Comparison of Feeding Dry Distillers Grains in a Bunk or on the Ground to Cattle Grazing Subirrigated Meadow

The objective of this study was to compare feeding dry distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) in a bunk or on the ground to cattle grazing subirrigated meadow. Steers fed in a bunk had greater ADG than steers fed on the ground (1.19 vs. 0.92 lb). The NRC (1996) was used to retrospectively calculate the DDGS intake difference between treatments. For steers fed in a bunk, a reduction in DDGS intake between 0.8 and 0.9 lb/day would have resulted in a 0.27 lb/day reduction in ADG, which means 36-41% of the DDGS fed on the ground was wasted. At $200 (DMB) per ton for DDGS, the cost of the wasted distillers grains was between $0.08 and $0.09 per day