Dried distiller’s grains can help produce more beef

[ladycat]

After a summer and fall feeding study done with both heifers and steers, Dr. Jim MacDonald, Experiment Station beef nutritionist, said he believes this by-product of ethanol production will be useful in more than just feedlot or dairy operations

http://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publ...le_39687.shtml

[genebo]

Around here, the brewers almost give their spent grain away. The problem is getting it to the animals to feed them. Haulers charge a lot to bring it. It costs a lot to go get it. Storage is a problem.

Last year my neighbor put a tractor-trailer load in a large bag that the hauler supplied. Expensive bag that is only used once. He used a bobcat with a bucket to scoop the grain out of the bag and take it to the cattle. The cattle loved it and seemed to gain well on it. By the end of the bag, the quality had gone down and we could find mold.

He's not going to do it again this year, unless there's a disaster in the pastures. Drought or something. He's striving for all grass-fed.

Genebo
Paradise Farm
Church Road, VA

[Ken Scharabok]

If someone in family lives in a city with one or more micro-breweries check to see what they do with their spent malt. May be free for the hauling.

When I was in Croatia in 2001 I visited a 6,000 head capacity indoor feedlot. They were at about half capacity and predominately feeding out intact bulls. Their feed was dried spent brewers malt and dry chopped corn silage with a bit of salt and perhaps a couple of square baled hay in the wagon.

In the U.S. wet silage is predominately used. They they just wait until the corn ears were in a certain stage of drying and then chopped up everything. It was stored in large open top bunkers. I saw minimal seepage from them. This dry silage had a very pleasant odor to it.

Dried brewers malt was stored in a large arched building.

I was somewhat taken back on how clean everything was. No trash (even cigarette butts - and smoking seems to be a Croatian national pasttime) was evident. If the feedwagon spilled a bit of feet when it came out one end to make a turn to do the other side it was immediately swept up.