Co-products could play larger role in feed rations
Co-products, such as distillers grains and soy hulls,could be even more vital this year..
Dan Grant
Published: Jun 24, 2012
Cattle producers for economic reasons have increased the use of co-products, such as distillers grains and soy hulls, in feed rations.
Prices last week averaged $225 per ton for distillers dried grains (DDGs) and $170 per ton for soy hulls and corn gluten compared to $230 per ton for corn.
“The dynamics of our industry have changed,” Dan Shike, University of Illinois animal scientist, said last week at the Illinois Beef Association’s summer conference in East Peoria. “Ethanol production has made corn more expensive, but there also are new opportunities.”
Shike noted that every bushel of corn converted to ethanol creates about 18 pounds of distiller grains. He estimated this year the U.S. will produce about 45 million tons of DDGs.
Co-products this year could be even more vital to balance feed rations. Drought and abnormally dry conditions in large portions of Illinois and the Midwest currently are threatening corn and soybean yields, hay production has diminished, and pasture conditions are deteriorating by the day.
“We’re seeing a third to half the hay crop we normally would because the drought has turned pretty severe the last couple months,” said IBA President Jeff Beasley, a cattle producer from Creal Springs in Southern Illinois’ Williamson County.
Beef producers who have less hay or poor-quality pastures can extend the grazing season by using co-products as feed supplements, Shike noted.
He recommended the use of co-products where grass has been burned up in recent weeks by heat and dry conditions.
“Co-products are an excellent feed for beef cattle, especially when you have a forage base,” he said.
Producers also can extend the fall grazing season by putting cows on cornstalks and incorporating co-products into rations.
“Grazing on cornstalks, I believe, still is one of the most under-utilized resources in the Midwest,” Shike said. “I know there’s not a lot of fences up around cornfields anymore, but it doesn’t take much. A little hot wire, and you’re in business.”
Storing co-products can be a challenge. But bagging it or constructing feed bunks can greatly reduce the amount of loss.
Shike also recommended producers with smaller operations use DDGs, which have a longer shelf life, while large operations can take advantage of wet distillers grains, which must be incorporated into rations quickly to avoid spoilage.
“Co-products are an advantage we have here in the Midwest,” he added. “They are an excellent supplement for grazing.”
A list of co-products and plants in Illinois is available online at {http://illinoisbeef.com}.
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