Effects of feeding forages co-ensiled or re-ensiled with corn modified wet distiller\u27s grain plus solubles on growth performance, carcass quality and diet digestibility of beef cattle

The volatility in commodity markets, during the last few years due to the ethanol industry expansion, has caused a more competitive environment, negatively affecting small and mid-size beef operations with increasing prices of traditionally used feed ingredients such as corn and soybeans. On the other hand, it has been well established that utilization of distiller’s grains plus solubles (DGS), a co-product of the ethanol industry, has resulted in equal or greater performance of beef cattle when fed to supply adequate levels of protein and energy, replacing a portion of corn and soybeans in growing and finishing diets. Though wet DGS represents a lower cost/unit of DM due to the savings in energy during the drying process, broad utilization of this form of distiller grains is hindered by their short shelf-life and high transportation cost. Co-ensiling corn wet DGS with whole-plant chopped corn, corn stalks, fresh cut grass, hay, soybean hulls, wheat straw and wet beet pulp has proven to be a successful conservation practice to extend shelf-life and flexibility in the usage of wet DGS. There is limited research reported on how these co-ensiled rations affect cattle performance, diet digestibility, and rumen fermentation characteristics of beef cattle. For this reason, three performance trials and two digestibility experiments were completed at the Purdue Beef Unit. Direct-cut grass and whole-plant chopped corn were co-ensiled with modified wet DGS, and corn silage was re-ensiled with modified wet DGS. The research silages were incorporated into growing and finishing diets to evaluate the effects they have on growth performance, carcass characteristics, diet digestibility and rumen fermentation characteristics of beef cattle. Results from these studies suggest that mixing wet DGS with chopped whole-plant corn, direct-cut grass or corn silage, in the right proportions, and ensiling them as a mix; results in a stable and nutritional feedstuff that not only facilitates the management of total mixed rations, but most importantly increases the shelf-life of this rapidly perishable co-product. This results in the possibility to feed co-ensiled or re-ensiled wet DGS in inclusion levels of up to 33% of the diets DM, without affecting growing performance or diet digestibility of yearling and pregnant heifers; nor performance, carcass characteristics or diet digestibility of feedlot steers