Improving the understanding of the nutritional value of soybeans to cattle beyond caloric density and crude protein could allow nutritionists to more accurately determine break-even price. Specifically, a greater understanding of effects of feeding doybeans and soy-based feeds on factors important to profitability of cattle producers but that are not accounted for in most pricing models (e.g., milk protein synthesis) could allow for increased demand for soybeans in cattle diets. In addition, greater knowledge of the effects of soybean inclusion in cattle diets could allow cattle and soybean producers to develop optimal marketing strategies when marketing channels for soybeans become congested by using soybeans to reduce requirements for purchased feeds.

Overall, these data will allow dairy producers and nutritionists to formulate diets that allow relatively large amounts of unroasted soybeans to be fed to dairy cows without impacting performance. Improved knowledge related to feeding unroasted soybeans to dairy cows could allow for greater use and demand of harvested soybeans in congested markets without added costs and equipment necessary to roasting soybeans.