

“You've got to think nutrition first,not price.”

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For the last 25 years, Sean Cornelius, Dairy Farmers of America member and owner of 4C Dairy Consulting, a dairy nutrition consulting firm, has seen firsthand the benefits of alternative feed and byproducts. In that time, Cornelius has balanced rations on more than 45 dairy farms throughout Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska to help producers carefully evaluate how they might benefit from using alternatives in their herd’s ration.

“I believe that alternative feeds often have a place in a dairy cow’s diet,” says Cornelius, a third-generation dairy farmer from Hamilton, Mo. “But discovering an ingredient's nutrient value is what can be the challenge. Sure, a producer might find a feed that’s priced competitively, but cheap isn’t always a healthy alternative. You’ve got to think nutrition first, not price.”

Before purchasing feed, Cornelius says producers should work with their nutritionist to decide what nutrients they want to replace in a particular ration.

Verton Miller, a dairy nutritionist, recommends following the theory of

moderation to avoid problems with milk production and components.

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relying on a crutch. Today, I’m able to give producers advice that’s important to them.”

During consulting visits, Cornelius says one of the largest issues he sees is the lack of communication between the producer and nutritionist.

“A lot of times I hear, ‘I don’t want to bother them,’ but that’s what guys like me are here for,” he says. “The more accurate information we have, the more balanced diet your herd is going to receive. Bottom line is that a healthy, well-fed cow is a productive cow.”

Communication is keyBefore trying chocolate and other ways to offset

rising feed costs, the Millers worked with Verton Miller, their nutritionist of 12 years, to develop a sensible food ration of byproducts for their 175-Holstein herd.

Prior to adding the byproducts to the herd’s ration, Verton spent a week researching and visiting with other nutritionists on the East Coast about using chocolate as a feedstuff. He learned that several dairymen use waste chocolate from the Hershey plant outside of Hershey, Pa., in their cows’ diets.

They also should consider the feed’s storage needs and availability since some products are limited and often purchased on short notice. In addition to feed, several factors of the cow must be considered, including body weight, milk production, milk butterfat and age, prior to mixing a total ration.

There are five basic components in feed for dairy cows: bulk forages for energy and rumination, supplementary forages for energy and protein, concentrates for energy and protein, mineral supplements and water.

“When these types of feeds are properly combined, they can supply all the nutrients needed to keep cattle healthy and productive,” Cornelius says.

“You have to make sure you balance for health and longevity. If you do this, productivity will come.”

As one of only two dairy farms in Caldwell County in 1987, Cornelius found receiving qualified nutrition assistance on his family dairy to be difficult. So, he decided to do it himself after receiving the proper training and education through the University of Missouri Extension.

“For a while there was a lot of trial and error on my end, but I quickly gained a real passion for learning how to feed our cows properly,” he says. “After getting a good grasp on feeds, I decided that I wanted to share my success with others. I wanted to help dairy farmers work through a product instead of

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Today, the Millers feed their herd up to a half ton of chocolate a day. The chocolate is stored in the Millers’ commodity barns, which are filled on average with two semi-trailer loads of various candies — dark chocolate, milk chocolate, cream-filled and more.

According to Orville, the chocolate costs him about one-third what grain costs.

“Those cows love chocolate almost as much as I do,” Orville says. “Anything that we can find that works in our cow ration that is cheaper than what regular feed is, we buy. We have to balance the rations carefully, but it has worked well for us and has been worth the extra effort. Our cows seem to like it, and they are still milking well.”

But, as the farm’s nutritionist, Verton has to look at all of the product’s advantages and disadvantages. While the chocolates’ sugar provides energy, it is also high in fat and can cause problems when mixed with distillers grains if not mixed properly because of excess total fat in the diet.

“We didn’t have much problem with the chocolate, but the tacos got us in a bit of trouble in the very beginning. The heifers just got too fat,” he says.

Like Cornelius, Verton is cautious to tell his producers that although the product in question may be inexpensive; it does not mean it is going to fit the ration. He follows the simple theory of moderation to avoid problems with milk production and components.

According to Orville Miller, chocolate costs him about one-third what grain costs.

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By scaling back on the heifers’ ration, Verton says the issue corrected itself.

