Breeder testimony: yeasts to boost productivity!

At the Gaec du Coadic in Arzano (29), there has been a new ingredient in the cow’s ration since January 2022. Following a test proposed by Patrick Le Delliou (cattle nutrition technician), Jacques Valegant, breeder, adds Live Yeasts in his ration to produce the maximum amount of milk per place and improve his feed cost margin (MCA). He gained €0.7/DV/d of MCA with the use of Delta® Yeasts.

Personalized advice and follow-up

In this breeding at 35kg/cow, Patrick Le Delliou knows well that the objective of the breeding is to have a good regular production  over the year while monitoring the margin on feed cost. He then advised the associates to give Delta® Yeasts a try. “I had noticed in specialized magazines that productive farms regularly contained them, so I agreed to try” explains Jacques Valegant, breeder. At the beginning of January 2022, before starting the distribution of Delta® Yeasts, Patrick Le Delliou accompanied by Nicolas Cherel, Phileo technician, recorded the data on rations, milk production and carried out adung sieving. After 6 weeks of use, these different data could be compared.

Tested and approved

The results were not long in coming, a milk gain was observed after 3 weeks of use. After 6 weeks, the data measured showed more than 2 kg of milk per cow, with an identical ration, while the stage of lactation had progressed by 19 days (from 164 to 183 days of lactation). The calculated feed efficiency was 1.66 kg of standard milk produced per kg of DM ingested. Patrick Le Delliou also noticed a 33% drop in residues in the dung sieves.  During the distribution of the Delta® Yeasts, there was only 4% on the 5 mm grid and 13.5% on the 2 mm grid (optimum figures in terms of ration enhancement meaning good fiber digestibility).

With a few months of hindsight, Jacques underlines “there is better ingestion and regular milk production even during changes in ration or rises in temperature in the building”. Lactation persistence and primiparous starts are also better than in the past. The numbers from the trial showed an increased production of 3L for the top 50 LVs in the herd.

4200€ additional margin

“I will mainly remember the economic side of Delta® Yeasts.With a milk price of 400€/1000L, I saw an increase in my margin on food cost of 0.7€/LV/D” comments Jacques. Each month, with 200 cows, the farm generates an additional €4,200 in margin.  Following the increase in the price of the various raw materials, it is even more important to add value to each ingredient in the ration. The positive impact of live yeasts on the economic side is therefore even more marked in the current economic climate.

50 billion CFU of live yeast

The contribution of Delta®Levures allows a better functioning of the rumen, favorable to the development of the flora degrading the fibers and that consuming the lactic acid in the rumen. The visible signs for the breeder are the increase in milk production and the butterfat rate, as well as a reduction in residues in the dung sieves (less fibre, less grain) for a better valuation of the ration. A distribution of 50g of Delta®Levures provides a dose of 50 billion CFU of live Actisaf® yeast per cow per day. It can also be distributed todry cows, heifers and meat cattle with adapted proportions. “It’s a trial that has proven conclusive to keep a good margin on feed cost” concludes the breeder who seeks to have a maximum margin on feed cost with fodder from the farm”.