Treated Corn Stover Is Valuable Feed Source

Treated Corn Stover Is Valuable Feed Source CROPS Miscellaneous Cattlemen who are looking for a way to make corn stover and other residue into a nutritious and palatable roughage source for livestock have a new option It’s called Second Crop™ a patent-pending treatment process from ADM that transforms corn stover into a valuable feed source The Second Crop process is simple ADM field personnel mix lime slurry calcium hydroxide with corn stover as it’s being ground in a commercial tub grinder All the farmer needs to do is supply enough water to bring the moisture content of his stover up to about 50 percent during grinding ADM’s John Klein supervised the trial program in 2013 and says cattlemen who used the system liked the feed product that it turned out “Treated ground stover from the tub grinder is packed into a bunker silo or in a silage bag and is stored for a minimum of 7 to 10 days to cure similar to corn silage ” Klein says When it’s ready for feeding the stover can be mixed with distillers grain gluten or other feedstocks to create a suitable ration for backgrounding cattle or brood cows or for finishing cattle Klein says that removing some of the residue from a harvested corn field is actually beneficial for planting the following year “Too much residue can harbor diseases and insects and affect planting especially with corn-on-corn rotations ” Research by Monsanto has shown that 30 to 40 percent of the residue can be removed without affecting soil nutrients Other Monsanto research has been done to improve the feed value of residue for beef cattle The company has increased digestibility by adding 7 percent dry calcium hydroxide by dry weight 50 percent moisture by weight and then storing the feed in ag bags or bunkers for 5 to 7 days before feeding Steve Peterson of Monsanto says this formula can be up to 50 percent more digestible than untreated corn stover One of the keys to producing quality feed with either approach is to start with clean residue Chopped stalks that are then raked into windrows tend to pick up dirt which isn’t palatable to cattle New Holland is using a new cornhead attachment called the Cornrower that windrows chopped stalks behind the corn head and in between the combine drive wheels Small doors on the cornrower can be opened or closed to regulate how much residue is left in a windrow Vol 36 No 2 New Holland’s Jim Moellenberndt says the cornrower reduces the chances of dirt getting into the residue while creating a fluffy windrow that’s easy to bale or collect with a chopper ADM research shows that cattle will readily eat properly stored and treated residue Their rate of gain on stover and corn co-products such as distillers grains is essentially the same as cattle that are fed corn or hay Treated corn stover can replace up to 20 percent of the corn in a finishing ration and some studies have shown that as much as 80 percent can be replaced depending on other ingredients used in the ration The company continues to research the process looking for improvements ADM’s Klein says the reason the treated residue works is that the lime slurry breaks the fiber-lignin bonds in the residue and makes the carbohydrates available for digestion The treated residue can be stored for several months before feeding as long as it’s kept in an oxygen-free environment ADM’s pilot program is operating in parts of 10 Midwestern states for 2014 Other mobile units are planned for the future Contact: FARM SHOW Followup John Klein ADM Alliance Nutrition 1000 N 30th St Quincy Ill 62301 ph 712 647-8611; John klein@adm com

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