Canola meal is now firmly established as a high-performance, sustainable protein source for dairy and other ruminants. Compared to traditional options like soybean meal, canola meal delivers multiple advantages:
- Boosts milk yield and improves nitrogen-use efficiency, especially in early lactation.
- Supplies key amino acids, particularly methionine and histidine, for better milk protein synthesis and metabolic health.
- Offers consistent benefits across a variety of diets, herds and production systems, as confirmed by meta-analyses.
- Performs even better when combined with other coproducts or when processed (e.g. heat-treated, finely ground), increasing digestibility and energy value.
These abstracts show canola meal is cost-effective, adaptable and well suited to modern dairy & other ruminant nutrition goals.
Abstracts:
https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajas/article/view/264686
Replacement of soybean with canola improves short-term milk yield and nitrogen-use efficiency in high-producing, early-lactation Holstein cows.
Mohammadi, F., Firouzabadi, M.S.S., Savari, M., Kachoie, M.A., Rayshan, A.R., Sivapriya, T. and Abdollahzadeh, F., 2023. South African Journal of Animal Science, 53(5), pp.649-657.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408398.2022.2033686
Research progress and future study on physicochemical, nutritional, and structural characteristics of canola and rapeseed feedstocks and co-products from bio-oil processing and nutrient modeling evaluation methods.
Oliveira, A.M.D. and Yu, P., 2023. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 63(23), pp.6484-6490.
https://www.proquest.com/openview/a253056954faf12231f1f1f5f75e7c96/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
Production and Physiological Effects of Including Soybean Meal or Canola Meal in Dairy Cow Diets from the Close-Up Dry Period to Mid-Lactation.
Kuehnl, J.M., 2022. The University of Wisconsin-Madison.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/13/2192
Impact of partially substituting canola meal with solvent-extracted distillers grain with solubles as a protein source on milk production in a commercial Holstein dairy herd.
Edwards, R.J., Ledgerwood, D.N., Ferreira, F.C. and Rossow, H.A., 2023. Animals, 13(13), p.2192.
https://www.canolacouncil.org/canolamazing/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/canola-meal-as-a-feed-ingredient-for-lactating-dairy-cows-a-review.pdf
Canola Meal as a Feed Ingredient for Lactating Dairy Cows.
Evans, E. and Wood, B., 2023. Journal of Advanced Dairy Research, 11, p.625.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030223004101
Production effects of extruded soybean meal replacing canola meal in the diet of lactating dairy cows.
Cueva, S.F., Räisänen, S.E., Wasson, D.E., Lage, C.F.A., Silvestre, T., Kniffen, D.M., Fabin, R.A. and Hristov, A.N., 2023. Journal of dairy science, 106(9), pp.6198-6215.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022030221006925
Diet supplementation with canola meal improves milk production, reduces enteric methane emissions, and shifts nitrogen excretion from urine to feces in dairy cows.
Benchaar, C., Hassanat, F., Beauchemin, K.A., Gislon, G. and Ouellet, D.R., 2021. Journal of Dairy Science.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/6/1636
Canola Meal versus Soybean Meal as Protein Supplements in the Diets of Lactating Dairy Cows Affects the Greenhouse Gas Intensity of Milk.
Holtshausen, L., Benchaar, C., Kröbel, R. and Beauchemin, K.A., 2021. Animals, 11(6), p.1636.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022030221000138
Lactational performance, enteric gas emissions, and plasma amino acid profile of dairy cows fed diets with soybean or canola meals included on an equal protein basis.
Lage, C.F.A., Räisänen, S.E., Stefenoni, H., Melgar, A., Chen, X., Oh, J.O.O.N.P.Y.O., Fetter, M.E., Kniffen, D.M., Fabin, R.A. and Hristov, A.N., 2021.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002203022100271X
Canola meal or soybean meal as protein source and the effect of microencapsulated sodium butyrate supplementation in calf starter mixture. I. Performance, digestibility, and selected blood variables.
Burakowska, K., Penner, G.B., Flaga, J., Kowalski, Z.M. and Górka, P., 2021. Journal of dairy science, 104(6), pp.6646-6662.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022030221005403
Effects of canola meal inclusion rate in starter mixtures for Holstein heifer calves on dry matter intake, average daily gain, ruminal fermentation, plasma metabolites, and total-tract digestibility.
Burakowska, K., Górka, P. and Penner, G.B., 2021. Journal of Dairy Science, 104(8) pp 8736-8745.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S00220302193107683
Effects of replacing soybean meal with canola meal for lactating dairy cows fed 3 different ratios of alfalfa to corn silage.
Paula, E.M., Broderick, G.A. and Faciola, A.P., 2020. Journal of Dairy Science, 103(2), pp.1463-1471.
https://li01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/anres/article/view/248673
Utilisation of canola meal as protein source in dairy cow diets: a review.
Heim, R. and Krebs, G., 2020. Agriculture and Natural Resources, 54(6), pp.623-632.
http://vetjournal.ankara.edu.tr/en/download/article-file/1032037
and canola meal as protein sources in starter diets for calves: current knowledge and directions of future studies.
