TITLE:
Evaluation of Agolin® Ruminant, an Essential Oil Blend, as a Feed Additive for Cows at Two Levels of Production
AUTHORS:
Rosalio Brambila, Jorge Noricumbo-Saenz
KEYWORDS:
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation, Methane, Feed Efficiency, Lactating Dairy Cows, Agolin
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.12 No.3,
June
27,
2022
ABSTRACT: Agolin®Ruminant (Agolin) is a commercially available blend of essential oils which has
been demonstrated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in dairy cows and improve
energy corrected milk and feed efficiency. Further trials are needed with large
numbers of cows to confirm the magnitude of effect of this feed additive on
milk production under differing feeding conditions and stages of lactation.
Information that can be quantified from newer on-farm systems of measurement is
likewise needed. This study was conducted to determine the effects of this
additive on high producing (48 kg of milk/day average) just past peak lactation
and medium producing dairy cows (43 kg of milk/day average) further along in
lactation under commercial conditions that would typically occur in the Pacific
Northwest USA. Four pens of approximately 400 Holstein cows/pen (two high
producing pens and two medium producing pens) were available for this side-by
side study. Performance results were determined using data derived from a
subscription standardized monitoring system (High Desert Dairy Laboratory, Inc,
Nampa, ID, USA) that provided results for milk yield, fat percentage and
protein percentage. As well daily in-stall electronic monitoring of milk only
was available. All pens received a common total mixed ration typical of rations
fed in the Pacific Northwest, USA. The Agolin feed additive was dispensed
through the bulk mineral supply with control cows receiving the normal minerals
and the treatment cows receiving the normal minerals plus Agolin. The trial
began on August 24, 2021, with treatment cows provided with 1 g/head/day for the
duration of the 8-week long study. Dry matter intakes were determined daily for
the week before the trial was conducted and the last week of the trial.
Treatment results were compared using a general linear model that considered
pretrial milk, fat yield and protein yield, days in milk and lactation number.
There were 678 high producing cows available for the duration of the study.
Based on the standardized testing results, milk yield was greater (1.12
kg/cow/day; P milk for Agolin-fed
cows in both high and medium production pens (1.58 and 2.13 kg/cow/day;
P