TITLE:
Agolin Ruminant®, an Essential Oil Blend, Increases Energy-Corrected Milk and Feed Efficiency in a High Component Dairy Herd
AUTHORS:
Jorge Noricumbo-Saenz, Peter Williams, Hector Garcia
KEYWORDS:
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation, Methane, Feed Efficiency, Lactating Dairy Cows, Agolin
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.13 No.3,
July
6,
2023
ABSTRACT: Agolin® Ruminant (Agolin) is a blend of essential oils developed to improve feed efficiency while at the
same time reducing rumen enteric methane production.
Studies have shown that the product improves lactational performance,
but the range of results has been varied. This experiment evaluated the effects of the
feed additive Agolinon milk production in a high-component (fat and protein) dairy herd when provided
for an extended time. The experiment was conducted at a large commercial dairy
in the Pacific Northwest, USA.
Eight pens of cows (350 to 500 cows/pen) were
blocked by production, and pens within
blocks were randomly assigned to treatment. All pens received a common total mixed ration. Treatment consisted of
providing 1 g/cow/day of Agolin
to the test group. A 4-week
adaptation period was followed by an 11-week study period.
Milk production and milk composition were determined by cow by averaging
daily performance for the one-week period before the start of the trial
(covariate period) and the last week of each of the two test periods. Feed
intakes were determined by pen at the same time. Milk yield was 1.11 kg/cow/day
greater (P (P (P different (P = 0.854) between treatment groups at the midpoint of the trial but increased with treatment (P = 0.002)
by the end of the trial. Energy-corrected
milk/feed ratio, based on pen parameters, was significantly altered by treatment at the final
test period (1.48 vs. 1.64 kg/kg for control and test treatments,
respectively).