“I’ve dealt with this on dairies for over 30 years from producers who call and tell me they got a great price on something, but sometimes it ends up costing them a lot more than what it actually is,” he says. “When you first start using it, there are a lot of variables to account for.”

Verton says he relied on his moderation formula when he first added chocolate to the cows’ ration.

“Feeding cows today is more art than science,” he says. “It’s a rough draw even when you know exactly what your forages are.”

“Feeding cows today is more art

than science.”

– Verton Miller

chocolate

soy byproducts

taco shells

refried beans

beet pulp

spent grain

candy

tomatoes

potato chips

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Controlling nutrient variationsFor 22 years, Bill Weiss, dairy nutritionist at Ohio

State University, has lived and breathed rations. And although his first experiment at the university focused on distiller grains, he finds the term

"alternative feeds” misinterpreted.

“There’s really no such thing as alternative feed,” he says. “Cows eat feed that provides nutrients. Sure, 22 years ago, anything other than corn or soybean meal was considered alternative, but today, producers are using everything from chocolate to tomatoes to gluten-based products and potato chips. Anymore, any human food that doesn’t get eaten usually ends up in livestock feed. That’s not a bad thing, just fact.”

At the university, Weiss works with other nutritionists to develop rations that contain distillers, corn gluten, wheat middlings and soy haul for the university’s dairy cows. According to Weiss, the most difficult part of his job is determining the variability of each feed since the nutrients that supply protein, energy and fiber are different in every product.

For the last three years, Weiss has led a group of researchers and extension specialists in a project designed to improve nutrient efficiency on dairy farms funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. By learning how to control nutrient variations in feed and diets, he says he believes producers and nutritionists will be able to cut down on economic and environmental costs.

“There’s really no such thing as alternative feed.”

– Bill Weiss

By learning how to control nutrient variations in feed and diets, Bill Weiss, dairy nutritionist at Ohio State University, says he believes producers and nutritionists will be able to cut down on economic and environmental costs.

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Currently, most nutritionists over-formulate diets since variability is present when mixing rations, he says.

Weiss' end goal is to develop software that can calculate the cost of variation, as well as management strategies that producers can use to reduce variation on the farm.

“We are trying to figure out ways to help minimize variability on a lot of these common feeds that producers are purchasing day in and day out,” Weiss says. “I know if I had a choice to buy soybean meal or distillers that were equally priced on a protein basis, I’m always going to buy the soybean because I know what I’m getting. However, if distillers are 10 to 20 percent cheaper, then I might say it’s worth the risk. Knowing the variability upfront would make it less risky.”

Since staring his research, Weiss says one of the biggest outcomes he has found is that cows can handle more variation than he thought. But, he still

“I think alternative feeds can work if

you’re smart about them.”

– Dan Senestraro

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believes consistency and following longer-term trends rather than constantly changing feed is the best option for producers, especially with the rising cost of feed.

Last October, DFA Board member Dan Senestraro from Johnson, Kan., participated in a producer panel during DFA’s Southwest Area Industry Update Meeting to discuss the benefits of alternative feed. Prior to moving his dairy from California to Kansas, Senestraro says he used various seasonal replacers including avocados and culled produce as well as bakery waste.

Even with the success of using alternative feed on his dairy, Senestraro says producers can never be too careful. And by working too fast, he says he’s found pitfalls with products he’s purchased in the past.

“I’ve jumped the gun thinking I understood how it was going to work, but I soon learned that my

cows don’t like it,” he says. “Alternative feed can be good, but you have to make sure you’ve done your homework before you purchase anything. There’s always going to be a risk associated with it.”

In addition to researching the products’ toxicity, Senestraro says it’s important to start slow, and be cautious and conservative since feed products don’t come with a guaranteed analysis. He also advises producers to be leery of "oddball feeds," which are typically high-moisture, and to look at feeds on a dry-matter basis.

Today, Senestraro uses a total mixed ration of hominy, canola mill, corn gluten seed, wheat middlings and dried distiller grains for his 3,200-cow herd.

“Currently, I’m having success with a more traditional feed ration, but I think alternative feeds can work if you’re smart about them,” he says. “My advice is to keep a buyer-beware mentality, and be sure you’re saving money. If you’re not, it’s not worth it.”