Dynamic Duo: high oleic soy, dairy cattle

Value proposition brought by checkoff supports profitability for growers and dairies

Milk and cookies move over – there is a new perfect pairing gaining traction. In the soybean checkoff’s pursuit to “move the pile” and find new demand markets for the product grown by half a million farmers nationwide, research began six years ago to analyze high oleic soybean opportunities. Dairy cattle feed hit the target farmer-leaders with the United Soybean Board were looking for.

Initially a food-grade soybean modification, high oleic oil from soybeans boasted an improved fat profile, prolonged shelf life and enhanced heat stability. High oleic soybean oil still serves the food industry but has also segued into animal agriculture uses.

Dairy cattle consume whole roasted high oleic soybeans or expeller meal, which is four to six percent richer in residual oil due to its oil extraction by force rather than solvent. Newer research suggests the high oleic oil profile increases milk fat content – as much as 65 grams per cow per day, says a study published in the Journal of Dairy Science. Higher milk fat means higher milk yields and enhanced milk quality. Dairies can also save on feed costs through integrating high oleic soybean products into feed rations because they eliminate the need for expensive fat supplements.

“High oleic soybeans demonstrate the innovation of U.S. Soy,” Keenan McRoberts, Ph.D., vice president of strategic alignment for the United Soybean Board, says. “While they deliver solutions for frying food and innovative new uses for soy like biodegradable plastics, they also support dairy system profitability.”

Six commercial processors nationwide bring in food-grade high oleic soybeans. There are no commercial locations for processing high oleic soybeans for animal feed, and roasting is completed in small batches, often by individual dairies. One of the identified opportunities with the dairy and high oleic partnership is improving roasting education to ensure quality across the board. USB shares that there is a history of inconsistent roasting techniques from dairy to dairy, and McRoberts put a workgroup together to address that and similar challenges.  

Western Kansas has seen a “dairy boom” in recent years. Increasing quantities of large-scale dairies brought additional processing capabilities leading to a greater economic impact. According to the Kansas Livestock Association, over 190 licensed dairy herds exist in Kansas, a number that has grown significantly since state leaders began actively recruiting dairies to the wide-open western half of the state in the 1990s. Dairy production by pounds has quadrupled in just 30 years. Dairy Farmers of America constructed its Garden City milk powder plant in 2017, and Hilmar Cheese Company cut the ribbon on its Dodge City cheese and whey facility in 2025. Currently, 75 percent of the milk produced in western Kansas is processed in state lines.

For growers, the high oleic opportunity equates to around a 30-cent premium on their soybean price, though not yet every region of the U.S. is able to source seed with the proper maturity group. That continues improving as research progresses. Corteva’s Plenish and Plenish E3 traits capture around 95 percent of the market currently, and growers purchasing these varieties secure contracts through the company. Beck’s Hybrids offers Soyleic’s non-GMO traits and leaves growers to secure contracts.

Sustained expansion of the dairy industry in Kansas and the high oleic soybean industry nationwide creates a conducive environment for integration in the state.

Visit www.unitedsoybean.org/high-oleic-soybeans to gather information about growing, marketing or using the crop. Check out www.soymeal.org to discover the research behind high oleic soybeans in dairy feed rations.