Duane A. Lienemann,
UNL Extension Educator,
Webster County
November 17, 2011 Edition
I think we have probably seen the last of the crops get harvested this week and from what I can ascertain we had an outstanding crop year with excellent yields. I have to think that our farmers, as a whole, have to feel pretty good about the yields and the accompanying prices this year. Oh I know, everyone will be playing the marketing game and it seems that most people will say they never hit the high, but just think back a couple of years when yield didn’t seem so important because of low prices. That brings me to some interesting reading that I did last night in regards to corn yields.
It doesn’t take an agronomist or extension educator to tell you that with increasing corn yields there is an increasing amount of corn residue on the fields. Some people see that as a problem, but I see it as the potential to create an opportunity-- to turn what was once considered a liability for the grain producer into an asset for both he and for cattlemen. Here is one that I think has a lot of potential for both our cattle producers and grain farmers.
Add Lime to Your Corn Stover: Studies have been done that show that adding lime in corn stover, and especially if the stover is put into wind rows, makes the stover more digestible. Scientists say that it the same basic idea as how corn tortillas are made. By adding lime to the corn stover, the stover is softened, it makes the sugars in the cells more accessible and that in turn increases the feed value in a cattle ration. This new research has shown that a substantial portion of the grain in cattle feed can be effectively replaced with corn stover—the plant’s stalks, cobs and leaves—when these harvest residues are treated with a common food ingredient known as hydrated lime, or some may even know it as “pickling” lime. The alternative feeding strategy, which could improve feeders’ financial returns by lowering input costs without impacting the animals’ physical development, has been validated through recent studies conducted at ISU and UNL.
In cattle-feeding trials, adding hydrated lime to corn stover rendered the plant material sufficiently digestible to constitute up to 25 percent of cattle rations after the treated stover was combined with wet distillers grains and solubles. WDGS, a protein-rich feed ingredient, is a co-product of corn ethanol production. Hydrated lime, or calcium hydroxide is used in a variety of food applications, from pickling and preserving fruits and vegetables to adding calcium to fruit juices and baby formulas. It is formed by mixing water with calcium oxide derived from limestone.
For the grain producer who also has cattle as a side line, I see corn stalks as a no-brainer to stretch to the time that it is necessary to feed hay. Even if you bale up some of your corn residue for winter feed, this practice could even help with the nutrition of cattle in dry-lot conditions. For this to work even better the treatment process would involve combining ground or chopped stover with the hydrated lime solution, then storing the treated stover in an oxygen-free container, typically a plastic “ag bag” or a bunker, for at least a week. The solution loosens the chemical bonds between the stover’s less-digestible lignins and its more digestible components. The relaxing of these bonds enables natural enzymes in the cattle’s front stomach to effectively digest the stover. The same treatment process can make wheat straw digestible to ruminants as well. Now with the new study, it may even be more attractive to utilize the residues that are out in our fields.
The added benefit is that the lime used out in the corn stalks is also good for the soil. I would venture to say that you will find if you take soil tests that the pH of our soils as probably over the years and time become more acidic and I quite honestly have not seen farmers lime like we used to. With the influx of cattle from the south, there is an opportunity to get a few more dollars per acre for grazing of the stalks. I know that some no-till farmers are a little resistant to this, but there are definite advantages. There is some good information on affects of grazing stalks on fields gathered by studies by UNL Extension. Please see for yourself at: http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/live/ec278/build/ec278.pdf
Door Begins Reopening to Horse Processing: A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that the Ag Appropriation bill had moved to Conference Committee to reconcile the differences between the pro-horse industry Senate bill, and the House bill (H.R. 2122) which still includes the annual riders that have been included at HSUS' behest since 2007 that prohibits USDA from providing inspection to ensure humane handling and food safety in the United States.
GOOD NEWS! Language that ended domestic horse slaughter and processing in the United States has been stripped from the Ag Appropriations bill approved by the House/Senate Conference committee. The Moran amendment that was on the House bill that was still the house version – that left the riders on the bill - was stripped off in conference (committee). And, the language has already come out and now there are no riders prohibiting the inspection of horse meat.
The Senate bill did not contain those riders. As soon as the bill is passed and is signed by the President (which seems likely at this point) the market for horses in the U.S. can resume. What it means is that somebody will be able to process horses right away. Nebraska has positioned itself nicely with its earlier legislation should someone or business should decide to venture into the processing of the unwanted, rank, and old horses. This is a wonderful relief from an ill-conceived bill brought forward by HSUS to an unwitting and unknowing Congress- which has led to LESS humane treatment of horses through increased abandonment, neglect and needless suffering as many died slow deaths or long trips out of this country--as well as adding to the financial strain to those people who owned them. I see this as a big win for agriculture!
The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for WebsterCounty in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/me
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