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.