DGS Research Helps Livestock Industry
Thirty per cent of the 146 million bushels of Ohio-grown corn used by the state's growing ethanol industry ends up in a byproduct called distiller's grains (DGS). DGS is a great feed for cattle and sheep and is also cheaper than corn and hay.
26 April 2011
1 minute read
In the past, nutritional requirements
limited the use of DGS to 25 per cent
per ration. This reduced potential
savings, employment opportunities,
and profitability for ethanol plants.
Ohio State Agricultural Research and Development Centre research is changing that.
Animal scientists Steve Loerch and
Francis Fluharty have developed a
nutrition strategy that allows pregnant
beef cows and sheep to be fed up to
80 per cent DGS, and growing heifers
and feedlot steers up to 70 per cent
DGS - more than doubling potential
use of this feeding in Ohio.
Animal scientist Francis Fluharty analyzes the
nutritional composition of animal diets using high
per centages of distiller’s grains.
"As tight as profit margins are right now, we can't afford not to use distiller's grains to reduce our feeding costs and remain in business," said Stan Smith, owner of Smith Simmental Farm in Canal Winchester and an Ohio State Extension program assistant. "Ohio State's research is helping us do that."
Estimates indicated that increased use of the 1.2 million tons of distiller's grains generated by Ohio's ethanol industry can reduce feeding costs by 20 to 50 per cent compared to using corn and hay; decrease manure output by 50 per cent, contributing to environmental quality; and nearly eliminate the need to treat grazing lambs for internal parasites, greatly enhancing profitability of the sheep industry.
Additionally, this research can lead to Ohio cattle producers saving over $100 annually per cow, for a total of $20 million; and support continued ethanol and corn production in Ohio, creating new jobs and enhancing economic stability in multiple sectors of agriculture.
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