Increasing soybean meal protein levels boosts corn demand, lowers greenhouse gas and nitrogen emissions, and enhances sustainable farming and food production

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Abstract
CONTEXT: Environmental assessments of food systems often assume stable crop nutritional quality, yet variation in feed composition can substantially affect livestock nutrient utilization, emissions, and farm economics. Because soybean seed composition is influenced by both germplasm and environmental conditions, it is important to evaluate how resulting differences in soybean meal feed value affect livestock feed formulations and associated emissions.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how variation in feed value of modeled SBM affects livestock feed formulation, SBM and feed corn demand, and associated livestock emissions.METHODS: Soybean seed samples (n = 47) collected from two locations in southern Illinois over two crop years were analyzed for seed crude protein (CP) and amino acid concentrations. Modeled SBM feed value and the inclusion rates of SBM and feed corn were estimated using least-cost feed formulation for swine and poultry diets. The effects of modeled SBM composition on livestock greenhouse gas (GHG, kg CO2e/ton of diet) and nitrogen (N, kg N/ton of diet) emissions were also evaluated.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: High CP, high feed value SBM required lower inclusion in swine and poultry diets, increasing corn demand and reducing GHG and N emissions. Diets containing 50% CP SBM reduced GHG emissions by 4.6% in swine lactation and 4.5% in broiler grower diets compared with 44% CP SBM. In backgrounding cattle, higher SBM feed value was associated with increased CH₄ production metrics (R² = 0.32–0.48). Overall, high feed value SBM benefits swine and poultry diets, whereas low feed value SBM can be effectively utilized in beef and dairy cattle diets.SIGNIFICANCE: Strategic marketing and utilization of SBM with varying feed value can maximize feed efficiency and minimize livestock emissions, supporting sustainable livestock production.

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