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 However, this is outdated technology; Metabolizable protein is defined as the true protein that is absorbed in the cow's intestine.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.
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June 9, 2024
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Cash Rent and Custom Harvest Survey
To date, there is limited information available about rental rates and fees for crop harvesting. Farms can use this valuable information for their farm business planning to help improve decision making and profitability.Farmers Can Join MeatSuite For Free!
MeatSuite.com is a free resource provided by Cornell University where NY meat farmers can create a farm profile and list their bulk (wholes, halves, quarters) and bundled (i.e. Grilling Bundle) meat products.Why should farmers join?
1. It's free and easy!
2. Connect with more local customers. In the past year the MeatSuite.com farm directory had 8,300 visits from New York consumers. Farm profiles get as many as 25 views per month from potential local customers. We also spotlight MeatSuite farms on social media and bring attention and purchases to farms through highlights and giveaways.
How do I join?
Farmers can visit https://www.meatsuite.com/farmers/ to create a free farm profile. You must list at least one product for your farm's profile to go live. You'll also have access to Cornell's free Meat Price Calculator, a helpful tool for pricing your meat to make a profit.
While you're on MeatSuite, check out the "Creating Consumer-Friendly Bulk Meats" publication on the log-in page. It has tips on how to create bulk meat products that are easier for first-time buyers to say "yes" to.
If you have any questions as you create your farm profile or products, we're here to help! Please email Matt LeRoux at mnl28@cornell.edu.