Three major taboos to avoid when feeding soybean meal to cattle

1. Never feed it raw.

Soybean meal contains some harmful substances, such as trypsin inhibitors, goitrogenic substances, saponins and hemagglutinins. The presence of trypsin inhibitors reduces the small intestine's ability to digest and absorb protein, and very easily causes diarrhea, with calves being affected even more prominently. Long-term, large-scale feeding of raw soybean meal can also cause pathological enlargement of the pancreas and goiter in cattle, disrupting their metabolism. After proper heat treatment, such as heating to 110°C for 3 minutes, the above harmful substances lose their effect. However, heat treatment must be appropriate; overheating will denature the soybean meal protein and reduce its nutritional value.

2. Avoid particle size that is too large or too small.

If the particle size is too small, it will produce a large amount of ammonia in the cow's rumen, causing protein loss and, in severe cases, ammonia poisoning in cattle; if the particle size is too large, it will not be digested completely, thus reducing its feeding value. Generally, soybean meal should be processed to a particle size of 0.9-2.5 mm in diameter (8-20 mesh).

3. Avoid mixing with urea.

Raw soybean meal contains urease, which can break down urea to produce ammonia and carbon dioxide; therefore, raw soybean meal must not be mixed with urea.