CP or MP?
David Balbian, Area Dairy Specialist
Central New York Dairy and Field Crops
Is Your Ration Balanced for Crude Protein (CP) or Metabolizable Protein (MP)?
CP is Old School Technology!
Crude protein is simply the total amount of protein fed to the cow. If your ration is balanced for crude protein, the levels of soluble, degradable, and undegradable protein may also be calculated. Your nutritionist may be formulating your ration to meet certain levels of these protein fractions. However, this is outdated technology; Metabolizable protein is defined as the true protein that is absorbed in the cow's intestine.
The two major sources of MP flowing from the rumen are undegraded protein and microbial protein. Microbial protein is from microbial cells that grew in the rumen. Undegraded protein escapes rumen digestion and moves directly to the intestine. Balancing diets for metabolizable protein is a much more accurate predictor of animal performance, however it takes more sophisticated computer software to calculate it. With today's sky high feed protein prices we need to be balancing for MP! Ask your nutritionist how your ration is balanced. If it is not balanced for MP, ask why not.
Upcoming Events
Minority and Women-Onwed Business Enterprise (MWBE) Certification 101
December 13, 2023
Free webinar
Agritourism Monthly Workshops
September 18, 2023
October 16, 2023
November 20, 2023
December 18, 2023
Are you thinking of starting an agritourism business or are you currently operating one? Join our monthly lunch-hour, workshop virtual series and learn how to grow your agritourism business!
2024 Agricultural Marketing Webinar Series
January 8, 2024
January 22, 2024
January 29, 2024
February 12, 2024
February 19, 2024
March 11, 2024
March 25, 2024
Free webinar series