Cattle CODE: Coproduct Optimizer Decision Evaluator

Expansion of the corn-based ethanol industry in recent years has resulted in a growing supply of coproduct feeds. These coproducts result in significant improvements in cattle performance and are often priced lower than corn on a dry matter basis. Along with these benefits to feeding ethanol coproduct feeds, cattle feeders must also account for additional transportation costs to originate the coproducts and for added expenses to handle, mix, and deliver the feed ration within the feedlot. An economic budget model, called Cattle CODE, was created to help feeders, nutritionists, and Extension educators evaluate these nonlinear effects across unique feeding situations