Master’s degree student Tatum Schooley has found a way to capture a valuable feed for cattle from whey.
Her challenge was to find value in whey that costs about $1,000 a truckload for small cheese plants to haul away.
She found that adding bentonite to the whey prompted it to separate with proteins settling to the bottom and a lactose liquid rises to the top, can be pumped off and be used in TMR rations.
She also found no change in cows’ body weight, body condition, milk yield and milk fat. There was some evidence milk protein levels increased and milk lactose decreased.
Schooley worked under associate professor Katie Wood at the Department of Animal Science at the University of Guelph. Wood reported on the research at a dairy day put on by the university.