EFKO company began producing mixed protected proteins and debuted a new product, the press cake containing two different types of protected proteins: sunflower and soybean, at the "Effective and Innovative in Dairy Farming" conference in Moscow.

How do protected proteins function? For the balanced metabolism of highly productive cows, most proteins (about 60-70%) shall reach the abomasum - the last, fourth, stomach compartment. Here, the proteins are broken down into amino acids, needed to sustain milk production, and then absorbed in the intestines.

However, without such protein "protection", excessive amounts of split protein enter the rumen, the cow's first stomach. And the microflora does not have time to use all the released nitrogen, disrupting the entire metabolic chain.

Mixed protected protein primarily addresses the issue of farm economics. It is cheaper than its single-protein alternatives while retaining all the essential characteristics of an effective feed: protein content not broken down in the rumen is a minimum of 60%, the presence of two essential amino acids, lysine (2.1%) and methionine (0.6%), the absence of GMOs and low ash content.

Irina Pervykh
Director of EFKO's Effective Feed Division

"Such a comprehensive solution will be particularly relevant for medium-sized and small farms and can help them increase farm productivity without significant additional costs. Protected proteins work immediately since adding them to the cattle ration, even at the slightest increase in feeding expenses, has a noticeable and palpable impact on the quality and quantity of milk. In terms of money, the farmer wins keeping the cow healthy and prolonging its life."

EFKO is one of the top three largest producers of high-protein sunflower, soybean, and rapeseed press cakes in Russia, and processes oilseeds at oil extraction plants with a total capacity exceeding 4.5 million tons per year.

At EFKO, innovative cattle feed is developed within the Smart Farm Project. It consists of several divisions. The effective feed laboratory at Biruch Innovation Centre creates new feed solutions. The dairy farming laboratory conducts a whole range of analyses for livestock farms. The high-performance feed division scales up production and sells the products. EFKO's oil and raw material division is in charge of producing and selling feed for other fields of livestock farming.

Along with protected proteins, EFKO's range of feed additives includes three types of press cakes, ULTRA FEED F and EXTRA FEED protected fats, as well as CALCI FEED MAX calcium salts of fatty acids.