Research shows Enogen corn increases feed efficiency

MADISON, Wis. — Switching to Enogen corn silage in dairy rations can increase feed efficiency.

“We found you get on average about a 5% increase in feed efficiency,” said Chris Cook, head of Enogen for Syngenta Seeds.

“Enogen is a corn hybrid that has the alpha amylase enzyme trait technology in it,” Cook said. “This is a novel trait technology that converts starch into sugar.”

“Efficiency is the most tightly correlated metric connected to dairy producers’ bottom line,” said John Goeser, animal nutrition, research and innovation director at Rock River Laboratory Inc.

“Every dairy is pushed on efficiency because producing more isn’t always the answer,” Cook said. “It’s being more efficient with what you’re doing and that’s exactly what we can deliver by just switching hybrids.”

Starch digestibility, Goeser said, is one of his team’s focal points.

“In today’s economic environment, starch digestibility is very important,” he said. “With the dollars we spend to plant that acre, harvest the corn, mix it in the diet and run it through a cow, starch digestibility is something we need to pay attention to.”

Studies up to this point have largely been conducted with Holsteins, Goeser said.

“I would speculate there may be differences attributable to breed because we know that Jerseys are more efficient than Holsteins in volume output relative to intake,” Goeser said. “Because of body size there’s less maintenance they need to support.”

“As we continue to investigate efficiency, looking at different breeds is something we could prioritize in future trials,” he said. “Dairy cows are mysterious creatures, so we don’t quite have them figured out.”

Syngenta Seeds conducted a life-cycle assessment for the dairy industry to evaluate the impact of switching to Enogen corn in feed rations.

“For a 1,000-cow dairy, it’s like removing 314 cars from the road for one year for greenhouse gas reduction or taking 249 acres out of production for growing corn,” Cook said. “That’s a significant impact plus the dollar value that goes back to the producer.”

Enogen hybrids are available in maturities ranging from 80- to 118-day corn.

“Enogen corn is planted from Maine to California, from Washington to Florida, and up into Canada,” Cook said.

“One of the benefits with Enogen is you’re raising hybrid corn, so the management styles are the same,” he said. “At the end of the year, you can take if for grain, so it’s not targeted only for silage.”

Farmers can download the free Cropwise Sustainability app developed by Syngenta to track their farm practices.

“You can show all the activities you do on the Enogen acre and start to paint the picture of sustainability,” Cook said. “Farmers are doing these things today and now we can start to think about what to do with that information.”

“We don’t have very much data on methane emissions per unit of milk produced with different technologies like nutritional solutions or management strategies,” Goeser said.

“We need to expand our understanding options and technologies and how they may influence the dairy farm carbon footprint,” he said. “Without that information, we’re going to be at the mercy of a few solutions that may or may not fit our operation.”

“We better figure it out or it’s going to be done by somebody in Washington or somewhere else,” Cook said. “They are going to tell you what you should do even though they have no concept of what it takes to do it.”

“My fear is dairy farms are asked to sign an affidavit stating they’re going to adopt a technology that costs them 15 to 20 cents per animal per day without any return on investment,” Goeser said.

For more information about Enogen corn, contact a Golden Harvest Seed Advisor, a NK retailer or visit www.EnogenFeed.com.