U.S. soybean production is forecast at 2.6
billion bushels, down slightly from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
estimates last month based on lower yield prospects, especially in areas
that have experienced drought during the summer. The soybean crush was
raised 25 million bushels due to stronger projected domestic soybean
meal disappearance. Soybean exports were reduced 45 million bushels
to 975 million bushels as stronger domestic demand limits exportable
supplies. Soybean ending stocks are projected at 215 million bushels,
which are down 61 percent from 2006/07 levels. USDA estimates that soybean
meal prices will average between $205-$235 during this crop year. Bottom
line is that the U.S. 2007 soybean crop is short; the soybean crush
continues to grow at the expense of reduced soybean exports and soybean
inventories in storage; and the feed formulator will be required to
pay a little more this year for soybean meal.
Global oilseed meal production for 2007/08 is projected at 160.3 million
metric tons of which U.S. meal production is forecast at 39.36 million
metric tons, and foreign meal production is estimated at 120.93 million
tons. The following table provides 2007/08 estimates of soybean meal
production and use. About eighty percent of the meal produced in the
U.S. is used domestically in animal and poultry feeds and twenty percent
exported, whereas most of the meal produced in Argentina is exported
and in China most of the meal produced is used domestically. The importance
of meal exports to the EU-27 countries can be seen since soybean meal
production is significantly less than their meal needs.
| World Soybean Meal Supply and Use 2007/08 (Projected) | ||||||||
| SUPPLY | USE | |||||||
| Production | Imports | Domestic | Exports | |||||
| (Million Metric Tons) | ||||||||
| United States | 39.36 | 0.15 | 32.02 | 7.48 | ||||
| Argentina | 30.23 | 0.00 | 0.64 | 29.49 | ||||
| Brazil | 22.74 | 0.22 | 10.88 | 12.00 | ||||
| India | 5.44 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 3.47 | ||||
| EU-27 | 12.00 | 24.60 | 35.96 | 0.65 | ||||
| China | 30.25 | 0.50 | 30.20 | 0.55 | ||||
Soybean Meal-Dairy
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin conducted an experiment to
evaluate the effects of urea, soybean meal, cottonseed meal or canola
meal on microbial protein synthesis and nutrient flow into the omasum.
The alfalfa silage, corn silage, high-moisture shelled corn and test protein
diets contained 16.6% crude protein. Results indicated that microbial
nonammonia nitrogen flow was similar among the oilseed protein ingredients
and 14% lower than in cows fed urea. The estimated protein escaping rumen
digestion was 29% for the solvent soybean meal, 51% for cottonseed meal
and 34% for the canola meal. Omasal flow of microbial protein and amino
acids was greater on the cows fed the three supplement protein sources
compared to cows fed urea. The lower flows of amino acids and microbial
protein explains the lower milk yields and altered milk components observed
for cows fed a urea diet in a companion lactation study. The authors concluded
that these results clearly show that supplementation with true protein
was necessary to obtain sufficient microbial protein and rumen-undegraded
protein to meet the metabolizable amino acid requirements of high-producing
dairy cows.
Brito, A.F., G.A. Broderick and S.M. Reynal. 2007. Effect of different
protein supplements on omasal nutrient flow and microbial protein synthesis
in lactating dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 90: 1828-1841.

The SOYBEAN
MEAL INFORMATION CENTER is sponsored by the Soybean Checkoff: Including
the checkoff boards from, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska