September 7, 2006

US university to develop ways to maximise use of corn

Research underway in the University of Illinois Department of Animal Sciences is developing methods to allow the same field of corn to be used for the production of livestock feed and ethanol.

Larry Berger, professor of animal nutrition who heads the study, said the research aims to make greater improvements in the process over the next couple of years toward solutions that can benefit corn growers and livestock producers.

The process is important because of the growing demand for corn by the ethanol industry, a development that would reduce the amount of corn available for livestock.

Berger's work, partially funded by ADM, looks at maximising the food and fuel production in corn.

A field of corn does not have to be exclusively all for ethanol or all for livestock, he said.

The corn plant's stalk could be treated to increase its digestibility. The resulting product can then be combined with distillers grains from the ethanol industry to form a quality diet for livestock, Berger said.

The new feed product is being used in trials with beef and dairy cattle.

Another part of the study is examines processing options, including using corn residues mixed with distillers grains in a pelleting application and chopping corn stalks and using them as silage.

While some methods are fairly high tech, some involve technology easily accessible to producers, said Berger.

The aim is to use the grain to produce ethanol and yet still have enough protein among the stalks and distillers grains to provide a balanced diet for the livestock, Berger added.