Feeding cattle without distillers grains

Contributed by Dan Herold

Since the advent of the ethanol boom in the Upper Midwest, distillers grains (also known simply as distillers) have become a staple ingredient in cattle rations. Known to enhance both ration palatability and animal performance, distillers are a natural fit for all classes of cattle, from feedlot to cow-calf production.

Low global oil prices, tight grain supplies and decreased fuel demand can cut the profit potential of fuel ethanol production. The resulting market pressure could force some ethanol plants to close, at least temporarily, interrupting the supply of ethanol co-products and mandating a quick move to feeding cattle without distillers grains.

5 steps to reduce the impact of removing distillers grains from your ration

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New research probes into feedlot cattle heart failure

Heather Smith Thomas for Progressive Cattle

Some cattle at high elevations suffer pulmonary artery hypertension (brisket disease), which leads to congestive heart failure. Cattle at low elevations are also susceptible to bovine congestive heart failure (BCHF).

This condition is often seen in feedlot cattle. BCHF is an untreatable and sometimes fatal condition, pulmonary hypertension that results in right ventricular failure, but it may begin with left-heart dysfunction in cattle at low and moderate altitudes. This makes it different from right heart failure at high altitudes because BCHF in the feedlot affects both sides of the heart.

See what researchers have learned about heart failure in feedlot cattle.

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The long haul

Jake Geis for Progressive Cattle

If you haven’t heard by now, the Great Plains are a bit short on beef cattle veterinarians.

Somehow, we’re having trouble recruiting young folks to go $200,000 in debt for a job that pays less than half that, so they can have the privilege of being called in the middle of the night to work on cantankerous cows. And, for some reason, the ones who start in the business often leave it to work an 8-to-5 job in the city. What an odd decision.

When the drive is a bit long, it seems the intangibles make it stretch just a bit longer.

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Exploring the ‘Farm Kid Paradox’

Kyle Koshalek for Progressive Cattle

Farming is one of the most hazardous industries in the U.S. with an increased risk of injury to those who both work and live on the farm, especially children. However, children raised on farms also enjoy certain social and health benefits.

The tension between benefits and risks poses problems for farm parents and safety professionals who wish to work together to mitigate children’s risks, as well as enhance the benefits of being raised on farms. A project at the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS) titled “The Farm Kid Paradox” is exploring this problem in a new five-year cycle of the center.