GÓRKA, P. and Penner, G.B., 2020. Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi, 67(3), pp.313-321.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030220301156
Production and nitrogen metabolism in lactating dairy cows fed finely ground field pea plus soybean meal or canola meal with or without rumen-protected methionine supplementation.
Pereira, A.B.D., Moura, D.C., Whitehouse, N.L. and Brito, A.F., 2020. Journal of Dairy Science, 103(4), pp.3161-3176.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022030220305026
Effect of heat-treated canola meal and glycerol inclusion on performance and gastrointestinal development of Holstein calves.
Burakowska, K., Górka, P., Kent-Dennis, C., Kowalski, Z.M., Laarveld, B. and Penner, G.B., 2020. Journal of Dairy Science, 103(9), pp.7998-8019.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jsfa.10572
The effect of pistachio by‐product extracts treatment in protecting soybean meal and canola meal protein from rumen microbial degradation.
Shakeri, P., Reiasi, A. and Tahmasbi, R., 2020. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/10/1735
Replacement of Soybean Meal with Heat-Treated Canola Meal in Finishing Diets of Meatmaster Lambs: Physiological and Meat Quality Responses.
Sekali, M., Mlambo, V., Marume, U. and Mathuthu, M., 2020. Animals, 10(10), p.1735.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/10/704
Feeding canola, camelina, and carinata meals to ruminants.
Paula, E.M., da Silva, L.G., Brandao, V.L.N., Dai, X. and Faciola, A.P., 2019. Animals, 9(10), p.704.
https://www.publish.csiro.au/AN/AN17346
Milk production of cows grazing pasture supplemented by a partial mixed ration with or without canola meal.
Auldist, M.J., Wright, M.M., Marett, L.C., Hannah, M.C., Kennedy, E., Jacobs, J.L. and Wales, W.J., 2019. Animal Production Science, 59(4), pp.778-786.
https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/abs/10.3920/978-90-8686-891-9_137
Amino acid digestibility of canola meal estimated with pulse-dose in dairy cows or in roosters.
Békri, K., Roussi, A., Lapierre, H., Pellerin, D. and Ouellet, D.R., 2019. In EAAP Scientific Series (pp. 1701-1714). Wageningen Academic Publishers.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6722309/
Protein molecular structure, degradation and availability of canola, rapeseed and soybean meals in dairy cattle diets.
Tian Y, Zhang X, Huang R, Yu P. Asian-Australasian journal of animal sciences. 2019 Sep;32(9):1381.
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=353470/
Canola Meal for Early Lactation Cows
Moore, S.A. and Kalscheur, K.F., 2018, June.. In Symposium Proceedings (pp. 149-151).
https://lst.uk.ac.ir/article_2056.html
Effects of replacing soybean meal with canola meal and decreasing crude protein on milk production and nutrient utilization of dairy cows in early lactation.
Toti, J., Ghasemi, E. and Khorvash, M., 2018. Journal of Livestock Science and Technologies, 6(1), pp.19-29.
https://search.proquest.com/openview/722540355643bca1e87713c0143c629d/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=49113
Canola meal in dairy cow diets during early lactation increases production compared with soybean meal.
Moore, S.A.E. and Kalscheur, K.F., 2016. Journal of Animal Science, 94, pp.731-731.
Moura et al., 2018. Meta-analysis of the use of canola meal in diets for dairycows.
https://www.adsa.org/Portals/0/SiteContent/Docs/Meetings/PastMeetings/Annual/2018/087.pdf (M285)
Moore, S.A.E. and Kalscheur, K.F., 2018. Evaluation of a limit feeding strategy with canola or soybean meals on dairy cow performance.
https://www.adsa.org/Portals/0/SiteContent/Docs/Meetings/PastMeetings/Annual/2018/290.pdf (T229)
Auldist et al, 2017. Inclusion of canola meal increases milk response in partial mixed rations and grain mixes fed to grazing cows. https://www.adsa.org/Portals/0/SiteContent/Docs/Meetings/PastMeetings/Annual/2017/299.pdf (T244)
Paula et al., 2016. Effects of replacing soybean meal with canola meal or treated canola meal on ruminal digestion, and omasal nutrient fow in lactating dairy cows.
https://www.adsa.org/Portals/0/SiteContent/Docs/Meetings/PastMeetings/Annual/2016/614.pdf (1404)
Paula et al., 2016. Effects of replacing soybean meal with canola meal or treated canola meal on nitrogen metabolism and total tract digestibility in lactating dairy cows.
https://www.adsa.org/Portals/0/SiteContent/Docs/Meetings/PastMeetings/Annual/2016/614.pdf (1584)
Abeysekara, S and T. Mutsvangwa. 2016. Effects of feeding canola meal or wheat dried distillers’ grains with solubles alone or in combination as the major protein sources on ruminal function and production in dairy cows.
https://www.adsa.org/Portals/0/SiteContent/Docs/Meetings/PastMeetings/Annual/2016/614.pdf (1580)