Feeding faba bean to dairy cows: Using faba bean to replace soya in dairy rations

More UK dairy farmers are moving away from soya as a protein source for a range of reasons including consumer concerns about the environmental and social consequences of soya production in some exporting countries. This practice note discusses the suitability of faba bean (field bean) for the replacement of soya in dairy rations. The faba bean can be used for the protein enrichment of cereal-based concentrate feeds. The nutritional value of faba bean and whether it can maintain milk output and composition when replacing soya in milking cow rations is examined to support decisions around if and how to use faba bean for feeding dairy cows