Yes, the cost of nitrogen is up, but not as much as the cost of soybean meal. Dairy animals need protein, and you can either buy it or grow it. If you check back on the January 2011 newsletter on the web site, you will see that it is cheaper to grow protein in forage, especially with legumes. When we checked in 2001, it was cheaper to grow protein than buy soy. Our recalculation in 2011 shows the same. Keep in mind that the graph presented has all the cost being borne by the protein in the plant. Both legumes and grasses have 85 – 90% of the energy level of corn silage if harvested correctly.
