Unpublished report · Livestock · In the living system
A follow-up dairy trial found no change in feed efficiency or milk, with shifts in milk fatty acids.
- Unpublished report
- Dose unconfirmed
In this unpublished follow-up, feed efficiency, milk yield, fat, protein and linear score did not change at six weeks, and which of two printed doses was delivered is not yet confirmed.
University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, 2024. Final results report. Manufacturer-supplied report.
This report is not published. Enquiries about it, including access to the report where its owners permit, can be sent to info@carbonbiomeproject.com.
Scope, material and route
- Studied
- Lactating dairy cows
- Design
- Two parallel groups, balanced for days in milk, lactation, projected yield and pregnancy status; not a crossover
- Setting
- University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus dairy unit, Ontario
- Material
- A humic and fulvic preparation supplied by its manufacturer
- Route
- Drinking water
- Exposure
- The report prints 0.05 mL per litre of water; the trial proposal states 0.5 mL per litre. The two differ tenfold, and which was delivered is unconfirmed; the project has asked the authors. Study exposure, not application guidance.
- Duration
- Six weeks
Study design
The dose
- The report prints0.05 mL per litre of water
- The trial proposal states0.5 mL per litre
- DeliveredUnconfirmed; the project has asked the authors
The cows
Two parallel groups, started two weeks apart; six weeks on treated or untreated water.
24 cows12 per group.
No difference at six weeks
- Feed efficiency1.00 against 1.02 kg ECM per kg dry matter
- Milk yield39.8 against 40.3 kg
- Fat and protein4.0 against 3.9; 3.3 against 3.3 percent
- Somatic cell linear score3.8 against 3.8
What differed
- Myristic and medium-chain fatty acidsHigher
- Rumination, week 3507 against 464 minutes a day; not at week 6
- Feed sorting, manure particle sizeTendencies
More study details
- Research question
- Does the preparation in drinking water change feed efficiency, milk production, milk composition or behaviour?
- Sample size
- 24 cows, 12 per group
- Comparator
- Untreated drinking water
- Outcomes measured
- Feed efficiency, milk yield and components, milk fatty acid profile, somatic cell linear score, rumination and leisure time, feed sorting, manure particle size, body temperature
- Not measured
- Rumen pH and gas in the animal; a manure methane assay was planned and is not reported
Findings
In a follow-up trial at the University of Guelph's Ridgetown Campus, 24 lactating cows received treated or untreated drinking water for six weeks, in two groups of 12 started two weeks apart. At six weeks there was no difference in feed efficiency, milk yield, energy corrected milk, fat, protein or somatic cell linear score. Myristic acid and medium-chain fatty acids in milk were higher. Rumination was 43 minutes a day longer at week 3, which did not persist to week 6. The authors noted that some effects could reflect how the groups were formed. The report is unpublished and has not been peer reviewed.
| Outcome | Comparison or result | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Feed efficiency (kg ECM per kg dry matter) | 1.00 against 1.02 (P = 0.79) | No difference |
| Milk yield | 39.8 against 40.3 kg (P = 0.81) | No difference |
| Fat and protein | 4.0 against 3.9 percent (P = 0.26); 3.3 against 3.3 percent (P = 0.64) | No difference |
| Somatic cell linear score | 3.8 against 3.8 (P = 0.97) | No difference in this trial |
| Myristic acid (C14:0) and medium-chain fatty acids | 0.38 against 0.36 (P = 0.03); 1.69 against 1.56 (P = 0.04) | Higher with the preparation |
| Rumination, week 3 and week 6 | 507 against 464 minutes a day at week 3 (significant); 508 against 490 at week 6 (P = 0.34) | A transient difference |
| Feed sorting and manure particle size | Tendencies (P = 0.08 and 0.09) | Not statistically supported |
Values are treated group first, control second, at week 6 unless stated, as reported. Values are extracted from the source as reported; no raw data were available.
Interpretation and limits
What this record supports
No change in feed efficiency, milk yield, milk fat and protein or somatic cell linear score at six weeks, with small shifts in milk fatty acid composition, for this preparation in this trial.
What remains uncertain
- Status. The report has not been published or peer reviewed.
- Dose reporting. The report prints 0.05 mL per litre and the proposal states 0.5 mL per litre; which was delivered is unconfirmed, pending the authors.
- Design. Two small groups started two weeks apart; the authors say some effects could reflect group creation.
Which part of the framework it informs
Environmental conditions
The physical, chemical and management context.
Microbial activity
What microbial communities do within that context.
Observable function
What can be observed or measured in the host or wider system.
This record informs this area.
Source, funding and review
- Source type
- Unpublished report
- Associated products
- The tested preparation comes from the manufacturer that produces the formulations sold by Fulgenix Farms. Equivalence to a specific Fulgenix Farms product is not documented in this record.
- Funding and relationships
- Not stated in the results document. The report was provided by the manufacturer of the tested preparation.
- Review status
- Prepared as an editorial summary. External scientific review has not been completed.
- What was read
- Read in full from the report (14 pages, including model tables). The report is not publicly available.
- Original title
- Effect of humate substances on feed efficiency and milk production components of lactating dairy cattle
- Authors
- University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus dairy research team
- Publication
- Final results report, 2024
- Summary prepared by
- Carbon Biome Project
- Date added
- 19 October 2026
- Cite this summary
- Carbon Biome Project. A follow-up dairy trial found no change in feed efficiency or milk, with shifts in milk fatty acids. Evidence library record, added 19 October 2026. carbonbiomeproject.com/evidence/guelph-ridgetown-2024-dairy-feed-efficiency/
- Updates
- 2026-10-22 · Study exposure restated as an unresolved discrepancy between the report (0.05 mL per litre) and the trial proposal (0.5 mL per litre). · The earlier entry resolved it as a decimal error without confirmation from the authors.
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