Milk urea content as influenced by geographical area and season in Wallonia

peer reviewedMilk urea concentration is routinely determined in commercial dairy farms along with the official milk analyses carried out on milk samples for the dairies by the “Comité du lait”. The milk urea content do not modify milk price but can be useful for the farmers for diet calculation, milk urea content being related to the energy-protein ratio in the diet. The aim of this paper was to study the evolution of the milk urea content according to the months and the areas. Milk urea concentration changed according to the months owing to the diet: the summer diets, mainly composed by grass in many farms, were characterized by higher nitrogen content which as result an increase in milk urea concentration. The geographic areas can also influence milk urea concentration due to dietary difference. For example, in the Hesbaye area, beet and cereals are produced while in the Ardennes, grasslands are dominant. The urea content in milk can be an useful measurement for the diet calculations in order to decrease nitrogen waste and to reduce the feed costs