ISSUE FOCUS 36 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE February 2024 “When working to maximize the effectiveness of rumen digestion within your herd, your selection of the right trace mineral program can have a positive impact on rumen digestion, while improving the availability of essential trace metals to the animal.” THE ROLE OF MINERALS IN RUMEN DIGESTION Kevin Perryman Global Program Manager Trace Minerals Selko Optimizing rumen digestibility is a very high priority when working to maximize the productivity, efficiency, and sustainability of high performing dairy herds around the world. Work conducted by M. Oba and M.S. Allen, Michigan State University found that a one point increase in NDF digestibility (NDFd) was associated with a 0.17 Kg (0.37 lb.) increase in DMI and a 0.25 Kg (0.55. lb.) increase in 4% fat corrected milk. Translated into economics, this would indicate that a one point increase in NDFd within a 100 cow herd could represent an additional 9,125 Kgs of saleable milk per year with a gross value of €3,650 (@40 eurocents/Lt). DIFFERENT FACTORS INFLUENCE NDFd There are many factors impacting NDFd in the lactating cow, such as forage quality, ration formulation and quality, cow well-being, genetics, etc... But what about the source of trace minerals used in your herd’s trace mineral supplementation program? Multiple, independent research investigations have now shown that the source of trace minerals can play an important role in maintaining optimized NDFd within the herd. An initial study conducted by M.J. Faulkner & W.P. Weiss, the Ohio State University found a 2.9 point increase (p<.02) in NDFd (43.0 vs. 45.9) when they completely replaced the use of copper, zinc and manganese sulphate with hydroxy trace minerals (Selko® IntelliBond® Z, C and M) in a conventional, high forage, TMR. This finding has prompted many researchers from around the world to further investigate this outcome resulting in a significant number of studies being completed and published to date. In 2022 M. Ibraheem & B. Bradford, Michigan State University finalized a comprehensive meta-analysis of 11 similar comparisons (See Figure 1) designed to evaluate the replacement of sulphate trace minerals with Selko® IntelliBond® Z, C and M. Overall results indicated that the full replacement of the sulphate trace mineral supplement program provided an NDFd increase of 1.66 points (p<.02). PICKING THE RIGHT TRACE MINERAL Research shows, when selecting a trace mineral program for your herd, you should not assume that all sources of trace minerals are alike. A recent study completed by Fermentrics® Technologies, Inc. compared multiple trace mineral sources of zinc and
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