INTRODUCTION
Adoption of high oleic Plenish® full-fat soybean meal (FFSBM) is rapidly growing across the U.S. Most recommendations and research pertaining to roasting and feeding full-fat soybeans are circa the late 1900s. Modern dairy cows have different, typically greater, nutritional needs associated with today’s higher levels of performance. With numerous centralized and on-farm processers of Plenish® FFSBM, roasting practices and particle size reduction are not standardized. A survey of Michigan and Ohio dairy farms was conducted to quantify the variation in Plenish® FFSBM as well as identify best practices associated with Plenish® soybean processing.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

• Plenish® full-fat soybean meal (FFSBM) oleic content is very stable with mean of 77.4% (SD =1.3) of total fatty acids (TFA).
• There is notable variation in Plenish® FFSBM roasting efficacy and particle size suggesting a need for improved quality control.
• Protein Dispersion Index (PDI), as a measure of roasting efficacy, is accurate across a population of samples, but less reliable for evaluating individual samples.
• PDI<14 is a reasonable target for adequate heat treatment relative to rumen undegraded protein (RUP) and urease activity.
• Mean particle size (MPS) of Plenish® FFSBM <1,000μm is associated with more desirable fecal fat levels, especially when milk yield ≥90 lbs/cow/day. Range in particle size may also be favorable to support sustained release of fatty acids in the rumen.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Pending controlled research to provide greater certainty, this survey suggests:

• Plenish FFSBM heat treatment should target PDI<14.
• Plenish FFSBM MPS<1,000μm is preferred, especially for high producing dairy cows.

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