Exhausted olive pomace as a replacement for soybean hulls in corn silage-based diets for late-lactating Holstein cows: Insights from sustainable dairy farming

<h2>Abstract</h2> This study evaluated the effects of replacing soybean hulls with exhausted olive pomace (EOP) on feed intake, milk production and composition, and rumen fermentation parameters. A cyclical changeover design experiment was used with 4 rumen-fistulated Holstein cows, 3 corn silage-based diets containing 0%, 3% or 6% of EOP (DM basis), and 3 21-d periods. Measurements were taken from d 15 to 21, and rumen contents were sampled on the last day. Diet did not affect feed intake, milk production and composition, or MUN. Ruminal pH, total short-chain fatty acids concentration, and molar proportions of individual acids, were also unaffected by the different dietary treatments. These findings suggest that EOP comprises a sustainable feed resource for late-lactating dairy cows fed corn silage-based diets, supporting circular economy approaches to promote the compound feed industry's resilience, competitiveness, and sustainability.