Calf Max will be available 24/7 for questions and technical support.
Send e-mails to Calf Max@RealVeal.com. Everyone is welcome to take advantage of our products and services.
NRV, Inc.
N8155 American Street
Ixonia, Wisconsin 53036
Daytime:
Toll Free: (800) 558-0002
Phone: (920) 261-7000
Fax: (920) 261-1685
After Hours:
Phone: (636) 625-1884
Cell: (314) 409-7247
R & D
Over the past 35 years, researchers have investigated numerous protein sources for use in milk replacers for veal calves which include fish meal, meat solubles, potato concentrate, soybean proteins, wheat proteins, blood proteins, egg proteins, yeast proteins, and bacterial proteins. Some of these ingredients, like fish meal, meat solubles and soy flour, have proven to be poor replacements for milk proteins, but others such as hydrolyzed wheat gluten and some soy isolates, have become widely accepted because of the excellent calf performance when they are used in milk replacers. It is important to consider the level of these proteins, as well. For example, egg proteins can be successfully used in milk replacers to a maximum of about 5.0-7.5%, but at higher levels calves do not gain any weight. I believe there is a maximum level of each protein source above which we see significant reductions in calf performance. This means there is likely an optimum level for each ingredient at which calves perform as well, and sometimes better than with all-milk ingredients.
Beyond Amino Acids
When we design milk replacers, we consider the digestibility of ingredients, solubility, mixability, and amino acid composition. Even though some ingredients might not have a favorable amino acid composition when used alone, these ingredients can be very useful when blended with other ingredients with a complimentary amino aid profile. For example, the combination of wheat protein and WPC results in an amino acid composition similar to skim milk powder. Beyond amino acid composition, many products, like blood plasma for example, contain functional proteins which can benefit calf health. Modern milk replacers can be successfully made with multiple sources of protein which, when blended together, create a product with excellent calf performance. Real Veal’s AP products, for example, contain multiple sources of protein to provide amino acids in the right proportion to meet the calf’s needs and result in excellent performance. In fact, that’s why it is called “AP” which is short for “Advanced Performance.”
Testing, Testing
With so many ingredients available, the only sure way to know which ingredients can be used to maintain excellent calf performance is to test these ingredients in calves and measure the performance. Real Veal Milk Replacers are first tested in our laboratories, then in test milk replacers in our research barns in the US and Canada. Next, we test the most promising formulas on our own calves in our. Once a new milk replacer has been proven with our calves, our technicians try it with their calves. Finally, once we know the products perform and everyone is comfortable, we release the product for our clients. It takes a little bit longer to bring new products to market, but it assures our customers that they are getting proven products – not using our clients as “guinea pigs” to test some new ideas that might not work out.
A Real Difference
Real Veal’s Advanced Performance (AP) products have been formulated to supply multiple sources of proteins in exact proportions to balance amino acids and provide functional proteins for calves. In many cases, growers report that calf performance is better than they experienced with all-milk products. Beyond improved performance is the additional benefit of a lower cost product and superior calf economics.
So, what is my opinion of non-milk proteins? I believe that modern milk replacers can include many non-milk protein sources and provide better performance at a lower cost than all-milk milk replacers. Veal growers should speak directly with any NRV technician for more information about our Advanced Performance products.
Thanks to “Not Quite” for the excellent question. I will send “Not Quite” a new NRV hat because we printed his question in the paper. If you have a question or have some results or experiences you wish to share about feeding calves, send me an e-mail at CalfMax@RealVeal.com or by US mail to: Calf Max, c/o NRV Inc., N8155 American Street, Ixonia, WI 53036.
Welcome to NRV
A Leader In High Performance Milk Replacers.
We're Ready For Your Challenge.
Put Our Expertise & Resources
To Work For You.
