Delivery

Molasses is delivered on to farms in 10 tonne and 20 tonne loads.

Storage tanks must be installed in a convenient location to allow for delivery by large articulated vehicles.

Ensure the tank is fitted with the following;

7.5cm filling pipe

10 or 15cm outlet valve

Breather

Sight glass

Recommended Tank Size

Note:1 cubic metre = 1.4 tonnes molasses

 An additional 2 cubic metres are required to facilitate refilling before the tank runs empty.

 Feeding Rates

Molasses is an excellent feed for dairy, beef and sheep. For optimum conversion molasses blends can be included in the diet at up to 10-15% of the total ration dry matter. The following intake levels are for guidance only and we recommend they are discussed with the farm nutritional advisor to ensure the diet is correctly balanced.

Note 1 litre of molasses weighs 1.4 kg

United Molasses (Ireland) Limited offer 4 products for the farm market depending on the application and preference of the customer. 

Typical product Analysis (Fresh Basis)

The protein source is highly degradable and is particularly valuable to ruminant livestock.

This analysis can be used as a guide and viscosities may vary. 

Molasses and milk protein and quality

Generally, it is agreed that high energy feeds can lead to increased milk protein content. Carbohydrate, particularly in the form of rapidly fermentable metabolisable energy (FME), is required to optimise rumen microbial growth and nutrient metabolism. With more high starch containing ingredients included in rations, a greater proportion of the feed energy is coming from starch which, as a rapidly fermentable carbohydrate, can have influence on milk protein. This will be complemented by the rapidly fermentable sugars from cane molasses acting as an energy source A number of trials illustrate this effect.

Molasses stimulates microbial growth: Molasses is a rapidly fermentable energy source for rumen micro-organisms. During the 1980’s, dairy cow trials at the Scottish Colleges and Irish research institutes showed that including molasses in the diet increased both microbial efficiency and microbial nitrogen utilization. Indeed, the effect was greater than that of a starch supplement. (ref: Chamberlain et al, 1985; Newbold et al, 1987; Thomas and Rae 1988 and Mayne 1989)

The effect of molasses compared with barley on milk protein and its constituents

A study conducted at The Scottish College’s Crichton Royal Farm (Wood, SAC Expt. CD/6, 1990) directly compared barley with molaferm fed to late lactating dairy cows. Molasses replaced 60% of the starch in isoenergetic diets.

Milk protein yield was the same for both carbohydrate sources, but the milk from the molasses-based diet had lower NPN content and higher true protein level i.e. casein plus serum proteins. It was reported again that molasses blend increased rumen microbial nitrogen flow and efficiency of ammonia/urea utilization (Table 1). 

A series of three further diary cow trials at the Scottish Colleges from 1992 to 1995 again showed increased protein content of milk following dietary supplementation with Molaferm. The first (Yan and Roberts, Animal Production 54:476,1992) showed that increasing levels of the molasses blend in a 16% protein grass silage-based diet gave a statistically significant increase in milk proteins. An increasing proportion of serum proteins were also seen with each stepped increase in the molasses blend level (Table 2).

Their second study (Yan and Roberts, Animal Production 56:424, !993) also showed significant increased milk protein content and milk yield (up 11%) when higher levels of protein in the complete diet mix were fed. This was as a result of better utilisation of rumen degradable protein and NPN (Table 3).

This confirmed general observations seen in feeding dairy cows that there must be sufficient rumen degradable protein in the diet to support this increased energy source for rumen microbes, and that they should be provided together “in synchrony”.

In 1995 (McKendrick SAC Report CD35, Reported at BSAS 1996) feed cane molasses was fed in conjunction with concentrates and good quality grass silage balanced to give the same dietary protein (18%) as the compound plus silage only diet. Dietary dry matter intake was increased with a consequent increase in milk protein and yield (Table 4). 

In Ireland, studies to evaluate supplementary energy sources to combat low milk proteins when cows are predominantly fed grass silage and concentrates, Moorepark Research Centre looked at both sucrose (Kealy and Murphy, J. Dairy Sci.77, Suppl, 114, 1994) and various level of molasses (Murphy and Younge, 1995). 

In the molasses trial, a balanced, Latin Square design of four periods of four weeks looked at 5 to 15% molasses in grass silage (100% silage control, to 85% silage 15% molasses) fed with concentrate supplements of beet pulp, soyabean meal, rapeseed meal and maize gluten feed. Silage was of good quality and the protein content of the diet was maintained the same throughout. The researchers concluded that there was a significant increase in milk yield, protein yield, protein concentration, casein yield and total dry matter intake with increasing levels of molasses inclusion (Table 5) 

SUMMARY

Incorporating molasses in concentrate/silage diets can increase milk protein yield, with the higher protein figure arising from true milk protein and not NPN. There can also be an improved protein to fat ratio in the milk and the milk yield is optimised by supplying adequate rumen degradable protein.