By Kylene Orebaugh
High corn prices in 2006 and into 2007 have created a dilemma for some cattle feeders. Many may be asking what can be done to economically feed cattle.
The increase in the number of ethanol plants over the past decade has also increased the availability of ethanol by-products. Distillers grains and solubles or DGS are often available much cheaper to farmers and ranchers to use as livestock feed.
What it is
DGS, according to the Distillers Grains Technology Council’s website, http://www.distillersgrains.org, have long been thought of as a highly nutritious animal feed ingredient. With the starch removed and a high fiber content, DGS are often used in beef cattle rations.
Predominately sold today commercially, most are classified as DDGS or distillers dried grains with solubles, but a wet variety is also available. According to DGTC, DDGS are a stable, free-flowing granular product that is yellow to brown in color and normally have a moisture level ranging from 8 to 10 percent. If properly stored in a cool, moisture free location, DDGS have a long storage life.
Fits a producer’s goals
Jeremy Stucky, a cattle feeder near Dodge City, Kan., has been using wet distilllers grains for a while now.
“I guess there are a few reasons I am using distillers,” Stucky said. “First of all, it is a fairly reasonably priced feed source. With everything being as high priced as it is this year, distillers seemed to make sense economically.”
Another reason Stucky uses wet distillers is convenience.
“It is kind of nice being able to purchase more or less just what you need as you go rather than having to put up a years worth of silage at once,” Stucky said.
He purchases his wet distillers from a company in Colwich, Kan., and has it trucked in to his place west of Howell, Kan.
Mixing is easy, and with the help of his nutritionist, Stucky mixes the wet distillers grains with rolled corn, a pellet product and some sort of forage. As for the forage portion, he has corn and soybean stalk bales as well as other “feed” type bales chopped and ready to mix with the other ingredients.
“We simply put the distillers into the feed truck with the rest of the ingredients and it blends in perfectly,” Stucky said.
He also uses it for its benefits in the ration. Currently, he is using 40 percent distillers in his feed rations, and is feeding it to medium weight calves and bred heifers.
“Distillers ‘ties’ the ration together very well,” Stucky said. “One can use water, silage, molasses, etc., to tie the load together but distillers seem to do just as good a job.”
Stucky hopes his ration can be used to accomplish his goals when it comes to his cattle.
“The goal on the calves is to put weight on for as little cost as we can while keeping them healthy and getting them ready to go on to the feedyard,” Stucky said. “On the heifers it’s to put weight on the thinner ones and maintain the fleshy ones until they calve and then keep their condition while they raise a calf.”
The wet distillers help balance the ration, and the cattle seem to like it, he said.
“Distillers seems to be very palatable and gets the cattle coming to the bunk which ultimately is the most important job of any ingredient,” Stucky said. “The cattle seem to really take right to the distillers. I definitely have not noticed a decrease in consumption/appetite. They really seem to like it.”
It’s also important to note, Stucky said, feeders should consult a nutritionist when wanting to incorporate DGS into a feed ration.
“I believe there are some things to consider when it comes to toxins/mineral antagonism,” Stucky said. “I am using a ration developed by my nutritionist and I think anyone wanting to know about feeding distillers should consult with a nutritionist.”
Stucky has heard his fair share of horror stories as far as how fast the wet distillers grains spoil, but has yet to experience it first-hand.
“This winter I had some sit for almost three weeks and could find no spoilage on it. That might be a whole different story in the summer,” Stucky said. “There have been some articles showing up in different magazines about people developing new ways to store distillers for a period of time. Personally, I think as we as an industry become more familiar with distillers we will develop ways to handle them.”
Studies prove
Research at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln has been on-going for the use of distillers grains in animal rations. Wet by-products need more consideration on the producers part to get the most bang for their buck. They can be tricky to store since they have a high moisture level. Adding bulkier feed that is drier can help improve storage.
At UNL, animal scientists have devised formulas for mixing dry forages with wet distillers grains, and their findings can help feedlot managers and cow-calf producers purchase WDGS when they are plentiful and store for future use.
“The relatively short shelf life of wet distillers grains has been a key obstacle to their use as feed in some situations,” said Galen Erickson, a UNL beef nutritionist in a university paper. “Feedlots need to have the material delivered frequently and use it within a few days to avoid spoilage; for smaller operations, that’s not economically feasible.”
Erickson also stated, “Cow-calf operators, meantime, have greatest use for the feed during the winter, but that’s when supplies tend to be lower than during the summer.”
With a moisture content of 65 percent, wet distillers grains can’t be stored in silage bags or bunkers--but can be compressed into bags (with the air removed). WDGS are too wet to be moved with tractors in bunkers.
Researchers included the following dry materials in their mixes:
--Grass hay, mix included 15 percent of this hay;
--Alfalfa hay, mix included 22.5 percent;
--Wheat straw, mix included 12.5 percent .
The percent included in the ration was on a dry basis, and forages were chosen based on their availability at the time. Researchers also experimented with mixing dry distillers grains and wet corn gluten feed with the wet distillers grains.
What they found for bagging:
--A 50-50 blend of dry and wet distillers grain bagged well.
--60-40 mixture of wet corn gluten and wet distillers grains seemed to work.
For bunker storage:
--40 percent grass hay and 60 percent wet distillers grains was firm enough to allow enough packing.
--With wheat straw, recommendations are to include 25 to 32 percent of the dry material. There may be a 2 to 3 inch layer of spoilage at the top of the pile, but what’s underneath seems to be fine.
More information about the UNL study can be found at http://beef.unl.edu, and click on the by-product feeds link at the left.
Kylene Orebaugh can be reached by phone at 620-227-1804 or by e-mail at .
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