Typical Soyex inclusion rates are 2-3kg/lactating cow/day and 1.5-2.5kg/dry cow/day, replacing 70%+ of externally purchased proteins (and fats). How much external protein can be replaced will depend on your operation’s nutrition, cost, and production goals. Soyex is not limited to lactating rations, but can be included in dry cow, heifer, and older calf and veal rations too!

Soyex+ can be fed in even higher amounts in dairy diets and is also suitable for non-ruminant diets. 

No, Soyex does not have to be heat treated for use in ruminant rations. Soyex does see some heat during processing through the Energrow System, thereby maintaining naturally occurring vitamins and amino acids. It is not treated to very high temperatures as in roasting, micronizing, or large scale extrusion plants. It is also not treated with any chemicals like in solvent extraction.

The value point of Soyex is its digestibility and being a fresh source for protein and energy! It’s a high quality and palatable feed that’s made in a very economical way right on your farm. 

To date there has not been a ruminant ration that could not use Soyex to replace at least 50% of the purchased protein requirement. Soyex tends to excel in higher corn silage rations where more purchased protein can be replaced. The amount and quality of forages fed and the feed passage through the rumen will determine the amount of Soyex that can be fed.  

For non-ruminant rations, Energrow offers a system that heat treats Soyex to make a high bypass protein meal (Soyex+) that’s also suitable for hogs and poultry. 

Typical Soyex may not be high bypass, but it is still capable to effectively replace over 70% of your purchased proteins in a dairy ration. Strictly considering the level of bypass protein in a feed is an older way of looking at protein in rations. Many companies have invested into bypass technology and as long as producers buy this technology over improved ration modeling technology the companies maintain higher profits. This does not mean there is no use for these products, just less requirements for bypass protein than previously believed. 

Soyex can be used on its own or in combination with heat-treated soybeans (i.e Soyex+, roasted soybeans, etc.) or other proteins like canola meal to balance the protein requirements in a dairy ration. How much external feed is needed depends on the quality of your on-farm feed (including Soyex) and your specific production or component goals. If a dairy ration needs more degradable and soluble protein (high corn silage or low quality hay), Soyex fits very well because it has more degradable protein. If your ration requires more undegradable protein, then other proteins or heat treated soybean feeds can be used to complement your Soyex.

Soyex is an expeller soybean meal. There are a number of ways it compares to solvent soybean meal:

1. It’s pelleted and not powderized) – pelleted feed is more stable and holds quality better than powderized feed. Fines are also minimized in the feed mix increasing uptake.
2. It’s an excellent source of energy – half the oil (fat) is left in resulting Soyex making it a concentrated source of protein and energy means you can cut back on protein and high energy ingredients and save more!
3. It’s highly palatable – Soyex can be fed in robots on its own or in combination with corn to significantly reduce or replace robot feed pellets.
4. Like solvent meal, Soyex is an excellent source of soluble protein and like extruded meals, Soyex+ is a source of high bypass protein – you can make either or both ingredients and tailor the mix to your ration based on what you have available from your forages or other local cost effective feeds. 

Click here to see how Soyex compares to other soy protein sources. 

Soyex contains urease which breaks urea down into ammonia. Be aware of all ingredients in feeds provided to your cattle. Many commercially available protein tubs and blocks contain urea, which can potentially be fatal to cattle when fed in conjunction with raw soybeans or Soyex. Range cubes may also contain urea. Do not feed any combination of urea-containing products and Soyex to cattle.

Energrow does offer a system that heat treats Soyex to make a high bypass expeller meal (Soyex+), a meal that’s also suitable for non-ruminants like hogs and poultry. Because this meal is heat treated, it can be fed with urea supplements.

Soyex works – ask any of our crushers that have a nutritionist that supports them! Like any other feed ingredient it will work better in some rations than in others due to the other feed ingredients made available. All feed ingredients need to be balanced in the ration properly to be effective. Soyex is no exception and can be fed successfully, significantly reducing purchased protein and energy feed in properly balanced rations.

Click here to review the top 10 most common misconceptions nutritionists have about Soyex!

Energrow exists to help farmers keep more money in their pocket and we want to work with your nutritionist to help you maximize your success. We understand that your nutritionist may be hesitant to work with the product because it’s unfamiliar to them and not a product that they sell. There are nutritionists that support and understand how to feed Soyex and we can connect you with them if you feel that your nutritionist is not interested or willing to work with you.

For Soyex to work effectively for you, the following are some key guidelines for you and your dairy nutritionist:

• Do not feed any urea in the ration. Soyex still has a high level of urease in the meal and the protein structure is higher in the soluble portion than regular soybean meal.
• Decrease or eliminate distillers from the ration, since it also brings in a high level of oil to the ration.
• Decrease or eliminate SBM and other soy protein products with canola meal to balance the ration.
• Hold total fat levels at around 5.0% and LCFA at 3.5%  
• ADF and NDF should continue to be at 19% plus and 28 to 32% respectively.

For ingredient costing and cost of production values, please contact Energrow. We’re happy to provide the cost of production specific for your farm in order for your nutritionist to value the Soyex properly in the rationing software. 

Energrow and its supporting team of nutritionists have worked with many dairy producers.  Producers with the highest success buy a system based on it being an economic decision and having support by a nutritionist that’s open-minded and informed. Soyex works. Energrow will review your ration or work with your current nutritionist to see if it is right for you!