At a glance, the 400 acres of soybeans on the Preston family’s dairy farm in southern Michigan appear no different from any other field in the region. But this crop is far from ordinary. The soybeans are part of a research-driven collaboration with Michigan State University that is saving the farm tens of thousands of dollars each month on livestock feed. The results point to a shift that could have lasting effects across the dairy industry.
According to federally funded research from MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, this soybean variety has the potential to improve milk quality when included in dairy cow diets. In the spring of 2024, the fourth-generation team at Preston Farms decided to commit nearly 400 acres, close to one third of their 1,500-acre…