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Use of corn dry-milling byproducts in growing and finishing cattle diets
Abstract
Energy price trends and political instability in several oil producing nations have fueled the recent growth in alternative energy technologies. Recent expansion of the ethanol industry and increased energy prices have caused two things to happen relative to beef production in the United States: corn prices have risen dramatically, and supplies of ethanol byproducts have increased. Therefore, five experiments were conducted to examine the use 6f distiller's grains in growing and finishing steer diets. Forage intake decreased linearly as supplementation level of dried distiller's grains (DDG) increased up to 1.00% of body weight. Values for daily gain were greatest when DDG was supplemented at 0.75, 1.00, 1.00, 0.75, and 0.50% of body weight when DDG contained 0.0, 5.4, 14.5, 19.1, and 22.1% (DDG dry matter) distiller's solubles. Apparent total tract digestibility of total diet dry matter, organic matter, and neutral detergent fiber were not different when steers were supplemented at 1.00% of body weight with DDG containing 0.0 or 22.1% distiller's solubles. Total tract crude protein digestibility was not different between DDG containing the five distiller's solubles levels. In finishing diets, corn processing method interacted with wet distller's grains plus solubles (WDGS) inclusion level. As level of WDGS in the diet increased, average daily gain and feed efficiency improved linearly in steers fed dry-rolled corn, daily gain increased quadratically and feed efficiency improved linearly in steers fed high-moisture corn, and daily decreased quadratically with no change in feed efficiency in steers fed steam-flaked corn. Total tract digestibility of dry matter and organic matter were greater and ruminal pH variance was less for steers fed 0% WDGS compared to steers fed 40% WDGS. In diets containing 0% WDGS, steers fed SFC had lower acetate:propionate, but in diets containing 40% WDGS, acetate:propionate was similar between processing methods and not different from the 0% WDGS SFC fed steers. These data demonstrate the utility of corn dry-milling byproducts in growing and finishing cattle diets.
Subject Area
Livestock
Recommended Citation
Corrigan, Mark E, "Use of corn dry-milling byproducts in growing and finishing cattle diets" (2008). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI3315329.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI3315329