Ethanol Co-Products as Fodder for Livestock

Dried distillers grain (DDG) is a byproduct of the distillation process, and in recent years ethanol plants have become sources of distillers grain. Researchers at the Iowa State University are studying the use of distillers grain from corn as feeds for livestock. Areas of research include feeding distillers grain on the meat quality; using ethanol co-products in forage-based beef systems; and feeding distiller grain to beef cows, fall-calving cows, pigs and poultry.

Research work on the use of ethanol co-products in forage-based beef systems and in integrated pasture and drylot system for feedlot steers showed that DDG-fed cattle was comparable to the control group in terms of carcass weight. On the other hand, distiller grain supplement was found to benefit grazing cows, fall-calving cows or calves, and yearling steers. In another project, researchers observed that increasing the content of dietary fiber in the feed of laying hens can lower manure ammonia emissions by 40 percent per hen without adversely affecting egg production.

For more information on the research projects, read the full article at http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/news_detail.php?var1=292