DDG?

[rkaiser]

Grassfarmer - you and Rod mentioned this DDG in the feed. I am supposing you are talking bi products from Bio diesel or Ethanol plants. Am I correct? And if so, what do the initals DDG stand for?

[grassfarmer]

DDG - "distillers dark grains" was the name given to this type of byproduct because it is usually derived from alcohol production. I'm not clear if the ethanol process would leave you with feeds of the same analysis. In Scotland we had a lot of these whisky derived byproducts, many kinds and specifications of DDG and a liquid called pot-ale syrup. They all came from different parts of the production process and seemed to vary from distillery to distillery. Pot-Ale was a watery version of molasses with some unique mineral and vitamin properties - some guys claimed they got up to 20% twins by feeding it in breeding season!

[grassfarmer]

Here is a website reference to "grainbeet" a DDG/ beet pulp pellet mixture we used in Scotland to fatten bull beef on an ad-lib basis. It makes an excellent, non bloating, safe feed although I guess handling the moisture content might be a problem in this climate.

http://www.tridentfeeds.co.uk/page.cfm?pageid=1270

[DiamondSCattleCo]

I hadn't heard the term Distillers Dark Grain before, but rather Dry Distillers Grain. And it is indeed the byproduct from ethanol plants. I've read a couple studies recently that show a definite weight gain benefit on feeders from the use of DDG. Poundmaker feedlot utilizes the DDG from their own ethanol plant to supplement their barley ration and have had good luck with it.

I believe that near term survival of traditional feedlots, say the next 3 or 4 years, will be dependent on their ability to utilize DDG in the ration. Its going to take at least that long for barley/corn stocks to rise high enough to bring the price of barley back down again. Long term, I'm not sure whats going to happen. I keep hoping that someone in government is going to grab a grip on reality and realize how worthless ethanol blending truly is, and concentrate on other alternative forms of energy. Bio-diesel has the most potential, and would allow grain farmers to reap the benefits of sustainable production, while not having quite as much influence on the cost of barley, and the subsequent fall out on feeder prices.

Rod

[rkaiser]

Thanks

Any way I could talk you into bring a bit of info on DDG to the meeting grassfarmer. I believe that production costs need to be included in our program as premiums will not be the only thing to concentrate on for profit.

[mjohn]

I have an analysis handy for DDG from wheat (ethanol by-product) On a DM basis. 42% Crude Protein(31.9% soluble), 80% TDN, 6.6% Crude Fat, 18.9% ADF, 17% NFC, 0.22% Ca, 0.97% P, 0.38% Mg, and 0.46% S. Product contains ~ 10% moisture.

[grassfarmer]

Will work on some details Randy, though I'm no expert. Thanks for that analysis mjohn.

[DiamondSCattleCo]

Randy, pick up a copy of the Feb. edition of the Canadian Cattleman magazine. It references one of the studies I spoke of (with some ADG numbers), and it also has a brief blurb on Poundmaker and their making use of DDG.

Rod

[grassfarmer]

Rod, you are probably right about the "dry distillers grain" definition - it seems to be the one most widely used around the world. The specific product we used most commonly in Scotland was branded "distillers dark grains" hence my confusion!
mjohn, looking at your analysis and comparing it to many others the crude protein level is higher than anything else I've seen quoted, 42% versus 25-30% generally. Also the phos level seems very low giving a 3:1 Ca:Ph ratio. Normally this ratio is around 1:10. Ca:Ph. There seems to be a lot of conflicting analysis put out there by the promoters of ethanol in N America.

[mjohn]

My apologies GF. I may have the comma in the wrong place. Most of these products (DDG)are high in phosphorous (nearly 1%). Extra calcium may be required in a cereal silage and grain ration which has been supplemented with DDG.

The ratio should be the inverse of one stated. That is, the Ca:P ration is only 0.22 to 1.

I'm not entirely sure why the protein in this sample is so high, but it is on a DM basis. My NRC for Beef does have DDG at 30% as you state. Could the difference be explained in that many published analysis on the web are actually representing DDG made from corn whereas the analysis I previously posted was made from wheat (which has about 5% more CP than corn prior to fermenting??).