Ohio State University’s Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) is taking the lead on solving a problem that has long plagued producers, according to Ohio Ag Net: what can be done with the large quantity of surplus distillers grains (DGS) due to the increase in corn production for ethanol use?
Researchers at OARDC are working to develop a nutrition platform that permits producers to up their DGS allowances to 80 percent for pregnant beef cows and sheep, and 70 percent for growing heifers and feedlot.
Currently, use of DGS has been limited to 25 percent of cattle diets – causing farmers to seek savings elsewhere. If implemented, using the 1.2 million tons of DGS generated by the Ohio ethanol industry could potentially save Ohio cattle producers upwards of $100 per cow annually.
“Both the biofuels and livestock industries are jeopardized unless discoveries are made to allow increased use of DGS in animal rations as a viable and cost-effective substitute for corn grain,” said Steve Loerch, an animal scientist with Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster.”
Additionally, usage of DGS can also decrease manure output by 50 percent, contributing to environmental quality.
And ethanol producers are aware of the opportunity in front of them. According to a recent AgWeb article, ethanol plants are now extracting corn oil from their processed product, as the presence of corn oil could depress butterfat content in milk.
To read more about the research, click here.
