THE increasing availability of co-product feeds from European bio-ethanol production is creating a new opportunity for UK beef farmers to re-think feeding strategies and improve margins, says KW nutritionist, Richard Wynn.
“The high energy content in wheat distillers’ feeds compared to rapemeal - 13.7MJ ME per kg DM versus 11.8MJ - makes them a better value alternative in beef rations, while experience in Canada and the US has shown they can be a genuine replacement for cereals,” says Dr Wyn. “This high level of energy makes them an effective alternative to either wheat or barley, with the added bonus of supplying extra protein.
“With most of the starch fermented away to produce ethanol, the resulting digestible fibre-based energy is an ideal complement to high starch beef diets. Lower starch reduces the risk of acidosis, improves rumen health and promotes a more efficient conversion of feed into growth.”
Dr Wynn says trial work in Canada finishing cattle on a ration containing up to 23 per cent bio-ethanol wheat distillers’ feed performed equally as well as those fed more barley, ‘challenging the conventional view’ that high starch, low crude protein rations are the only way to finish beef.
“Using bio-ethanol co-product feeds to replace some of the cereal in a ration appears to work well,” says Dr Wynn. “It means that, depending on the relative price of the feeds, beef producers could be financially better off by making the switch.
Availability
“The moist feeds are going to be most cost-effective for beef farmers within 100 miles of the ethanol plants, but the dry feeds are already being imported from mainland Europe and are available across most of the country. When the UK’s second bio-ethanol plant, near Hull, starts production later this year, that availability is going to improve further.”
He says the feeds, which come in several different types, can be used in both grower and finisher diets (see table).
“Which of these bio-ethanol co-product feeds beef producers use will depend heavily on their system and setup - but in many cases it’s going to be worth making the investment,” he says.
“Unless finishing very high numbers of cattle, it’s unlikely a single producer will use more than one type of co-product feed, but each offers significant advantages.
“With feed costs looking set to remain high for some time, it’s vital beef producers continue to focus on more efficient use of feeds, better value feeds and improved ration balance.”
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