Panelists: High Oleic Soybeans Drive Efficiency Gains
Published: Friday, February 13, 2026
High oleic soybeans have the potential to be a real game changer in dairy rations, according to Dr. Adam Locke who, along with a farmer panel, presented findings from several years of on-farm feed research during Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference.
During the presentation, Lock recognized the Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture which provided financial support for the studies.
Panel members included Nathan Brandt, Four Cubs Farm in Grantsburg, Wis, Brian Preston, Preston Farms, Coldwater, Mich, Nate Elzinga and Alycia Bales both representing Caledonia Farmers Elevator.
Total fat content and total protein are consistent between conventional and high oleic soybeans.
"What sets high oleic apart is they have the potential to increase milk production due to a difference in fatty acid profiles between the two varieties," Lock said. "You can crash the rumen quickly with traditional soybeans fed in higher amounts, but high oleic fatty acid can bypass the rumen and improve fat absorption."
"We can get more energy into the cow, it improves insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue, a key for the transition cow. In high producing cows we see good production responses with more oleic acid in the diet."
Lock noted that another benefit is cows move into a positive energy balance more quickly after calving and maintained peak production longer. Less risk for milk fat depression and increased milk fat synthesis were other consistent benefits.
Studies also showed that rations with high oleic soybean meal lowered the risk for milk fat depression and increased milk fat synthesis. These production gains were demonstrated consistently in on-farm trials.
Plenish, by Pioneer, a GMO variety, and Soyleic by GMO Soybean Board, a non-GMO variety, are the only commercially available seed sources at this time for high oleic soybeans.
"High oleic soybeans can be one way to raise your own fatty acid and protein source at the same time," Lock said.
Good results are being achieved with the addition of anywhere from 8-16% DM of high oleic beans and can replace other fat sources that provide 18-carbon fatty acid. The benefits stack up when the ration includes palmitic acid and has good fiber digestibility, backed by a genetic program aggressively chasing milk production.
Achieving the highest benefit from high oleic beans will add to up-front and production costs. Seed costs more and there may be changes in fertility and pest management requirements. There could be a yield loss in specialty soybeans, as well as opportunity costs that limit or change crop rotations, and displace corn or other crops.
Extracting the highest nutritional potential and income over feed costs from high oleic beans will require roasting, followed by further processing of grinding, rolling, or cracking. Mobile fire roasting units are an option when the infrastructure isn't ready to accommodate an on-site roaster, bins and processing. A basic electric, on-farm system could cost between $15,000-$18,000, and higher if more bins, a cooling hopper, and concrete are needed.
The closed loop system at Four Cubs Farm paid for itself in about two and a half years, according to Brandt, who said that most of the installation and construction work was done themselves.
Operating costs add an estimated $18 per ton for the feed, which includes depreciation, energy and handling, and charging off the beans at $360 per ton.
Preston noticed that something has changed in the herd since incorporating high oleic beans in 2024. "One of our biggest issues for the last ten years has been death loss, cows just split out, we found dead in the snow, or whatever. We would run a twelve percent death loss, and that just is not acceptable," he said. "We've thrown so many things at it but could never really move that number. I feel foolish to say that the beans are a magic bullet, but the death loss is down to 8%, and the only other thing we added besides the beans was a little bit of concrete work."
With no changes in parlor procedure, Preston also noted that somatic cell count dropped and stayed in the 105,000 - 110,000 cells/ml range down from a consistent 150-160,000.
Bales began feeding high oleic as a trial in 2021.
"Cows were hitting a dry matter intake limit, and we wondered how to make this diet more nutrient dense in every bite," he said. Since they were already raising the beans, they bagged some and hired a mobile roaster service, adding only about 4% to the ration.
"There wasn't a big bump, but we saw subtle changes on the reproduction side."
They decided to embrace the concept fully, installing a roaster and closed loop system that runs continuously.
"When we started in 2021, we were at 4.16% fat, and today we are at 5.16%, 5.2% protein and 90 pounds of milk. Our feed efficiency has improved by leaps and bounds. That's less feed, and the cows make less manure to haul away," Bales said.
Gains in reproduction numbers is where Brandt finds more value through using high oleic beans.
"We always see a little sophomore slump in catching second lactation cows, but that has not been the case, he said." Though fat may not be adding much value to the milk at this time in terms of price, he sees the fat value hidden in the reproduction benefits.
Preston says that they are experimenting with different high oleic feeding levels among different cow groups.
"When you are bringing in this much protein from the beans, I think it is going to displace some of the alfalfa, and it's going to cut down the number of expensive alfalfa acres that we need."
Preston and Bales agreed that keeping the production and processing as local as possible and minimizing or eliminating transportation costs is key to profitability when including high oleic roasted soybeans in dairy rations.
Return to Top of Page