Potato

POTATO BLEND “A GREAT SOURCE OF STARCH” Potato co-product blends have been successfully fed to animals for hundreds of years, and for good reason, as they can be considered an economical and significant partial replacement for grain in both feedlot and dairy cattle rations.

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The benefits of feeding Potato Blend are-

• It is a significant energy source-   because of its highly digestible starch content, and it compares very favorably against both grain and other energy sources (such as fat) when formulating cattle rations.
• Increased milk protein- dairy cattle need starch per se as part of their ration to improve milk protein. This feature is seldom recognized but the fact is that other energy sources such as fibre and fat don’t improve milk protein, and in some instances high fat levels can suppress it.
• Increased milk volume- the high starch in Potato Blend enhances milk production. Overall, this combined with increased milk protein means increased milk solids.
• It enhances the value of high fibre silages- when mixed at feeding time the Potato Blend (because of its high starch content) compliments these high fibre silages that are normally lacking in fermentable starches and sugars. Potato Blend also adds fermentable fibre and more importantly contributes a significant quantity of rumen digestible starch that is normally lacking in this type of silage.
• Improves microbial protein synthesis and overall dry matter digestibility- this is particularly true when fed in conjunction with high fibre silages and low quality pastures.
• Allows greater use of urea- the highly fermentable nature of Potato Blend enables greater use of urea to provide protein for microbial growth.
• It is a safer supplement to feed than grain- the fibrous moist nature of the Potato Blend prevents excessive consumption by individual animals, especially if the product can be spread out in a trough. Feeding dry grain supplements to animals on pasture frequently results in over consumption leading to acidosis and possibly death.