PUBLISHED BY SOYBEAN GROWERS FOR THE FEED INDUSTRYmay 2008

USDA Agricultural Projections to 2017 Report
Each February the U.S. Department of Agriculture hosts an Agricultural Forum in Washington D.C. This Forum reviews the current agriculture situation, production trends and agricultural policies for the attendees. This year’s Forum concluded the following for soybeans:

• “Domestic use of soybeans continues to rise slowly. U.S. soybean exports fall, however, as acreage declines and as more soybeans are processed domestically.
  
• Long run growth in domestic soybean crush is mostly driven by increasing demand for domestic soybean meal for livestock feed. Some gains in crush also reflect increases in domestic soybean oil demand for biodiesel production through 2013/14. Increases in export demand for soybean oil and soybean meal also add to crush demand.
  
• U.S. soybean exports fall below 900 million bushels as competition from Brazil strengthens and U.S. acreage shifts to corn to support ethanol production. Consequently, the U.S. market share of global soybean trade declines from 35 percent in 2007/08 to about 21 percent at the end of the projections.
  
• Although U.S. exports of soybean oil and soybean meal increase modestly, the United States loses market share in global trade of these products against the strengthening competition from South American producers.
  
• Following a decline in 2007/08 from historically high stocks, a rebound in soybean acreage in 2008 keeps stocks from falling further. After 2008, shifts in acreage to corn from soybeans keep soybean stocks from rebuilding and the stocks-to-use ratio declines”.

United States Department of Agriculture; Office of Chief Economist and World Agricultural Outlook Board report; Long-term Projections to 2017; OCE-2008-1; February 2008.

Comparing Soybean Meal Products for Dairy
The ruminal degradability and lysine bioavailability of four soybean meals were determined in three studies conducted at Kansas State University. The four soybean meal products were: 1) solvent SBM, 2) solvent SBM treated with 0.05% baker’s yeast and toasted at 100°C, 3) expeller SBM, and 4) lignosulfonate-treated SBM. Dietary treatments were formulated by substituting all of the solvent SBM and part of the ground corn with the other three SBMs to yield isonitrogenous diets. The diets were formulated to provide adequate ruminally degradable protein, but deficient ruminal undigestible protein and metabolizable protein supplies. No differences among dietary treatments were observed for dry matter intake, body weight gain, milk and component yields, or efficiency of milk production. The research group concluded that the lack of response to changes in SBM source was likely due to an adequate RUP and metabolizable protein supply by all the diets. The in situ ruminal degradations of yeast/toasted SBM and lignosulfonate-treated SBM were slower than those of solvent or expeller-processed SBM were; thus, ruminal undigestible protein contents of these meals greater than those of the solvent or expeller-processed SBM. All SBM products had similar small intestinal digestibility. Available lysine contents, estimated chemically or by using a chick growth assay, were less for yeast/toasted and lignosulfonate-treaded SBM than for solvent or expeller-processed SBM, suggesting that the toasting and lignosulfonate treatment reduced lysine availability.

Awawdeh, M.S. and co-workers. 2007. Ruminal degradability and lysine bioavailability of soybean meals and effects on performance of dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 90: (4740-4753).

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