2021 has come with many new challenges. The supply chain in the organic feed industry has been disrupted all year long. Modesto Milling has been working diligently to keep a continuous flow of certified organic, non-GMO, plant-based products for our bag feeds available in feed stores and online. We are proud of what we have been able to do to maintain a consistent supply of feed for our customers.
Plant-based organic proteins have been the biggest challenge this year, particularly alternatives to soybean meal. Sourcing organic commodities for all our formulas has presented us with looking at alternative organic protein sources to keep feed available. We have been utilizing sesame meal in our Non-Soy feeds for many years, and feel it is the closest plant protein to soybean meal and is extremely palatable. At the present time, fall of 2021, we have found that organic sesame meal is in very short supply, if available. We will continue to use organic sesame meal and have researched and decided to add organic canola meal to some of our formulas to maintain supply of the sesame we do have. We are continuing to provide premium non-soy alternatives utilizing vegetable-based proteins. We will continue to search and research other alternative proteins going forward.
Organic canola is a variety of rapeseed in the brassicaceae family, and has several key benefits when used as feed:
- High levels of methionine and cysteine content, which may be beneficial with feathering
- High protein ingredient, which can be effective in high milk production and egg production
Please reach out to us with any questions, we would be happy to help you!