USSEC China conducted two intensive dairy seminars on May 21-24 in the provinces of Guangxi and Guangdong.  These seminars were facilitated in collaboration with Yihai Group, the largest U.S. soybean buyer in China, Guangxi Dairy Industry Association and Shenzhen Animal Husbandry Industry Association.  In Guangxi and Guangdong provinces, the inventory of milk cows numbers about 100,000.  USSEC technical staff and consultants, Dr. Richard Han, Dr. Sam Shi, Dr. Ryan Murphy, Mr. Yang Jinbo and Ms. Sunny Zhang presented various technical topics to 140 large to medium sized dairy producers.  Topics included an overview of the U.S. dairy industry; use of soy hull (SH), full fat soybean meal (FFSBM) and soybean meal (SBM) in dairy feeds; and new ideas on management of dairy cows in hot weather.  Mr. Zhang Guoxi, sales manager for the Yihai Group, introduced their molasses-soy hull and soy protein concentrate (SPC) milk replacer to the participants.

The seminar provided an opportunity for attendees to better understand the importance of soy products in dairy feeds for both improvement of milk production and economic benefits.  At the end of the program, several dairy farm managers expressed their interest in participating in a trial on soy hulls completely replacing wheat bran and partially replacing corn in cow feeds.
The Chinese dairy industry has been rapidly developing in recent years, yet the increase in milk production has not paralleled the industry growth.  Wheat bran, rapeseed meal and cotton seed meal are commonly used in dairy feeds.  The utilization of soy products, however, is currently less than 3%, especially in south China.  USSEC believes that the proper inclusion rate of soy products in addition to good management will improve cow productivity in hot climate conditions.