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ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #338024
Title: Winter supplementation of ground whole flaxseed impacts milk fatty acid composition on organic dairy farms in the northeastern United States

Author
item HAFLA, AIMEE - Agri-King, Inc
item Soder, Kathy
item BRITO, ANDRE - University Of New Hampshire
item KERSBERGEN, RICHARD - University Of Maine
item BENSON, FAY - Cornell University
item DARBY, HEATHER - University Of Vermont
item RUBANO, MELISSA - University Of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES)
item Dillard, Sandra
item KRAFT, JANA - University Of Vermont
item REIS, SIMONE - University Of New Hampshire

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/10/2017
Publication Date: 4/20/2017
Citation: Hafla, A., Soder, K.J., Brito, A., Kersbergen, R., Benson, F., Darby, H., Rubano, M., Dillard, S.L., Kraft, J., Reis, S. 2017. Winter supplementation of ground whole flaxseed impacts milk fatty acid composition on organic dairy farms in the northeastern United States. Journal of Animal Science.95(4). doi: 10.2527/asasann.2017.288.

Interpretive Summary: No Interpretive Summary is required. JLB.

Technical Abstract: Fourteen organic dairy farms were used to 1) evaluate seasonal variation of bioactive fatty acids in milk from 2012 to 2015, and 2) evaluate supplementation of ground whole flaxseed to maintain levels of bioactive fatty acids during the non-grazing season. During regular farm visits, milk, feed, and pasture samples were collected, and diet and milk production and composition recorded. During the winters of 2013 and 2014, 9 farms supplemented ground whole flaxseed at 6% of diet DM to half of cows within each herd (n = 238 cows/treatment). Milk samples were collected and pooled by treatment (flaxseed or control). Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS. A month × year interaction (P < 0.01) for omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids indicated an increase beginning in April of 2014 through the end of the study. Total milk conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) were seasonal with greatest (P < 0.01) concentrations (1.32% of total fatty acids) during the grazing season. Winter flaxseed supplementation did not impact milk yield concentrations of milk fat and protein %, or BCS. Compared with the control diet, flaxseed decreased total milk SFA (P < 0.01) by 3.1% units, increased n-3 (P < 0.01) by 88%, and tended (P = 0.13) to increase total CLA concentration (P = 0.13) by 9.0%. While flaxseed supplementation increased milk n-3, minimal impacts on saturated fatty acids and total CLA indicated a greater level of winter supplementation is required to maintain concentration of all beneficial fatty acids, comparable to the grazing season.